Wednesday, November 29

Preview: MiniArt's 72nd scale StuG III Ausf.G March 1943 Alkett Prod.

MiniArt has taken the detail from their excellent 1/35th scale StuG series and transferred it to their diminutive 1/72nd scale series of kits. We look at what comes in the kit, the markings & CAD images in our preview...


Preview: MiniArt's 72nd scale StuG III Ausf.G March 1943 Alkett Prod.

StuG III Ausf.G March 1943 Alkett Prod.
From MiniArt
Kit No #72105 
1/72nd Scale
The kit contains five marking choices in the box.
Five crew are included
Photo-etch & clear parts are included
The Subject: The StuG III Ausf. G March 1943
By May 1943, Alkett started fitting Schürzen (spaced armoured side skirts) to the tanks, but it was rushed out, and the fixations were later proven inadequate at Kursk (this was corrected in March 1944). 80 mm (3.15 in) armour plates were used instead of applique armour. In all, Alkett was responsible for delivering 7500 StuGs, while MIAG built 2586. Alkett also carried out the conversion of 173 older Panzer IIIs to the StuG III Ausf.G standard, and 142 were based on the late Panzer III Ausf.M chassis.  
By March 1943, simplification pushed to drop the driver’s periscope. Metal return rollers were also required due to the lack of rubber. The main gun was unchanged, and in June 1944, it received a coaxial MG 34. Another big change was the adoption of a rotating cupola with periscopes, later replaced by a fixed, welded one, because of the sudden shortage of ball bearings. These had shot deflectors generalized by February 1944. Zimmerit anti-magnetic coating was factory applied for just a year, from September 1943 to September 1944.

The kit from MiniArt:
The first in the new StuG Ausf.G series from MiniArt in 1/72nd scale. This kit features all of the features that made the 1/35th scale kit great, but in this smaller scale. We have plenty of CAD images to see the built up kit's options...

Aha! the old matchbox comparison huh! Although this is just a CAD illustration and the matchbox isn't a real one, we can see the size of the kit next to this 1/1 scale illustrated matchbox.
The photo-etch for the rear deck compartment will be a delicate installation, but that detail!
The alternate rear deck scenario with extra track, stacked roadwheels is just as interesting.
The extra applique armour on the front of the hull really looks great in this scale.
The link and length tracks make for a simple installation, imagine single links in this scale!

The plastic in the kit.
There are nine sprues in plastic included in this kit. The model does not feature any interior parts, so again a simple and fast construction is the hope here. More building, but with a similar amount of detail as your larger scale kits...
Photo-etch is included to recreate some of the incredibly thinner parts of this tank.
Five Marking choices/decals: A decal sheet for five marking options is included in the kit.
Marking choices of the kit:
There are five choices to pick from in this kit. We have some of the photos of the real guns that inspired these marking choices from MiniArt.

That is all we know about this kit so far. See more about all of MiniArt's kits on their website...