Had an old Bandai 1/48th years ago and I’d like to build another one, though not Bandai (which one can occasionally find on eBay).
What do you recommend in 1/48th or 1/35th?
Tamiya makes two StuG III G in 1/48, an early and late. I hear they are good and come with link and length tracks, which are better than Bandai’s 1-piece. They also make a StuG III B in 1/48 and 1/35. Plus the molds are 30 plus years newer. In 1/35, Dragon makes a ton of them, but they have indy links tracks. However, Tamiya again makes an excellent StuG III G Early in 1/35 which is often mentioned in generous terms.
Size is up to you. Cost is of course cheaper on 1/48.
I’ve just finished the “smart kit” Dragon Stug III Ausf G (early). I’ve also built the Tamiya Stug III (early), and the Dragon kit is far nicer. They are both the 1/35 scale versions. The Dragon tracks have the hollow guide horns and are real easy to work with. All of the small details are better than Tamiyas. The fit of parts on both kits is perfect. The Dragon kit gives all the basic and some advanced photo-etch parts as well. Not difficult at all. If you don’t care to assemble track links, go with Tamiya, if an overall more detailed is what you want, get the Dragon. Also a LOT more parts in Dragons’ kit. Even the torsion bars are included, which you don’t really see. Oh yeah, the Dragon gun only goes up and down, while Tamiyas gun will rotate side to side a bit, if moving parts interest you. No crew in Dragons’ while two crew and a puppy are in Tamiyas. There are probably more little differences. By the way, the Dragon Stug III was one of the few Dragon kits I’ve built that didn’t have a boatload of parts left over. Pretty much all of them went on the model. Weird. Except for a lot of track links left over. Maybe a couple of more kits, and I’ll have enough for a Tamiya one.
I’ve heard good things about Tamiyas 1/48 kits. They have cast metal lower hulls, gives them some heft. A fellow modeller friend here has converted his Stug III late into a Stug IV, using their Pzkfw IV hull. He liked it a lot.
Have fun!
Doug
I just got the DML smart kit Stug III Ausf.G early production (6320) last week I’m going to start work on it soon it looks realy good it’s got a parcal intirior and is extrymly detald it’s 1/35 it sould be fun you might won’t to chek it out[:D].
Being a fan of the short gun variants, either Tamiya would seem to be in order.
Might there be individual link track for the 1/48th version?
==========
And for your viewing pleasure → Stug III/IV Movies
From Osprey Publishing direct, an extract from “Modelling the Sturmgeschütz III”.