My view for the week.
This kit looks familiar. Let me check the stash and …. Ah!, there it is. Remember those Cyberhobby ‘One release only get ‘em while you can’ kits? Well, this is one of those ‘Get ‘em while you can’ kits re-released so that you can again get it while you can. You just have to love Dragon’s marketing!
Previously released as Cyberhobby kit 6717, what we have here is a straightforward re-box with a few tweaks. In this re-release we have lost the Magic Tracks, metal cables for the lights and a few etched brass bits. The Magic Tracks are replaced by DS Plastic, metal light cables by plastic equivalents and a figure has been thrown in representing an officer in a greatcoat. As with all of Dragon Panzer III’s, there are many sprues included from different versions with new sprues included for the wading parts. Your spares box will be overflowing once you have finished with it. The canvas covers for the mantlet & cupola, as well as the trunking, are provided in DS Plastic and I will comment on this later. Detail is sharp throughout with no moulding imperfections present on the main plastic parts.
FUN IN THE SUN
As regular readers of this magazine will know, when I jet away on holiday I like to take something to keep me occupied by the pool bar. This kit was duly packed into my case, found its way to the Costa Del Sol and the rest is history. I have built a few Dragon Panzer III’s in my time and this, I thought, would hold few surprises. The basic plastic Panzer III is exceedingly good and stands the test of time well.
Construction is over 17 steps but there are many subassemblies so care will be needed. In typical Dragon fashion, we have the usual instructional bloopers so I will point these out as I go along. Therefore, with my daughter packed off to Miniclub happily drawing unicorns for the morning and my wife reading her book by the pool, I made my home at the pool bar for five mornings and got on with it.