Panzer III Ausf. N - Refurbishment

Neuling
The tracks look very good already ..........

Eddy Marshall
Cheers Neuling... These are just spare tracks off a Takom Merkava kit that Im using to gauge things at the moment... Being a refurb the tracks on the panzer are bonded so I'm trying to decide which way to go painting things...

Neuling
🙂

Pepe
Looking!!!!

Rui S
Looking good 👍

CaptGPF
That's sick! And when I say "Sick" - I mean 🤩

Eddy Marshall
Cheers CaptGaPF.. It's getting there... Not far to go...

Guy Rump
Looking great, following. 👍

Mr James
Beautiful work. A masterclass in shading and weathering. An excellent build

Eddy Marshall
Mighty kind words Mr James...! Appreciate it...

Neuling
Hope you don´t get annoyed, Eddy, when I repeat Mr James´ words ...........

Eddy Marshall
Terribly annoyed Neuling..! Lol... Much appreciated... She's getting there.mate..

John
Mr James comments thirded, wow!

Eddy Marshall
Cheers John... Glad you like it mate...

Treehugger
Heh, if someone asked if I have a swastika at home, I must confess I have a lot of them. Specifically on decal sheets, because scale model kit makers seem to have to remove it, and I think that is really weird and in ways inappropriate. I could have sworn back in 1980's, there wasn't such a thing back then in the toystores selling those 1:72 scale model kits and those tiny buckets of Humrol paint. The age of tube glue. 🙂

If you want to get weird, you can try watch those Iron Sky movies, which is so weird imo, when not made by hollywood, like with the Indiana Jones movies that features the swastika most prominently iirc.

Eddy Marshall
@Treehugger... Yeah I've been modelling since I was 16 and was born in the 80's, wasn't any issues as you say ... It's part of mankind's history however bleak it was, but we learn from our mistakes by airing them and not hiding them... I know it's a controversial topic but it's only in the interest of historical accuracy and sharing a technique someone may find useful... And those Iron Sky movies are really weird..! Lol

Casey Beckett
It's historically correct, yes? If someone is offended by a simple representation of a swastika, they are in the wrong hobby.

Neuling
In order to avoid a resurgence of a Nazi party there is a German law: Strafgesetzbuch (StGB)
§ 86a Verwenden von Kennzeichen verfassungswidriger und terroristischer Organisationen
(1) Mit Freiheitsstrafe bis zu drei Jahren oder mit Geldstrafe wird bestraft, wer

1.
im Inland Kennzeichen einer der in § 86 Abs. 1 Nr. 1, 2 und 4 oder Absatz 2 bezeichneten Parteien oder Vereinigungen verbreitet oder öffentlich, in einer Versammlung oder in einem von ihm verbreiteten Inhalt (§ 11 Absatz 3) verwendet oder
2.
einen Inhalt (§ 11 Absatz 3), der ein derartiges Kennzeichen darstellt oder enthält, zur Verbreitung oder Verwendung im Inland oder Ausland in der in Nummer 1 bezeichneten Art und Weise herstellt, vorrätig hält, einführt oder ausführt.

(2) Kennzeichen im Sinne des Absatzes 1 sind namentlich Fahnen, Abzeichen, Uniformstücke, Parolen und Grußformen. Den in Satz 1 genannten Kennzeichen stehen solche gleich, die ihnen zum Verwechseln ähnlich sind.
(3) § 86 Abs. 4 und 5 gilt entsprechend.

Rui S
The new Nazis have already arrived now. They are the ones who carry the new swastika "z".

CaptGPF
This is a very interesting subtopic on symbolism and ideology. The Germans mandated WW2 and holocaust classes in their education system - as well as enacted bans on the symbols in the hopes of never repeating these mistakes. The Japanese went the totally opposite direction - censoring the atrocities in their school systems. Oddly enough, both countries 9and if I may dare say, cultures) are now the leading advocates for peace - which should give us hope for humanity as a whole.

The blanket practice of Stripping symbols from kits, passing laws against the Confederate flag, or any other form of "censorship" are in my opinion, simplistic and ignorant. A modeler putting a swastika on a realistic BF-109 does not make a person a Nazi or a sympathizer - conversely, a person making the Heil Hitler salute may not be technically breaking the law, but may be spiritually going down the wrong path if they mean it.

In my humble opinion, it is better for the kits to retain these dark symbols, as it allows those who see the final product the chance to talk about it, and the root causes that empowered those symbols of hate and inhumanity - the failure to talk to each other in a calm, collected and civil manner and find creative ways to work and win together. The United States is at such a crossroad as Germany was in 1933 - let's hope that cooler hears prevail.

That said, my only problem with the Nazi flag is twofold: 1) it looks too clean on such a seasoned tank. 2) Wouldn't the flag impede the proper cooling of the engine? 🤔

Mr James
Eloquently put CaptGPF. Interestingly, the swastika symbol was hijacked by the Nazis. It was used by various religious cultures over thousands of years. I think the symbol has meaning in some Asian religions? Different cultures deriving differing symbolism from the same image.
As for the flag on the back of the Panzer 3. I think its being used as a Luftwaffe marker for a desert campaign? And usually stowed away, next to the tea and biscuits inside the turret. 🙂

André Silva
I agree with CaptGF, better to see and discuss than to simply try and hide it. No knowledge will come of that, better to be informed than ignorant. I also think the same as Mr James. Now the flag could be a little bit more distressed/older/not so colorful, it looks a bit too perfect compared to the state in which the tank is. I like constrast but it's just a little too much in this case. But it's a awesome build and i'm following for sure.

Eddy Marshall
@Andre... Still yet to weather the flag... It stands 9ut like a saw thumb comparatively as you say... I tend to go over board with contrast... As it's rare your model will be viewed under strong lights so I go hard and amp things up...

Casey Beckett
Well stated, ChatGPF - I banned myself from Japanese and German subjects largely because of their brutalities, The Holocaust, eating POWs, medical 'experiments' etc - but I will make the odd exception such as captured aircraft, or in the case of the Stuka, just because it's such a cool looking aircraft. Nice to see us all actually having a conversation, yes?

Oh, and the panzer? Yeah, I'm all for overheated bad guys......cover that engine up, and wave that flag so we know who to drop on!

Cheers from North Carolina, yall