In Box Review of DML 1/35TH Scale
German Stug. III Ausf. C/D, Sd. Kfz. 142
Kit no. 6009
By Ray Mehlberger
Copyright 1995
Out of production
By Ray Mehlberger
Copyright 1995
Out of production
HISTORY:
Since its introduction , the “artillery” service was and still is, a pure support weapon. Guns and rocket systems conduct the battle from well behind the lines in close cooperation with the tanks and front line troops.
As early as 1935, the late General Field-marshal Von Manstein revolutionized the artillery concept and introduced “Sturmartillerie” for assault artillery. Sturmartillerie would be able to support the infantry attack actively and immediately at the front line by means of mobility and firepower.
The vehicle chosen to be sturmartillerie was to be equipped with the 7.5cm Stuk 37, a gun which met all expectations regarding range and impact in the arm. The gun would be mounted in flat casemate on the chassis of the proven Pz.Kfw. III.
Accordingly the vehicle received the designation Sturmgeschutz III (assault gun III). The tactical mission provided that assault guns would accompany the attacking infantry in platoon strength. Enemy machine gun and infantry gun positions and tanks should be put out of action directly.
Daimler Benz received the order to produce a first production lot. As of May 1940, thirty vehicles were made, the first series was designated Ausf. A. The invasion of France proved that the StuGs achieved all expectations. So, on June 1940, the Ausf. B was produced with a number of improvements over the first series.
In March 1941, the C series started production, with even further improvements over the Ausf. B, most noticeably a new welded eight-sproked idler wheel which was also used on the Pz.Kpfw. III’s. The success of the Stugs prompted another production run, resulting in the Ausf. D which was almost identical to the C version except for minor modifications.
SPECIFICATIONS:
Type: Assault gun
Place of origin: Nazi Germany
In service: 1940–1945 (German service), Syrian StuG IIIs were in use until the Six-Day War (1967), possibly later
Wars: World War II, Six-Day War
Designer: Alkett
Manufacturer: Alkett, MIAG
Unit cost: 82,500 Reichmark
No. built: 10,086 StuG III, 1,299 StuH 4
Mass: 23.9 tonnes (52,690 lbs)
Length: 6.85 m (22 ft 6 in)
Width: 2.95 m (9 ft 8 in)
Height: 2.16 m (7 ft 1 in)
Crew: 4 (driver, commander, gunner, loader)
Armour: 16–80 mm (.62–3.15 in)
Main armament: 1 × 7.5 cm StuK 40 L/48 with 54 rounds
Secondary armament: 1 × 7.92 mm MG34 or MG42 machine gun with 600 rounds, 1 × coaxial 7.92 mm MG34 machine gun firing from hole in gun mantle (from 1944 on) with 600 rounds
Engine: Maybach HL 120 TRM V12 gasoline engine driving six-speed transmission of 300 PS (296 hp, 221 kW)
Power/weight: 12 PS (9.2 kW) / tonne
Suspension: torsion bar
Operational range: 155 km (96 mi) (.9 mpg‑US (1.1 mpg‑imp; 260 L/100 km) at 22 mph (35 km/h), 71 US gal (59 imp gal; 270 l) fuel)
Maximum speed: 40 km/h (25 mph)
Since its introduction , the “artillery” service was and still is, a pure support weapon. Guns and rocket systems conduct the battle from well behind the lines in close cooperation with the tanks and front line troops.
As early as 1935, the late General Field-marshal Von Manstein revolutionized the artillery concept and introduced “Sturmartillerie” for assault artillery. Sturmartillerie would be able to support the infantry attack actively and immediately at the front line by means of mobility and firepower.
The vehicle chosen to be sturmartillerie was to be equipped with the 7.5cm Stuk 37, a gun which met all expectations regarding range and impact in the arm. The gun would be mounted in flat casemate on the chassis of the proven Pz.Kfw. III.
Accordingly the vehicle received the designation Sturmgeschutz III (assault gun III). The tactical mission provided that assault guns would accompany the attacking infantry in platoon strength. Enemy machine gun and infantry gun positions and tanks should be put out of action directly.
Daimler Benz received the order to produce a first production lot. As of May 1940, thirty vehicles were made, the first series was designated Ausf. A. The invasion of France proved that the StuGs achieved all expectations. So, on June 1940, the Ausf. B was produced with a number of improvements over the first series.
In March 1941, the C series started production, with even further improvements over the Ausf. B, most noticeably a new welded eight-sproked idler wheel which was also used on the Pz.Kpfw. III’s. The success of the Stugs prompted another production run, resulting in the Ausf. D which was almost identical to the C version except for minor modifications.
SPECIFICATIONS:
Type: Assault gun
Place of origin: Nazi Germany
In service: 1940–1945 (German service), Syrian StuG IIIs were in use until the Six-Day War (1967), possibly later
Wars: World War II, Six-Day War
Designer: Alkett
Manufacturer: Alkett, MIAG
Unit cost: 82,500 Reichmark
No. built: 10,086 StuG III, 1,299 StuH 4
Mass: 23.9 tonnes (52,690 lbs)
Length: 6.85 m (22 ft 6 in)
Width: 2.95 m (9 ft 8 in)
Height: 2.16 m (7 ft 1 in)
Crew: 4 (driver, commander, gunner, loader)
Armour: 16–80 mm (.62–3.15 in)
Main armament: 1 × 7.5 cm StuK 40 L/48 with 54 rounds
Secondary armament: 1 × 7.92 mm MG34 or MG42 machine gun with 600 rounds, 1 × coaxial 7.92 mm MG34 machine gun firing from hole in gun mantle (from 1944 on) with 600 rounds
Engine: Maybach HL 120 TRM V12 gasoline engine driving six-speed transmission of 300 PS (296 hp, 221 kW)
Power/weight: 12 PS (9.2 kW) / tonne
Suspension: torsion bar
Operational range: 155 km (96 mi) (.9 mpg‑US (1.1 mpg‑imp; 260 L/100 km) at 22 mph (35 km/h), 71 US gal (59 imp gal; 270 l) fuel)
Maximum speed: 40 km/h (25 mph)
THE KIT:
DML Dragon is an old prolific model company based in Hong Kong, China.
They manufacture all manner of model subjects in the popular scales.
This kit comes in a shrink-wrapped tray and lid type blousy box. The box is 4” too long and 2” too wide. Creating a letter “L” void around the parts trees.
The box art shows a very busy color illustration of a Stug III amid a German armor group on a wide plane.
Included are 3 Tiger tanks in the background, 3 ½ tracks nearer, a field kitchen on 2-wheels, a Horch command car and a man on a motorcycle. The vehicles are all overall Panzer gray.
The Stug III in the foreground has a white Edelweiss flower insignia and a white skeletal style German cross on its sides. I fail to understand why the Edelweiss is on this tank? I went on the web and found it is the marking of A German infantry mountain troops division and not armor.
There are 2 crewmen looking out the top of the Stug III. They wear black Panzer uniforms. One man is bare headed and wearing earphones and is reading a map. The other man wears a cloth side cap. He is pointing at and talking to the rider on the motorcycle and the officer standing in the Horch command car.
The motorcycle rider wears a Luftwaffe steel helmet with goggles on it. The Luftwaffe license plate on the motorcycle’s front fender is WL-723438.
No markings are shown on any of the other vehicles.
A cook, wearing a white apron is tending the field kitchen and loading out food to 4 men. One man is leaning out the back of a half track for his food.
The box art says the kit holds 485 parts. However, I only count 428.
One side panel has six 1-paragraph histories of the Stug III in that many languages, including English. Each language is labeled with a color illustration of the flag of the country that speaks the language.
These are followed by Marco Polo Import’s street address in City of Industry, Ca, who was the U.S. importer and distributor of DML kits in the 90’s. Their FAX number is supplied and the copyright of the kit is 1995.Kit made in Hong Kong, China.
DML Dragon is an old prolific model company based in Hong Kong, China.
They manufacture all manner of model subjects in the popular scales.
This kit comes in a shrink-wrapped tray and lid type blousy box. The box is 4” too long and 2” too wide. Creating a letter “L” void around the parts trees.
The box art shows a very busy color illustration of a Stug III amid a German armor group on a wide plane.
Included are 3 Tiger tanks in the background, 3 ½ tracks nearer, a field kitchen on 2-wheels, a Horch command car and a man on a motorcycle. The vehicles are all overall Panzer gray.
The Stug III in the foreground has a white Edelweiss flower insignia and a white skeletal style German cross on its sides. I fail to understand why the Edelweiss is on this tank? I went on the web and found it is the marking of A German infantry mountain troops division and not armor.
There are 2 crewmen looking out the top of the Stug III. They wear black Panzer uniforms. One man is bare headed and wearing earphones and is reading a map. The other man wears a cloth side cap. He is pointing at and talking to the rider on the motorcycle and the officer standing in the Horch command car.
The motorcycle rider wears a Luftwaffe steel helmet with goggles on it. The Luftwaffe license plate on the motorcycle’s front fender is WL-723438.
No markings are shown on any of the other vehicles.
A cook, wearing a white apron is tending the field kitchen and loading out food to 4 men. One man is leaning out the back of a half track for his food.
The box art says the kit holds 485 parts. However, I only count 428.
One side panel has six 1-paragraph histories of the Stug III in that many languages, including English. Each language is labeled with a color illustration of the flag of the country that speaks the language.
These are followed by Marco Polo Import’s street address in City of Industry, Ca, who was the U.S. importer and distributor of DML kits in the 90’s. Their FAX number is supplied and the copyright of the kit is 1995.Kit made in Hong Kong, China.
The other side panel shows 3 color walk around type photos of the model made up. Followed by the same information on the other side panel.
WHAT’S IN THE BOX:
This kit contains 4 medium-gray parts trees, 3 jet-black trees, a loose medium-gray hull tub part, 2 steel PE frets (with stiff card to protect them from bending) and the decal sheet in 6 sealed clear cello bags
The instructions is a single-sheet that accordion-folds out into 8 pages in 8” x 14” page format.
Page 1 begins with a black and white repeat of the box art, over the history of the Stug. III Ausf. C/D in English, German, French, Italian, Japanese and Chinese.
Page 2 begins with CAUTION about the kit, over international assembly symbol explanations and a suggested paint color listing of Gunze Sanyo or Italeri brands of hobby paints in the 6 languages.
The bottom of page 2 through to page 5 gives a grand total of 10 assembly steps.
Pages 6 & 7 are painting and marking guides.
Page 6 has a 5-view of the Stug. III that is overall field-gray, with a white skeletal type German cross and a yellow shield with a black griffon on it on its hull sides.
It was with Stug. Abt. 177, Eastern Front, 1941.
Page 7 has another 5-view of a Stug. III that is overall field-gray, with a white skeletal type German cross on its sides and rear. Ith has the white Edelweiss flower on its side (the box art subject)
It was with the 1st Battery, Stug. Abt. 243, 1931.
Page 8 has the parts trees illustrations shown at the top of the page, over decal application instructions over 6 languages, including English.
Trees are alphabetized.
Medium-gray letter A tree holds: the hull roof, hatch doors,muffler etc. (48 parts) 2 parts are shaded out in the parts trees illustrations as being excess and not needed to complete the model.
This kit contains 4 medium-gray parts trees, 3 jet-black trees, a loose medium-gray hull tub part, 2 steel PE frets (with stiff card to protect them from bending) and the decal sheet in 6 sealed clear cello bags
The instructions is a single-sheet that accordion-folds out into 8 pages in 8” x 14” page format.
Page 1 begins with a black and white repeat of the box art, over the history of the Stug. III Ausf. C/D in English, German, French, Italian, Japanese and Chinese.
Page 2 begins with CAUTION about the kit, over international assembly symbol explanations and a suggested paint color listing of Gunze Sanyo or Italeri brands of hobby paints in the 6 languages.
The bottom of page 2 through to page 5 gives a grand total of 10 assembly steps.
Pages 6 & 7 are painting and marking guides.
Page 6 has a 5-view of the Stug. III that is overall field-gray, with a white skeletal type German cross and a yellow shield with a black griffon on it on its hull sides.
It was with Stug. Abt. 177, Eastern Front, 1941.
Page 7 has another 5-view of a Stug. III that is overall field-gray, with a white skeletal type German cross on its sides and rear. Ith has the white Edelweiss flower on its side (the box art subject)
It was with the 1st Battery, Stug. Abt. 243, 1931.
Page 8 has the parts trees illustrations shown at the top of the page, over decal application instructions over 6 languages, including English.
Trees are alphabetized.
Medium-gray letter A tree holds: the hull roof, hatch doors,muffler etc. (48 parts) 2 parts are shaded out in the parts trees illustrations as being excess and not needed to complete the model.
There are 2 identical medium-gray letter B trees. They hold: road wheels, drive sprockets, final transfer covers, return rollers, idler wheels, bogies etc. (54 parts ea.)
Medium-gray letter C tree holds: the fighting-compartment roof, front and rear walls, mantle, etc. (30 parts)
Medium-gray letter D trees is the hull tub part.
There are 3 identical jet-black parts trees. They hold the individual track links. (80 parts ea.)
Letter MA is a steel PE fret that holds the engine air intake screens (2 parts)
Letter MB is another steel PE fret that holds brackets that can be folded into shape. Sorry! (6 parts)
The decal sheet completes the kit.
There are no clear parts or crew figures included or any interior details. Externally it is great.
Highly recommended.
Highly recommended.