Jason's Stug III Ausf.G

[tiger1944]

I hope I haven't already done too much to be included in this group build
I am building the Dragon Stug III Ausf.G that the wife gave me for Christmas, she was very thoughtful and got me an RB models gun barrel and some Eduard photo-etched Zimmerit.
Kit I am building:


Lower hull complete and awaiting primer:


Superstructure with Zimmerit, a lot of the Zimmerit has been a real pain in the bum! Even though it was made for the kit I am building a lot of it doesn't fit properly and needs to be trimmed and / or cut.


Sub assemblies primed and ready for paint:


Interior and gun painted and weathered

[enfield38]

Oh Dear,

you're one of those darned AXIS tank modellers! I should have picked it from your Login. Apart from the obligatory Airfix Tiger and Panther as a kid, I've never been bitten by the whole German thing. Having said that, you guys have an incredibly wide source of colourful subject matter to choose from. Olive Drab can get a bit tiresome...

Seriously though, welcome aboard Jason. You'll find it a tough slog here on AMI as most of these buggers are into things that fly. A few of us are into armour in varying degrees such as Ben O'Dowd and Greg Moss as well as David Edwards and Haydn Neal in the Braille Scale department.

Looks like a great start on the Stug, keep us posted on your progress mate!

[tiger1944]

Thanks for the Welcome Rod,
I sometimes deviate from the German stuff and build some modern armour as well as the odd classic car. I actually have Meng's huge Caterpillar DR9 bulldozer on the way to me from China, and a 55 Chevy convertible in the stash too!
Though most of the other kits are German / Axis armour, I have never had much luck building aircraft and have a Heinkell He-111 bomber that I have never finished as I couldn't get things to fit together properly.
It's easier to just build an aircraft's nemesis..the flak gun LOL!

[tiger1944]

Yesterday I got some paint onto the Stug, it isn't all glued together yet as there are still some bits that need to go in the interior (gun sight and vision blocks).
Painted with dunkelgelb (dark yellow) and then khaki lines were airbrushed on as a very subtle form of camo that some Stugs wore on the Ostfront. Today I will be tackling the individual link tracks and then start with weathering, when BNA re opens I will have some diorama goodies on the way for this kit as well.

Some pics:

[harvs73]

Rod, is this the time to mention that I actually have a packing box full of 1/35 German armour waiting to be built? I also have a few Shermans and Modern Aust but mostly German WWII (PZ IV variants for the most part).

[enfield38]

Geez Dave,

next thing you'll be building Airliners and VLATs What's the world coming to...

[tiger1944]

Yesterday I tackled the individual link tracks which went together easily and without to much pain!
The way I do these tracks is that I count out the links for one side then halve them. Build one run of tracks and place that as the bottom track run on the tank without gluing it to any road wheels or the drive sprocket and let it dry. I then repeat the process for the top run, when dry the tracks can be removed with the correct sag etc and painted. Then put back on and glued in place.



Now I have to give it a coat of gloss, then decals (grossdeutschland divison) then numerous filters, washes and pigments.

[tiger1944]

I forgot to add my pics of the finished kit:







Still have to get a start on the dio for this one as well, figures and dioramas aren't my strongpoints..so may be interesting

[tiger1944]

I have been plodding along with the diorama for this scene, comprised of the Stug's crew reloading their panzer with ammo on a country road somewhere on the Ostfront.

Mock up of the scene:


And where it stands as of today: