Hi friends:

:-) I will start working on my Sturmgeschütz IV Sdkfz. 167 75mm as indicated in its box, even the instructions refer to the Sturmgeschütz IV 163 20mm.

Complements to use:

1.- The kit has the gun barrel of 20mm, but I will change it to Jordi metal gun barrel of 75mm
2.- Verlinden Tools
3.- Verlinden Light-bosch
4.- Accurate Armour Chains
5.- Cooper cable of 0.5mm to make a connection of the light-bosch
6.- Microdetails Photoetched



Maybe during the work in progress I will add another things, but with this I am ready to start. Soon I will post images of my 1st. phase

Regards,
Rodolfo

Good start Rodolfo. Keep us posted throughout the process.
Happy modelling!

Am i misguided or doesn't the model box show a late STUG 3 with saukopf ?
To me the Stug 4, or Panzer Jager 4, is based on the Pz 4 chassis. The Stug 3 is based on the Pz 3 chassis.
Am I wrong ?

the Pz III Ausf B, C and D had 8 roadwheels the B had 2 sets of Leaf springs the c 3 sets of leaf springs and the D model had angled Leaf Springs. All 3 models only had 3 return rollers.

the Pz III ausf E, F, G, H, J, L, M, and N, all had 6 road wheels and again all seem to have only 3 return rollers.

The Pz IV pics I've got show 4 return rollers and the few pics I see don't show leaf springs.

so this may be a way to tell for sure, but the picture shown doesn't really show the detail so that I can't reall tell.

another difference was the Pz III had 3 return rollers and the Pz IV had 4 return rollers but I can't see them in the picture to count them.

That's a Stug IV,probably early.
Look at the driver's area.It is in front of the main superstructure.So with the "manned" Mg on the roof,it is a Stug IV.

If I am not mistaken this is the Academy copy of the early Tamiya motorized Stug IV

I am building/have built the exact same kit OOB for test/try out purposes... there are quite a few gaps to fill (superstructure over the tracks, and, it could be me though, fit of the front of the upperhull deck and the lower hull), and sometimes fit is tricky... Next it will be target for paint practice I think...

my copy was indeed one origininally intended for a motorized version (the battery locations were still there....)

I really would like to see wat a good modeller can do with this kit (and afterwards hide myself in shame )... so keep us posted please...

As mentioned above, this is the Academy rip-off of the old Tamiya Stug kit and requires a lot of work and elbow grease to bring it close to modern kit standards.

Sorry guys !
I was saying nonsense !
I was getting mixed up between the Stug 4 and the jagdpanzer 4... that looks very different !

Have you started workink on the kit ?

GOOD START
ROBERTO

Hi friends!

Thanks for your comments!. I checked some pics about the Stug and I observed that the Chassis is partially identical to the Panzer IV Ausf G. 

Here is the starting of my job. 

The first step, we have to polish the tools in order to add Photoetched brackets in: 

1.- Track tension adjusting tool 
2.- Wire cutter - with resin part 
3.- Jack Bracket 
4.- Clening rod 
5.- Track tool 
6.- Crowbar 
7.- Shackle 
8.- Hand axe - with resin 
9.- Shovel - with resin part 
10.-Fire extinguisher - with resin 
11.- Mec. wrench

 



The Microdetails Photoetched is a little bit complicated because pieces are larger or smaller, so they have to be adjusted to each one. In the case of the small pieces, I had to substitute them with Verlinden Photoetched which have the adequate size (Note: I had an extra Verlinden Photoetched from a Tiger I tank, which contained brackets, padlocks and secure-bars).

2nd Phase - Working Photoetched on the rear

At the superior plate of the tank, I made 2 small holes to set the supports for the cable and added nuts on each corner of the supports.




At the inferior plate I added brackets with nuts on them.


I will soon update my work in progress with more pictures.

Regards,
Rodolfo

Hello!

Here more pics!
 The Cables and Box tools with photoetched Ready



and the metal gun barrel and in circle others brackets


I added reinforcement of steel plate with double soldering


In this plate I added nuts


Regards,
Rodolfo

Nice job. Very clean PE work.
Only thing I would change is the focal length on the photos.

What tool do you use to apply CA to the PE parts?

Looking good so far, but the plate in front of the driver's compartment doesn't have any bolts on it in any reference photo available. They sometimes used cement in front of that plate, but there is no evidence that they bolted on extra armor here. HTH.

Got to go with Avukich on that one.. I do not know the site, but I remember seeing a (few) picture(s) with something that looked like both part C5 and D5 on it (which is what I did)... Also, concerning the massive gap on the underside of the Saukopf, when the gun is elevated... It seems to me that that would not be open on the real model... What have you done to correct that ?

for the rest of it, the pictures clearly illustrate how much I have to learn. though it is really good to see what an experienced modeler is doing to a model you yourself have built.

PS, I am saving your posts for my own reference....

IIRC from among others reading the Achtung Panzer site, models like the Stug IV, Hornisse/Nashorn, Hummel used a modified chassis incorporating elemnts of both the Pzkfw III and Pzkfw IV, referred to by the Germans as Fahrgestel (?) III/IV. Supposedly for the Stug IV they slightly modified the superstructure of the Stug III ausf G.
If the info above is complete bull****, please correct me...

DutchBird,

No you are right. The StuG IV was an interim solution until the Jagdpanzer IVs became fully operational. They mated the Panzer IV hull and a modified StuG III Ausf. G superstructure together.

Hi Dutchbird and Adam:

Thanks for your kind comments!.
Dutchbird: about the Saukopf I am reading more of it

Adam: about the driver's plate, you are right, but I do not worry because this is only an "hypothetical situation". :-) The plate will be covered with the cement block .

Regards,

Hello again!

Here other pics of my Stug in progress. I made some modifications: I added a support (with nuts) bar for tracks on the front and other support for additional wheels on back










Regards,
Rodolfo

Again...looks really good...better each time...

very nice work, she looks great

Bender

wow very nice work, she looks great

Bender

Hi friends DutchBird and Bender:

Thank you very much for your kind comments! :-)

Regards,
Rodolfo

Hi friends:

Ususally the Academy kits which contain extra tracks do not have the bolts,
as expected.   Them, I had to us again my Greif tool so they can be
more real.   Here you will see the diference.

Regards,

Rodolfo

Looking better and better each time...