RE: HL PzIII electrics and functionality
Removing the battery box and there will be all kinds of room. I personally would go with Tamiya electronics (since you do not wish for the smoke feature ... which I hate anyway) and then you're still flexible to make it IR without too much trouble. I've even seen the Tamiya recoil set up in the PIII, so there's a lot of room available in the lower hull ... just don't go too crazy with the Tamiya speaker you choose and keep in mind you may have to trim it down some then.
~ Jeff