Orange box is what I got!!
John this start to look really great i'm taking notes.
can you comment on the magic links? How do you find them?

Phil.

I've been busy...



Working on the tracks.

Fender & equipment



Camo & decals
and tracks too...
Before the camo I applied a filter on the Dark Yellow base last night.







@Phil

At first I wasn't very keen on these tracks, but they fit quite well. The only problem was that after fitting them on the wheels & rollers it was hard to take them off without breaking it apart.
Since this if mostly a try & error hobby, I'm never sure if I should paint the tracks before putting them on the wheels and rollers, or doing this process with 3 to 5 links (glue-mount-paint)... or even setting up the tracks and paint at the end..
Always learning ...

I don't see the need to invest on some ModelKasten or Friul metal tracks to be honest.

So far only a couple of notes then:
- attach the suspension arms to the lower hull with it's respective wheel.
- the metal cover near the exausts need a careful fitting.


..mmh I might take the decal of the kills off, not sure..

Hey John,

You have been busy! Great job on the camo, looks nice. With my budget, magic tracks are awesome for me. Only way ill invest in aftermarket is to replace vinyl tracks. My nephew sometimes orders me the expencive stuff and lets me pay back in payments. John, I agree that The kill marks are a bit too stark and would look better off, or maybe leave 4 or 5 rings on the muzzel end. My 2 cents.

Phil - Magic tracks come with Dragon and Cyber Hobby kits, as well as glueable DS tracks. I personally likem alot, but have heard alot of people dont.

Gary

Some more





I took the decal off, it looks better.
The fender doesn't fit now...

I'll try tomorrow, won't stress over it right now... worst case I'll take the tracks off at start all over...

Hi John !

About the link by link tracks: I used to align all links against a rule, put liquid cement and left to almost dry. The tracks will be something like a DS tracks.

I do not glue the outer road wheels and return rollers and using the drive sprockets and idlers as guides put the track, made the sag you want and let dry.

As a result you have a piece of plastic that you can paint, wash and dry brush like any other part of the kit.

To install, after paint everything, simply fit the sprockets and idlers to the tracks, glue it to the suspension and finish whit the outer Road wheels and return rollers.

Again people, sorry about my poor english.

John, the stug looks amazing. Did you paint the stripes by brush ?

Fantástico, eu gosto muito deste veículo.

Marco

I do like the camo work there John! I missed what you have done so far BUT, I liked the decal on the barrel but maybe a few less?

I have a couple of F's ... keep me motivated to drag one out!!









~ Jeff

Keep it up John!
Love that camo work.

Phil.

Thanks for the positive input !!!!

Marco I'll try on another tank, this one the wheels were very hard to fit on the suspension so I can't take them off now.
It seems quite easy the way you do it. The wheels are glue to the tracks but not the sproket & idler wheel right ?

Yes the camo green was done by brush.

Today I didn't work on it, I hope this week to finish the other fender and track.
So I can weather it during the weekend.

Chipping, winter camo, simple wash & drybrush, dusted ???
Any ideas ?

Jeff I took the decal off, I didn't liked the look of it, maybe with fewer rounds, but I'll have to look for another decal.

Thanks Phil !

Hey John,

I like all the above with the exception of the winter camo. But thats just me. I really like your camo and it would be a shame to cover it. Not to mention i dont have a clue how to do a white wash camo.

Gary

ehehe nevermind the winter wash camo Gary...

I might try some of the AK new stuff..
First I have to work on the fenders & tracks... I never follow the instructions step by step, it doesn't make sense sometimes I think that the guys who make them never built a kit in their life..

Hi Jonh !

No, you don't need to glue the wheels to the track, just fit the sprocket and idler, glue evething to the suspension and then glue the outer wheels.

I agree, no winter wash. The cammo is amazing ! And I agree about the instructions. Elas são feitas para não serem seguidas....

Good job !

Marco

Another update

Now it's the other side...
working on the fender & tracks

Finished the other track, and after these pics added the fender too.

Next: equipment & spare tracks

Nice camo job.
I am guessing freehand with a brush?

John: looking Sweet!!! I'm really liking your build.

Happy Modeling, -zon

You are right Marc !

Thanks Marc & Zon, I'm also enjoying this build.
Not a huge fan of Magic Tracks but much better than some Alan or EasternExpress tracks..

I'll keep posting the progress on the build & weathering steps.

That's it












It's done, some light weathering, light wash & some dusting and highlighting here and there.

Added several sparetracks with different colours & finishings, some more steel, others rusted or brownish tones.

Hi John,

Fantastic Stug!!! I like everything about it but the extra tracks give it a cool,"LETS GET IT ON" look to it. Well done my friend!

Gary

Hi John,

Looking really great & love all the colours,I love the extra "croc armour" as i call it with the tracks, i just think thats what i reminds me of all ridges & low slung to the ground

Cheers MIke

Thanks guys for the help & support !!!
I really enjoyed this Orange Box Stug !!

I'm glad you guys liked it too !

Hey John,
I just ordered this kit. I was wondering, besides the wheels on the suspension, what is there to keep an eye out for? What was the problem with the fenders?
thanks

Hi Mark, the problem I had with the fenders was quite simple, the fenders have some "L" shaped parts that joins the actual fender to the hull structure with some small holes.
With the wheels & tracks in place I couldn't find a way to align them with those holes .
Here you can see the fender with the equipment on, those divders between are the top of the L shaped parts.




Here you can see the solution I tried on the second fender, addind first the L shaped part, and the fender after that..
it didn't worked.
I stripped the L shaped part, glue it to the fender .
Then I had to cut off the part that was joining the tank structure, and just leavin the part on the fender.




I didn't add the antenna supports either, I couldn't handle those PE parts and lost one or two parts in the process, there was no plastic replacments..

Hey John, Your StuG looks good. Real nice job on the camo. I do have a couple things you might want to think about for future builds.

The kill stripes didn't look bad, but they stood out a lot. I think they would have been just fine after you added the weathering and dusting to blend them in with the rest of the finish.

On your road wheels, the edge that contacts the tracks would not be dusted like the sides unless the vehicle had been sitting in one place for quite a while.

Lastly, the spare track links. While these tanks carried them for the obvious use of replacement, they also had the added benefit of increasing the armor protection. Instead of piling so many on a fender the crew would have strung a section across the front plate using the front tow mounts or possibly across the rear.

Like I said, these ideas aren't "must do" items, they're just something to think about. Ultimately, the kit's your build, so it's whatever makes you happy.

Hi John, just spotted this. Congrats on getting it finished and looking good! I just started an F for the stug campaign so nice reference pics for me