¹⁄35

Greetings from the Eastern Front

External construction
The kit from Tamiya does represent a StuG III Ausf G in one early version, but not the first ones, that were fielded. What were the differences between the kit and the first version? Here follows the features of the first "G"-version, which came to the units in the end of 1942:
· a driver observation slit left of his station,
· steeper angles of the lateral structure front armoring,
· no MG shield,
· no periscope protection at the roof,
· the fan installed onto the center of the roof instead at the middle of rear wall of the fighting compartment,
· a " driver vision port ,type 50' ", as well as the view holes for the driver telescope above it, therefore also,
· a divided additional armor in front of the driver workstation and,
· no " mushrooms " as mounts for the auxiliary crane at the top of the roof.

Since my vehicle should however represent a version, used in autumn ´43, I assembled the following features:

· MG shield (fielded starting from December 1942),
· screwed on additional armor at the bow plates and in front of the driver-, resp. loaders area (produced by the companies from ´42 to partly [MIAG-company] October ´43),
· early version of the tracks without grab lugs (manufactured to end of ´43)

I removed kit items or did not represent:
· the " mushrooms " at the hull roof (only built from ´44 onwards)
· the side skirts (manufactured for new vehicles starting from April ´43, delivered to the units as tool kit in June ´43, with priority to those, which were involved in the Kursk offensive),
· the smoke grenade launchers (production from February to May ´43, then removed because of self-endangerment),
· the deflector ramps for the chain pins protection (only generally introduced, starting from ´44 as a company-supply

I completed or improved:
· a pistol plug left of the driver (starting from December ´42, TAMIYA forgot this plug!)
· the mounts of the blackout drive light (aluminum sheet and copper braid),
· the brackets for tools and equipment (aluminum sheet and -foil, photo etched parts from ABER),
· hatches (partly made new from plastic sheet, wire and the nuts/bolts by the" Punch and die" set),
· antennas inclusive their mounting plates (hypodermic needles, steel wire, fishing rod wire, aluminum sheet), the asterisk antenna are soldered together wires,
· the tail railing (soldered brass),
· the screens on the cooling intakes (photo etched part from my spare box),
· the tow rope (cable wire from a bicycle shop),
· the reserve antenna supports (hypodermic needle, plastic strips and aluminum sheet),
· I represented engagement damages at the fenders by sanding them down to almost "see through"-thickness and then punctured them with a craftsknive. At the rear I replaced the splash guards by an aluminum sheet, on which the profile, provided by the kit, thinly polished again, was glued.
· the fire extinguisher (tube of a car antenna, photo etched parts from ABER)

Additionally the surface of the armor was preparated: loose-handed I let "bounce" a sanding tool, which was attached in a mini drill, across the hull armor plates. So the rough structure of the cast armor is done "en miniature". Be careful, not to overdo this effect. German armor is - compared to other countries´ armor - very smooth!