Antennas for my Stug?

Never done more than sand it and paint it. After 25 years the paint is still on my early ones.

Absolutely terrific ideas! I will definitely try these - many thanks for the info. I thought the little projection was some kind of spring mount like the ones I used to connect screw aerials into in the army. I may actaually go back and stick an antenna on the sherman I built a while back using these tips.

Does the paint stick OK to the wire or should I throw it into some vinegar overnight to rough it up a little like with PE parts?

Thanks again.

Jim

i use E guitar string for my antennas. it comes wrapeed in a smaller wire, but u can just unwrap and cut it off. works great, and leaving a little of the wrapped wire at the bottom makes a perfect base for the antenna.

The command vehicles had radio gear on both sides of the fighting compartment, hence the twin antenna mounts. I believe all vehicles had both mounts, allowing any vehicle to be converted to a command vehicle. (Don't quote me on that one ).
I have photos of a vehicle with both mounts and only one antenna. The 3mm scale projection off the antenna base is the antenna mounting post, which would be there even if the antenna was not mounted. The antennas were split at the base and slipped over these posts and were tightened on with a small clamp. The standard length was 2 meters, so make that 57mm in 1/35th, plus the additional length inside the black rubber insulator.

I presume it is an Ausf F or G. Some earlier models had the aerial in a trough that ran down the side of the vehicle and that should be provided in the kit.

The stug aerials should be 5 cm long in 1/35th scale. The little projection on the later models is actually the mount where the aerial is screwed in, and is still there when the aerial is removed, hence it being on the kit part. In action the aerials would be present, but in transport or in convoy behind the front, they were often stowed. Personal opinion, the models look better with aerials.

To depict aerials I use piano wire which is spring steel (my LHS carries 1m lengths of it @ AUD $2 (about $1.40 USD) which is enough for 18, 5 cm long aerials (allow for wastage). You should be able to locate someone that repairs piano's and find a local supplier). Cheaper than brass, it will flex not bend if you squash it by accident. I drill out the base mount for the aerial and cut a length of wire slightly longer than 5cm - care don't use sprue cutters or you will ruin them; use a pair of wire cutters on pliers. File the end down flat. Then I mark 5cm on the wire and dip the base end in PVA up to the mark to give a little coating for the 'projection' Bill mentions on the mount. Make sure the drilled hole is big enough to accommodate the widened end and glue it in.

Use some fine emery paper to sand the length of wire to remove any oxidisation to help get paint to adhere to it. Paint it Black and Bob's your Aunty.

I've seen several reference pics on the Stug III G with twin whip antennas on the move in the field. Antennas didn't come up very high, roughly 5-6 ft I'd say above the mount. For my StuG III G I used .02 diameter brass rod. I did snip off the little projection in order to have a clean base to CA the rod to, but didn't bother drilling it out. HTH.