SimonT - 1/35 Zvezda Stug.IIIB - Bobs StugGB

[SimonT]

Steve - using up holidays Back to work for three days off Friday then off until 6th Jan
It was considered to be a generally reasonable kit when Dragon first released it but this incarnation from worn moulds is not great. All pretty straightforward to rectify though - doesn't need major surgery

Update time

After spending most of the day on this I haven't really got too far because of the aforementioned requirement to rectify defects on every part



sink marks filled on both sides of the upper hull sides


sprockets were rather poor - every tooth had flash and all the holes between spokes had excess flare

the mating surfaces between front and rear halves had lumps and bumps and pin marks and badly formed location pins

had to sand them totally flat then try and find the best position to join them



gun barrel mount sink marks filled and sanded

missing bolt heads added to rear of front plate in each corner



the track guards have had the front and rear end sections cut off as they will be replaced with etch

these both now need sanding wafer thin

 

[Mini Me]

I think you are going to need some more putty after this build is concluded Mr. T. It seems this particular kit is not only lacking in detail but also in quality of the tooling as well. I am however, glad you haven't binned it. I'm rather fond of these early stugs. Cheers, Rick H.

 

[SimonT]

You could be right Rick

Detail isn’t too bad really especially when you consider how old this kit really is

It would have to get really bad before I binned it

When I did the Tamiya Stug IV that got sliced in every direction and rebuilt - good fun

 

[Fernando N]

Looking good, given the lack of detail and excess flash in the kit, glad you’re still on it Simon.

Will be an interesting companion to the many Tammie B’s in the GB .

 

[JR]

Well done Simon. Apart from all that flash I of course just put it all together and relied on the mud !

 

[BattleshipBob]

Thats a lot of work Simon, cannot fault the hard work

 

[SimonT]

Fernando - needs a bit more work than a Tammy but hopefully the end result will be ok

Hi John - it's ok you have special dispensation due to being ocularly challenged. Mud is good

Cheers Bob



sanding of the track guards continues........

 

[JR]

Thanks Simon .
Christine says I'm a challenge !

Just how thin are you going on those guards ?

 

[SimonT]

About half a mm John

Once I get it down to the chequer plate I will then use pewter to make the angle irons for the outer edges

 

[JR]

I'll look fwd to see the result , I take it you sand from the back ?

 

[SimonT]

Yes John - I want to retain the moulded tread plate pattern on top as I have not found a consistent method of making my own

The moulded guards are moulded to the total thickness of the tread plate and the angle iron edges so the inside face is flat not L shaped and too thick

 

[Steve Jones]

I hate sanding large areas like this. I can never get it even. Maybe I should use a sanding block. Can't tell from my phone is it a metal one or a block of wood with sand paper on it please??

 

[SimonT]

Hi Steve - hard flat sanding surface and keep turning your work piece so that you don’t get pressure on just one end/side

My block is by Perma-Grit

The Rolls Royce of sanding kit

Aluminium block with replaceable sanding surfaces in two grades - metal plates with the sanding grit fused in

Last for ages which is good since they are not cheap - quality bits of kit though

The one pictured is 12” but I also have a 6” version

They also do files and drill bits

PERMAGRIT

 

[Mini Me]

That's a good bit of tooling Mr. T. Excellent for the long parts. You are right to turn your piece occasionally to keep things even. Don't know if you are aware of this, but when lapping small pieces it is preferable to sand in a figure 8 motion to maintain an even and consistent dimension. I was taught this technique years ago by a machinist friend and it has never let me down. BTW, the mudguards are coming along nicely. Christmas Cheers, Rick H

 

[SimonT]

Cheers Rick


Track guards are now sanded down so next thing will be to make the pewter edge sections

Prompted by Johns comment about tracks not fitting too well under the track guards I did a bit more checking of dimensions against the plans in Achtung Panzer No.5

It appears that the lower hull is 2mm too short - would explain why John had problems

The kit side plate is 24mm to the top (top edge of wavy edged bracket) whereas the plans show 24mm to the bottom edge of the wavy bracket

My build will be getting winterketten tracks which stick out past the track guards so I need to get the clearances right

Will be checking again before chopping / extending anything

(Si - your wish to see chopping may come true)

 

[Steve Jones]

Looked up the sanding blocks. Would you recommend the coarse one side and fine the other sanding block??"

 

[SimonT]

Yes Steve - course/fine

I think the extra and XX course are aimed at the stone working

 

[Si Benson]

(Si - you're wish to see chopping may come true)

I knew the animal sacrifice and chanting would work eventually

 

[JR]

I knew the animal sacrifice and chanting would work eventually

Yes reports from our spy on the scene say Frogs legs and Bats wings are in short supply due to a sudden rush.

 

[JR]

Cheers Rick


Track guards are now sanded down so next thing will be to make the pewter edge sections

Prompted by Johns comment about tracks not fitting too well under the track guards I did a bit more checking of dimensions against the plans in Achtung Panzer No.5

It appears that the lower hull is 2mm too short - would explain why John had problems

The kit side plate is 24mm to the top (top edge of wavy edged bracket) whereas the plans show 24mm to the bottom edge of the wavy bracket

My build will be getting winterketten tracks which stick out past the track guards so I need to get the clearances right

Will be checking again before chopping / extending anything

(Si - you're wish to see chopping may come true)

Thanks Simon, good to know it wasn't me who had done something wrong.
Interesting site at Permagrit, had a good look around, like the look of those small files.