Dragon

1/72 10.5cm Sturmhaubitze III 42 Ausf. G, Sd.Kfz. 142/2

Kit Number: 7284

Reviewed by  Michael Delano, IPMS# 45465

MSRP: $14.95 Review kit provided by Dragon Models USA (www.dragonmodelsusa.com) A variant of the StuG III and carrying a 105mm main gun, around 1200 or so assault howitzers were produced between 1942 and 1945. The Dragon 1/72 scale 10.5cm StuH 42 G builds upon most of the existing StuG III sprues into this particular 10.5cm variant. Upon opening the box, you are greeted with a single fold color instruction sheet along with 3 separately bagged sprues labeled 'A', 'B', and 'D' molded in gray plastic. Each sprue is labeled 'StuG III'. In addition, the casemate, rear engine deck and lower hull are provided separately. The casemate and rear deck are included in separate bags taped to the typical Dragon card that also includes the photo etched fret, decals, and the DS Track lengths. The photo etch fret includes 5 parts - 3 exhaust grilles and two fender supports.

Markings for two units are provided on a small Cartograf decal sheet. Unit markings are as follows: Unidentified Unit, Germany 1945 Unidentified Unit, Ardennes, 1944 Overall, all of the parts are clean and crisp and as with all Dragon kits I have worked with, they have no flash whatsoever. None of the parts in this kit had any pitting. The only real problem I could identify at the onset was that the slide molded 10.05cm barrel had a prominent seam line that was fairly easy to clean up before assembly. The hatches can be built either closed or open and there are parts that allow for the construction of the rear deck exhaust grilles without using the supplied photo etched parts. I began the kit by separating all of the major subassemblies into three groups: The casemate, fenders, and rear deck Lower hull Road wheels, drive sprockets, and idlers

Each group was primed with Tamiya Flat Black (XF-1) thinned to about 40/60 isopropyl alcohol to paint. Once dry, each sub assembly was sprayed a base coat of Floquil Depot Buff thinned to around 40/60 lacquer thinner to paint. After deciding to go with the Ardennes unit scheme, I hand painted the ambush scheme using the appropriate colors thinned to around 50/50. All subassemblies were given a coat of Future and the appropriate markings were applied and sealed with a final Future coat. My next project was to complete the tracks. The DS track was sprayed with an overall base coat of Red Brown, then brushed with a coat of Vallejo Oxid Paste to give the track a bit more texture. This was finished off with a dabbed-on coat of Tamiya XF-1 Flat Black thinned to about 50/50. Once dried, I dry brushed using Tamiya's metallic gray. Once all of the major sub assemblies were complete, the lower hull was 'slathered' with a ground up mixture of earth toned pastels thinned with Testor's Enamel Thinner. The road wheels, sprockets, and idlers were attached to the lower hull. The tracks were wound around the road wheels, sprockets and idlers. This assembly was then mounted to the upper hull assembly. To simulate sagging in the tracks, toothpicks were cut in half and pinned between the fenders and track. The hand tools, tow cables, and jack were hand painted and applied. The entire model was given an oil wash of burnt umber and yellow ochre. The last step was to apply Mig Europe Dust pigment to the upper hull and fenders. Overall, this kit was a pleasure to build. During the process, no difficulties were encountered with the exception of some clean-up work to the main gun barrel seams. The fact that all of the hand tools (with exception of the shovel) are molded separately allows for much greater realism. One note I'd like to make is that smoke dischargers are included in the kit) as illustrated on the box art), however, I decided to build the kit without them at the moment. I would definitely recommend this kit to anyone who enjoys armor in 1/72 scale - especially some of the lesser known variants of the mainstays of German Armor during World War II. Many thanks to Dragon and IPMS for the opportunity to review this kit!

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