Dragon Strumhaubitze 42 105mm

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Bill's Bunker

Guest
Hi All,

While we were in town shopping the other day, I popped into the Toy-Craft-model shop, well the only decent shop we have in Leicester (and one of the biggest in the Midlands) and I saw Dragon kits 50% off! Not done a good big build for ages.... Been stuck on some very old (1976) Tamiya kits, a bit disappointed lots of eject marks and filling in to do.. And not the best of fits either.

I got 6454 Strumhaubitze 42, looks like a Stug IIIG with a 105mm gun, 6676 an Sd.Kfz 10/5 a half-track truck with a 2cm flak and what looks like a nicely detailed engine, and lastly 6226 an older Bergerpanzer Tiger (P)... Should keep my happy for some time. Well it's nearly my XX Birthday and hope some funds will turn up from the family??

Started on the StuH 42, have just thought of what might be a problem, that's decals, this kits as a molded on waffle zimmerit. If I put the decals on before the washes the area under them may look too NEW? So should I gloss varnish and add them right at the very end of painting, weathering, etc. The colour will be Tamiya dark Yellow with a wash of MIG TAN filter, etc.... Any ideas? Anyone?

The details on this kit are really very good with some PE and wire tow cable, etc. Not forgetting Magic track links, which I've not used before.

Here's a few images, more to follow as I progress. Note the torsion bars and the pegs? in the road wheels for the track guides.

Regards

Mel.

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D

dubster72

Guest
Hi Mel, I would suggest put the base coat of dark yellow on, then add your gloss coat (or something like Klear If you have some), then add the decals. You'll need a decal softening agent like Micro-sol to get them into the nooks & crannies of the zimmerit.

Apply more Klear or gloss over them to reduce silvering & then do the washes & weathering.

Keep us updated on your progress & a word of warning, dry-fit everything! My experience of Dragon kits are while their very detailed, the fit of parts isn't as good as that of Tamiya for example.

Patrick
 
B

Bill's Bunker

Guest
Hi Patrick,

Thanks for your quick response, and advice. So it seems it's carry on as usual. I suppose if I get the decals nice and flat around the molding, the weathering will be OK. Dry fitting is just a part of the build process now! I too learn't from early mistakes and the hope that it would all go together in the end??

After dealing with all those round things (Wheels). I had a change and started on the Superstructure all went well including the PE inside the cupola, had a thought about the clear plastic optical parts, so painted them silver (except the clear windowed areas) then black, just to see if some kind of reflection works. I broke one of the aerial stumps, but drilled it out for a wire aerial, proberly do both? And talking of such things, the instructions show a FuG 15 radio on the R/H side but also a FuG 16 on the L/H side. By this time I had already installed the FuG 15, from what I can read the StuH 42 was fitted with one or the other BUT not both. Like many Stugs it does have two aerials?

Anyone got an answer??

Here's a few more pics.

Regards Mel.

View attachment 43049

View attachment 43050

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StuH-6.jpg

StuH-5.jpg

StuH-4.jpg
 
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dubster72

Guest
I'd think that twin radio Stugs might have been company or regimental command vehicles, and needed both radios to communicate.

I've a picture somewhere of what looks like a stug with 2 aerials, so they did exist.
 
B

Bill's Bunker

Guest
Hi Patrick,

you could be right! I saw a site (http://forum.axishistory.com)today that mentioned the very thing, but lost the thread. But I found some pics of my old Stugs with two aerials, See image below.

So I've fitted the other radio set, as you say some of them must have been in a command role! at some time or other.

Regards

Mel.

PS. Are we the only ones on this forum??

View attachment 43069

stug3g-3.jpg
 
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