Bandai
Plastic model kit to build a Panzer III Ausf. D
The 30 vehicles manufactured in 1938 incorporated lessons learned from previous variants and featured a further refined suspension system, along with improvements to the steering and braking systems designed to enhance reliability and handling. Power was provided by a liquid-cooled, 250-hp Maybach HL 108 TR twelve-cylinder gasoline engine; this propelled the approximately 16-ton tank to a top speed of around 35 km/h, giving it a level of mobility that was impressive for the era. Its armament remained the 3.7 cm KwK 36 L/45 gun and three MG 34 machine guns. Compared to earlier pre-production models, the armor on the vehicle's front and other particularly vulnerable areas was reinforced to a thickness of up to 30 mm, noticeably improving combat survivability.
The Ausführung D saw action in both the 1939 Polish campaign and the 1940 Western campaign. While these operations confirmed the Panzerkampfwagen III's fundamental potential as the Wehrmacht's future standard tank, they also revealed that the 3.7 cm gun was becoming increasingly ineffective against more modern and heavily armored adversaries. Following the initial years of the war, the remaining vehicles were primarily relegated to training duties or converted for specialized tasks.
Despite the relatively small number produced, the Ausführung D represented a crucial step in the tank's evolution, paving the way for the later production models of the Panzerkampfwagen III that would go on to become the German Wehrmacht's primary battle tanks during the early years of the war.
- 1:35 scale
- 1146 parts
- Markings for 4 vehicles
- including turret interior
- movable single link tracks
- not built, not painted
- Paint and glue not included
The 30 vehicles manufactured in 1938 incorporated lessons learned from previous variants and featured a further refined suspension system, along with improvements to the steering and braking systems designed to enhance reliability and handling. Power was provided by a liquid-cooled, 250-hp Maybach HL 108 TR twelve-cylinder gasoline engine; this propelled the approximately 16-ton tank to a top speed of around 35 km/h, giving it a level of mobility that was impressive for the era. Its armament remained the 3.7 cm KwK 36 L/45 gun and three MG 34 machine guns. Compared to earlier pre-production models, the armor on the vehicle's front and other particularly vulnerable areas was reinforced to a thickness of up to 30 mm, noticeably improving combat survivability.
The Ausführung D saw action in both the 1939 Polish campaign and the 1940 Western campaign. While these operations confirmed the Panzerkampfwagen III's fundamental potential as the Wehrmacht's future standard tank, they also revealed that the 3.7 cm gun was becoming increasingly ineffective against more modern and heavily armored adversaries. Following the initial years of the war, the remaining vehicles were primarily relegated to training duties or converted for specialized tasks.
Despite the relatively small number produced, the Ausführung D represented a crucial step in the tank's evolution, paving the way for the later production models of the Panzerkampfwagen III that would go on to become the German Wehrmacht's primary battle tanks during the early years of the war.
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