Tamiya StuG III Ausf. B

Nice all around job!

Very good looking tank..

Hey Deafpanzer,

Lovely work my friend!

I love these early short barreled StuGs. I built the Ausf A version from Dragon but I've seen the Tamiya one and think it is actually a little better! I used Fruils on mine and had a lot of help from WBill too-he gave me a link to his BLOG from when he built the same kit that I was building so I stuck to that.

Top job!

ATVB

Ben

Great overall job,interior looks great.

Nicely done Andy.  I did the 1/48 version a couple of years ago.

Regards,  Rick

TD4438, Harshman and Anthony2779- Many thanks for your comments! 

Ben- I can't tell you how many times I had to go back to wbill website. LOL  I want to do StuG III G soon but I haven't bought a kit.. I'd love to build one of each StuG variants from A to G if my life allows me to.  Thanks!

Rick- Thanks!  You gonna love those StuGs...

Andy,

Wow, that's some sharp work especially for only being your 2nd build back at the hobby!

On your question of the flash, it's generally a good idea not to use it. For static small-scale subjects it has a tendency to be too harsh and great stark contrasts. Outdoor or "natural" lighting works much better but is obviously not something you can control. The best controlled lighting is diffused lighting using a light tent, here's a link on how to do a very cheap/simple DIY tent if you're interested in going down that road. http://digital-photography-school.com/how-to-make-a-inexpensive-light-tent 

Alright,you get back over to the G.B. forum this instant,hahahaha.Just kiddin man,I was wondering when you would get around to sharing this with everyone. I dont think some wander very far from the armor forum LOL.

wbill, like I said, I wouldn't have done any better without reading your toots.  I hope you don't know how many times I have gone to your website.   Setting up a light tent is one of my projects for me to do this year.  Thanks for the great link.  My wife and I decided to go back to store to return Nikon for Canon camera.  Its autofocus isn't that great at close shots. 

Its not really my second build but for sure its my second armor model.  Actually its the fourth build since my return because I didn't count that wingy thing I built for my boy earlier and a helicopter for my another son but it was good way to improve my airbrushing and decaling before I attack my armor models.  It looks like I owe you ... that's three... first for the 234/1 toot, second for the MK tracks, and third for the StuG toot.

detailfreak, you got to be kidding me... I promised myself to complete four GBs this year.  That's my motivation despite my hectic work and family schedules.  Again, I can't thank you enough for keeping me entertained back at the GB.  I owe you one big !

It's nothing but a pleasure for me.

I am building this same kit now. How did you build the track holder on the front hull? Did you just glue the extra roadwheels on the back deck?

I like your tow cable idea, what did you use for this cable?

I also saw a photo of handles on the smaller, gunsight hatches, so I built 2 out of wire. I am not sure holw accurate this was.

Deafpanzer yeah it is essential to put a protective coating after a layer of weathering. I use Tamiya flat clear for this , because it's cheap, reliable, and dries fast so I can get back into the action! Good stug, I LOVE the interior!

Nice StuG. Going with the MK's was a solid choice. Tedious, but worth the time.

Couple of things I noticed, the handles of the cutters I believe were a darkish grey (feel free anyone to correct me), they were made of some sort of composite plastic. Hope I'm right about that. The tow cables should not be rusted, I should have known that myself and erred on my KV. My apologies if it's dirt and not rust. On my screen it looks more on the rusty side.

I was wondering if you tried the grey pigs on the tires? I'm thinking about it on some projects I've got going.

Again, nicely understated StuG. 

Welcome back to the hobby!  Very sharp looking build, and a great subject!

Chris

Very nice, very nice indeed.

Asa to the cutters handles, and again I stand to be corrected as well, you are right Eric they were made of a composite material.  Something like... or actually being... Bakelite.  This would have been a red/brown color but solid in tone.  Not wood grain.

Hey Iraqiwildman!  Yes I do remember you buying same kit from Hobby Lobby as suggested.  Don't glue the gun sight until you are almost done if you haven't.  Mine broke off several times!  Lesson learned... glue fragile parts when I am done painting and weathering, etc. 

Here's my answers to your questions...

I am building this same kit now. How did you build the track holder on the front hull? Did you just glue the extra roadwheels on the back deck?

I like your tow cable idea, what did you use for this cable?

Track holder- Yes, I glued the spare track holder that came with the kit onto the hull. It wasn't in the instructions. Many pictures showed that way.  Then I added nuts from Bolt & Nut set from MK to match one I saw in one of my reference books. 

Extra roadwheels- Again it was not in the instructions so I had to do a great deal of research on this with help from my GB buddies especially detailfreak and thunderbolt.  Not all StuG III B held their spare wheels the same way!  TB suggested me to look if there's pivot rod came as spares with the kit and he was RIGHT!  Here's the picture of the part and the real picture of StuG I wanted to follow... on top of rear engine access doors.

Tow cable- I agree as the kit set was horrible.  I bought this at AMPS show in Auburn for $8 I think... but unfortunately I broke one of the ends as I found it to be too fragile but I liked the cable itself.  I used the spare ends from the kit.  So be careful if you want to use same AM. 

Hope this helps... good luck with your build!

Total American Patriot, thanks for your nice comment and answer to my question!  I figured I should have applied a protective coating first after I discovered my mistake... you can call it a learning experience for me!   I bought this because my LHS doesn't sell Tamiya flat clear.. will it work guys?

Thanks Tigerman!  It is good hearing from you.  I agree about MK tracks as I love those.  I had to glue the guide horns along with the pins so it was pretty challenging and required more time.  I was told it is not like that for all MK tracks.  I used the grey pigs on the tires but not on the rubbers.  It was the fun part!  No worries about the cutters... I found a great picture in one of my reference books.

You gonna love those Walk Around books from Squadron/Signal Publications!

Chris, Dave & Marc-  THANK you for looking and taking your time to make comments.  You guys in the forum rocks!  I learned everything from you guys...

Dave- I will dive into using the oil paints... I have everything except for red if I will ever need it. LOL

You will see more of my work... Tristar Panzer I Ausf. A is next as part of Battle of Norway GB.  I couldn't believe how tiny it is... thanks again!

Andy,

The MM Lusterless Flat in the spray can is what I use as my preferred dull-coat agent. Great stuff, very reliable, just be sure to shake it thoroughly before each use and you'll be good to go.

As for the wire cutter handles, they were either made out of Bakelite (an early form of hard plastic) or resin-impregnated paper (cardboard). The idea is a simple one, the handles needed to have an insulation to protect the tool operator in the event they needed to cut through electrified wire and the Bakelite/resin-paper combination had the added advantage of being light-weight vs. wood and equally durable.

How about a dio?
The picture bellow comes from the privat collection of Christian Ankerstjerne, www..panzerworld.net



Thank you for sharing Andy, your build looks great in every detail!

Svenne

Andy, nice reference picture on the handles for the cutters. I can't think of where I heard that they were grey or even black? Still recovering from the 4th. LOL

Marc- Sorry I missed your comment earlier.  Thank you! 

Bill- You sure know alot about this. Thanks for the info about MM Lusterless Flat.  I will give it a try on my next kit Panzer I Ausf. A.  Do you use it as protective coating between MIG weathering pigment jobs?  I recall you use it at the very end.  If so, then should I use it on my StuG III now to seal the work?  I am afraid it will make it look more dull than it is already.

Svenne- Not sure about diomara but I plan to include figures for sure.  I feel adding figures to vehicles makes them complete.  I will be using StuG crew from Verlinden...

I am not sure if the StuG crew uniforms are correct... it should be in black if my StuG was part of Invasion of Russia in 1942 or so.   Will look further into this unless you know the answer.  Thanks again!

Andy,

Don't use it to seal in Mig pigments...it will actually make the pigments virtually vanish due to the fact that the dull coat works via very small particles of talcum powder suspended in the lacquer carrier. I always apply it before I do pigments and not after. Since I typically apply my pigments wet, I don't have to worry abou needing to "fix" them in place. HTH!

Thank you Bill for the warning!  I will not seal StuG with this.   Like I said, I have so much to learn! 

Returned my Nikon Coolpix for a better camra... I am now very satisfied with Canon PowerShot SX20 even tho I had to cough up extra $200 to get it.  I think it is a good investment for my hobby and family especially when we go on vacations.  The rep who had more experience in photography told me to get this camera because it comes with Super Marco so I can take pictures of objects inches away.  This is what I wanted... can't wait to play with it for next days.  The only bad news... I will refrain myself from buying more kits for next 6 months or so.  No worries... I have about 50 kits so I will be good for next 5-6 years at my current rate.

I prefer the Canon line of cameras myself Andy and use the Rebel T1I D-SLR. The PowerShot you've selected looks like a real winner and using the Macro setting will definitely be a positive feature for up-close model photography. Just be sure to check what the minimum distance is from the subject since it's a fixed lens and always use it with a tri-pod to avoid blurring of your shots. I'd also recommend that you use the timer function and/or get yourself a remote trigger to avoid "camera shake" when you depress the shutter button. It doesn't seem like it would be that big of a deal but when you are taking macro shots, you'll be amazed at how even the slightest of movements will affect your camera's ability to shoot clearly.

 Thanks for the help. I was wondering what these extra parts were for. I need to look at the other spares and see if I can use them.

I am thinking of a rack in the back using some small pieces of wood. Did you see any ideas in your research?