Stug 40 by Dan Vadas - FINISHED - GPM - CARD - WW2 German Tank -

[Dan Vadas]

On 12/5/2018 at 10:21 AM, cog said:

do you have a video???

No.

 

On 12/5/2018 at 9:51 PM, Richmond said:

Those armour models are so illogical. They require you to create the detail and then ask you to lock it away from sight.

As you will see from the next lot of pics. I've now glued on all the upper panels, and most interior detail has vanished. Here are the bits you CAN still see (just as well I took lots of pics earlier ) :

 

On 12/5/2018 at 9:51 PM, Richmond said:

Look forward to seeing your hinge solution.

And just for you Richmond :

 

Danny

[ccoyle]

Pretty tight quarters -- especially if the crew were sharing it with, say, an 85 mm AT round.  😳

[cog]

bummer

 

looks great Dan

[Baker]

Some info,

On 12/9/2018 at 8:14 PM, ccoyle said:

Pretty tight quarters -- especially if the crew were sharing it with, say, an 85 mm AT round.  😳

The StuG IIIf was the first  model to receive the long 7.5cm L/43 cannon. Later models had the L/48.

In combination with the low silouette of the vehicle, this was very effective against enemy tanks.
Somewhere I once read that by the summer of 1943 alone the StuG's were responsible for about 30,000 destroyed Russian tanks.
Best needed if you know that in 1942 the average tank production of the German Panzer IV 100 was pieces per month.
The Russians then already built 1000 T34 per month..

Interior photos of a StuG IIIg the next model, comparable to the f model. 

 

Ps,

Great model !!

 

Edited December 11, 2018 by Backer

[hof00]

Awesome build Sir!!

I'm looking forward to how you are going to tackle the Tracks.

 

Articulated?

 

Cheers....HOF.

 

[Dan Vadas]

Thanks for the info Patrick.

 

7 hours ago, hof00 said:

I'm looking forward to how you are going to tackle the Tracks. Articulated? 

I'm not sure about that yet. The kit gives you three options, one of them being articulated tracks (that explains the 5 pages of tracks ). I'll certainly give it a try.

 

Danny

[ccoyle]

35 minutes ago, Dan Vadas said:

that explains the 5 pages of tracks

Just reading that makes me feel a bit woozy -- and I'm not even building the model!

[Dan Vadas]

The front hatches only have one hinge each, so it's larger than the others with 2 and 3 sections. This of course makes it a bit harder to construct :

 

The engine cover hatches are a more complex arrangement, with ventilation for engine cooling :

 

There are also some small details, like these "fairleads" (for want of a better word) that support the tow cable :

 

With all the hatches finished it's time to fit the track guards :

 

Also the air filters :

 

Danny

[hof00]

Good evening Sir,

A thought that came to mind, for perhaps future Card Models of this complexity/detail, would be a "Cutaway?"

Having never created any model in Card, I would not know how feasible this would be.

 

Not casting aspersions on what you have created thus far, (Its awesome!!), just that the interior detail is largely lost once everything is put together.

Thoughts?

 

Following your build with interest.

 

Cheers....HOF.

 

[pontiachedmark]

Gidday Danny.

I haven't caught up on your build in a little while.

Particularly like your problem solving also paint is fantastic.

Absolutely beautiful work.

All the best.

Mark.

[Dan Vadas]

9 hours ago, hof00 said:

A thought that came to mind, for perhaps future Card Models of this complexity/detail, would be a "Cutaway?"

Having never created any model in Card, I would not know how feasible this would be.

Not casting aspersions on what you have created thus far, (Its awesome!!), just that the interior detail is largely lost once everything is put together.

Thoughts?

Thanks Mark and G'day Hof. I definitely had a cutaway in mind before starting the model, but the more I got into it the more I realized it would be virtually impossible with this particular one. I could have made nearly the whole top, from the front of the turret to the back of the engine cover, in one piece that lifts off but it would have created too many alignment and stability issues. I did the best compromise I could by making the hatches moveable.

 

Doing cutaways on card models wouldn't be any more difficult than in any other media, just not on this particular one. Anyhow, isn't actually BUILDING the model most of the fun? I don't look at them much after they are finished .

 

Danny

[cog]

20 minutes ago, Dan Vadas said:

I don't look at them much after they are finished .

next to the boxes with toys for boys ...

[maaaslo]

On ‎11‎/‎19‎/‎2018 at 4:22 AM, Dan Vadas said:

It's 1/25 scale. I wouldn't doubt that there would be a lot of PE etc out there. This particular kit doesn't seem to have Laser-cut Treads, at least not from GPM as far as I could tell.

 

I DID however, just now find THIS laser-cut set for the frame and wheels. Too late now, I'm already most of the way through laminating the paper templates for same . Besides, I'd have had to wait about a month to get it, plus pay nearly 30 Euros for a 5.50 Euro kit once the postage was added .

 

Danny

AHEM....

https://sklep.gpm.pl/akcesoria/elementy-laserowe/gasienice/pasy/1/25/ostketten-stug-40-/-pz-kpfw-iii-j-sig-33-gasienice-grawerowane-laserowo

Edited December 20, 2018 by maaaslo

[maaaslo]

one thing about "working" latches and other parts...

you are asking for a trouble. although they look impressive to untrained eye, they are more often flimsy and weak. if you soak it in CA glue, might do the trick, but then there is discolouration of paper... 

BUT, its your model. if you want to paint it pink and draw unicorns on it, who am I to tell you otherwise.

BTW, very, very good job.

 

maybe an inspiration for you: http://www.papirove-modely.cz/velkynahled/81410 

Edited December 20, 2018 by maaaslo

[maaaslo]

1 hour ago, Dan Vadas said:

Thanks Mark and G'day Hof. I definitely had a cutaway in mind before starting the model, but the more I got into it the more I realized it would be virtually impossible with this particular one. I could have made nearly the whole top, from the front of the turret to the back of the engine cover, in one piece that lifts off but it would have created too many alignment and stability issues. I did the best compromise I could by making the hatches moveable.

 

Doing cutaways on card models wouldn't be any more difficult than in any other media, just not on this particular one. Anyhow, isn't actually BUILDING the model most of the fun? I don't look at them much after they are finished .

 

Danny

regarding cutaways:

Halinski has some pictures from prototype builds on their page. look for T34 and Sherman firefly... detail is unbelievable. I have both at home and sometimes just look through the books, to admire the quality...

[Dan Vadas]

Pavol, I went one better and found THIS guy's build of the same kit. I've had to use the pics a few times to work out how to build some parts, and where they went .

 

2 hours ago, maaaslo said:

one thing about "working" latches and other parts...

you are asking for a trouble. although they look impressive to untrained eye, they are more often flimsy and weak. if you soak it in CA glue, might do the trick

I did that . No discoloration is visible to the eye and they are VERY strong.

 

Thanks for the link to the tracks. I didn't find that one, but that's not unusual for GPM's site which is rather difficult to navigate sometimes .

 

And thanks too for the site with that beautiful model - an inspiration indeed .

 

Danny

[Dan Vadas]

Continuing - the shock absorbers :

 

Next up is the reason I haven't updated lately - the 12 (plus 2 spares) bottom dual wheels. These have taken me 8 days to make, the equivalent of tying ratlines on a ship. I'm really glad to see the end of them at last . Here are four of the wheels in the various jigs I made to assist assembly :

 

I used two spacers and a piece of brass tubing to fit the inner wheel to the axle :

 

A finished wheel fitted to the suspension arm :

 

Danny

[Dan Vadas]

Five days later and I've made all the sprockets and rollers. To cut the teeth in the drive sprockets I used my punch set. There are 12 of these, a central one that contains the spokes and two outer ones to get the thickness correct :

 

The idler sprockets :

 

And the top rollers :

 

Danny

[druxey]

Those look very challenging! I hope one can see them when the model is completed.  Merry Christmas down under, Dan!

[Richmond]

Top quality

[cog]

So glad I'm sitting at this end of the model, and I can leave it up to you ...  yet another impressive feat ...

 

Have a Merry (and not to sweaty) Xmas Dan

Edited December 25, 2018 by cog

[hof00]

Awesome Sir!!

I'm looking forward to, (Maybe), articulated Tracks!!

 

Merry Christmas and Happy Guy Fawkes!!

 

Cheers and Regards,

 

Harry. (HOF)

[Dan Vadas]

21 hours ago, druxey said:

Those look very challenging! I hope one can see them when the model is completed.  Merry Christmas down under, Dan!

Thanks David, and all the others who replied .

 

The sprockets are very visible, this part (the tension adjuster) not so much :

I don't think I've got it quite right - the instructions were very vague about it (as usual ).

 

Danny

[Dan Vadas]

Time to start on the tracks. Here are all the ones needed for them. They come as an inner and an outer :

 

As you can imagine there is a bit of cutting to do :

 

I didn't align the sprockets quite right - the teeth of the inner sprockets don't quite align with the outer sprocket. This one isn't too bad, and I'll probably get away with it, but the other is worse so I'm going to have to cut it apart and fit the sprockets properly :

 

I've overlapped the inner and outer tracks to avoid have a "hard" joint - two sets are needed for each side :

 

Just when you think the amount of cutting needed can't get much worse - here are the "teeth" of the tracks. One is needed for each track segment :

 

There are also just as many locating lugs, which fit to the inner track and run between the double rollers.

 

The kit gives three options for the tracks - a simplified belt without any of the "teeth" or lugs, the option I chose which is a continuous belt with all the details, or the individually segmented tracks.

 

After looking at doing the tracks as individual "articulated" ones I decided against it. For one thing there are absolutely NO diagrams as to how they go together, although I did eventually work it out. There isn't much point, as the finished articles look identical anyway, and there is a lot more cutting and folding involved. In fact the only instructions regarding the tracks in the kit is one short paragraph listing which tracks go with each option - and they got the whole lot WRONG anyway 🤬.

 

Danny

[cog]

still not the easy way out, as would be expected ... look forward to see the finished tracks ...

[mtaylor]

You're a braver man than I Danny.  The tracks just look daunting enough and then having minimal instructions to boot.   Makes my head hurt.

[Baker]

You can use the individual tracks as spare tracks. These were often attached to the front or the side. These served also as extra armor.
If you want to do this. let me know. Then I post some pictures.

 

Sorry you had some problems with the teeth on your sprockets

 

[Reg]

Well done!!  I would love to see your approach to a few of the individual tracks.  Greg

[druxey]

Aiee! That is a very daunting task to complete successfully. Good on you, Dan.

[Papa]

Words can’t describe the quality of your work!