638 parts (388 in grey styrene, 216 “Magic
Track” links, 23 etched brassm 10 clear styrene,
1 length of twisted steel wire)
Pros
Another
limited run “boutique” kit of an early version
of a popular subject
Cons
Single link tracks; not enough brass
or multimedia parts for some modelers
Skill Level
Experienced
MSRP (USD)
$49.50
DML’s faithful sidekick cyber-hobby.come has now released
a new version of the popular Sturmgeschuetz III Ausf. G kit.
In this one, based on the original release from 2006, they
have removed some parts which would be redundant from the kit
and added a single sprue with a new set of fenders, casemate
and casemate details.
As with the original version (No. 6320) the kit comes with
many of the accouterments seen on kits like the DML Tiger I
and Panther, starting with individual torsion bars and road
wheel arms as well as all of the external details on the lower
hull such as shocks and bump stops. Each idler wheel consists
of five parts with twin brass inserts between the plastic castings.
All wheels are detailed to the point of having the rubber tire
manufacturer’s data readable!
The brass is provided only for those bits where plastic cannot
do the job, such as the aforementioned wheel rims and the air
intake and exhaust grilles on the engine deck plus some non-slip
gridding. All fender details are separate and go on in subassemblies.
In point of fact, most of this model consists of subassemblies,
which is how it gets its tremendous level of details.
The kit comes with a high level of interior parts, including
the gun, commander’s cupola assembly, floor, and the
radios and stowage racks for various bits on each side of the
casemate. Likewise the engine deck consists of several subassemblies
combined to form the deck. Note that every hatch on this vehicle
can be opened for display of the interior, but there is no
engine or transmission provided.
The kit comes with a set of “Magic Track” single
link tracks – while not incorrect as I continue to note
they can be tedious to assemble and a good set of DS plastic
single-section tracks would be appreciated by many modelers.
Final assembly again has a number of different modules combined
into one final assembly – lower hull, fenders, engine
deck, interior, gun barrel, casemate, and tracks.
Note that there are a couple of errors in the directions and
errata sheets are included in the box.
Development credit for this kit is given to Thomas Anderson,
Tom Cockle and Gary Edmundson.
Three different finishing options and a targeted Cartograf
set of decals provided: 2nd StuG Abt. 2nd SS Panzer Division “Das
Reich”, Kursk 1943 (sand brown with green overspray, “Florian
Geyer”); StuG Abt. 226, Leningrad 1943 (whitewash over
grey); Unidentified Unit, Eastern Front 1943 (sand brown with
black crosses).
Overall, this is another niche or “boutique” version
of a popular kit.
Thanks to Freddie Leung for the review sample.
Sprue layout
A 61x2 Wheels and torsion bars (7 mini-sprues connected)
