I started work today on a new project, one that I’d been wanting to get to for some time. The project is a Stug III G using the old DML kit #9014, Lion Roar detail PE, Atak zimmerit, MK tracks, and an Armorscale replacement mantlet and barrel. The StuG III G had many variations during its production run and the vehicle I’m building will feature characteristics present on the production line in May-June 1944. The #9014 kit is perfect for this as it has many of the later/final features but can still be built with zimmerit and not be inaccurate. So this vehicle will feature the welded rectangular mantlet without the coax MG, the remote MG station on the roof, and the close-in defense weapon as well as waffle pattern zimmerit and schurzen.
To begin, I started with the lower hull and suspension. The hull comes with the arms molded in place so the only thing that needed to be added were the suspension springs for the first and last road wheels as well as their bump stops. and the idler mounts. The idler mounts are not positionable since they are molded as one-piece so I’ll have to be careful with the MK tracks in terms of tension/sag when the time comes. The hull zimmerit was also applied using Testor’s Window Maker glue for the larger sections and CA gel to tack down the sides once everything was in place. I’ve found this method works well since it provides some work time and avoids bubbles under the zim at the same time.
Next in line was the casemate and gun mount assembly. To achieve the variant I wanted, I needed to replace the kit-supplied topfblende with the Armorscale welded mantlet. This meant that the gun support needed to be assembled first and then surgically altered to take the replacement mantlet. The two halves were glued together and allowed to set then I used a razor saw to remove the un-needed front portion. The slot tabs on top were also removed with a sharp #11 blade. The supports and mount were then attached and the mantlet fitted and the entire assembly installed into the superstructure.
With the mantlet and mount installed, the superstructure received its necessary zimmerit strips. The Atak set included strips for all of the surfaces and after checking reference photos, some vehicles had them on the flanges protecting the mantlet and some didn’t, leaving the door open to go either way. I elected to go ahead and apply them, starting on the left side and working my way around.
The Lion Roar PE set made its debut with the next step in the form of the commander’s cupola. The kit parts have the periscopes molded into the base and they are solid blocks with no real details. The PE set corrects this by replacing the entire base with brass parts. The assembly was a slow process and involves 27 parts but provides etched grooves for the smaller parts to aid in their placement.
The Lion Roar set would, if you wanted, go so far as to replace the entire cupola with brass but I felt this was too far in terms of time vs. benefits and used the kit parts for the cupola hatches and top rim. The gunner’s sight and the commander’s rabbit ear scope had their openings drilled out with a pin vise since the gunner’s sight was molded solid and the commander’s scope had only slight depressions. The superstructure roof was then installed and some liquid glue and finger pressure used on the front and left joins to eliminate some slight gaps.
I’m with the doogness, this is gonna be fun to watch. that cupola looks like a model in itself! I’ve been wanting to see that waffle pattern done.[tup]
Great subject for a build article there Bill, we will be watching in earnest as you develop this “oldie but goodie”. With all the hype around latest releases, its good to see the old stuff getting some air time.
Aber is still king when it comes to intricate assemblies in brass but Lion Roar gives them a run for their money in some areas too, all comes down to what makes the most sense in terms of time and added detail. Atak zim sets, when you can locate them, are absolutely phenomenal and I highly recommend them. Paper thin resin sheets with outstanding detail and fit, I’ve only had to do some slight trimming here and there to get them all to match up. [tup]
RandW,
Thanks for the comments!
Matthew9, many of the vehicles with exposed lower hull areas had zim applied there, Panther’s for instance also had this feature. While the lower hull is going to be largely obscured by the schurzen plates, some of it will still peek through front and rear.
Steve,
I hear you about the oldie kits, the irony with this particular subject is that there isn’t a new release available that you can build into one with the features for this time period. The DML StuG III G Smart Kit is an Early so that leaves the old Imperial Series or the Tamiya kits as the only options for a later war III G. I had fun matching up all the features as puzzle pieces trying to figure out when all the overlaps took place to settle on the final mix so I could figure out what elements I needed to bring in and from which manufacturers. [(-D]
Work continued today on the superstructure, this time dealing with the rear plate. The Atak strip for this area has cut-outs provided for the exhaust fan cover and the radio antenna mounts but the antenna cut-outs were a little too small and needed some trimming to take the kit parts. Otherwise it went on without problems. Both of the antenna mounts had their stub posts removed and the bases drilled out with a pin vise to prep them for taking some brass rod antennae later on. I installed the plate to the rear of the superstructure and some putty was needed, especially on the left side, to get the side zimmerit strips to match up properly. The Lion Roar spare track holder will be used in place of the kit item and is dry-fit in place for now with some blue-tack poster putty so it can be painted to match the rest of the hull and the spare track runs installed later. The gunner’s hatches were also installed in the closed position, a very tricky thing to accomplish since the right side doesn’t have a support strip to hold the left hatch as on the real deal, leaving only the very narrow rim around the hatch itself to support both. Some liquid glue around the undersides and careful support until the glue held was necessary to keep it from collapsing under its own weight.
Next came the rear engine deck. The Atak set includes resin replacements for all of the vent covers in addition to the strips for the hull itself. The strips are very fragile and fit snugly around the hatches with one strip for the main deck and a second for the sloped rear with the smaller hatches and spare wheel mounts. The hatches themselves are a very tight fit into the hull, almost a snap fit, and some strategic trimming was necessary in different spots on the zim to get everything into the proper spot. The resin vent covers had their pour blocks removed carefully with sprue cutters and the nubs cleaned up with a sharp #11 blade. The spare wheels will be mounted later but test fits show the posts are an exact match to the kit wheels. Last but not least the air intakes were installed, again using the Atak replacements since these were also zimmed, and the Lion Roar PE screens added to finish off the day’s progress.
…wow…sweet StuG…is the Atak zimm as good as Cavalier’s—or better? Looks great; waffle is a hard pattern to replicate and it looks great…any ideas yet on markings?
I’ve used both Cavalier and Atak sets on different projects and I’d say that the Atak usually has a slight, but only just, edge over the Cavalier sets. Cavalier tend to be easier to get and slightly cheaper in cost, so it usually comes down to availability on which one I end up using.
In terms of markings, it won’t have any to speak of beyond a set of balkenkreuze if that given the timeframe in question. Paint scheme will be 3-tone disruptive, not settled just yet on the exact pattern.
Bill, sounds cool…speaking of availability: are both Atak and Cavalier still cranking out these sets; I heard that maybe one went out of business? In terms of markings, especially w/ a LATE G, most just had the German National cross as markings anyway…
Both are still in business so far as I’m aware. Atak sets are a little harder to get depending on your source since they come out of Eastern Europe vs. Australia for Cavalier. What you mention about the markings is what I meant in regards the timeframe…as a May-June 1944 production vehicle, markings would’ve been basic/minimal regardless of front/unit.
One of my faves. I got the same kit in the stash with Cavalier zim too and some other goods. Why did you opt for the earlier mantlet? I guess I asumed that the late came with the saukopf as provided, though I suppose a few earlier ones sneaked in.
Tigerman, in doing the research into the different characteristics, it turns out that both styles of mantlets were used throughout production right up until the end but with modifications at different points in time. The topfblende (or saukopf if you prefer) cast mantlet was introduced in November 1943. The welded block mantlet had a coaxial MG introduced in June 1944 while the topflblende didn’t get it introduced until October 1944. The kit-supplied mantlet has the coax MG in the topfblende, so it couldn’t be used on a vehicle that had zimmerit since that stopped in August 1944. This, combined with the fact that the superstructure roof is fitted with the remote MG station and side-hinged gunner’s hatches (introduced April 1944) and the close-in defense weapon (nahverteidigungswaffe introduced in May 1944) is what narrowed the final choices down to a May-June 1944 produced vehicle as there would be overlap in produced parts/stock on the different features.
Hey, wbill, looking forward to this one in a big way! I still peruse your winter tiger from early this year pretty frequently…that was one killer build. [;)]
…that goes to the “first-in, first-out” philosophy the Germans used in all AFV production, which makes it sometimes hard to determine the series of a particular AFV…many times the newer (improved) parts would come in, be used up and then the older parts would be re-introduced until another batch of newer parts arrived…
