So I bought two, which means I can go proudly into France with the correct Order of Battle (OoB), if you let me use a HaT Pz III Ausf G as a command tank (or alternatively that dinky little Panzer1 Bef Ausf B). The two under coated black kits are another pair of Hat Pz III Ausf G's I already "had in the bag" (see below).
By my calculations I will be ready to rumble in "early Barabarossa" when they are finished. The process of upgrading from the Pz III Ausf E to Pz III Ausf F+ have not been completed, most battalions had lingering Pz III Ausf E's lying around. Again I may need to press the Pz I Bef Ausf B into service much to the chagrin of the Panzer Battalion commander.
The "Frontline" resin kits slipped together nicely with a generous dollop of super-glue. Despite their relative cheapness (comparable to the HaT offerings) they are nicely detailed with a rotating turret. The gun barrels are cheap metal, finished in a rounded fashion (better than I remember the first Frontline kits). So I am very happy with them. The resin seems good to reasonable in quality with only a few air bubbles I'll need to fill in later (certainly much better than my Faust Miniature Panzer I Ausf A's with their 25mm Breda Gun).
My one reservation is the tracks as they are ambitiously also cast in resin, other manufacturers use metal to avoid brittle chipping disasters. Mine are fine at the moment but I intend to "finally" mount them on small scenic bases as I suspect longer term use will "degrade" them after the first if "drop". Fortified with a 'cup of char' the Panzer III fleet gets its base colours (see above and below).
A final close up of the two Pz III Ausf E's from Frontline shows their 1/76 scaling next to the larger 1/72 HaT Pz III Ausf G cousin. The Frontline kit is about the same body size as the old Matchbox Pz III Ausf J size for comparison.
Note: In the background you can see my 25/28mm Perry Renaissance Mercenaries still in "stasis" waiting their turn patiently on the painting tray
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