1:35 StuG III return rollers MIAG

StuG III return rollers from MIAG production in 1:35

A small but very visible modification of the running gear. The rollers carry the top run of the track and on a finished model the eye falls on them every time someone looks at it from the side. The parts from the base kit tend to be simplified in shape and often carry marks of the mold parting line right on the rim, where they are hardest to remove. The replacement deals with both at once and at the same time makes it possible to hit the form that matches the vehicle chosen.

Two works, two forms of the parts

The German assault gun on a medium tank chassis was built during the war by two companies, and their products differed in small details. The supply chains, the molds used and the workshop habits were different at each, so on period photographs it is often possible to tell from details of the running gear where a vehicle came from. The designation in the name refers to the production of the Braunschweig works, that is to the smaller of the two production lines. For a builder of a particular vehicle that is an important detail: anyone who picks a photograph and wants to keep to it needs rollers matching exactly that production.

Replacing the rollers step by step

Cut the original parts off at the mounting pin and level the surface. Offer the new rollers up dry and check that they lie in a single line, otherwise the top run of the track will ripple. Paint them separately from the hull and seat them only afterward; you will not reach the inner surfaces later. Apply dust and mud on the running gear last, once the base shade has dried.

Who the set is for

• Builders of German vehicles with an emphasis on the right variant
• Modelers who build from a particular period photograph
• Anyone bothered by the mold parting line on the rim of a roller