In Box Review of Dragon 1/35th Scale
German Stug. III Ausf. F/8, Sd.Kfz. 142/1
Kit no 9013
By Ray Mehlberger
Copyright 1995
I paid $12.00 for this kit at a store named Ugly Mikes. Darned if I can remember where that was, back in the 90’s.
By Ray Mehlberger
Copyright 1995
I paid $12.00 for this kit at a store named Ugly Mikes. Darned if I can remember where that was, back in the 90’s.
HISTORY:
The Sturmgeschütz III (StuG III) assault gun was Germany's most-produced fully tracked armoured fighting vehicle during World War II, and second-most produced German armored combat vehicle of any type after the Sd.Kfz. 251 half-track. It was built on the chassis of the proven Panzer III tank, replacing the turret with an armored, fixed superstructure mounting a more powerful gun.
Initially intended as a mobile assault gun for direct-fire support for infantry, the StuG III was continually modified, and much like the later Jagdpanzer vehicles, was employed as a tank destroyer.
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 Reichsmarks
No. built: 10,086 StuG III, 1,299 StuH 42
Mass: 23.9 tonnes (52,690 lbs)
Length: .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 roundsm 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 Sturmgeschütz III (StuG III) assault gun was Germany's most-produced fully tracked armoured fighting vehicle during World War II, and second-most produced German armored combat vehicle of any type after the Sd.Kfz. 251 half-track. It was built on the chassis of the proven Panzer III tank, replacing the turret with an armored, fixed superstructure mounting a more powerful gun.
Initially intended as a mobile assault gun for direct-fire support for infantry, the StuG III was continually modified, and much like the later Jagdpanzer vehicles, was employed as a tank destroyer.
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 Reichsmarks
No. built: 10,086 StuG III, 1,299 StuH 42
Mass: 23.9 tonnes (52,690 lbs)
Length: .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 roundsm 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:
Dragon is an old prolific model company based in Hong Kong, China. They manufacture all manner of model subjects in the popular scales.
This model comes in a blousy, shrink-wrapped tray and lid type box. The box is a whopping 4 ½” too long.
The box art shows a Stug III Ausf. F/8 and 4 Tiger tanks parked on a snow covered field by a forest.
Jutting out from the forest is an early wood Soviet Army fence.
I did a review of the Crocco brand later-type fence, that is wood framed with molded center sections. It is in the PRODUCT archives here on the site.
The Stug III and the Tigers are all overall Panzer gray.
The Tigers are beyond the fence.
The Stug is parked in front of a log-built, open-ended enclosure. It has the German cross on the sides of the hull and a white insignia of a letter X with a fat man on it, on the right side of the nose.
There are 3 crewmen around it. They all wear white winter quilted uniforms.
An officer is seated on the right side of the front of the roof. He wears a gray officer’s hat and is smoking a cigarette.
The 2nd crewman is standing on top of the engine deck and is reaching down to accept an ammunition round from the 3rd man standing beside the tank and some metal ammo boxes.
The man on the engine deck wears a field gray side cap. The man on the ground is bare-headed and has his hood up.
One corner of the box art says: unassembled model kit. This kit contains 539 parts. For modelers 10 and over. Box contains a model of one armoured vehicle.
One side panel of the box begins with a color box art of Dragon’s kit no. 9012, of a German Jagdpanther Sd.Kfz. 173 Early Version. Followed by the copyright date of 1995 for this kit, over Dragon’s street address in Hong Kong, China and the kit was made there.
Dragon is an old prolific model company based in Hong Kong, China. They manufacture all manner of model subjects in the popular scales.
This model comes in a blousy, shrink-wrapped tray and lid type box. The box is a whopping 4 ½” too long.
The box art shows a Stug III Ausf. F/8 and 4 Tiger tanks parked on a snow covered field by a forest.
Jutting out from the forest is an early wood Soviet Army fence.
I did a review of the Crocco brand later-type fence, that is wood framed with molded center sections. It is in the PRODUCT archives here on the site.
The Stug III and the Tigers are all overall Panzer gray.
The Tigers are beyond the fence.
The Stug is parked in front of a log-built, open-ended enclosure. It has the German cross on the sides of the hull and a white insignia of a letter X with a fat man on it, on the right side of the nose.
There are 3 crewmen around it. They all wear white winter quilted uniforms.
An officer is seated on the right side of the front of the roof. He wears a gray officer’s hat and is smoking a cigarette.
The 2nd crewman is standing on top of the engine deck and is reaching down to accept an ammunition round from the 3rd man standing beside the tank and some metal ammo boxes.
The man on the engine deck wears a field gray side cap. The man on the ground is bare-headed and has his hood up.
One corner of the box art says: unassembled model kit. This kit contains 539 parts. For modelers 10 and over. Box contains a model of one armoured vehicle.
One side panel of the box begins with a color box art of Dragon’s kit no. 9012, of a German Jagdpanther Sd.Kfz. 173 Early Version. Followed by the copyright date of 1995 for this kit, over Dragon’s street address in Hong Kong, China and the kit was made there.
The other side panel has 3 color walk-around type photos of the model made up in the box art scheme. Followed by a repeat of the copyright date and address shown on the other side panel.
WHAT’S IN THE BOX:
This kit contains 12 medium gray parts trees, a loose medium gray hull tub, 8 jet black parts trees and the decal sheet in 8 sealed clear cello bags.
The instructions consists of a single sheet that accordion-folds out into 8 pages in 8 ¼” x 14” page format.
Page 1 begins with a black and white repeat of the box art over the parts trees illustrations. Many of the parts are blued-out. Meaning they are excess and not needed to complete the model.
Page 2 begins with ATTENTION about the model, over international assembly symbol explanations and a suggested paint color listing of Gunze Sangyo and Italeri brands of hobby paints, in 6 languages, including English.
The bottom of page 2 through to the top of page 7 gives a grand total of 18 assembly steps.
The bottom of page 7 is a panting and marking guide. It shows two 4-views of the Stug III Ausf. F/8. .
The first one is overall Panzer gray and has a German cross on its side and rear, with a white shield that has a diagonal bar across it and an eagle carrying a tank.
It was with the Sturmgeschutz Brigade 912, Eastern Front 1944.
The second one is in a wave pattern of brown and dark green. It has a German cross on its sides and rear and a choice of 2 nicknames on its sides. Both are on black rectangles. One says “Gerda” in white on it and the other one says “ULLA” in yellow on it.
It was with “Herman Goering” Panzer Div., Italy 1943.
Page 8 is another marking and painting guide. It shows two more 4-views.
The first one is overall sandy brown. It has a large black letter “A” on its sides, followed by the German cross and a yellow shield with a black devil’s face on it. These are all repeated on its rear, with an added white tactical mark.
It was with Sturmgeschütz Abteilung 209, France, 1943-1944.
The second one is overall winter white. It has white outlined shield with a griffon on it, followed by the German cross on the hull sides and rear.
It was with Sturmgeschütz Brigade 243, Eastern Front, 1943-1944.
The bottom of the page has a repeat of the copyright date of 1995 for the kit. Printed in Hong Kong and the decal application instructions in 6 languages, including English..
Trees are alphabetized.
Medium gray letter A tree is co-joined to the medium gray letter b tree. It holds just the engine deck roof connected to the fenders part. The letter b tree holds turret parts etc. (19 parts) 13 parts are blued out in the parts trees illustrations as being excess and not needed to complete the kit.
This kit contains 12 medium gray parts trees, a loose medium gray hull tub, 8 jet black parts trees and the decal sheet in 8 sealed clear cello bags.
The instructions consists of a single sheet that accordion-folds out into 8 pages in 8 ¼” x 14” page format.
Page 1 begins with a black and white repeat of the box art over the parts trees illustrations. Many of the parts are blued-out. Meaning they are excess and not needed to complete the model.
Page 2 begins with ATTENTION about the model, over international assembly symbol explanations and a suggested paint color listing of Gunze Sangyo and Italeri brands of hobby paints, in 6 languages, including English.
The bottom of page 2 through to the top of page 7 gives a grand total of 18 assembly steps.
The bottom of page 7 is a panting and marking guide. It shows two 4-views of the Stug III Ausf. F/8. .
The first one is overall Panzer gray and has a German cross on its side and rear, with a white shield that has a diagonal bar across it and an eagle carrying a tank.
It was with the Sturmgeschutz Brigade 912, Eastern Front 1944.
The second one is in a wave pattern of brown and dark green. It has a German cross on its sides and rear and a choice of 2 nicknames on its sides. Both are on black rectangles. One says “Gerda” in white on it and the other one says “ULLA” in yellow on it.
It was with “Herman Goering” Panzer Div., Italy 1943.
Page 8 is another marking and painting guide. It shows two more 4-views.
The first one is overall sandy brown. It has a large black letter “A” on its sides, followed by the German cross and a yellow shield with a black devil’s face on it. These are all repeated on its rear, with an added white tactical mark.
It was with Sturmgeschütz Abteilung 209, France, 1943-1944.
The second one is overall winter white. It has white outlined shield with a griffon on it, followed by the German cross on the hull sides and rear.
It was with Sturmgeschütz Brigade 243, Eastern Front, 1943-1944.
The bottom of the page has a repeat of the copyright date of 1995 for the kit. Printed in Hong Kong and the decal application instructions in 6 languages, including English..
Trees are alphabetized.
Medium gray letter A tree is co-joined to the medium gray letter b tree. It holds just the engine deck roof connected to the fenders part. The letter b tree holds turret parts etc. (19 parts) 13 parts are blued out in the parts trees illustrations as being excess and not needed to complete the kit.
There are 2 identical medium gray letter B trees. They hold: drive sprockets, idler wheels, final transfer covers etc. (44 parts ea.) 32 parts are excess.
Medium gray letter C tree holds: the top, hatch doors etc. (30 parts) 13 parts are excess.
There are 2 identical medium gray letter D trees. They hold road wheels and return rollers (20 parts ea.)
Medium gray letter E tree holds: the main gun, mantle etc. (22 parts) 8 parts are excess.
There are 2 medium gray letter F trees that are different from each other and co-joined to one of the letter H trees.
One of them holds: tools, jack, final transfer covers etc. (27 parts) 6 parts are excess.
The second one holds: a rear turret bin parts, shovel, hatch doors (28 parts) 24 parts are excess.
One of them holds: tools, jack, final transfer covers etc. (27 parts) 6 parts are excess.
The second one holds: a rear turret bin parts, shovel, hatch doors (28 parts) 24 parts are excess.
There are 2 identical medium gray letter H parts trees. As said, one of them is co-joined to the 2 different letter F trees.
This tree holds: final transfer covers. a turret gun barrel etc. (45 parts ea.) 23 parts are excess.
This tree holds: final transfer covers. a turret gun barrel etc. (45 parts ea.) 23 parts are excess.
There are 8 identical jet-black letter G parts trees. They hold the individual track links (42 parts ea.)
Medium gray letter I tree holds: final transfer covers, hatch doors, bulkhead etc. (22 parts) 12 parts are excess.
Medium Gray letter J is the lone hull tub part.
The decals complete the kit.
There are no clear parts included or any crew figures.
I have added a set of Eduard Brand stee; PE, set no. 35321 ($23.00) and a set of Elefant Brand turned aluminum gun barrel set no 45359 to the kit.
I have added a set of Eduard Brand stee; PE, set no. 35321 ($23.00) and a set of Elefant Brand turned aluminum gun barrel set no 45359 to the kit.
Highly recommended.