DML 1/35
15cm Sturm-Infanteriegeschutz 33

Background

In late 1941 the StuG III chassis was selected for an attempt to mobilize the 15 cm Sig 33 heavy infantry gun. From December 1941 to October 1942 Ausf. E and F chassis (12 each) received a modified superstructure to accommodate the larger gun. These vehicles were known as Sturminfanteriegeschütz 33. At least twelve vehicles saw combat in the Battke of Stalingrad where they were destroyed or captured

During the Battle of Stalingrad the German troops demanded an assault tank for street fighting purpose. Within a very short time, the proven infantry gun sIG 33, mounted on a Pz.Kpfw. III chassis, and enclosed by an armoured superstructure, was produced. This resulted in the 15 cm sIG 33 auf Pz.Kpfw. III. A total of 24 vehicles were produced and proved useful to destrol houses and pillboxes.

The Kit

This kit by DML Dragon (China) comes in a large tray and lid type box. The box art shows a Stug. 33 from above, tooling down a heavily traveled road, that has lots of tank tread marks on it, between shell holes and a destroyed artillery piece. A side panel of the box gives a one-paragraph history of the vihicle in 6 languages, including English. The other side panel has 3 full color photos of the model made up, showing both sides and the rear.

Inside the box are 5 medium gray trees of parts, the single hull bottom part, 3 trees of charcoal gray parts, a small fret of brass PE, the decal sheet and the instructions. All are nicely in sealed cello bags.

The instructions consist of a large sheet that accordion folds out into 8 pages of 8 ¼” x 14” format.

Page one begins with a black and white repeat of the boxart, followed by the history of the vehicle in 6 languages, including English.

Page two begins with “Cautions” concerning the kit, in the same 6 languages. This is followed by international assembly symbol explanations and a paint listing Gunze Sangyo and Italeri paint colors suggested for finishing the kit. The bottom of the page has the first 2 assembly step drawings.

Pages 3 through 7 give the balance of a total of 20 assembly steps.

Page 8 has the parts tree drawings. Some of the parts are shown shaded out in blue, meaning that they are excess and not needed to complete the kit. The bottom of the page has decal application instructions in 6 languages.

There is a separate sheet, the same size as the instruction pages, that has a 4-view illustration on one side of it for a Stug. 33 of the StG Adt 177, Stalingrad 1942. It is in a wave pattern cammoflauge of 3 colors: RLM sandy brown 79 with stripes of khaki green and red brown.

Medium sized gray letter A tree holds: the chassis roof, front and side panels, a shovel, jack, muffler etc. (45 parts) No less than 20 of these parts are blued out on the parts tree drawing as being excess. Most of them are tools.

There are 2 identical medium sized gray letter B parts trees. These hold: road wheels, return rollers, idler wheels, drive sprockets etc. (56 parts per tree). 10 parts per tree are blued out on the parts tree drawing as being excess.

Large letter C gray tree holds: the vehicle’s roof, fenders, main gun, front and rear superstructure walls, hatches etc. (57 parts) All of these parts are used.

Letter D is the single gray hull tub part.

Small letter E gray tree holds: vision flaps, a sledghammer, some panels etc. (11 parts)
The sledgehammer is marked as excess.

Lettering now jumps to the 3 identical charcoal gray medium sized trees. These hold the individual tread links. (76 links per tree)

The decal sheet has the German national crosses, the numerals 2, 3, & 4 in black outlined in white and the letter G, also in black and outlined in white.

The small brass PE fret holds two engine intake screen parts.

Conclusions

This is one neat version of a Stug. III and should be very welcome to any collection of WWII German vehicles. Highly recommended.

I purchased my kit at my local hobby shop back in 1996.