CYBERHOBBY
Product Specifications.
6510, Pz.Kpfw.III Ausf.J Control Tank & Borgward IV Ausf.B 2-in-1 Smart Kit. 1/35th-scale styrene/multimedia kit containing 629 styrene parts (including 19 clear), two bags of Magic Tracks (for the Pz.Kpfw.III), two lengths of DS100 tracks (for the B.IV) two etched brass frets, one water-slide decal marking scheme and 10 pages of instructions in 37 steps.
Introduction.
Ever the innovators, German engineers, in response to requests from the military authorities, designed a series of remotely-controlled demolition charge-carrying vehicles. Most were fully-tracked and some were armored. The majority were also remotely-controlled via a special radio link, although they could also be piloted by a human for transit to their areas of operation. One such series was built by Borgward and designated the B.IV. It was produced in three models: Ausf.A, B and C, while some Ausf.As were modified with features seen on the Ausf.B.
Cyberhobby’s latest release combines the recent Pz.Kpfw.III Ausf.J kit and several relevant new parts, with the older B.IV Ausf.B kit. Now, the interested modeler can replicate a charge carrier and its control tank using parts from the same box. In a slight change in format, we’ll review the two kits in turn.
Pz.Kpfw.III Ausf.J
Tracks.
These come loosely packed in two bags and are so-called “Magic Tracks”. They represent the 40cm-wide links that had hollow guide horns and plain cleat faces. These tracks are also “handed”, so the modeler is cautioned not to open up the bags and mix things up prior to assembly; as an added bit of help, each side’s links are a slightly different color of gray styrene. Being Magic Tracks, they have no sprue attachment points, which is a definite time saver since no cutting or clean-up in that regard is required. Each has a pair of extremely faint ejector pin marks on the inner face. These can be ignored or erased as the modeler sees fit. They fit together easily but quite loosely, and must be fixed together with glue prior to handling.
Suspension System.
The road-wheels are conventionally molded in inner and outer pieces, with integral rubber tires. The outer faces of the wheel hubs feature perforations and weld beads where appropriate, while the tires have a facsimile of the manufacturer’s logo on their rims. On the inner faces, the tubes that helped join the wheel halves together are molded on, providing an unprecedented level of detail in this regard. Spare road wheels and spare track pins are also given for stowage. The return rollers are conventionally-molded in two parts (inner and outer halves).
The drive sprockets come as conventional inner and outer pieces and are completely detailed. The idler wheels are also in inner and outer parts, but feature separate hubs as well as etched brass inner rings for a properly-undercut rim. The idler wheels also have separate cranked axles that can be adjusted; the modeler is advised not to glue them in place on the hull until the fit and sag of the tracks have been worked out.
Separate internal torsion bars are given as are beautifully-detailed separate external swing arms. This will allow the suspension to be fixed in an articulated fashion if the modeler desires to place his work on a base with irregular terrain; to do so, simply cut off the pins that protrude from the hull sides, which are there in case the modeler wants a level, fixed suspension. Bump stops, slide-molded shock absorbers and final drive housings (as well as mounting plates for the latter, which have the holes for tow hooks) are also separate parts
Hull.
The main part of the hull comes from a slide-mold so it is fully detailed on all faces. This includes mounts for the road-wheel torsion bar/swing arm units, idler wheel mount, bump stops and shock absorbers, as well as the various bolted strips that connected the hull to the superstructure. Panel seams and weld beads are also present. The belly has drain plug and access plate detail molded in place, plus bolt and rivet heads, as well as weld beads. Openings for the crew escape hatches on the side walls are covered by separate hatch lids with separate hinges and internal latches.
The bow plate is separate and its configuration represents the base armor of 50mm introduced on the Ausf.J. The hull rear plate is composed of many separate parts including the exhaust deflector, spacer plates, various access covers, tow points and exhaust pipe/muffler assemblies. These last come with opened pipe ends and separate mounts. Finally, an etched brass screen is provided to be placed under the superstructure over-hang.
Separate fenders are provided, with the main parts being detailed on the top and bottom surfaces; neither is marred by ejector pin marks. There are a number of styrene and etched brass parts added to these main parts so that all braces, etc. can be depicted in great detail. A very nice touch are the two different rear mud-flap configurations provided; these will allow them to be raised or lowered without any accuracy or detail compromises. Most of the tools, as well as the five-part jack, two-part, slide-molded jack block and two-part convoy tail-lamp are attached to the fenders. The tools have nice clasp details, while the tow cable mounts and jack mounts are separate parts.
Superstructure.
The engine deck is a separate part and is configured much like the original; the entire assembly can be left off to depict an engine change. Coming from a slide mold, it has details on all faces including various styles of plate and weld detail as well as attachment flanges and bolt heads. The four hatch lids are separate parts, with proper coaming detail around the hatch openings and separate hinges. The air intake cowls that surmount the hatch lids are separate parts as are their mounts. Separate parts for the lifting hooks are also given for maximum detail fidelity. Two all-styrene tow cables are provided for the engine deck, but I’d have preferred the option of a wound wire/etched brass/ styrene option for better detail and flexibility. The rear plate features a separate filler cap and multi-part smoke grenade dispenser. At the side are proper air intake vents, with the correct means of attachment to the walls, including their internal openings. These are topped by etched brass screens.
There are two different roof plates, one of which is configured to mount Vorpanzer (spaced armor). Both feature a turret ring with a properly-detailed race, devoid of the usual openings to bayonet-mount the turret. I prefer this, but this means the turret will not be especially secure on the finished model. The part is finished with more separate lift hooks as well as a turret ring shot deflector.
Separate side and front superstructure panels are then fitted. These feature separate, multi-part view-port flaps that include clear parts for the vision blocks; naturally they can be modeled opened or closed. The starboard side features an antenna and its mount, while the associated stowage trough, complete with wood-grain effect is mounted on the fender. The radio operator’s MG34 features complete internal mount detail and is a Gen2 molding with pre-drilled muzzle. The optional Vorpanzer is then fitted if desired, using styrene and etched brass parts. New with this kit is the stowage bin, unique to these control tanks, seen fitted to the starboard side fender; it features a separate lid.
The separate glacis plate is of the type with two hatch lids, one slightly wider than the other; these can be depicted opened or closed. The bases for the head-lamps are molded in place, and clear lenses are provided for them. Separate, two-part armored cowls are given to cover the brake cooling air openings.
Turret.
The upper shell is a one-piece affair, created from a slide mold. The detail is crisp and complete, including counter-sunk screw head details, separate view-port flaps (with clear vision block inserts) and side wall access doors. The roof gets a two-part vent cover, a separate signal port flap and grab handles; the separate turret floor has a gear pattern on the ring race. The commander’s cupola features two-position view-port covers, clear internal vision blocks and separate hatch lids. More separate lift hooks, as well as separate pistol port covers complete the rear wall of the turret.
New for this kit is the armored box that housed the control transmitters for the B.IV demolition vehicle. It is a multi-part item with a separate access hatch lid and a separate antenna base. The rod antenna itself is not provided and must be added. References 2 and 3 should be consulted for the antenna’s length.
The original Gepäckkasten (baggage bin) on the turret rear is still included. It is based on a slide-molded part and is completely detailed on all faces. It also comes with a separate lid, which can be shown opened up. It also purports to be the first accurately-configured bin in styrene, showing the subtle differences in the contours at either side; this last item is confirmed in photos, but does not appear in any of the cited scale drawings.
Each of the main gun configurations has a complete inner breech. The L/42 and L/60 gun tubes are slide-molded and pre-bored. Optional parts for the recuperator housing is given, with an exquisitely-rendered slide-molded sleeve for the gun tube provided as a separate part. There are two mantle configurations (one or two view-port flaps, which are separate and feature internal details) as well as etched brass and styrene parts for the Vorpanzer and its frame. For the latter, there are three different armor configurations offered, but two appear identical. Finally, the pre-bored coaxial MG 34 is furnished, mounted in its armored sleeve; a second sleeve is provided, but without the MG in place.
Borgward Sprengladungsträger (Sd.Kfz.301) B.IV Ausf.B.
This is an older, but fairly-respectable DML kit and will allow the modeler to depict the second production version of this Funklenkpanzer. It has several major external differences from an un-modified Ausf.A, to include a separate escape hatch lid on the starboard side, fold-down armored flaps to protect the driver’s station and dry pin tracks with their attendant drive sprockets.
The hull is a multi-part affair with separate side, rear, belly and roof plates. The side walls feature molded-on final drive housings, openings for the suspension swing-arms and fender braces; the bump-stops are also separate parts. The road-wheels fit onto separate swing-arms, so if desired, the suspension can be made to conform to a diorama’s terrain. After fitting the drive sprockets, the dry-pin tracks, made of DS100 soft styrene can be fitted. This material can be glued together with standard styrene cements; this feature will ease the process of depicting track sag.
The demolition charge container is a separate multi-part assembly with separate deployment arms. It can be depicted in-place or deployed from the vehicle. The driver’s compartment is rather austere, but includes a three-part seat, an instrument panel and a separate control yoke. The hull roof features multi-part, foldable armored shields around the driver’s compartment opening as well as separate engine deck hatch lids (with separate latches) and a spaced cover over the air intake. Separate track-guards are fitted on either side as is a Notek head-lamp and a convoy distance-keeping marker lamp. The final bits are an exhaust pipe and closed louvers for the rear face of the engine deck.
There are several very curious omissions from this kit, with the major missing item being the complete exhaust muffler system. Lesser items not included are the two stalks with reflectors, used by the remote-operator to track the vehicle in low-light conditions and the mount, base and rod antenna for the EP3/UKE6 receiver.
Molding, Fit and Engineering.
The Pz.Kpfw.III is a state-of-the-art kit. On visible surfaces, not a single ejector pin mark was found and there was no shrinkage of any kind. Fit of major parts was excellent and mold seams were faint and easily dealt with. The B.IV is based on older molds, but is still quite well-done and relatively intricate. It suffers from some warping of some hull parts, but a bit of clamping and some super-glue should take care of that issue. I have built the older B.IV Ausf.A kit and can state that parts fit is OK. I have also built up a few DML Pz.Kpfw.III/StuG.III kits and can state the fit in those cases is excellent.
Accuracy.
The PzKpfw.III Ausf.J is, according to published drawings, extremely accurate both in dimension and detail. The B.IV also matches published drawings extremely well; its problems come from the omissions noted above; these can be fairly easily dealt with, but the manufacturer should not have left this to the modeler.
Decals and Markings Information.
The decals are the usual excellent Italian product from Cartograf. They are crisp, in register and have thin, closely-cropped carrier film. Markings for only one tank and one B.IV are given, supposedly from Pz.Kp.(Fkl)312, as employed at Kursk in July of 1943. There are a number of issues with this choice. For instance, ‘312 operated the StuG.III as a control tank, not the Pz.Kpfw.III. The Tac numbers seen on the turret of the Pz.Kpfw.III Ausf.J, F21, are of the style associated with Pz.Kp.(Fkl)313 at Kursk and in fact were painted on a Pz.Kpfw.III Ausf.N with a short 7.5cm L/24 main gun; this was a platoon commander’s Panzer. ‘313 used Ausf.Js as well, so if the markings are cut up and the numbers changed to read F12, they are usable, but only to a certain extent. The final issues are the Tac signs used on the B.IV and the Pz.Kpfw.III; they are of a style seen on vehicles assigned to Panzer-Abteilungen 300 and 301 and are not usable with the Tac numbers on the Pz.Kpfw.III.
So, in essence, according to period photographs seen in reference 3, the markings are incomplete at best and inaccurate at worst. It should be noted that the photographs seen in reference 3 show a wide variety of markings for this vehicle combination. Hopefully an after-market decal manufacture will see some sales potential in this regard.
Instructions.
These are in the classic line drawing style and appear to be well-done. As usual, they are busy, and there are many “steps-within-steps”. Modelers are cautioned to proceed with care.
Conclusion.
While combining kits of two closely-related vehicles is certainly a good idea, the manufacturer should have taken the opportunity to upgrade the B.IV with the missing items noted in the review. Including properly-researched markings with a bit more unit variety would have taken this “good idea” to the next level. Regardless, this should not deter even the average modeler, who with some decent research resources and some skill, can fix whatever problems this kit may have.
Pz,Kpfw.III Ausf.J: highly recommended.
B.IV Ausf.B: recommended with reservations.
Overall: recommended.
Frank V. Curly Stooge De Sisto
References consulted for this review included, but were not limited to:
1. Panzerkampfwagen III, Ausf.A, B, C und D; Panzer Tracts 3-1, by T. Jentz & H. Doyle.
2. Gepanzerte Pionier-Fahrzeuge; Panzer Tracts 14, by T. Jentz & H. Doyle.
3. Funklenkpanzer; J.J. Fedorowicz, by M. Jaugitz.
4. Panzer III & Its Variants; Schiffer, by W. Spielberger.
5. Panzerkampfwagen III; Achtung Panzer 2.
6. Encyclopedia of German Tanks of World War Two, Revised Edition; by P. Chamberlain, H. Doyle & T. Jentz.
7. Pz.Kpfw.III; Wydawictwo Militaria 11, by Z. Barowski & J. Ledwoch.
8. The Panzerkampfwagen III at War; Concord 7010, by M. Jerchel & W. Trojca.
9. Panzer III in Action; Squadron Armor 1, by U. Feist.
10. Pz.Kpfw.III in Action; Squadron Armor 24, by B. Culver & D. Greer.
11. The Panzerkampfwagen III; Osprey Vanguard 16, by B. Perrett, D. Smith & M. Chappell.
12. Panzerkampfwagen III; AFV Profile 2, by W. Spielberger.
13. Panzerkampfwagen III Ausfuhrung J; Bellona Military Vehicle Prints Series 32, by W. Spielberger and H. Doyle.
14. Panzerkampfwagen III in Combat; Tankograd 4005, by M. Zöllner.
Reviewer’s note: Since May of 2005, I have been working on books for Concord Publications, a sister company to Cyberhobby. The reader may wish to take this into consideration. For my part, I will attempt to maintain an objective viewpoint when writing these reviews.
Cyberhobby kits are available from retail and mail-order sources. For information and images see their web-site at: www.cyber-hobby.com.
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