1/35 FLAKPANZER IV (3cm) 'KUGELBLITZ' (SMART KIT) - Dragon 6889

The Dragon Models 1/35 Pz.Kpfw.III (3.7cm)(T) Ausf.F Tauchpanzer with Combat Camera Team (6877) is a uniquely fascinating Smart Kit depicting one of the most historically unusual German armored vehicle configurations of the entire war. The Tauchpanzer ("diving tank") was a waterproofed version of the Panzer III prepared for Operation Sea Lion — Germany's planned but never-executed amphibious invasion of Great Britain — and then redeployed for crossing the Bug River during the opening of Operation Barbarossa in June 1941.

In preparation for Sea Lion, German engineers developed comprehensive waterproofing measures for the Panzer III, enabling it to drive along the seabed at depths of up to 15 metres using an air supply snorkel. All hatches were sealed with rubber gaskets, the gun mantlet was sealed, and a long breathing hose tethered to a buoy on the surface supplied air to the crew. Although Sea Lion was cancelled, the Tauchpanzer modifications proved their worth when Panzer-Regiment 18 used submerged tanks to cross the Bug River in support of Barbarossa's opening assault — a remarkable and little-known chapter of the Eastern Front. This kit adds an exclusive two-figure combat camera team — PK (Propaganda-Kompanie) cameramen who documented Germany's campaigns — unique in injection-molded plastic and available nowhere else.

Key Features:

• 1/35 scale injection-molded Smart Kit
• Complete Tauchpanzer waterproofing equipment — floating snorkel buoy, long rubber breathing hose, and depth marker
• Waterproof covers for commander's cupola, mantlet, and all hull openings
• Delicate hose racks and hose clamps reproduced in fine detail
• Exclusive bonus two-figure PK combat camera team — unique to this Dragon kit
• DS track links for easy assembly and authentic appearance

The combat camera team figures are what set this kit apart from any standard Panzer III release. PK cameramen accompanied every major German operation from Poland to the final battles, and these figures — in their characteristic war correspondent gear — are the only injection-molded representations of this unique subject available to 1/35 scale modelers.

Ideal For:

• Collectors of unusual and historically distinctive WWII German subjects
• Operation Sea Lion and early Barbarossa 1941 enthusiasts
• Modelers wanting a unique centerpiece that combines a rare vehicle with exclusive figures
• Builders fascinated by WWII's more unusual engineering and operational stories

The Dragon Tauchpanzer III with Combat Camera Team is one of the hobby's genuine unique offerings — a model kit that tells a story found nowhere else in 1/35 scale.