The Vorpanzer has spent most of July and August being ignored, especially with the big Tamiya Spit taking up most of my bench time.

It hasn’t been totally, shoved-in-a-corner ignored. Work has been progressing in fits and starts. And now, it’s finally ready for paint.

Less Fussy, But Fussier

There’s really not much to say about the buildup, honestly. It’s armor. I’m building it pretty much out of the box. Lots of cutting, sanding, gluing.

Compared to my first Dragon kit, the Panzer IV Ausf.G, the Pz.III seems far more straightforward. There are fewer fussy pieces to deal with, especially on the fenders, upper hull, and turret.

But…

The pieces that are there also seem fussier in the construction. The road wheels, for example, don’t click together as cleanly. Several parts didn’t seat quite as precisely. These are minor annoyances, granted, but being built back-to-back with the excellent Panzer IV, they stand out more than they would otherwise.

Flashy Friuls

As per my usual hatred of plastic indy links, I ordered a set of Friul metal tracks to accompany the Panzer III. These are the exact same set that I used with my Pz.IV – ATL-04 40cm tracks – but where those were mostly clean, this set has abounded with molding flashing (or whatever you call the metal equivalent). The guide horn of every single link has been clogged to a greater or lesser degree, and cleanup has been a drag. So far I’ve got one side fully de-flashed, and about half drilled out. Still have the entire other side to go. But it’s a great zen activity. In other words – tedious!

Tricky Sequencing

The Pz.III Ausf. L sported spaced armor on the upper hull and turret mantlet for enhanced survivability. It also looks awesome, but presents some painting challenges, which in turn lead to construction challenges.

You can see the mantlet armor below, test-fit into place.

In short, I’m having to leave the spaced armor off, prime, and then paint at least the Panzer Gray before attaching the armor permanently. It’s a frustrating step, but hopefully the final result will be worth it!

Up next – painting.