Panzer III Line Up

I am trying to primer paint all of my collection that is not yet painted.  This has been a multi-year project that started in 2016, but of course the move to Kentucky from California has caused serious interruption and delay.  The Roco Panzer III has been converted into an armored recovery vehicle.

A second armored recovery vehicle based on the Panzer III.

Panzer III as an artillery towing vehicle.  Turret hole plated over with a canvas, and towing pintle on the rear.

Panzer III flamethrower.  New larger barrel made out of aluminum tubing.  Very easy conversion.

Panzer III with rubble clearing plow.

Another Panzer III flamethrower.  I have enough spare turrets to return the flamethrowers back into regular gun tanks if the need arises.  They will be painted to match this hull.

Another recovery version of the Panzer III.

The whole line up before the primer painting.
While the Roco Panzer III is an old kit, it has a lot of potential.  I have a few more in the wings also waiting for painting.

Roco Panzer III Conversion

A Roco Panzer III.

 It has been converted into an artillery observation vehicle.

The  tank cannon is replaced by a dummy gun and there is a machine gun in the front turret.
 

In moving the turret front was broken and the hatch lost.

So I glued the turret front back on and replaced and repainted the hatch.  Paint matched pretty well I think.

Tiger I and Panzer III

As I unpack the collection a few photo opportunities arise.  Roco Panzer III.

German tanks carried two machine guns, one for the coax with the main gun and one for the bow.  One of them could be dismounted and used as an anti-aircraft machine gun at the commanders hatch.  American tanks had three machine guns, and the commander had a .50 caliber anti-aircraft machine gun.

Tiger I tanks.  The first Tiger battalions had Panzer III to act as scout tanks and for close in security.  The Tiger I was slow and very heavy, having a smaller, faster, lighter tank as part of the unit was a helpful addition.

Tiger I by Roco with a few extra track links added on.

Anti-aircraft machine gun on the commanders hatch.

Tiger I and Panzer III together.

Nazi German Pazner III

Just as you were starting to think my whole collection is T34s, here are a few Panzer III for you.

There are at least 20 versions here, but all are Roco or conversions.  Flamethrower, Funklenk, and ammo carrier are seen here in addition to the tank.

I have a full battaion of them here.  Including some armored recovery versions and a few "what if" vehicles with the Panzer IV 75/43 medium length gun in the turret.

The ARV is a complex model but a simple design, put a box on the hull instead of a turret.

One snow plow version with a munitions carrier on one side and a Panzer III with skirts on the other side.  Note the explosive charge carriers in yellow.

I have made several versions of the side skirts.  Most of these are painted and are likely to get more attention in 2018, I think there will be a lot of painting next year.

Panzer III In the Barn

I store my vehicles in plastic under bed storage boxes by Sterilite.   http://www.sterilite.com/SelectProduct.html?id=365&picture=1&tab=description&ProductCategory=179&section=1

This is a portion of my Panzer III collection.

Most of the vehicles I showed from the past few days are in this box.

Many of them photographed individually were only samples of the collection.  Note the large number of funklenk tanks along the right side wall for example.

This is part of my massive upgrade of my WWII Panzer III collection.

Some were repaired, had parts replaced, or were converted.  Others were inspected and dusted.

Primer painting and over all painting is next in line for many of these tanks.

But not today.

Conversions of the Roco Panzer III

Many Panzer III tanks were used as funklenk controllers for the Borgward IV.

The Borgward was a small vehicle that could be driven by a driver, or controlled by radio or by wire.  It carried a large demolition charge on the front.  I could drive up to a bunker, drop the charge and back away, then detonate the charge.

Short barrel Panzer III with extra gear.

Extra rifle for the tank commander to use to fire at close assaulting infantry.

Submachine gun for the same reason.

Roco Panzer III

Bog standard Roco Panzer III M.

Panzer III N with the short barrel 75mm gun and a small box on the front fender.

Artillery observation vehicle, with extra antennas, and a fake gun and a machine gun where the regular gun usually goes, and track link on the front hull.

Another version of the artillery observation vehicle.  These were important because they could keep up with the tanks, and provide both radios and protection to the observers.

Panzer III, notional version with the L/43 medium length 75mm cannon as found on the mid production Panzer IV, never put into production.