1:35 StuG III return rollers Alkett final pattern 1945

The last form of the StuG III return rollers in 1:35

Replacement parts for the running gear of vehicles from the very end of the production program. The name defines them as the final form of that year, that is the shape the line ended with. It is exactly these late variants that are represented worst in ordinary kits, because the molds were created from the more widespread earlier vehicles. Anyone building a machine from the last months of production usually reaches for a replacement, otherwise the running gear would be a year older than it should be.

Production at the end of the war

In the last period German production of armored vehicles was struggling with shortages of raw materials, with the bombing of the factories and with the pressure for the quickest possible deliveries. Running gear parts were therefore simplified, shaping that was not essential was dropped, and a good deal was done more economically than before. The changes were not announced in any way and are recognized only by comparing period photographs. For a modeler that is both an advantage and a disadvantage: the shape is easy to recognize, but getting hold of it in plastic tends to be difficult.

Assembly and surface finish

Cut the rollers away from the casting system carefully, so that the rim is not damaged. Level the mating surfaces and offer them up dry first; glue them permanently only after checking the alignment. Do the metallic shine on the edges of the rim, where the part rubs against the track, with graphite or a dark pigment right at the end. Around the hubs a light oily tint is in order, because that is exactly where the film of lubricant sat in service.

For which builds

• Vehicles from the last period of production
• Models built from a particular surviving photograph
• Completing kits that do not hold the late shape