Revell of Germany

Kit Number 3132

1/72 StuG 40 Ausf. G (StuG III Late)

Reviewed By Chad Richmond, #10346

MSRP: $10.50 USD

I have built several of the Revell of Germany new 1/72^nd scale armor releases, but have never seen any reviews of them in the Journal, so I decided to write this one.

This is one of the best 1/72^nd scale armor models that I have ever put glue to.  There  were no problems anywhere in the kit, except for decals being out of register.  That’s remarkable in any scale.

The kit is molded in 148 parts on three trees in a desert tan color.  The molding is crisp and there’s very little flash to be cleaned up.  Mold join lines are very fine and also easy to clean up.

The instruction sheet is the typical Revell of Germany 8^1/2 x 11^1/2  8 page booklet.  Though the instructions are the multinational type with only arrows and symbols to guide  you through construction, there is no areas of confusion.  Construction went very quickly, and the only time I varied from the instruction sheet sequence was the installation of the tracks.  Since I still haven’t figured out how to paint an armored model with the tracks already installed, I saved them for last.  Sometimes, in 1/72^nd scale armor this can be a lesson in futility, but that is not the case with the StuG.  There was plenty of room between the road wheels and fenders to install the track sections.  The track is molded in long and short runs, and individual rack links to curve around the drive sprockets and return rollers.  Amazingly, when all of the segments are put together, the match was perfect.  I didn’t have to do any adjustments at all.

As I stated before, the decals were out of register.  There are only markings for two vehicles, one from the Eastern Front and one from the Western Front.  None of the Balkan Crosses were useable, so I went digging in my decal box and found some decals that would work..  I chose the Eastern Front markings, and later discovered that I had a Kagero book on the StuG that came with a decal sheet that had markings for several vehicles.  Oh well, that gives me incentive to build some more.

I finished the model two nights before going to Phoenix, so I took it with me.  The model was awarded OOB in its category, which certainly made me happy.

This was a fun model to build that was detailed, accurate, and fit very well.  I highly recommend it for beginners as well as advanced modelers, and it will certainly make a fine addition to your small armor collection.  The kit is available in most model shops and is available from both Squadron Shop and VLS.  The price does seem to vary anywhere from $8.00 to $10.00, so I’m not sure what the MSRP is.

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