1:35 Panzer III - Jack Rest Block (Part 2 - 3D Printed)

1:35 Panzer III — jack rest block, part 2 (Lithokraft)

A 3D-printed resin set in 1:35 scale. It is the wooden jack rest block, in German the Unterlegklotz, which German tanks carried on the hull and put under the jack so that it did not sink into soft ground while lifting. The manufacturer split the accessory into two parts and this is part 2; part 1 is kept under a separate number. It is a detail part, not a kit of the vehicle.

The real subject

The Panzer III was the main German medium tank of the first half of the Second World War and it carried a whole set of workshop equipment: a jack, a wheel nut wrench, a shovel, a crowbar and precisely this wooden block. The block was fastened to the armor with straps or with metal bands and the shape of its brackets differed by production batch and by unit. It is exactly these small things that decide whether a model looks like a particular vehicle or like a generic type.

Building and painting tips

Wash the parts in lukewarm soapy water before you touch them with glue. Cut the print supports off with a sharp scalpel as close to the part as possible and sand the rest down; keep an eye on the work under a magnifier, the block is small. It is bonded with super glue. Wood is best simulated with a light base color, over which you draw a brown oil or acrylic wash along the grain; then finish the metal bands with dark steel and a little rust.

Who the set is for

• modelers of the Panzer III for whom the plastic block from the kit is not enough
• anyone interested in faithful workshop equipment on the hull
• builders who like trying wood imitation in a small scale
• more advanced modelers with experience of resin

This is an accessory for a model. The base kit, glue and paints are not included in the package, unless stated otherwise.