The Dragon kit certainly builds into an exquisite representation of this classic, low-slung vehicle and, for the most part, the detail is superb.
The metal side skirts come with the kit and look just right. Note that they were not sheet metal but (thin) armour - so any stress (except for a direct shot) would not be likely to bend them, just tear them off.
I used the plastic rails rather than attempting any photo etch replacements because, believe me, I know my limitations! I thinned them a little with a knife and sanding stick - although not too much because I didn't want to weaken them. Whilst not strictly to scale, I think they will look fine once the paint is on. Actually fitting them was something of a challenge and it's a good idea to have the schurzen handy to make sure that they will fit when the glue is dry!
However, as you can see there were a few more improvements that I made to the kit.
The wire tow ropes supplied are just too thin and, frankly, unrealistic. I replaced them with some thicker copper wire which I had in an assortment from a Polish company called Karaya. What impressed me about Dragon's accuracy was that this wire actually squeezed into the rear tow rope brackets without any glue!
The kit also comes with some very tiny butterfly nuts to be applied to the front brackets and other areas. However, since these have no actual 'thread' it's hard to see how these would ever stay in place. I replaced them with some from the Grandt Line Wing Nut Assortment set. This says that it's 1:48 scale, but it actually has nuts of various sizes, including several perfect for 1:35. Because they do have a short thread a hole can be drilled before they are glued in place.
Another nice touch by Dragon is the provision of empty and full smoke tubes - so I decided to have two empty and one full on each side. However, the smoke canisters need a distinctive 'pip' added to their centre.
I added metal grab handles to the rear of the loader's shield and the open periscope flap in the commander's hatch. For some reason, despite the accuracy of most of the rest of the kit, the original handle was just a moulded ridge.
[ATTACH]312802[/ATTACH]
Notice the very fine weld detail which I saw no need to improve upon. The gap between the sloping superstructure and the fender, by the way, is entirely accurate: it marked the bottom of the sides of the fighting compartment and the fenders tended to sag a little over time. So gaps are not always your enemy!
The damaged front port fender was made using part of the Aber set. Because this corner of the Stug is right at the front of the diorama I wanted something quite dramatic: there's nothing quite like torn and twisted metal to look like, well, torn and twisted metal!
I found even this piece hard enough to work with - so goodness knows how I would have managed to replace the whole fender had I wanted to! Luckily, because the real thing was made up in sections, it was relatively easy to saw away the front portion and substitute the Aber piece before adding the battle damage.
[ATTACH]312803[/ATTACH]
The dislodged tow rope was just another way of showing the impact of the shot which shattered the fender and sent this Stug rolling off the road right in front of a church... I still intend to have this track severed and I may add some damage to the sprocket.
The metal side skirts come with the kit and look just right. Note that they were not sheet metal but (thin) armour - so any stress (except for a direct shot) would not be likely to bend them, just tear them off.
I used the plastic rails rather than attempting any photo etch replacements because, believe me, I know my limitations! I thinned them a little with a knife and sanding stick - although not too much because I didn't want to weaken them. Whilst not strictly to scale, I think they will look fine once the paint is on. Actually fitting them was something of a challenge and it's a good idea to have the schurzen handy to make sure that they will fit when the glue is dry!
However, as you can see there were a few more improvements that I made to the kit.
The wire tow ropes supplied are just too thin and, frankly, unrealistic. I replaced them with some thicker copper wire which I had in an assortment from a Polish company called Karaya. What impressed me about Dragon's accuracy was that this wire actually squeezed into the rear tow rope brackets without any glue!
The kit also comes with some very tiny butterfly nuts to be applied to the front brackets and other areas. However, since these have no actual 'thread' it's hard to see how these would ever stay in place. I replaced them with some from the Grandt Line Wing Nut Assortment set. This says that it's 1:48 scale, but it actually has nuts of various sizes, including several perfect for 1:35. Because they do have a short thread a hole can be drilled before they are glued in place.
Another nice touch by Dragon is the provision of empty and full smoke tubes - so I decided to have two empty and one full on each side. However, the smoke canisters need a distinctive 'pip' added to their centre.
I added metal grab handles to the rear of the loader's shield and the open periscope flap in the commander's hatch. For some reason, despite the accuracy of most of the rest of the kit, the original handle was just a moulded ridge.
[ATTACH]312802[/ATTACH]
Notice the very fine weld detail which I saw no need to improve upon. The gap between the sloping superstructure and the fender, by the way, is entirely accurate: it marked the bottom of the sides of the fighting compartment and the fenders tended to sag a little over time. So gaps are not always your enemy!
The damaged front port fender was made using part of the Aber set. Because this corner of the Stug is right at the front of the diorama I wanted something quite dramatic: there's nothing quite like torn and twisted metal to look like, well, torn and twisted metal!
I found even this piece hard enough to work with - so goodness knows how I would have managed to replace the whole fender had I wanted to! Luckily, because the real thing was made up in sections, it was relatively easy to saw away the front portion and substitute the Aber piece before adding the battle damage.
[ATTACH]312803[/ATTACH]
The dislodged tow rope was just another way of showing the impact of the shot which shattered the fender and sent this Stug rolling off the road right in front of a church... I still intend to have this track severed and I may add some damage to the sprocket.
Comment