1:35 WWII German StuG.III Ausf.G Late Production 75mm Stuk40 L/48 Barrel w/Saukopf Mantlet Pattern 2

Voyager Model 1:35 — metal barrel 75 mm StuK 40 L/48 with a Saukopf mantlet, pattern 2

An accessory for building the German StuG III Ausf.G assault gun of late production in 1:35 scale. The package does not hold a model of the vehicle — you get a metal barrel part, with which the plastic barrel from the base kit is replaced. Pattern 2 is one of the variants the manufacturer lists for this subject.

The real subject

The StuG III assault guns came about on the chassis of the Panzer III tank, and the Ausf.G version was the most numerous and the longest produced variant. It carried a 75 mm StuK 40 gun 48 calibers long. On late vehicles a cast shielding of the barrel designated Saukopf appeared, which replaced the older angular welded mantlet.

Fitting step by step

Try the part dry first. With metal barrels the hole in the mantlet usually has to be widened carefully with a drill or a tapered knife — never by force, as plastic cracks. Check the seating from the front and from above, so that the barrel points exactly forward and is not twisted; once the glue has dried, you will not move metal any more. Dispense the cyanoacrylate with a pin or a wire in individual drops, so that it does not run onto the surrounding plastic and dull it.

Painting

Degrease the metal with spirit first, then lay on a thin layer of a base for metal surfaces. Only onto that comes the covering paint. It pays to paint the barrel before building it into the mantlet and then merely to tone the joint in.

Who the set is for

• Builders of the StuG III Ausf.G of late production in 1:35 scale
• Modelers who want an exactly circular barrel with no gap
• Display-case models and dioramas with a close-up view
• More experienced modelers used to working with metal

The set is an accessory for a plastic kit, which is not part of the package. Glue, paints and other materials are not enclosed.