Well, while the arrival of the final bits for the Tamiya Pz IV is not quite as imminent as I would like, I thought I would get back to the Swayback bette noir, that is the Asiatam StuG IV. In this instance it is practically ALL Asiatam. This means
none of it fits together very well- and yes, I really shouldn't be such a glutton for punishment.
Still, that's the nature of the typical modeller, I expect.
Having tried hot water, and the oven to correct the ben in the upper hull..I decided that it would be more prudent to apply a little orthopaedic traction to the obstinately Swayback StuG. I didn't want to leave it in the oven and forget it, as I managed to to with a Chicken Kiev the other day..
But first, I fitted the rear armour plate and engine side vents:
- Asiatam StuG IV fitting the rear armour plate
Yes, the woolly detail isn't that inspiring...and yes, I have seen the kit at Frank's Modellbau; but somehow I plumped for this...
Duh.. I'd almost forgotten that..Life is full of regrets. Must try to keep them to a minimum.
On the PLUS side (there is one...), the Asiatam StuG hull is an
exact fit on the Asiatam lower hull. BUT that's only because I'd already
sawn almost a Centimetre off the back of the alloy hull! If you recall, I did this a couple of years ago on another thread, before my patience finally ran out with Asiatam's lack of any precision.
- Asiatam StuG IV- Swayback Ausfuhrung
The length is just right, but without a clamp on the front, the Tank looks like it's had a severe shunt in a road accident....
At least all the baking and boiling had reduced the 'sway' a little. But not enough.