Help for building accurate StuG IIIs

I'm a bit of a StuG III fan (14+ in the stash)

I have several reference books, including both volumes of the Sturmgeschutz book by Muller and Zimmermann.

The second volume shows all the variations of the production run of StuGs, providing detail to be factory and month specific

I've got a spreadsheet set up, and following the complex identification list, can give you all the details to make your StuG accurate. Things like return rollers, tow hook detail, roof version and muzzle brakes.

I already have sheets for the following StuGs;

Alkett Production December 1943, April 1944, July 44, and September 1944. I also have a sheet for a StuH 42 produced in January 1945 (NB only Alkett made StuHs)

Miag Production December 1943

Either fire me a PM, or ask on this thread if you'd like help

Thank you Andrew , very helpful to have you here . Helping people is what this hobby is all about .

For anyone building a Finnish Stug or just needing some kewl interior shots you can see a nice walkaround HERE

Jenny

Hi Andrew

A very generous thing to do, thank you.

Simon

Nice one Andrew

Hi Andrew ..I`d love copies of your spreadsheets...
Thanks in advance
Rick

richard.craig@sympatico.ca

Email sent Richard

Andrew

Thanks again!!

Thanks Andrew and Jenny. That Finnish StuG at that museum looks very tempting to build.

Hi, for anyone looking for photos of the StuIG 33B, there are some images here I had not seen before:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/deckarudo/sets/72157626012367767/detail/

Cheers
JT

Ooooh JT , I like that shot of G7 driving past the burnt out Katiuska ! Notice one of the roadwheels is an old one with no rubber left on the roadwheel , would you say that it is in primer red too ?

Jenny

Some great stuff in there. Lots to look at to consider the what and how of the build. Thanks .

Jenny Ryan wrote:Ooooh JT , I like that shot of G7 driving past the burnt out Katiuska ! Notice one of the roadwheels is an old one with no rubber left on the roadwheel , would you say that it is in primer red too ?

Jenny

My guess would be the standard German dark grey for the road wheel. But that is just my guess after a morning of having the bottle of glue open in a tiny enclosed modelling space .


Gary

Jenny Ryan wrote:Ooooh JT , I like that shot of G7 driving past the burnt out Katiuska ! Notice one of the roadwheels is an old one with no rubber left on the roadwheel , would you say that it is in primer red too ?

Jenny

Also looks like G7 is based on an Ausf. B

Jenny Ryan wrote:Ooooh JT , I like that shot of G7 driving past the burnt out Katiuska ! Notice one of the roadwheels is an old one with no rubber left on the roadwheel , would you say that it is in primer red too ?

Jenny

Primer red does appear very dark like that on other B&W photos I've seen, but I think I agree with Gary, Panzer Grey. Just a guess, who can really tell. I find the variation in stowage locations interesting, considering there were so few. The spare wheels can be seen on the front fenders, transmission cover, rear fender and the superstructure. G7 appears to have it's jack on the front right fender, plus there's various boxes and racks, spare track holders.

Cheers
JT

I'm leaning towards it being panzer grey, the standing orders at the manufacturing plants at the time was for everything to be painted in the authorised base colour, which would have been RAL 7021 when these guns were manufactured. By the same extension any spares would be shipped finished in the authorised colour, which by summer 1943 would be RAL 7028. However, it is conceivable (and indeed likely from the evidence before us) that this wheel was from old stocks that I would conjecture were held in theatre. I really do think the whole red-primer thing is somewhat overdone and not really supported by the orders or photo evidence.

I'm now thinking that I need to buy another StuIG 33B kit and the AM parts to make this one as well as it does look to be rather interesting, Ausf B hull and fairly unique stowage. AFAIK, no other gun had the extra track on the superstructure side like this one, luckily the Eduard PE set includes the brackets.

A valid hypothesis Andy.

Especially when you consider that new parts were frequently dumped on older parts, so older stocks would surface as numbers were run down.

Simon

I've already mentioned this on Gary's StuG IV blog, but thought it would be a good idea to post it here too.

I have Technical manual in English that covers German radio sets and their configuration in various AFVs, it includes photos and wiring diagrams and is in a Word format. If anyone needs this info for helping with making an accurate interior, drop me a PM with your email and I can send it over. Unless of course the Admins can host it on here?

I'm very interested in finding out which Stug III variant the Syrians had up on the Golan Heights. Any ideas?

Cheers

If you are basing it on like in this picture?



This StuG III is a Miag produced variant (key indentifiers: Fender mounts and return rollers). Dating it accurately is a little more difficult. The hull and superstructure are within 12.43 - 06.44 (December 1943 steel return rollers introduced at Miag. The armour at the loaders position is still the 50mm+30mm bolt on, this was used up until 06.44) Where is gets harder after that. It has a later pattern roof introduced in May 1944, including rundumfeuer shield (rotating M.G. on roof). It also has no zimmerit, so unless the zimmerit has been removed, it must be later than September 1944. The other strange thing is the mantlet is the cast type (Topfblende), but this was only fitted to Alkett produced StuGs, so must have been retrofitted.

You could almost build this as it appears in the pic OOB from the DML 6581 kit. You'd just need to source the later roof from a StuG IV late production kit, or the new zim StuG III kit

Hope that helps

Andrew

Andrew C wrote:If you are basing it on like in this picture?



This StuG III is a Miag produced variant (key indentifiers: Fender mounts and return rollers). Dating it accurately is a little more difficult. The hull and superstructure are within 12.43 - 06.44 (December 1943 steel return rollers introduced at Miag. The armour at the loaders position is still the 50mm+30mm bolt on, this was used up until 06.44) Where is gets harder after that. It has a later pattern roof introduced in May 1944, including rundumfeuer shield (rotating M.G. on roof). It also has no zimmerit, so unless the zimmerit has been removed, it must be later than September 1944. The other strange thing is the mantlet is the cast type (Topfblende), but this was only fitted to Alkett produced StuGs, so must have been retrofitted.

You could almost build this as it appears in the pic OOB from the DML 6581 kit. You'd just need to source the later roof from a StuG IV late production kit, or the new zim StuG III kit

Hope that helps

Andrew

Unfortunately the three images I have are fron the rear quarter and are copyrighted. It seems that the roof is very similar to the image you posted. I sure am not going to buy two kits though just to build one model. Thanks for the info though as I may be able to get a roof from someone who has a damaged model they want to get rid of.

Thanks and cheers

Any ideas on what would be required to back-date a late(ish) StuG hull to Ausf B standard? The only real visible difference I can see is the idler and possibly the sprocket, but I'm hoping that those with more knowledge than I have on the subject could chip in and advise.