Nenad Ilijic Posted March 4, 2023 Share Posted March 4, 2023 Hello everyone, First of all, this vehicle was never called Sturmpanzer II. It was also never called Bison II either, as it is sometimes referred to by model kit producers. Its official name was: 15 cm sIG 33 auf Fahrgestell Panzerkampfwagen II (Sf). It was developed as a response to the need to provide heavy artillery support in the environment of highly mobile warfare. Panzer II was selected to fit the 15cm sIG 33 heavy artillery gun. This proved to be a big challenge, never to be solved completely and adequately. The prototype was first tested at Kummersdorf on 13 June 1940. Panzer II chassis was modified, by lengthening and adding one more axel (which helped to absorb recoil forces better and reduce the chance of tipping over) and widened by 40cm, which made more space for the crew. It was still very crowded and hard to operate, and only 10 rounds could be stored inside. The engine was not adequate for the increased weight and engine cooling was not adjusted for desert conditions. Alkett completed seven 15 cm sIG 33 auf Fahrgestell Panzerkampfwagen II (Sf) in December 1941 and five in January 1942. They were all sent to Africa and assigned to 707.schwere Infanteriegeschütze-Kompanien. and 708. schwere Infanteriegeschütze-Kompanien. Both of these regiments were part of Rommel’s 90. Leichte Afrika-Division and fought until the Axis surrender in Tunisia in May 1943. Vehicles were arriving in Libyia between February and April 1942 and were plagued by all kinds of problems. The engine could only run for very short periods of time without overheating, sand was thrown by the tracks into the engine air intake and the engine would constantly break. And there were no spare parts delivered. Basically, the vehicle was a disaster, they just added additional weight to the gun so it was hard to move it around. All 12 vehicles were present in the El Alamain battles, where half of them were lost, and the remaining 6 fought until the end of the war, surrendering in Tunisian in May 1943. Ark Model kit is the same disaster as the vehicle itself I will not grudge about it here... you can check my WIP thread if you are interested to see all the problems with the kit, but basically, it is really hard to build it into something decent without a fair amount of fixing, scratch-building, and AM parts. However, I must say that I enjoyed building it and fixing all the issues on some strange level Accuracy-wise, I can not comment much, I didn't want to check the dimensions, because I couldn't do much about it anyway. I used plenty of AM parts of this one. Friul tracks, Eduard PE set, Aber barrel and aerials, AFV Club ammo, and some additional Panzer Art, TMD, and Value Gear stuff. So basically I turned cheapest model I ever bought into the most expensive build The model is painted with a combination of Gunze, MRP, Tamiya, and Vallejo paints and weathered with Mig's pigments. The Interior and sIG 33 gun are a bit better detailed compared to the rest of the vehicle. Here are some shots: And here are some detailed shots, mostly of the stowage: Thank you all for watching and for your support in my WIP thread. Cheers, Nenad 45 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
providence Posted March 4, 2023 Share Posted March 4, 2023 What a great and original model ! I love your weathering ! Thanks for sharing it with us. Regards Providence 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ColonelKrypton Posted March 4, 2023 Share Posted March 4, 2023 Nenad, Very nicely done. The finish and weathering is spot on, neither too little nor too much. And the tracks look good too with the right amount of sag. 3 hours ago, Nenad Ilijic said: I must say that I enjoyed building it and fixing all the issues on some strange level Builds like this are often the most enjoyable, providing a great deal of satisfaction when complete. Building and making, not just assembling. cheers, Graham 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keeff Posted March 4, 2023 Share Posted March 4, 2023 Nice job! 👌 It's an unusual AFV, finished to a high standard! Keith 😁 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bertie McBoatface Posted March 4, 2023 Share Posted March 4, 2023 Yes, it's an interesting vehicle and it's nice to have the history presented so well. I like the model very much, with its complex interior on display. You have painted/weathered it exactly how I like. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stef N. Posted March 4, 2023 Share Posted March 4, 2023 Brilliant model making Nenad. Great WIP and finishing with a great result. Well done.👏👏👏 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Memphis Posted March 4, 2023 Share Posted March 4, 2023 Congratulations! You did great work! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IanC Posted March 4, 2023 Share Posted March 4, 2023 Outstanding in every respect. 👏 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Milan Mynar Posted March 4, 2023 Share Posted March 4, 2023 Good model you made from this kit. Outstanding work. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bullbasket Posted March 5, 2023 Share Posted March 5, 2023 The build of the model and the painting/weathering are superb, but that's what I expect from one of your builds Nenad. Brilliant work. John. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NIK122 Posted March 5, 2023 Share Posted March 5, 2023 Beautiful job!😎 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carius Posted March 5, 2023 Share Posted March 5, 2023 You have done a superb job with an old kit Nenad. Cesar 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FrancisGL Posted March 5, 2023 Share Posted March 5, 2023 Hi Nenad, Top notch model, quite a winner! I realize that the color is very different from what was seen in the WIP compared to what is now shown in the RFI. I personally like the latter more. Cheers and TC Francis,👍 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Robin Posted March 5, 2023 Share Posted March 5, 2023 It seems everyday, this Forum throws up yet another weird/wonderful German armour subject that I've yet to encounter. Thanks for this latest lesson. It's wonderfully put together, your painting/weathering is superb, and it's very nicely photographed. Thanks for sharing. Regards Pete 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Model Mate Posted March 5, 2023 Share Posted March 5, 2023 Brilliant result! You’ve turned a terrible kit of a terrible tank into a wonderful model of a terrible tank-well done! Superb build, and great painting and weathering as usual. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PlaStix Posted March 6, 2023 Share Posted March 6, 2023 Wow! Despite all the difficulties, that turned out exceptionally well! Very well done. Kind regards, Stix 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vaoinas Posted March 6, 2023 Share Posted March 6, 2023 OMG that's an ugly beast! Absolutely makes me want to build something like this myself. The weathering and the finish is absolutely stunning. And the overall feel it has in it. Pure wow! Kristjan 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HL-10 Posted March 7, 2023 Share Posted March 7, 2023 That is very impressive! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil1960 Posted March 7, 2023 Share Posted March 7, 2023 Stunning weathering! Absolutely perfect👍👍 Ciao Filippo 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nenad Ilijic Posted March 8, 2023 Author Share Posted March 8, 2023 Thank you all for your kind words. You are so kind. On 3/5/2023 at 6:37 PM, FrancisGL said: I realize that the color is very different from what was seen in the WIP compared to what is now shown in the RFI. I personally like the latter more. I toned it down quite a bit at the end by spraying the diluted pigments to simulate dust. It also helps a lot to blend everything together. Also, I was taking photos for the WIP section with my phone, which produces photos with over-saturated colors. Which makes them look happier, but the colors are not realistic. Photos for RFI were taken with a DSLR camera, which produces much more realistic colors, with the white balance being corrected. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bissyboat Posted March 10, 2023 Share Posted March 10, 2023 Job well done. ⚓🙌 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nenad Ilijic Posted March 13, 2023 Author Share Posted March 13, 2023 On 3/10/2023 at 6:57 PM, bissyboat said: Job well done. ⚓🙌 Thank you! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muchmirth Posted March 14, 2023 Share Posted March 14, 2023 Great looking model. The detailing is superb, like your style of weathering very much. Also the track sag looks just right. Well done on this one too!!👍👍 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom W. Posted March 14, 2023 Share Posted March 14, 2023 F A N T A S T I C in every detail ! ! ! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edjbartos Posted March 14, 2023 Share Posted March 14, 2023 Amazing, just simply beautiful work. well done.... 👍 Ed 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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