In June 1941, the German authorities realized that their tanks were inferior to those of the Soviet army, such as the T34 and KV-1. To cope against the pressure, it was decided as an interim solution to use obsolete Czech built 38(t) tank chassis and arm them with captured Soviet 7.62cm Pak36(r) guns, creating a fearsome machine. From February 1942,the first 18 Marder III’s were put into action in North Africa, and by November the same year 344 had been built, with another 19 built by November 1943. The Marder III could be seen wreaking havoc on every front during WWII.
- The form of the open top of this Marder III has been accurately captured.
- The number of parts required for the assembly for the gun turret and highly detailed hull have been minimized for ease of assembly.
- Assembly type tracks with one-piece straight sections.
- One crew figure in a winter uniform is included.
- Four kinds of markings including North Africa and the Eastern Front are included.
- Metal chassis weights for increased sense of the tanks mass.