Dragon 6606 1/35 Panzer III Ausf.N w/Winterketten s.Pz.Abt.502 (Leningrad 1943) - Smart kit

This is a plastic model kit, which comes unassembled and unpainted. So glue, model paints and other basic modelling tools are additionally required.

New item announced at Shizuoka Hobby Show 2010!

Feature:
-Brand new winterketten track w/realistic detail
- Pz.Kpfw.III Ausf.N w/accurate details
- Rifling inside gun barrel
- Gun shield tooled for Pz.Kpfw.III Ausf.N
- Gun sleeve has fine detail
- Add-on armor tailored to 7.5cm Kw.K. L/24 gun mantlet
- Turret made from 3-directional slide molds
- Fenders w/pattern detail on both top and bottom surfaces
- Slide-molded engine deck for Pz.Kpfw.III
- Slide-molded stowage bin specific to Pz.Kpfw.III
- One-piece slide-molded lower hull w/exquisite detail
- Fully detailed weld seams on hull bottom
- Optional extra armor on fighting compartment front plate
- Optional brackets for extra hull top armor
- Injection-molded tow cable for engine deck
- Idler wheels w/photo-etched parts
- Slide-molded torsion bars included
- Slide-molded hydraulic shock absorbers are well detailed
- Detailed suspension swing arms
- Detailed road wheels and sprockets
- Final-drive housing covers are separate parts for maximum detail

Dragon recently released one of its best ever Tiger I kits - a Tiger I Initial Production vehicle from s.Pz.Abt.502 (Item No. 6600). Now that formidable Tiger has found the perfect companion. Its new accomplice is a Panzer III Ausf.N variant, for these close-support tanks worked hand in hand with their larger partners. The kit accurately depicts a Panzer III Ausf.N from s.Pz.Abt.502 as it would have appeared in 1943 during fighting around Leningrad. This particular heavy tank battalion was the first unit to receive the Tiger I, and over the course of the war it destroyed 1400 enemy tanks and 2000 guns. Formed in May 1942, s.Pz.Abt.502 entered combat in the Leningrad sector that same year. Up till September 1943 it continued to fight around Lake Ladoga near Leningrad. The unit operated a mix of Tiger I and Panzer III N tanks, with the latter designed to serve as close-support vehicles to protect the Tigers from enemy infantry.

Dragon's new kit uses recently released 1/35 scale Panzer III models as a foundation, and it incorporates all the essential features of this final-production Panzer III type. There is wide utilization of slide-mold technology - the one-piece turret made from a three-directional slide mold is one example, and even the rifling inside the gun barrel is included. Plus there are multimedia parts such as photo-etched metal for the grills on the air intakes. One further thing that sets this Panzer III apart is the inclusion of winterketten (winter tracks). In fact this is the first time winter tracks have been produced as Magic Tracks. This means modelers can easily and conveniently equip their Panzer III with these special tracks for a winter setting. Although this tank is specifically meant to depict one from s.Pz.Abt.502, modelers will find it hugely versatile in its application. For those seeking a companion for their Tiger, or simply wanting a stunning standalone model, this Panzer III is a must-have!