StuG III Ausf. F: (Sd.Kfz 142/1; March–September 1942, 366 produced) The first real upgunning of the StuG, this version uses the longer 7.5cm STuK 40L/43 gun. Firing armor-piercing Panzergranat-Patrone 39, Stuk 40 L/43 could penetrate 91mm of armor inclined 30 degrees from vertical at 500 m, 82 mm at 1,000 m, 72 mm at 1,500 m, 63 mm at 2,000 m, allowing Ausf. F to engage most Soviet armored vehicles at normal combat ranges. This change marked the StuG as being more of a tank destroyer than an infantry support vehicle. Exhaust fan was added to the rooftop to excavate fumes from spent shells, to enable firing of continuous shots. Additional 30 mm armor plates were welded to the 50mm frontal armor from June 1942, making frontal armors 80 mm thick. From June 1942, Ausf. F were mounted with approximately 13 inch (334mm to be exact) longer 7.5 cm StuK 40 L/48 gun. Firing above mentioned ammunition, longer L48 could penetrate 96 mm, 85 mm, 74 mm, 64 mm respectively (30 degrees from vertical).
Twee uitvoering mogelijk;
- StuG.Abt.191, Eastern Front 1942.
StuG.Abt.201, Eastern Front 1942.
Aantal onderdelen; 440
BONUS
- Sturmgeschútze Crew Reloading Russia 1941
- Value-added Magic Tracks
I think you have to accept this kit for what it is, i.e. 'Orange Box' series, which means you won't be getting a state of the art, accurate model. But then again, you won't be paying for one either. Having said that, although the hull contained within this kit is the old one, there are some additions that make it attractive to the modeller on a budget, and it will build into a great looking model with a good paint job.
Included in the box are only six large sprues, one of which is the included figure sprue, a separate lower hull, two small photoetched frets and a decal sheet. The kit as built straight from the box does contain inaccuracies that some modellers won't be able to live with. These centre mainly around the lower hull and the fender area...but as mentioned, these are offered at bargain prices when you take into account the fact that we're also given figure set #6192 'Sturmgeschutze Crew Reloading', and two bags of 'Magic Tracks'! Take these into account and the kit itself probably comes in at around a tenner. Not bad.
As modern kits go it's fairly basic, i.e. no breech detail for inside the fighting compartment, so it's closed hatches or obscure with crew figures I'm afraid. The tools are all of the 'old' style moulded in clamps without the 'U' part too, but the addition of the Magic Tracks will make a huge difference to how the finished kit will look and there's a hell of a lot that be done with just a piece of plastic card!
The photoetched parts that are included are of the nickel type, and a little thicker to what you're probably used to in the more modern Dragon kits, that being said they're nicely produced and will go a long way to improving the look even further. We're given grills for the engine air intakes of course, and also a part for...well...not really sure what it's for, but there's a pic of it below!
The figure set that's included can't really be faulted. It's not that old, I can still remember it being released. In addition to the four crewmen included, posed in the act of reloading the vehicle, we're offered a variety of shells, and a choice of two heads with each figure.
The decal sheet included allows for three different versions, all from the Eastern Front during 1942. The divisional markings for the first variant are supplied in yellow or red, dependent on what you believe, or our
