Sturmgeschutz Ausf.G 7.5cm without zimmerit

[Retired Bob]

I may be pushing my luck with a 4th build but seeing as this turned up today, slightly battered but the plastic was undamaged on it's journey from China.  I bought this kit because it includes all the parts to make either a mid or late StuG Ausf.G built by the MIAG or Alkett assembly plants from mid September 1944 after zimmerit had stopped being applied.  To be able to build either version requires different rear engine covers and different track guards and their attachment brackets, these are in the kit but not identified, so you need some reference material to correctly assemble your chosen version.  The kit also has some other spare parts, 3 different patterns of return rollers, 2 different sprockets, 2 different mantlets and the kit contains metal schurzen with different attachment rails and open guide horn magic tracks.

I will be building this kit as a MIAG assembled StuG made at the end of 1944, camouflage to be decided.    Any questions or comments are welcome.

 

[Ozzy]

Fantastic Bob, thankfully not stuck in boaty Mcboat face in the Suez Canal after all.

[Retired Bob]

41 minutes ago, Ozzy said:

Fantastic Bob, thankfully not stuck in boaty Mcboat face in the Suez Canal after all.

I was sent an email by the seller in early March that it was leaving China and I was told that when it reached the UK I would be informed and given a delivery date.  Since I hadn't heard anything and with my luck I wondered if it was on that stuck ship, then today it was delivered.  Since there is over 2 months left of the GB I might as well build it, if it goes in the stash it'll probably never see the light of day again. 

[PlaStix]

Hi Bob. I'm glad it's not stuck in the Suez Canal!! Great to see you are going to be making another of you superb builds!

Kind regards,

Stix

[Jasper dog]

A fourth Stug, you'll be assembling these blindfold at this rate!

 

Atb

[Retired Bob]

On 29/03/2021 at 18:45, Jasper dog said:

A fourth Stug, you'll be assembling these blindfold at this rate!

Who said that, I'm wearing a blindfold for this build. 

Lower hull all assembled, the MIAG written on the bottom was to make sure I attached the correct type of track guards, just cleaning up the wheels then I will attach the tracks.

I noticed on the box it says that it's a Dec. 1943 Production. if that were correct it should have zimmerit on it, It should be Dec. 1944 Production.

Any questions or comments are welcome.

[Hewy]

I have a feeling you like the stug 3 bob, can't  put me finger on how i know that ,just a measured guess

 

Gulp, welcome back to wheel world🤯

[Retired Bob]

14 hours ago, Hewy said:

I have a feeling you like the stug 3 bob, can't  put me finger on how i know that ,just a measured guess

To be honest the StuG has only a slight appeal, I haven't built one for about 45 years but buying the books and learning the differences between variants has driven me to build these 4 kits.  I still keep glancing at the Tiger models that are on hold and get a twinge but that's to be expected at my age. 

I have cleaned up all the wheels now and I have one set of tracks ready to assemble, I just hope this Easter wintery blast does not last too long, it was nice when there was that warm couple of days at the end of March.  Talking of wintery blasts, I'm going to build this StuG with a snow camo and a stack of stowage on the rear deck, Eastern front, Winter of 44/45.  I was going to make the zimmerited StuG in snow camo but I'm not sure the hairspray technique would work with the zimmerit, that StuG will be going to the Italian front instead. 

[PlaStix]

Hi Bob. Well I'm personally delighted that you have developed even the slightest interest in the StuG IIIs. Your builds have been a joy to follow in this GB! Thank you!

Kind regards,

Stix

[Retired Bob]

Easter Monday update, tracks are all finished, as before I have assembled them on the hull but they can be slid off for painting.  I used the Dragon winterketten tracks as this StuG is going to be in snow camo and today I ordered some jars of AK snow effects and it will be put it on a snowy base.  The stowage is from Eureka, I haven't finished the painting yet but it looks like it's ready for a retreat from the advancing Russians on the Eastern front.  Any comments or questions are welcome.

 

[PlaStix]

Hi Bob. Looks like you are progressing well with this one. And the stowage will really add to the final appearance......it does look like it's going to be well laden.

Kind regards,

Stix

 

 

[Retired Bob]

I thought it was time I updated this thread, I mentioned on Stix @PlaStixStuG tread that I had been busy helping my son move into his new house, I hardly had much time to get any modelling done or to keep up with what's happening in this STGB.  After Ray @Ray_Wwelded the joints around the cupola deflector, I checked my reference photos and Ray was correct, they are very visible, so I got to work with some stretched sprue and thin glue.

Most of the remaining parts have now been attached, those p/e triangular plates on top of the track guard brackets were fun to attach   With all that stowage to add to the rear deck I thought that I would build the retaining frame that most StuGs had, sorry the photo is a bit out of focus.

Tomorrow it will get a coat of Mr Surfacer 1500 black.  Any comments or questions are welcome.

[Ray_W]

10 hours ago, Retired Bob said:

Tomorrow it will get a coat of Mr Surfacer 1500 black. 

 

Hi Bob,

 

Looking good. I also hope to get the same undercoat on over the weekend. I like the Eureka stowage. My plan is to scratch build as most will be largely covered.

 

So many StuG's being built my eyes are going wonky 🤪. I think I am getting to the stage where I do not know if I am looking at my own build or someone else.

 

Ray

 

[Retired Bob]

13 hours ago, Ray_W said:

Looking good. I also hope to get the same undercoat on over the weekend. I like the Eureka stowage.

Hi Ray, agreed, the Eureka stowage is beautifully cast, I haven't found any air bubbles or defects in the stowage parts that I have bought.

 

13 hours ago, Ray_W said:

So many StuG's being built my eyes are going wonky 🤪. I think I am getting to the stage where I do not know if I am looking at my own build or someone else.

I know what you mean, well here is my StuG in a coat of Mr Surfacer, hopefully the winterketten will make mine a bit different.  The StuG Ausf.B in the background also received a coat of Mr Surfacer,

I hope to have 5 StuGs finished by the end of next month. 

Any questions or comments are welcome.

[PlaStix]

Hi Bob. It's good to see you have managed to get back to your model building after helping your son move house. The welding looks great and the frame looks spot on.

Kind regards,

Stix

[Retired Bob]

9 hours ago, PlaStix said:

Hi Bob. It's good to see you have managed to get back to your model building after helping your son move house. The welding looks great and the frame looks spot on.

Hi Stix, thanks for the kind words, Saturday was spent putting up some new lights in my sons kitchen and a few other jobs that needed doing but today I managed to spray Tamiya XF-88 dark yellow as a base colour on this StuG, photos to follow as there is grass that needs cutting and a tree that needs cutting down. (it's only a smallish conifer, don't want the tree huggers getting excited) 

[Retired Bob]

Gardening all done so here is a photo of the StuG covered in a base coat of dark yellow, next will be a pattern of dark green followed by the winter white wash not forgetting the hairspray. 

Any comments or questions are welcome.

[PlaStix]

Hi Bob. Sounds like you are having a really busy time at the moment but the paintwork is looking good. Nicely done.

Kind regards,

Stix

[Ray_W]

Goodness me Bob, four builds and going for 5. Great work. 

 

Ray

[Retired Bob]

7 hours ago, Ray_W said:

Goodness me Bob, four builds and going for 5. Great work. 

Hi Ray, all 5 have been painted and their tracks assembled.  The Tamiya StuG Ausf.B was already more than 50% started before the STGB began so I cannot enter it but I can get it finished.  It's just all the details and weathering to do now, I'm going to be busy during this last month. 

[Geo1966]

Hi Bob, I am sure this has been covered before somewhere on BM, but how do you build the wheels and tracks so they are removeable for painting. I would imagine it is hard to get them off without the tracks breaking. Maybe i am missing something?

George

[Retired Bob]

On 02/05/2021 at 09:04, Geo1966 said:

Hi Bob, I am sure this has been covered before somewhere on BM, but how do you build the wheels and tracks so they are removeable for painting. I would imagine it is hard to get them off without the tracks breaking. Maybe i am missing something?

Hi George, the trick with building the running gear this way is to ensure that before you add the track sections to the wheels, sprockets and idlers, these parts slide on and off their axles easily.  Tamiya tend to use nylon bushes to retain their wheels so it will not work with their tank kits but other makes, if the wheels and running gear are a loose fit on their axles then I assemble them this way as I find it easier than trying to do it after everything has been painted.  I am using either plastic individual links or link and length tracks and assembling them all with lots of Tamiya extra thin or a similar adhesive that capillary action will run it into all the contact parts and weld them together.  The outer wheels can be left off to help with painting or not, if it's going to be a muddy set of tracks.

Here are some sets of tracks that I have assembled this way:

The Dragon/Das Werk StuG, link and length tracks with the outer wheels left off for detail painting.

 

This is the 1/35th Dragon Tiger 1, individual track links, outer wheels and idlers are removable for detail painting.  The other wheels and sprockets have been painted dark yellow,

you just have to make sure the contact surfaces with the tracks are free of paint.  I used some stronger Tamiya glue on these wheel to track contact areas.

 

This is the 1/35th Dragon late Panther, individual track links and the wheels are all detail painted, the outer wheels have been attached after painting the inner wheels including the "polished" rims that the inner wheels of Panthers had from the track guide teeth rubbing on them.  These final batch of Panthers also had an all steel rear wheel set for some reason and carried no markings, Panther painting and weathering is not finished in this photo.

 

Any questions or comments are always welcome.

[Geo1966]

Hi Bob, thats really helpful and something i will try in the future.

Thanks, George

[Ray_W]

Hi Bob,

This is an excellent method. I did not do the same on my StuG due to the tight road wheels. That was a shame. Having read your method and by ensuring the wheels and sprockets slide on and off easily I can see how it works. I also like how you leave the outside wheels off. My next opportunity will be a Panzer IV and this will definitely be the method used.

Ray 

[Retired Bob]

Modelling time has been reduced to almost nil due to several factors this week but I have made a start on my winter crew from MiniArt and I have put a green camouflage pattern on this StuG, now for the hairspray and white paint.   I'm going to try the paint the faces "off the body" to see if that's any easier.