StuH 42 Early-Mid Italy

StuH 42 Early-Mid Italy

This is the excellent DML Early Stug III G "Smart Kit" with a 10.5cm gun added from the spares box. I based it on a photo that showed single track links welded around the commander's cupola as a primitive shot deflector. Later versions of the "G" had a cast shot deflector added. The vehicle was based on the Italian front and I added a couple of figures in shirtsleeves lounging around the back deck:

Stug E with Winterketten

This is the DML Stug F backdated to an E. I've also added wintertketten (literally - "Winter Tracks") that I had spare from a DML Stug F/8 kit. I also added loads of stowage and gave it a whitewashed paint job:

StuH 42 with concrete armour

This is the DML StuH 42 with moulded on zimmerit. I added concrete armour over the hull front using Squadron Green putty built up in layers. I also added schurzen from Eduard which I had in the spares box. I decided to go for a dirty whitewash finish:

Stug III C/D Upgunned

As the war progressed, older vehicles - where possible - were refurbished and equipped with better armour and bigger armament. This early war Stug III C/D was re-equipped with the longer L/48 75mm gun and saukpf (pigs-head) cast mantlet to replace it's short barrelled 75mm. It's the DML C/D with replacement barrel and saukopf from the StuH 42 kit.

Late-war Stug III Ausf G

This is my rendition of a late-late war Stug III with "swinging schurzen" - side skirts that are mounted on tubular pipes welded to the fenders to allow the skirts to swing if they hit an obstacle. The model is based on a famous piece of late war colour film of a number of Stugs and StuH's manouvering in a field. I went to great pains to accurately replicate both the vehicle and the paint scheme. The base model is the DML StuH 42, with Voyager side skirts in photo-etch: