Marder III Ausf H German Tank Destroyer Tristar 1/35

It is Tristar Marder III. I made it in September 2014.

Now I’m waiting to dry the putty put into the fighter plane Raiden’s gap between the main wing and body joint. I pick up the next model Marder III Ausf H. It is a masterpiece of Tristar. This manufacturer constantly released many items of good craftsmanship in the past, and I would like to support it all the time, but it does not seem to release the new product now. There are 38(t) and Mark IV, and Mark I type early. These are requested to release for a long time to come, I suppose.
(23-August-2014)

The first step was the box composing the chassis and assembling the gearbox. It is the start to let me feel the spirit, but too detailed work is tiring. After having made all, almost all interiors are not seen so much.

This driver’s sheet and the gearbox are very near. Because the base is a light tank of 38(t) origin, the internal working space seems considerably smaller.

It was the option to which I attached a shell rack or the left seat. I had attached the left seat earlier; I didn’t use the rack.

I think even simply painting affects the excellent atmosphere of the internal driver’s compartment. I felt completing a big job, even inside the tank, was far from completion.
(23-August-2014)

Assembling the suspensions and road wheels seemed complicated at a glance, but I was getting used when I made one set, and three others were relatively smooth. I had to be careful not to break the sprocket wheels. It’s fragile parts.

I painted the inside of the vehicle. The radio and transmission are black, I suppose.

Weathering. I felt it overdone too strong. But the fighting vehicle in the mud of the Russian front was dirtier. And another thing, it is an open-top vehicle, and cleaning time is almost nothing if a battle begins.

I watched “Lebanon,” an Israeli movie, before. Maybe the subject is a tank operation inside the Centurion. It was dirty, contaminated by mud and filthy matter on the floor. I don’t know if it’s real or fiction; this photo is cleaner than that. I wonder if the inside remains the car like a museum display, a problematic point.
(24-August-2014)

It is during the caterpillar tread assembling. This process was indicated after attaching a fender in the instruction manual. I decided firstly to wind the caterpillar up where the gap between the fender and guide wheels was so small.
Against the above comment, inside weathering was changed moderately in white. Though it is hard to look at this photograph, I think it’s better.

Mold is sharp and good-looking. It is hard to cut off all the parts one by one, unlike the magic track of Dragon models, but it is easy to wind up without the skewness. When the natural slack of the caterpillar treads well appears, I am glad.
(26-August-2014)

Before I make the complicated gun structure,　I make this Tristar German Self-Propelled Gun Crew Set which I have been stockpiling. I suppose it’s already out of production.

The injection plastic color is dark yellow; because of it, the mold looks dull, but not so much; instead, I can say it is a sharp mold.

This sculptor is Mr. Hirano, who is a famous Japanese. I like his figure and natural posing. They are a little smaller than Dragon Models figure that I often make. These Tristar figures are 49mm in height, equal to 170cm. The height is matched if he is a Japanese soldier at this time. I think it’s shorter for a German soldier.

Only the right guy is smoking at ease; the other three are working hard… Maybe this smoking soldier is a commander.

There is a binocular cap on the back of the neck through the strap. I’m not an authority of sculptor, but I would like to say these four figures are masterpieces even if’s an ancient kit.
(07-September-2014)

The assembling of Marder 3 Ausf. H was completed. Because I use photo-etched parts here and there, careful work is required.

There are three large platforms on the rear chassis. Six photo-etched parts supported it. These strengths are uneasy a little; I adhered them fixed well with adhesive superglue.

The cannon parts are from AFV Club. Probably there would be collaborating in Tristar and AFV Club at that time. The injection plastic color is brighter than the Tristar original.

The Gun module and chassis will be attached after the inside painting.

The periscope is made of clear parts, and the atmosphere of the bulletproof glass is well-performed.

It takes stress very much to handle the photo-etched parts of the small hook on the armor plate…

Blew surfacer lightly.

I took a three-color camouflage of dark yellow, dark green, the red-brown this time. As for the Painting guide, the ratio of these three colors is around 4:3:3, On the main body and armor, dark yellow is the base color, but almost all areas are filled with dark green and red-brown. I took these characteristics in mind and painted.
By the way, it is an Italian front of the summer of 1944. This vehicle had rolled an active part in defense lines against allied forces such as the “Reinhard line,” “Hitler line,” “Gustav line,” and “And Kaiser Line”.

Self -Propelled crews are painted in basic colors.
(11-September-2014)

Marder 3 was developed to counter the new Russian tank T-34.

The tank destroyer carried a 7.5cm anti-tank gun on the body of a Czech light tank 38(t).

Paint and marking are the 29th PzGr-Div., Italy, Summer 1944 on the instruction manual.

The combat room’s armor and the body were not a good joint correctly; it was difficult for me. Mud is painted on the chassis lightly.

I think it’s too much gloss of metal color on the caterpillar and tools. Because the body color was low visibility, I wanted a sharp accent.

I like the gold color of the shells on the rack. I didn’t do weathering on the shell body.

I think it’s good to work on camouflage patterns, and I like the jack stand metal and wood part painting.

After assembling, the inside was dark and had almost no visibility, but I lighted the inside efforts with the MagLite. There are two sheets of driver and machine-gunner; behind the sheets are shell racks and extinguishers. I made the clutch pedal and drove levers but no sight.

The camouflage pattern is like the last stage of WWII, the base color is dark yellow, and almost the area was painted red-brown and dark green.

The caterpillar was slightly twisted from the front shot, and I felt a regrettable mistake. Combination caterpillar parts are good looking from the side, well, almost OK…

Periscope was painted in dark green; after that, I glossed it clear.

Mud has a 3D texture; each grain is a little large.

Same as above.

The anti-tank gun crew is carrying shells.

The crew insignia is Waffen-SS. One is private, and the other is a staff sergeant. We can see the men wearing the garrison cap is also Waffen-SS because of the skull mark on the cap.

The tank crew and self-propelled anti-tank crew’s shoulder mark color is pink in Germany, while Artillery is red. I think this situation is pink.

Maybe the tank’s division mark and the soldier were not matched.

The radio operator’s holding chart is very realistic.

Two crew camouflage pants are attractive. The open-top vehicle was tough working generally because I should paint the inside.
(20-September-2014)