StuG 40 Ausf. G

Manufacturer: Revell AG. (Kit #03132)

From Thorsten Wieking.

The following scans compare this new Revell kit with the older ESCI Stug IIIG.

It seems that both upper hulls scale out nearly 1:1 lenghtwise, with the Esci one only slightly longer. The Esci Stug has a much higher superstructure, but without any references at hand right now I can not comment whether this is has something to do with the version of the vehicle or if this is a mistake on the part of Esci. Revell's superstructre looks just right.

The "panel lines" on both kits are engraved, yet in the case of the Esci Stug, they look a little bit overdone, while Revell seems to have found the right way. Esci gives you the option of adding side skirts and two different gun barrels, while the Revell StuG has a fixed gun barrel / gun assembly and no sideskirts except the rig which would hold the sideskirts.

I must admit that I haven't checked the lower hull of the Esci Stug, but the link and length tracks of the Esci Stug aren't as detailed as the Revell ones. In the case of the Revell StuG, it's the same one as their PzIII with all it's up's and downs. The muffler (?) on the Revell StuG is much more detailed than the Esci one, the details in the case of the Esci Stug look a little bit simplified and soft. But this could have some reason if they represent different version of the vehicle, which I can't verify right now.

Assembly of the Revell StuG went pretty quick, with only the street wheels needing more attention than on other tanks.