1:35 StuH III Welded Mantlet With StuG42 Howitzer (Double Baffle Muzzle Brake)

PANZER ART 1:35 - StuH 42 howitzer with a welded mantlet and a double-baffle brake

An add-on set for building the German Sturmhaubitze 42 assault howitzer in 1:35 scale. It replaces the plastic barrel and mantlet with a turned metal gun barrel with a drilled muzzle and a resin casting of the welded, that is, angular plated mantlet. It differs from the basic variant in the end of the barrel: it carries a double-baffle muzzle brake with two rows of side ports. The set is not a model of the vehicle but an addition to an existing kit.

The real subject

The Sturmhaubitze 42 added high-explosive fire to the StuG III assault guns. It carried the 10.5 cm StuH 42 L/28 howitzer against field fortifications, machine gun nests and infantry. Some of the vehicles had a barrel with a muzzle brake, which reduced the recoil; later it was dropped on a number of them to save material and because the brake stirred up dust and gave away the firing position. The shape of the brake is thus one of the main features that tell the batches apart.

Building and painting tips

Wash the resin casting in lukewarm soapy water because of any mold release agent. Cut the casting block off with a saw, level the face with abrasive paper and protect your breathing while sanding. Glue the casting with cyanoacrylate glue (super glue). Degrease the metal barrel with alcohol and lay down a primer, or the paint will not hold. Pick out the ports of the brake with a dark wash; it brings out their depth.

Who the set is for

• For builders of German equipment who are building the variant with a muzzle brake.
• For modelers who are bothered by the seam line on a plastic barrel.
• For dioramas with Second World War assault guns.

This is an accessory, not a complete model. It is supplied unassembled and unpainted.