Asiatam StuG IV conversion kit...

[43rdRecceReg]

Yip, its a whole lot better
I did my Malta PzIV rear deck......and then wondered why
But it does look better.

Here is the latest Taigen version 2 metal PzIV I am working on.
Its louvres are right, but no slope on the deck

Thanks HB. What a shame, with the proper deck slope the detail here would almost match that of a Tamiya At least the louvre spaces are spot on. I may remove all of the baffles on mine and then fabricate the correct ones.

[43rdRecceReg]

...and here's something else I'll have to make: a new exhaust system. Looks like I'll have to junk the bulbous Asiatam metal silencer in favour of some fat pipes of the sort fitted by go-faster boy racers

Stug IV showing revised go- faster exhaust pipes

[jarndice]

Roy, Apart from a nefarious schoolboy sometime in the last 73 years helping himself is there a reason why the "Stug" does not have a reflector on the left rear fender?
Cracking build Grommet by the way
Shaun.

[43rdRecceReg]

I've just trawled for earlier StuG IV builds on RCTW.
This one is from Jan 2017, with KT Robb wielding the cement and scalpel. Sadly, the Demon known as the Dark Photobucket has snatched away all of the build pictures.. and taken them to nether regions
viewtopic.php?f=23&t=21787&hilit=asiatam+stuG+IV

Arnie Dk, our Danish Pz IV enthusiast also did a build back in Spring 2016. Luckily, the pictures are now intact, although if I recall correctly, he also had problems with that 'Stand and Deliver!" group of photo robbers..
viewtopic.php?f=23&t=18821&start=80&hilit=StuG+IV

[43rdRecceReg]

Roy, Apart from a nefarious schoolboy sometime in the last 73 years helping himself is there a reason why the "Stug" does not have a reflector on the left rear fender?
Cracking build Grommet by the way
Shaun.

You got me with that one.. It wasn't me Gov., honest.
A 1970s Pz IV would probably sport those silly anti- static strips that used to dangle uselessly from the rear bumpers of 'Go-Faster' cars, with go faster stripes and pipes. They never did go faster.
With you unerring eye for detail Shaun, I though for a moment that you meant one of these:

German rear convoy light

Rear convoy light.jpg (82.13 KiB) Viewed 3368 times

and for one that went inexplicably missing, I found this on Network 54:

Pz IV Ausf J..the missing convoy light

I read lately, that the light/reflector was moved off the mudguard to a spot below the exhaust muffler- on some versions..

[43rdRecceReg]

Time to get the basics right, before adding the other major parts in the lit. But I did add the circular air vent bolted to the rear of the casement, and the two aerial mountings also located on the rear of the casement at the top left and right hand corners.
This is how the Section containing the driver's hatch, and periscopes, looks when offered up the casement:

StuG IV- driver's Hatch assembly before modification

As you can, it doesn't FIT. Should we be surprised by now?.
It has just made an appointment with my saw. Essentially, the angle at which it mates with the casement is al wrong, and also the body of the Drivers' unit overhangs the glacis (it shouldn't) by quite an amount. Time to shorten it.
Click to ENLARGE images, by the way

[43rdRecceReg]

To get an idea of what the real thing looks like, have a peek at this:

StuG IV driver's upper compartment

Not knowing what some of the parts of the StuG were known as officially, or as they appear in 'Tankspeak", I hope you'll pardon the descriptive terms I've had to cobble together to name them..
This, then, is the upper section of the Driver's compartment, containing his periscopes and access hatch.
As you can see, the front plate of the driver compartment does not overtop the edge of the glacis plate. There is a slight bevel, however, where the compartment joins the hull deck, indicated by the red arrow, and I shall have to create that later.

Stug IV driver's compartment front plate bevel

However, it is clear that this box section doesn't overlap the glacis plate, and means I'll not only have to get the casement joint angle correct, but will also slice a few mills off the overall length. Hmmm..what's new about this with Asiatam, then I ask myself

[43rdRecceReg]

This is the modified unit in place. It will take a spot of tidying up later, but then the whole unit will get a good bit of filling and sanding prior to priming.

StuG IV driver's upper compartment modified and bonded in place

[43rdRecceReg]

It's time now to saw 2.5 mm (approx) off the top of the tank's rear armour plate, and then refit it.

Top edge of rear armour plate to be reduced by 2.5mm

Here it is being restored to its rightful place. Because it's unimportant structural part, I used two part plastic epoxy to fit it in place. I also used a few brackets to ensure that it is in the optimum position. Asiatam kits are so imprecise, you almost need a system of default proportioned jigs (as used in car repairs) to correct flex, inaccuracies, and distortion.

Asiatam StuG IV- refitting rear armour plate after modification

[43rdRecceReg]

Have a look at this pic (again lifted from Jacek's handy walk around..):

StuG IV Louvre details

The red arrows indicate a brace with two bolts (top arrow) near where the sloped section of the Louvre unit (adjacent to the Casement rear panel). This is not present on the Asiatam kit, and so I'll have to fabricate the brace.
The bottom arrow indicates a portion of the louvre unit that is present on the Asiatam kit, but absent in reality. The Asiatam version has a bit of flange there, that shouldn't be there. See below:

Piece to be removed from Asiatam Louvre unit where it joins the Casement