Panzerkampfwagen III Ausf.N Sd.Kfz.141/2
s.Pz.Abt.501 Battalion

The first elements of the s.Pz.Abt.501 Battalion arrived in Africa in Bizerte on November 1942, and until the end of the year, there were 12 Tiger Is and 16 Panzer III Ausf. Ns. Its first combat engagement was the Battle of Tebourba.

Ausf. Ns 75mm short-barreled guns were excellent infantry support weapons, and their speed and reliability rendered effective assistance to the high-maintenance Tigers. They were mostly firing high explosive rounds against the infantry and soft targets, making them a great addition to the heavy battalions. They were also used occasionally for resonance roles.

This model should represent the first company tank no. 124, but is rather inspired but photos of a few different Panzer III Ausf. Ns from an s.Pz.Abt.501 battalion.

The build was straightforward, as one should expect from a Tamiya kit. The only additions are Master Club tracks, and a wooden box on the fender specific to s.Pz.Abt.501, jerrycan rack (Def Model), and various stowage items, mostly Value Gear and Reality in Scale. Also, rearranged fender items a bit to match the photos.

The model was painted with MRP RAL8000. Although it should be expected that those tanks should be painted in RAL 8020, it seems that both Tigers and Pz IIIs of this battalion were painted in RAL8000.

These tanks were not used for too long, so I wanted to keep weathering subtle. Mostly weathered with Mig's pigments (a combination of a few earth and sand tones).

I couldn't find DAK tropical helmets anywhere to buy so I bought 3D models and printed them. I didn't have decals for them though, I'll add them once I have them.