"Lea" a Finnish Sturmi

[MrChef]

So the Mato hatch isn't impressing me either.









Kinda more proof that just cuz it's metal doesn't mean it's better...

[Stormbringer]

Yehh im not particularly enamoured with Mato metal parts either
They are cheap but sometimes have less detail than the plastic bits your replacing
I prefer Taigen or even the H L metal bits
Probs aside your still making decent progress with the model

[Rob59]

I saw you mentioned that no figure was planned into the gunner‘s hatch.
Underneath that hatch are the electronics to operate the main gun.
I am afraid, there won‘t be enough room to get a figure in there.
That‘s why I took the electronics out of one of my StuGs, to clear some room for thr gunner.
On my latest StuG, the one with the Winterketten, I did not open the hatches at all.
My next StuG, still in its box, will get the automatic MG so for that one the hatches need to come out and I must make some new ones out of poly, because these need to be opened in another way than the ones on the models.
These must be opened from left to right instead of from front to rear.
Rob.

[HERMAN BIX]

Its tight thats for sure, but you can get a figure in the right side hatch.

[MrChef]

Hate these molded in tools





Some masking tape and some electrical tape to protect against the rotary tool. I honestly forgot about having to remove these blasted things. In retrospect I'da done em before I did the engine vents. Oh well.




Not so bad. I backfilled the deeper details with Tamiya putty. I'll likely reinforce it but it'll give me something to carve some of the check details back in.

[HERMAN BIX]

I feel ya.
There is a lot to be said for the Aber German fender treadplate P.E. set.
I was a bit Meh on it at first, but when I saw a StuG that had used this trick to remove all the H/L crap off the guards & start again with a clean canvas, thats my plan on the next one.

[Ecam]

Oh but losing that lovely detailed shovel...

At least most of their offerings have separate tools. PzIII & Stug need work.

[ColemanCollector]

Back to the start of HL life when it crawled from the oceans onto land.

Nice to see many of the details on Coolbank's Stuart molded separately...although I look at the stunning new age axe and think they need a few more eons in the primordial swamp.

Lea tulee hyvin toimeen!

Mike.