Panzerkampfwagen III Ausf.L

Assembly completed and ready for primer. Note how the tracks don't want to lay down flat across the top. I will fix this later after painting and weathering.

Assembly completed and ready for primer.

Assembly completed and ready for primer. Note how the tracks don't want to lay down flat across the top. I will fix this later after painting and weathering.

Assembly completed and ready for primer.

Assembly completed and ready for primer.

Primered with Stynylrez black surface primer, then base coated with Tamiya XF-60 "Dark Yellow". Hi-lites were done with a mix of XF-60 and Tamiya XF-57 "Buff" of approx 60/40.

Primered with Stynylrez black surface primer, then base coated with Tamiya XF-60 "Dark Yellow". Hi-lites were done with a mix of XF-60 and Tamiya XF-57 "Buff" of approx 60/40.

Primered with Stynylrez black surface primer, then base coated with Tamiya XF-60 "Dark Yellow". Hi-lites were done with a mix of XF-60 and Tamiya XF-57 "Buff" of approx 60/40.

After the primer coat, the road wheels and upper rollers were first sprayed with Tamiya XF-85 "Rubber Black" then the base colour coat of XF-60 was applied with the aid of a generic plastic circle template. The tracks (and spare track pins) were then base coated with Tamiya XF-56 "Metallic Gray". The jack, Jack block and assorted tools will be picked out and painted with a fine brush.

A random camouflage pattern applied using Tamiya XF-67 "NATO Green" then sealed under a coat of Tamiya X-22 clear gloss, then decals also applied.

A random camouflage pattern applied using Tamiya XF-67 "NATO Green" then sealed under a coat of Tamiya X-22 clear gloss, then decals also applied.

Tracks and spare links given a light coat of A.MIG-1002 "Track Wash" using a stippling paint brush, with the excess blotted away using paper towels.

Tamiya dark brown panel line wash applied to the raised details and recesses, then left for 30 mins to dry, then clean up with a cotton swab moistened with white spirits. Any fluff left behind can be removed with a small blob of blue-tac. Then a final clear coat of Tamiya XF-86 applied to remove the glossy sheen and seal the wash in.

The same process is applied to the road wheels and upper rollers.

Additionally, Light gun metal (From Tamiya weathering set "F") is applied to the flat surfaces of both rear idler wheels and chipping applied to the teeth on both drive wheels.

The oil products and mud textures that I will use to dirty up the lower hull and suspension.

I use the dark brown oil brusher to apply dots lower down and especially around the suspension components and the dark mud oil brusher higher up. A paintbrush lightly moistened with odorless spirits is used to blend the oil dots into the paintwork and spread it around.

Similarly, for the mud texture I firstly apply European earth mud, then apply the much darker Russian mud texture lower down only. Take care not to get any of the mud texture on the axels where the road wheels attach to.

These Vallejo mud texture products are fantastic and come in a variety of different shades and textures. Very simple to use and being an acrylic are water soluble, so clean up is a breeze and any mistakes can be wiped away just using tap water. In addition, they dry very quickly as well. Previously I've used enamel based mud texture products, but they just don't compare with these acrylics at all.

While the mud dries I begin the chipping process using AK-711 "Chipping Colour". I apply it with a piece of foam (from the type you sometimes receive in packaging of electrical equipment etc) using the "dry sponge" technique. Dip the sponge in the paint and blot away any excess onto a paper towel, and when only a minimum amount of paint is being transferred to the paper you can begin applying it directly to the model. This is a gradual process, and you must go very slowly and gradually build it up to the desired level. I keep a moistened cotton bud handy to wipe away any mishaps or places where I may have gone too heavy.

With the chipping finished, I check how it looks with the turret mounted and look for anything that needs touching up. For areas that cant be reached using the sponge, I use a very fine paint brush instead.

With chipping also applied the the hubs on the road wheels, I give the painted rubber areas a light brushing of Grey from Tamiya's weathering master set "E". Any unwanted material on the hubs can be removed later with a cotton bud.

With the road wheels ready to be installed it's time to mount the tracks. My method is to first insert the drive wheel into a track loop ensuring that the track slips all the way over the teeth then secure the wheel into position at the front. This kit uses poly caps to hold the front and rear wheels securely so no glue is required. Also make sure that the track is orientated the right way up!

I then attach the rear idler wheel the same way, first into the track loop, and then secure it into position on the hull. Make sure that the upper run does not hang below the mounts for the upper rollers, and similarly that the lower run hangs below the suspension arms for the road wheels.

I then attach all three upper rollers, and secure them in place with glue. Ensure that the guide horn on the track slips between both sets of rollers at each mounting and that the track sits flush with the top of each roller. A wooden tooth pick is quite handy for achieving this.

Next I attach both the forward and rear most road wheels, which takes up most of the slack on the tracks. On some kits, this can be a very tight fit, but by using this process you shouldn't have to stretch the tracks to fit too much which can ruin the paint work, or worse... snap them! On this kit, while the fit is reasonably tight, you don't have to stretch them at all, and if anything, will still look a little loose which will be remedied later.

I then install the remaining road wheels alternating between the front and rear until I finish in the middle. Take care to ensure that the guide horns slip between each set of road wheels and that each wheel sits flush with the track. With that side complete, I repeat the process on the other side.

With both sets of wheels and tracks installed, and with the glue not fully cured/set, I give it a final look over all the way around to ensure the tracks are sitting correctly and that all the road wheels are sitting straight and vertical etc.

I then leave if for a few hours for the glue to properly cure.

The next step will be to try and give the upper runs of track a little sag at the marked positions so that they hang a little more naturally...

Unfortunately the pics I took of wedging the tracks were out of focus, and I'd removed the wedges before noticing.
Refer to my Panzer III N build if you wish to see what I did: Panzerkampfwagen III Ausf.N | Album by Jim C (1:35)

With the sag on the tracks achieved, I moved on to applying oils on the upper hull and turret. Same colours and process as used around the suspension but cleaned up considerably more with odorless spirits. Final weathering was done with ordinary children's coloured pencils for rain/water marks and assorted scratches. An aerial was scratched together using a length of evergreen 0.5mm plastic rod and painted Tamiya XF-85 rubber black, then everything was given a light dusting of light sienna pigments. Finally the track cleats, turret grab handles and machinegun barrels were highlighted with light gun metal from Tamiya weathering master set "F"