Kit Review

Italeri/ESCI1/72 scale Panzerjager Marder III

CanonAutomoteur Allemand Marder III

Kit #8010

A Wee Bit of History for the Modeler

Many of you are alreadyaware that the three Marder series of vehicles were an interimsolution to getting mobile anti-tank forces to the troops as soonas possible. There were over a half dozen variations on differentchassis under a common term we use today as Marders (Marten). Iremember them by the chassis they were mounted on: Marder III onthe Panzer 38(t) chassis (Panzer 3 8: Marder III , see the connection?), Marder II on the Panzer II chassis (this one is moreobvious); and Marder I on the French Lorraine carrier (okay, oneexception!).

This kit represents anearly Marder III mounting the German 7.5-cm Pak 40 anti tank gun.The gun is mounted in a riveted lightly armored superstructureatop a largely unmodified Pz 38(t) tank chassis. These vehicleswere out of production by late 1944 having been replaced by theHetzer.

The Kit

This kit will likely, Ihope, be re-released by Italeri soon after being out since 1994or so. Its interesting that one of my early kits is packagedunder Revell Italeri !How things come around full circle?

Instructions are good.Decals are water slide decals with German crosses and unitletters.

The parts are well moldedthough a bit thick. If the kit is released again I hope that PARTissues a brass detail set with brass superstructure parts.

The tracks with my kit arethe abysmal stiff polyethylene plastic material that resists mostall glues and tends to crack. It will help if you heat the tracksup in hot water while wrapped around a wood dowel where thetracks will go around the idler and sprocket, then cool in coldwater. This should keep them in shape and with more natural sag.

My biggest complaint withthis kit, is the Pak 40 gun. This is the same gun as in theirtowed Pak 40 kit. For some reason they molded it in half recoil?This may be cool in an action diorama but would be hard torealistically pull off. To correct this we have a choice ofeither cutting the gun from the recoil system below andremounting it, or borrowing a Hasegawa or AlBy Pak 40 model.

Color & Markings

As these vehicles were inservice from 1942 till the end in 1945 they can be modeled ineither panzer gray or dark-yellow with various camouflagepatterns. From photos, unit markings and tactical numbers do notappear to have been common.

Conclusions

Overall this is a good kitof one of my favorite vehicles (I am surprised the Attack has notissued any Marder III’s?). Tracks and other parts fromAttack’s Pz 38(t) kits may help. PART produces severaletched brass sets for the Attack Model kits that I am sure canhelp with this kit as well.

My model above wasdetailed with a grab-bar above the gun compartment, scratchbuiltammunition boxes, and I hollowed out the recoil slide under thebreach.

StephenBrezinski

Portland,Maine