¹⁄35

StuG.III Ausf.G Late Production Dec.1944

Back on track

Dragon has opted for DS tracks instead of Magic Tracks for this kit. Why anybody thinks these are an improvement over Magic Tracks is beyond me, in my opinion, they aren't a significant improvement over earlier rubber band tracks from other manufacturers. The tracks are reasonably well detailed, not nearly as well defined and slightly more anemic than the Magic Tracks I compared them to (albeit a slightly different variant) and are handed, although, for the life of me, I can't see the difference. They glue together well enough, although there are mold seams which can't be easily removed due to the softness of the plastic. My set came with a few of the guide horns warped, probably just from shifting in transport, and mostly managed to get them bent back into an upright position. I base coated with Panzer Grey primer, then thinned Black Brown and dry brushed the highlights and contact points with a steely colour. A light rust filter with pigments and some pin washes complete the tracks. One major minus with the inclusion of DS tracks is that you get no spares to mount on the vehicle. Another disadvantage is that you can't easily replicate sag without resorting to adding pins in the hull. I did manage to get some sag, helped by the fact that the tracks are a good 2-3 links too long, by stuffing q-tips and brushes between the track and fender and applying some Gator glue to the return rollers and idler and sprocket. I had glued the sprockets and idlers in place and let them set, anticipating they would dislodge because of track tension. That shouldn’t be a concern however, the tracks will fit in place without any undue tension, rest assured. You can probably shorten the tracks easily enough, it will just require a very sharp blade and steely nerves. You can safely say I'm not a fan of DS tracks for the Pz III/IV family.

Paint and add the missing equipment to the fenders; I used Gator glue, but any regular “white” glue should work fine. The tow cables, as mentioned, had to be sourced from elsewhere. Fortunately I had some Karaya (which I believe is now Eureka XXL?) cable on hand; 0.9 mm is a very snug fit if you're taking notes, and used it instead. I love this stuff. Cuts easily, bends and holds its shape; what's not to like? Take care when making tight bends with cables, the strands might separate somewhat. See the photos for my method of laying them down. Basically, you glue a right and left loop to each end of the whole cable, form one run, cut and repeat for the other side. No need for guesstimating the proper length with this method. As mentioned earlier, the clevis issue caught me off guard, I ended up having to use the older style because I had already layed down one cable and wasn't about to go mucking with it. Panzer Grey base followed by a translucent coat of “gunmetal” and a Black Brown wash. Pigments and pin washes were added during the final weathering stages.