Takom- StuG III Ausf.F8 Late Production   

History  

The StuG III was initially designed as an infantry support weapon intended to provide direct fire support for advancing forces.  Daimler - Benz began design of the vehicle in 1936. In early 1940 the first production units were delivered using the Panzer III chassis and mounting the short barrel 75mm gun.  These were used with success during the Battle of France.  The StuG III was continuously upgraded to improve its mechanical reliability and combat ability.

When faced with superior Soviet tanks, the StuG III Ausf.F was designed and produced using the high velocity 7.5cm StuK 40 L/43 gun.  Beginning in June 1942 the Ausf.F was up-gunned to the the longer (by 334mm) and hence higher velocity 7.5cm StuK 40 L/48 gun. This gun was capable of penetrating 96mm of armor at combat ranges enabling the Ausf.F to take on the Russian T38/85 and the KV-1 with a reasonable chance of success.   The final 246 Ausf.F units produced after September 1942 were redesignated Ausf.F8 due to the the use of Panzer III Ausf.J  Zugfuhrerwagon version 8 (ZW/8) hull.  The Ausf.F8 had additional 30mm armor plates that were first welded then bolted to the front of the superstructure and hull.  Bolting the plates on versus welding reduced the construction times of the Ausf.F8.  The Ausf.G later used the same chassis as the F8 but with an entirely new upper hull.

What is a Blitz kit?  

Having never built a Blitz kit before I was curious about what it was.  Well, the definition of a Blitz kit taken directly from TAKOM's Facebook page is: "Takom Blitz is an affordable new approach to building plastic model kits, designed for quick and easy assembly.  With accurate details and a reduced parts count, this exclusive new series is ideal for beginning modelers that require quality, and advanced modelers that require convenience.  Each kit is carefully designed to focus on fit and ease of assembly without compromising accuracy or detail."

After looking over the kit instructions and parts, at this point I can say a Blitz kit looks to be on par with another big model kit company that begins with the same letter as Takom.

What's in the box?   

The kit arrived in a sturdy deep box containing 10 light gray part sprues, a hull tub, casement superstructure and an engine deck sealed in individual plastic bags. A decal sheet, metal barrel, copper tow cable and two small PE frets also sealed in a plastic bag.   The parts were crisply molded with no sink marks or noticeable flash.  There were, as always, knockouts on the parts.  Most will not be visible, however the knockouts on the underside of the fenders and the two knockouts on each track shoe will need to be dealt with.  

This version of the StuG III is fitted with winterketten tracks which were developed in 1942 to deal with the deep mud and snow found on the Eastern Front. Winterketten are recognizable by triangular extensions added to the outside edges of standard tracks. The extensions spread the weight of the tank over a larger area to reduce ground pressure and hopefully keep the vehicle from sinking into the mud and snow.  The the winterketten included have what appear to be casting markings on the inside of the extension.  Be certain not to remove these when removing the knockouts

The kit is a conglomeration of sprues from previous Takom StuG III releases as well as a single four piece sprue (H) that makes this a unique StuG III Ausf F8 late production version.  

The 16 page, 21 step, small A5 sized (8x5) instruction booklet provides clear assembly guidance with some exceptions.  On first review of the instructions it appears that some areas could show a better representation of part assembly order and a better view of the orientation of small parts. The bending of the photo etch tow cable hangers isn't clear either.  I'll report more on this in the Full Build review.

Marking and painting instructions are provided for four winter camouflage vehicles, which makes sense since only winterketten are provided for this kit. There is a slight glitch in the painting guide.  The title of each camouflage pattern is StuG III Ausf.F8 Late-production.  However each individual guide states that it is for StuG III Ausf.F8 Early Production.  This does not represent any real issue, I think it was an oversight when creating the artwork.

The Parts Map

The Sprues  

The lower hull is a standard one piece hull type with a detailed bottom.

The upper hull is divided into two sections, the casement and the engine deck.  These will be mated to the fenders to form the complete upper hull.  

Sprue H is the only sprue that is dedicated the F8 late production version.  It provides a new glacis plate and bolt-on armor plates for the casement front.  

Sprue C contains hull detail parts and the jack.

Sprue A (x2) contains supension components, road wheels, return rollers etc.

All parts are keyed to ensure correct placement.

Sprue D (x2) contains individual winterketten and ice cleats.

Sprue E contains the top and bottom track lengths.

The instruction page showing the track assembly.

Sprue F contains the fenders and upper hull parts.

Sprue N contains the 75mm StuK 40 L/48 and  the MG 42 as well as some hull parts.

Sprue M  contains parts for superstructure, engine deck and upper hull detail parts.

Decals, photo etch tow cable and aluminum barrel. 

The last two pages of the instructions provide painting and markings options for four winter camouflage vehicles.  All paint callouts are for AMMO paints.  

The four vehicle marking options are:

1. Sturmgeschutz Brigade 901 - Kharkov - February 1943
2. Sturmgeschutz Abteilung 209 - Eastern Front - January 1943
3. Sturmgeschutz Abteilung 270 - Eastern Front - March 1943
4. Sturmgeschutz Abteilung 203 - Eastern Front February 1943

As noted above there is a small glitch in the painting guides.  The heading says Late Production and the guide says Early Production. 

 Conclusion

This appears to be a well engineered kit that is up to TAKOM's normal high standards.  It meets all of TAKOM's stated goals for a Blitz kit and at a price point under $40 it looks to give a lot of value for the cost.

References

World War Two Photobook Series Volume 24 Sturmgeschutz-ABT.226 On The Battlefield By Tom Cockle, Peko Publications

Highly Recommended for Beginner to Advanced builders pending the full build review..

Thanks goes out to TAKOM for this review kit.

Reviewed by Brian Campitella

If you liked this review, consider joining AMPS. Your annual membership
includes six copies of AMPS's magazine, Boresight,
and helps to support our ongoing reviews.

Click here for more information about joining AMPS