Looking for 3D sculptor — PzKpfw III Kommandantenkuppel 1/35 commission

[Diomi]

Hi everyone,

I’m looking for a 3D sculptor for a custom commission — a Kommandantenkuppel (commander’s cupola) for PzKpfw III Ausf J/L/M in 1/35 scale.

I have all the technical specs ready:

• Measurements taken from Jentz/Panzer Tracts reference drawings
• Scale conversions already calculated (1/35)
• Detailed geometric requirements: periscope openings with correct angles, shield details with irregular opening mechanics
• Parts need to be modular (separate pieces for assembly)
• Some surfaces need texture (simulating filled leather pads, not flat)

I need the final STL file optimized for resin SLA printing. Commercial rights negotiable.

If anyone is interested or can recommend someone, please let me know. Happy to share full specs and reference photos.

Thanks,
Diomi

[DByrden]

I’m curious about this project and I might undertake it.

I already have a little experience in modelling Panzer III cupolas…

I will point out that I don’t start from Panzer Tracts drawings. No disrespect to Hilary, but the drawings are already in a small scale. I use the German manuals, which have a complete parts breakdown.

Surely that’s more detail than you will need.

What I do not have, is any experience or knowledge of how to make a model 3D printable. What could we do about that?

David

[Diomi]

Dear David,

Thank you for your response. I must be honest with you — I am truly honoured to receive your message.

I have been following your work for many years now, reading your publications and posts with great appreciation. I know the dedication, precision, and scholarly care you put into your research across a wide range of subjects — Tigers, Panzer III, and many others. Your use of original German manuals, not secondary interpretations, is exactly the approach I value most in this hobby.

It has been my habit over decades to study your contributions alongside my own reference archive — photos from Bovington in the 1980s, Jentz books, NARA documents, physical caliper measurements. To now have the possibility of collaborating with you, someone I consider a giant in this field, would be a genuine privilege for me.

I understand you mentioned not having experience making files 3D-printable. That is something we can solve together. What matters most to me is the historical accuracy and the precision of the geometry — things you already master. The technical preparation for printing can be arranged through proper workflows.

Let me share openly: I am 67 years old, and I have accumulated dozens of unfinished model kits over the years. This particular PzKpfw III project represents decades of emotional and financial investment. Completing it with the right attention to detail before time runs out is deeply important to me.

If you are willing to undertake this, I would like to discuss:

- Timeline with periodic check-ins on measurements before final delivery

- Clear terms for ownership of STL/OBJ files and reproduction rights

- Payment structure that respects both our needs

- How we might work around the 3D printing file preparation limitation

I do not expect perfection overnight. What I seek is authenticity — the kind of care you already demonstrate in your public work. If we can find a way to collaborate respectfully, that would mean a great deal to me.

Please let me know your thoughts. I am patient and open to finding a workflow that works for both of us.

Warm regards,

Dionisio Miliaresis

-–

P.S. Your point about German manuals over Panzer Tracts resonates with me deeply. I have similar concerns about scale distortion in reduced reproductions. I have my own calibration factors derived from physical measurements that I would gladly share for verification.

[Pawel]

Gentlemen, I’d say what we have here is XXI century modelling at it’s finest.

Maybe I can offer a few words of advice as to the printability od 3D designs.

My approach has always been to concentrate on design, assuming (correctly as it turns out) that I’d always be able to find a printer with some time on his/her machine to print my designs.

I’d recommend that you start with finding somebody with a 3D printer of the right quality and some free time on it. From that person you get the guidelines, like minimum wall thicknes and so on. Having those you can start the design - here’s where you have tomake some compromises. If a wall scales below the minimum thickness for the printer, it has to be made thicker and you have to hide the fact somehow. Details that scale under about 0,1mm probably won’t be visible anyway - maybe those should be exagerated slightly. And that would be about it - you’ll get to know the rest when you transfer the design to the printer that will orient your design and add the supports so that it prints best - it’s a question of experience with a specific printer. Sometimes when the design has closed shapes the printer suggests printing it in parts or insists of adding holes to relieve the pressure from the liquid resin. Sometimes instead of designing a long wire it’s better to add some holes and a template to make the wire out of actual wire - helps with printability and durability of such design.

I hope it helps - wish you good luck with your projects and have a nice day

Paweł

[Diomi]

Dear David,

Good news on the 3D printing preparation — I have spoken with a collaborator who is available to handle the Blender work and file preparation for printing.

However, he would like to see your model first before giving a quote and defining the exact scope. Once he can review the file and its condition, he will provide a fair estimate.

So whenever you have something ready to share — even an early stage model — let me know and I will forward it to him for evaluation.

Looking forward to hearing your thoughts.

Warm regards,

Doni

[Diomi]

Proton Drive

[varanusk]

Pawel above makes an interesting comment, it is not the same designing a part as a 1:1 replica than make it to be part of a kit… Some details may need to be enlarged to be seen and painted, as said. Think for example of a bottom in a uniform, if printed with the real 1/35 height it would be flat, thus hardly visible and difficult to paint.

And you have to keep in mind the kit that will receive this part, perhaps its dimensions are not perfect and your perfect cupola will not fit!

[Diomi]

Dear David,

Two people have joined our conversation with useful advice on printability — mainly that we should know the printer's tolerances before designing, and that the receiving kit dimensions must be checked since commercial molds are often imperfect.

These are fair points. I already have caliper measurements of my kit (RMF/Dragon) ready to share whenever you need them.

Would you like me to coordinate on printer specifications before you start, or do you prefer to work from the manuals first and adjust later?

Warm regards,
Dioni

[DByrden]

Before we settle anything, I need to estimate how long this will take me. I’ve got only a short amount of modelling time per day, and my projects tend to drag on… have you a deadline by which you need this?

And I have a question. Which kind of cupola do you refer to?

There’s a common version that you can easily find photographs of. But the tank’s manuals claim that the Ausf.M - and, presumably the Ausf.N also - had this kind of cupola, with stirrup-shaped hand grips:

The problem is, I cannot find any museum examples of such a thing. Two surviving Ausf.N have the older cupola. I’m not sure that this was ever attached to a Panzer III - this photo is from a Panzer IV Ausf.H.

David

[Diomi]

Dear David,

Thank you for the clarification.

On timing: I understand you have limited modelling time per day. No strict deadline for me — I prefer quality over speed.

On the stirrup hand grips: At 1/35 scale, those are practically invisible in that location. If the manuals say they existed, we can produce them in resin without difficulty. Not a technical obstacle.

The REAL challenge — and the reason I started this commission — is the periscope shields. All commercial kits show them falling vertically downward with flat tops. But the reality is different:

- The top surface forms an angle — it is not flat

- In closed position, the upper part falls within that angled surface

- In open position, the shields extend slightly outward

- Opening angles are unequal (asymmetrical), not uniform as kits represent

This is the geometry I need you to capture from the German manuals. The hand grips matter less than getting the periscope shield angles correct.

So yes, I believe this cupola design served for both PzKpfw III late variants and PzKpfw IV. That is not the issue. The issue is the periscope shield geometry, which every commercial kit gets wrong.

Warm regards,

Doni

[DByrden]

The two cupolas surely have more differences than the hand holds…probably you can distinguish them from outside. I will figure that out today. It’s not something I had to think about in the past.

So, if you have photos of a specific tank you want to model, that will probably tell us which cupola to build.

David

[Diomi]

Exactly — you are right. The best approach is to start from a specific photographed tank.

I have my own archive of reference photos from Bovington.

[Diomi]

Proton Drive

[DByrden]

All right, I figured it out… there are visible differences between the two cupolas. Their profile is not quite the same.

Most obviously, the later one has prominent welds where the earlier one does not.

And, some of the later ones had a single-piece round hatch…

David

[Diomi]

Ausf M

Evolution of armor due to survivability requirements

[DByrden]

This shell that I just built may not seem impressive, but its dimensions are millimeter-perfect. Since the diagrams in the German manual are not dimensioned, it’s critical to obtain those numbers in order to scale the diagrams and correct for distortions.

And I thank “Brian” for surveying a Panzer IV.

David

[Diomi]

Dear David,

That is excellent progress. I am glad you are already building the shell.

You mentioned the manual diagrams are not dimensioned. I have calibration data that may help. We derived an outer cupola diameter of 22.44 mm in 1/35 scale by using the real road wheel diameter as an anchor point, with a mid-range adjustment applied during the calibration process:

• Real road wheel: 520 mm
• Kit road wheel: 14.75 mm
• Scale calculation: 520 ÷ 14.75 = 1/35.254
• Final value after mid-range adjustment: 22.44 mm

Warm regards,
Dioni

[DByrden]

Thank you, Diomi.
Your input is appreciated, but be aware that I’m working from dozens of photos like this one:

Have you decided which of the two final cupolas you’re interested in? Although they look similar, they are deeply incompatible - as you see here.

David

[Diomi]

OUTER UPPER RING 22,44

Dear David,

I understand these are two incompatible variants. I need to check my reference photos to give you the correct answer.

Could you briefly describe the key external difference between them so I can identify which one appears in my photos from Bovington?

I want to make sure we build the right one.

Warm regards,

Doni

[Diomi]

Ausf.J = cast