I’ve just trreated myself to the lovely little Tamiya 1/48 StuG III Ausf G (kit #32525) as I have the next two weeks off work and want to get some practice in for the Panzer III GB. I haven’t done any modelling for four weeks now and need a quick fix!
I like the occasional smaller scale builds and my cabinet is lacking a StuG III G.
I’m building it OOB except for a replacement RB barrel. The tracks come with a one piece top section with built in sag and the kit as a whole looks like a real treat!
This was supposed to be an easy build to get me back into things for the GB as I haven’t done much for the last month not wanting to open £45 Dragon kits in the stash just to kill time for the sake of it! They are for later on this year [:P]
Now, the old ‘Zim thing’ has come back to annoy me again. I know when it was introduced and I’ve seen pictures of StuG G’swith and without Zim so obviously some were built without. I’m going to build the earliest marked vehicle that I can which is Eastern Front Autumn 1943.
Do I have to zim this build? The box art shows no Zim (which means nothing I know) but I wasn’t planning to do do my first ever white Milliput Zim job on a quick build 1/48 StuG!
What do you think? Can I forego it and call it a quick build (if it really should have Zim) or if I decide to try some basic Zim what’s the best way of making a small 1/48 scale ‘waffle printer’ to punch the Zim on?
WIP starts tomorrow with the usual blog - I’m going to try and make my blogs more in-depth as I personally love a good, detailed blog that answers questions before they need asking.
Yes you can forego zimmerit on the early Ausf Gs. Off the top of my head, I think the only minor tweaks you should make are the inclusion of the driver’s pistol port plug and the addition of a mounting plate on the left antenna base (for both of these, check out pics here www.
Sorry to break this one to you Ben, but the fact that it’s fitted with the cast Topfblende (or Saukopf) mantlet and not the block-style welded mantlet means it was produced after Nov '43 when zim was being applied at the factory for all new StuG III Gs and needs the zim to be accurate. If the kit provides the option to use the block-style mantlet, you could get away with it as an early G sans zim.
I realise it should probably really have Zim applied - the Saukopf Mantlet was also something I was reading up on and you have confirmed what I thought - it needs Zim!
BUT
It’s a quick 1/48 build meant as a warm up for the Panzer GB so I don’t want to get involved in a super Zim job BUT I do need to start learning how to make my own Zim and this would be a nice starting point - even if I just work around the casemate etc and keep it basic?
I’ve got some white Milliput for Zimming so I’ll have a think about how I want to do this and get cracking. The build should be quick and the upper and lower halves screw together last thing after upper hull assembly so applying Zim should be made easier - I can Zim the halves before joining.
Any idea/suggestions on a good scale size for 1/48 waffle Zim? I also need Zim tools - home made?
Tamiya makes a set that has two sizes of rakes, 0.7mm and 0.5mm. I found the 0.7 was about the right size for 1/35. Perhaps the 0.5mm will work for 1/48?
I have that very same rake kit from Tamiya (still unopened) but to do a StuG III G I needed a ‘waffle’ stamp. I made that myself from from some thick sheet Styrene and cut the lines in and mounted it on a length of short sprue. It was a good little tool.
I’ve done the Zimming now and if you look you’ll see the relevant blog on this page - check her out!
As for the tool, well, I am inclined to think a screw driver blade thinned and then scored should give you easy handling control. Done right, it can handle both putty application methods as well as the melt the plastic approach too.
