Building the Plastic Soldier Company Panzer III f

      Back again with a build of the latest product from my favorite 15mm tank company, PSC. Today I will be building the Panzer IIIf. this was the main medium tank that the Germans went to war with, armed with the (then adequate) 37mm cannon, this was the tank of the Blitzkreig. This is a boon to anyone contemplating an Early to Mid war German army as you will be able to build a sizeable force at reasonble cost. As with all previous PSC kits the molding and detail was excelent and the instructuions were (to be charitable) poor.

parts removed from the sprues, awaiting clean-up

the top and bottom of the turret went together without a gap

 and the one-peice gun mount fits neatly on the front of the turret

the rest of the parts laid out ready to assemble

there is a distinct "this side up" to the escape hatches on the turret,

the vision block is always toward the front of the turret as well

 

I do like that they molded the hatches onto the commander's cupola,

I hate trying to pick up tiny parts with my bratwurst size fingers

the track parts, be certain to use the right ones as they change between models

PSC has again thoughtfully made the parts so that they cannot be assembled wrong

note the flat spot on the shaft and the corresponding one on the hole,

 I suppose you could build it wrong-way-round,

but it would be obvious to even the dimmest minds that they had gotten something amiss

close ups of the drive sprocket...........

........and idler wheel

the bogies are ready for tracks at this point

there is a distinct direction that the tracks go,

test fit them before gluing and it will be obvious right away,

if you get it wrong they will bow away from the bogies,

when on correctly they fit very snug

hull parts ready to go

front glacis and MG installed

the mufflers (the proper location of which are only inferred by the instructions)

the sub-assemblies come together

the kit has locators molded into the hull sides and bogie assemblies,

I used plastic model tube cement to be sure that any gaps got filled

general veiws

     Again I am at a loss for how easy (OK, OK,  not as easy as the Zvezda kit) to build this kit is once you get past the crummy instruction sheet. the detail and fit of parts is exemplary. If you are doing early war you will want a box or two.

     Very Highly Recommended!    John