The Panzer III was Germany?s main battle tank for the first couple of years of WWII, with earlier Panzer IV variants serving primarily as close-support weapons. However, after Pz.Kpfw.III tanks began encountering more heavily armored T-34 and KV-1 tanks during the invasion of Russia, existing Panzer III models were found to be inadequate for the task. One solution was to up-gun the tank with a longer and more powerful 5cm KwK 38 L/42 cannon, and to add more armor to the vehicle. Thus the Panzer III Ausf.J was born. It featured 50mm-thick solid armor plates on the front and rear of the hull, an increase from the previous 30mm-thick armor plates. Among other modifications, the new armor resulted in a ball-mount MG being fitted on the front superstructure and a redesigned driver?s visor. Dragon has launched a new 1/35 Smart Kit of an Initial Production Pz.Kpfw. III Ausf.J. A total of 482 such tanks were produced beginning in March 1941, before an even longer 5cm KwK 39 L/60 gun was available for introduction on later Ausf.J models in December 1941 through to mid-1942). This kit correctly depicts an Ausf.J as it appeared in its initial configuration, and so the kit has received a completely new tooling for the engine deck. The engine deck has the hatches accurately arranged, plus the option of having the tow cable pre-molded in place, or absent altogether. This fine 1/35 scale kit naturally utilizes parts from Dragon?s previous Panzer III J, and so numerous fantastic features are