I have been on a bit of a StuIG 33 kick lately. I have bought two of the Attack 33b kits and I recently purchased the MW kit. I have also purchased an extra ACE sIG 33 gun to use in a kitbash. My brain has been thinking of ways to kitbash this vehicle into the best possible model. I have been inspired by Doug's article on the new MW kit and his original article on the options for this particular tank.

http://www.onthewaymodels.com/reviews/MW/StuIG33_prev.htm

http://www.onthewaymodels.com/articles/StuIG33compare.htm

Both of these articles list the strengths and weeknesses of each model available. In my mind I determined to cross the best parts of the kits from Attack, MW and ACE gun. The MW kit has many good parts but the wheels leave a lot to be desired and as Doug says, they are "extremely poor." Here is a pic from Doug's review.

I decided to replace the wheels with ones from a Trumpeter Stug III C/D kit - because they are better and I picked up a couple of them cheap on E-Bay. But then I started thinking, if I am using the Trumpeter wheels, why not use the Trumpeter suspension and upper deck? So I get out the two to compare them and to see if the MW fighting compartment would fit on the Trumpeter deck. Well, I found out that it would fit because IT IS THE EXACT SAME KIT!. The MW model is a casting of the Trumpeter kit. Both the upper deck and suspension are exact replications with only slight moderations and deletions on the MW offering. The evidence - MW on the left.

As you can see, the MW kits has had the fender detail removed to allow the larger fighting compartment to fit. You can even see the places on the fender where parts were removed and sanded off. But it matches hinge for hinge, bolt for bolt. Even the crappy little bump tail lights and reflecters are the same. The suspension is also an exact copy. MW on the left. (Ed. note: it seems these parts are copies of the Revell Panzer III/StuG IIII kits, rather than of Trumpeter's, which means that some fit issues will arise.)

Military Wheels does not have slide mold technology so they have broken up the suspension bucket into three parts (like in the ESCI olden days) but it is the same kit. But again it matches bolt for bolt, althought the detail on the MW kit is slightly "softer" as we would expect a second generation kit to be.

MW on the top. Again only difference in the addition of the "hub" for the drive sprocket and some softness of detail. (Ed. note: again it seems these parts are copies of the Revell Panzer III/StuG IIII kits, rather than of Trumpeter's, which means that some fit issues will arise.)

So bottom line is any kitbash with the Trumpeter kit should be very easy to say the least. I just wish MW would have "Bootlegged" the Trumpeter wheels, then some of this kitbashing would not be necessary.

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