LATE StuG III SURVIVOR

[Herr Dr. Professor]

I think I've figured out your secret advantages:

1. You have tunnels under the ocean to parts sources in China, the UK, and Germany. All the bellyaching about the distance and cost of shipping to Australia is a cover up.
2. When you aren't importing RC AFV parts, the tunnels are used to export Utes and Vegamite.
3. Your wife tolerates all this because you tolerate the 'Roo farm she uses for pocket change.

[HERMAN BIX]

Professor, have you been drinking the toilet duck again!!!
I wish she had a Roo farm but alas we are far from wealthy plantation owners !!
As part of my aim to be a certified recluse this stuff keeps me from interacting with real humans & even better, keeps md out of her hair

[Ecam]

You once mentioned all of my projects on the go. I had three, looks like you got a dozen or so...
Looking great Mr. Bix!

[HERMAN BIX]

You once mentioned all of my projects on the go. I had three, looks like you got a dozen or so...
Looking great Mr. Bix!

Thanks Mr Ecam it sure feels like it!
This situation is very different to normal. I only ever work on and complete one model before going to the next one but now because of a sudden influx, I have got in with several simultaneously probably because they are there and partially due to the need to pay them some respect & bring them back from the dead so to speak.

Appreciate you looking in

[Ecam]

Yes, I'm a one project at a time guy too. My first build thread back in 2015 I built 4 tanks (two of them scratch builds) in just under a year. I'm approaching a year and a half on the ducks. After a while I needed to take a break from the ducks and I started a couple other builds.

Completely understand the need to pay homage.

[jee]

Ow that is a great looking stug, nice additions!

[HERMAN BIX]

Ow that is a great looking stug, nice additions!

Thank you Mr Jee, I do love the StuG Life

[HERMAN BIX]

Well after a long=ish break from this, its taken a turn for the better.
As I couldnt get the Tamiya control system to work, I swapped it out for an H/L 7.1s.
Now the Tamy system was operating, its just that I couldn't get it to work with new radio gear as I am too dumb when it comes to that.
So, out it came & into a bag to be replaced with something I know and can make work, ANNNNND can keep working later on.
The recoil servo turned out to be stripped, and it was glued on to a degree replicating a bad day at the H/L glue Monkey assembly line, as was the Tamiya flash cable into the muzzle.
The flash was cut and can easily be soldered to go again, the servo I had to literally disintegrate into shards to remove so I could replace it with a new one.
A benefit of the new 7.1s H/L boards is that they have a servo reverse option on them. Which was handy in this case.
Mato metal tracks arrived & were painted to suit, plus new drive sprockets to replace the originals which had stripped teeth. I suspect this model had suffered a drop from a height which punched the barrel back(stripping the servo) and a consequential impact (damaging the drive sprockets) so when I got it, the tracks were gone from it already (broken off I assume).
I grafted a short section of spare track over the radio mans frontal armour with a brass strip to retain it, and added a bit of pigment here & there to blend the lot in.
job done.
All it needs is a T.C.

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[Ad Lav]

Good looking Stug - was it a user error with the Tamiya stuff?

[Herr Dr. Professor]

Finally, a beat-up, concrete-capped, log-loaded, raggedy tank that Bix can love! And it still runs!