1941 StuG III Ausf B

[PainlessWolf]

Sunday was BBQ day so I spent all afternoon in front of a hot grill and the evening cleaning up after Guests had left. Today was StuG day and I was determined to get the main gun mounted and working. After a walk the dogs session and a visit to the gym and breakfast, I got busy. It was immediately apparent that the barrel clamp and the elevation trunnion were still too long. I ended up removing material from both ends of the clamp and one side of the trunnion to give the gun barrel enough space to recoil freely. Elevation works but is minimal. It's an early Assault Gun graced with a honking great flanged mantlet so not terribly bothered by that. At least it works. The real heart breaker today came after I realized that if I drilled out all of the material required from the bore of the lovely little aluminum gun barrel for the flash to fit, the walls of the barrel would be almost paper thin. I sat the barrel aside after one drill session and cut a replacement in 1\4 inch brass tubing. I will have to add a muzzle crown with a small washer but at least there is room for the flash now. The mounts were made out of left over plastic from the original idler mounts and super glue gel and double stick tape. Weird but solid. I ended up padding the gun mounts 1/16 of an inch after that to get free play on the exterior. I was very glad that I had cut the steel pins for the mantlet a little long. It's all together and it works. Tomorrow or Wednesday, I will fix the barrel crown detail and glue the xenon flash into place. Pictures:

[PainlessWolf]

251 tracks in the Post yesterday! Thanks again, Jack! Last night was a mixed bag of results. I got the Xenon flash mounted and the wiring tucked away. Double checked all of the connections and gave it a try. Well, recoil and elevation still work fine and the red 'Firing Warning'\Emitter light comes on but I have no flash. The gun recoils, sounds right and the tank gives a sedate backwards recoil bump when I lift the stick. I think I may have damaged the bulb inside the cover when swapping it to the new barrel. Can't think of any other reason. I may buy another flash or I may use the red LED. *chuckles* I used a clear ring to give the replacement barrel some thickness at the muzzle so that turned out at least. I remounted the on\off switch ( yes, I checked that as well, nothing works on the main gun with it turned off ) and used some plasti card and brass to make a shelf to hide wiring and give the Commander figure a spot to rest. More tonight. Pics:

[edpanzer]

Coming on painless looking good

[Ad Lav]

Very nice!

Is it a stubby 75mm? Forget my stug models!

[PainlessWolf]

Ed,
Thank you! Another case of two steps forward and one step back. ;o)
regards,
Painless

[PainlessWolf]

Ad Lav,
Yes indeed! One of the short 75mm guns with good Hi-Ex performance. This early StuG represents the vehicle line before it was upgraded to Tank Killer mode. ;o)
regards,
Painless

[PainlessWolf]

Nothing in the Post today. So tonight, I tried _unsuccessfully_ to bring the existing flash unit back to life. I was about to just use the red emitter bulb and call it a day when I discovered that I would have to make yet another new barrel. The old flash was 'secured' very well with the LocTite epoxy I had previously used and would not be removed. Choosing the better part of valor, I ordered a new xenon flash unit from Artistic Hobbies and cut and finished another brass barrel. There is plenty of detail work to do on the hatches while I wait for the new flash. At least this way, I will have the bright white flash I like on these tanks. Pics:

[PainlessWolf]

Nothing in the Post yesterday so spent a couple of hours getting the Commander's hatch sorted out. The new hinge design from Asiatam is nice and has good detail. I spent the most time inletting the two pockets in the casemate armor for the rear panel hinges of the hatch to sit in. I used the Dremel and a tiny router bit to do the work. A caution with resin: I noticed a tiny hole in the back after I finished and saw that it was due to a small bubble in the resin thinning out the material in that area. Go slow when doing any kind of shaping work on resin. Even the good stuff can have hidden bubbles or other issues. At the end, I was pretty happy with the finished results. I will add a couple of tiny brass straps to the lock bar tonight. Looks very like the drawings and photos in the StuG compendium that I am using for reference. One more small hatch to do then the replacement flash unit should be in. Pictures:

[ALPHA]

Nothing in the Post yesterday so spent a couple of hours getting the Commander's hatch sorted out. The new hinge design from Asiatam is nice and has good detail. I spent the most time inletting the two pockets in the casemate armor for the rear panel hinges of the hatch to sit in. I used the Dremel and a tiny router bit to do the work. A caution with resin: I noticed a tiny hole in the back after I finished and saw that it was due to a small bubble in the resin thinning out the material in that area. Go slow when doing any kind of shaping work on resin. Even the good stuff can have hidden bubbles or other issues. At the end, I was pretty happy with the finished results. I will add a couple of tiny brass straps to the lock bar tonight. Looks very like the drawings and photos in the StuG compendium that I am using for reference. One more small hatch to do then the replacement flash unit should be in. Pictures:

The good thing about good resin is you can repair it...just save the dust...rebond it with crazy glue ...a little sanding and any flaw will be good as new...junk resin is way different...it will shatter like glass...rebuilding that stuff is more than just an easy task

Good Job Painless...Glad you are enjoying your experience with this kit...opens doors for future projects


ALPHA

[PainlessWolf]

Alpha,
That's exactly what I did. ;o) Thank you, my friend. I remembered that advice from one of your other tips posts. Speaking of other kits, I have a 1/15 StuG IV that is completely resin that I will be building and turning into a display model with a little help from Bandai. Also, next Spring or Summer will see that Imperial Sturmtiger kit start up. I've been wanting one of those since the original 1/16 rtr version came out from Matorro. Lots of resin next year, I am happy to say ;o)
with regards,
Painless