Looking into buying my very first StuG III ausf G kit. In 1:72.
I have been reading and studying so many reviews and comments that im getting wall-eyed [8-)]
And I think i have narrowed it down to Trumpeter and Dragon’s variants.
They really sounds and looks to be the models to go for. But maybe someone in here have some golden advice or warnings?
We are talking about Trumpeter #7260, Dragon #7283 and #7354.
The goal is to have a StuG III which would have been a part of the panzer forces in Norway and Finland.
I might go with two kits and one or two PzIII to make up a small unit taking a rest nearby turret Ceasar at Battery Oerlandet. The centerpiece of my upcoming diorama.
You want the short barrelled STUG for that time period.
Dragon instructions are the worst going. There is no clear delineation between sections and most often parts are missing from the instructions and quite often it is not clear where stuff fits exactly. For this reason I can’t remember the last time I built one!
Trumpeter instructions are clear and concise. They habitually are hit and miss with painting during the build but their kits go together well and under paint look good.
you should have references to hand and if Dragon is your choice, take a pen and separate the instructions and know your subject well.
Dragon’s older releases are very good, but I don’t know if they did any of the short 75 versions. I have their early G, and it’s great. Stay away from the latest Dragon StuG releases, with the tracks and the wheels together as one piece of soft plastic. They don’t fit properly and can’t be glued properly. They look awful.
Trumpeter’s StuG’s have vinyl tracks that are a bit too long, but are otherwise pretty good, particularly the early (B-F) models. Their StuG IIIG has issues with the fit of the roof.
Revell’s late-pattern StuG III is a little jewel. Their StuG IV, which is actually an old Matchbox kit, has dimensional problems.
Actually, that StuG IV was one of the first 1/72 scale kits that Revell developed along with the M4A1, Leopard 2A4, M1 Abrams and T-80. They released those kits using the Matchbox name and Monogram name because of brand awareness. The straight M1 Abrams was only released in a Matchbox package and not Monogram for some reason.
The last “real” Matchbox models 1/76 scale armor kit they released was the British Challenger (PK-178) released in 1988. It is a decent kit, the Revell released StuG IV is definitely not a very good kit. I’ve been messing with one for quite some time and isn’t really worth the effort I’ve put into it.