SPA Modeler

speedgraflex wrote:I am on lunch break, catching up on your progress first on Facebook and now here. I am reading Carl Yung’s “Flying Saucers: A Modern Myth of Things Seen in the Sky.” I saw another fella posted a fantasy Star Wars kit which reminded me both of your work and the work of our esteemed colleague Carlos:



Just seeing those tough-looking fellas ready to blast Imperials makes me happy—almost as happy as seeing your recent work, Ken! I am over the moon or flying with saucers about your progress on the interior. You turned building armor kits into much more than just simply that—you’re creating a whole new approach to painting. Perhaps you need to start creating a lexicon now. I am already going to lose what happens when and where, and I need to recall when in the build the breakthroughs occurred to find the information, so may I suggest taking the forum section for tips and techniques and doing a cut ‘n paste with the text? Attach a few photos, too. Your thoughts are too darn good to miss. Let’s collect them in one spot!

Thank you, Brother Bruce!

And yes sir, if you think it’ll be worthwhile, I’ll be happy to do that. I’ll get that going here this week!

Wow Ken that German Grey turned out amazing you really found a way to make it not boring.

Thank you Clint!

One would think I’d learn by now that regardless of the “plan” I pretty much just end up doing whatever I feel like doing when I wake up.

Today it was tracks:





I sprayed them Flat Black, and dry brushed Vallejo’s Oily Steel onto them, then installed them.

They don’t quite sag enough. Probably because of the suspension system Tamiya built in to this thing. I ain’t worried about it.

Outstanding work Kenny. It looks super!

I just love this StuG !
Will follow the build with highest interest!

I visited, jeez, 15 years ago the Finnish tank museum in Parola...
Due to the fact that the Finnish army had a number of StuG:s, you can imagine the museum had spread them around the museum area..
I think these are all Ausf G - versions, so slightly different looks. Pic quality is 15 years old and no real close ups, but here comes four of them..

The first StuG was "guarding" the entrance to the museum


The second StuG was indoors, you were "allowed" to climb on it.. "they don't break that easily" said the museum officer and laughed I remember...


The third and forth StuGs were outside.. These pics are from August 2004, nowdays there is roofs protecting the collection from direct rain and snow..




- Kari

Kari, those are great photos. I can’t recall ever seeing a Panzer in person myself. No museum that I have yet visited had one in their collection. I have seen plenty of Soviet/Chinese/ComBloc stuff, and a bit of IJA stuff, in museums. But never a Panzer. You just added a bucket list item for me.

Those Stug photos are great. Yes, they are all G versions. But there is some variety among them. The gate guard looms to be standard production, although there is something in front of the drivers view port. #2 and #4 are later production with the rounded “saukopf” mantlet. #4, also has a good example of the “waffle” type zimmerit, and seeing how no MG shield is visible, may have been fitted with the final production low profile MG that allows the crew to shoot while buttoned up. #3 is interesting in that it has additional armor plates bolted onto the hull front and sides. Thanks for sharing those.

Kari,

What a great selection of photographs! Thanks so much for posting them, they’re fantastic!

We’ve got a nice WWII museum here, two hours away in New Orleans. I want to visit there sometime. And after seeing these photos, I’m putting visiting that museum on my Bucket List, too. Man what an awesome array of StuGs.

Carlos,

Thank you sir!

I wanted to attach the antenna holder, hatches, and do the markings today. That’s what I felt like when I woke up. I picked the markings for the 226th. StuG Abt., Poland, June 1941. A Summer vehicle. No whitewashing necessary. And man oh man, I like these markings a whole lot. Have a look:











I have to say, when I bought this kit, I bought it “just to have it.” And I remember when it arrived in the mail, the novelty of having it wore off about five minutes after I unpacked it. So I tossed it in my stash and didn’t think about it. Then building it became kind of an afterthought. It’s profile just wasn’t doing it for me. Looked like a tank that had gotten its self sat on by a damn elephant. I only pulled it off the shelf because I was waiting for Milliput for my Firefly and deliberately procrastinating on finishing my Corsair and Emil, and “just wanted to build and paint *something*” and that kit was the closest one I could reach without standing up.

And now I LOVE IT!

It started with the gun. Then the interior. And then, well, I just became really fond of this vehicle. It helps that the kit is such a joy to build... but it’s more than that. I just somehow grew to appreciate this vehicle, the early StuG. This was a total off-the-wall, out of left field, “I just wanna build something”, “decompression build” with no vision or plan though up beforehand which, to me, has exceeded my expectations in every single way possible, and has made me happy every step of the way. I almost don’t want to weather the exterior at all because of how nice it looks. That said, I am indeed going to weather the exterior. But it will be subtle, not bananas like the DAK AT-ST Walker.

Anyway, yeah, I just really like this vehicle! And hey- sometimes shooting from the hip with a project you didn’t even think through ahead of time can be a real winner!

That is some mighty fine work. You have quite the talent...and eye for this.

Kenny that’s looking better and better. The Sturmgeschutz Abteilungs had some nice (minimal) flashy unit markings. And the lines go the early Stugs are pure simplicity. Just the chassis, and a nice angled armored casemate around the gun.

Since your doing a Barbarossa build, I might suggest some dust and rain streaking for weathering.

Those Tamiya AFV kits are great for recharging your building batteries and getting your juices flowing again.

Lyle,

Thank you sir! I appreciate the kind words, truly.

Carlos,

Thank you, for the kind words and the advice too. The rain streaking, and dust was why came to mind when I was considering subtle weathering. “Just enough”, y’know? And yes sir, that profile, those lines, they’re beautiful in their own way. Certainly grew on me in a hurry!