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I decided to build the Rubicon StuG III first. It's always been one of my favourite German AFVs, and I wanted a few of them for my embryonic Kursk era German force. So I was looking forward to this kit - especially after seeing Rubicon's prototypes. This review is therefore a bit longer than the others.

There's a lot to like about this kit. They fixed the errors with their earlier Panzer III roadwheels, so the StuG has very nice (simplified) running gear - which also fits perfectly on their Panzer III. The idler is solid, but that's not very noticeable. They included enough optional parts to make an early, mid and late version, as well as a Sturmhaubitze. These optional parts include 3 different hull roofs (with parts for the remote-controlled machine gun fitted to the late version), both the original welded mantlet and the later cast 'Saukopf" mantlet, and 4 different gun barrels (although the 105mm barrel has a very rare muzzle brake rather than the most common type). The kit also includes the Schurzen fitted from April 1943 onwards. These are simplified (and lack the support brackets) but more elegant than Rubicon's earlier attempts at Schurzen.

There are a few minor accuracy issues, however. The non-slip pattern on the track guards is overscale and the wrong type. While this is a bit distracting it's probably not going to bother many people (especially if the Schurzen are fitted). They also extended it to the rear flap of the track guard - you should sand this off. The detailing on the engine deck is a bit crude (the hinges on the access hatches don't look very convincing), but again this isn't going to bother many people. Also (and this probably does count as rivet counting) the bolts on the hull roof should be raised, not sunken. For me, the main issue is the nose armour, which slopes too sharply and doesn't protrude far enough forward (looking again at the Panzer III, I realised it has the same problem). Early production StuGs also had quite prominent armour plates fitted to the nose (initially bolted, then welded), and this isn't provided either.

The nose armour can be fixed fairly easily, by adding a new plasticard nose plate at a more vertical angle, and extending the lower plate to meet it. You need to carve part of the existing nose away to correct the angle, but it's not difficult to do. The new nose plate shouldn't protrude past the side pieces, so you'll still end up with too much of an angle, but it looks much closer to the real thing. Then you should add another narrow armour plate to the upper plate. For vehicles produced before May 1943, these armour plates should be bolted (note that the bolts are not spaced regularly); after that they were welded. You'll need to replace the Notek light mount on the upper armour plate. Of course, most wargamers won't care about this issue, and once the spare track is attached it's probably not very noticeable, but once I saw it I had to fix it.

Mine will be the version built in April 1943, with the Schurzen. StuGs tended to have a lot of stowage, so I'll cover the rear deck with boxes and other kit. Rubicon have included a bracket for the engine deck that seems to have been fitted in the factory, but this appears to have been a feature on later models so I won't use it.

This all probably makes more sense with photos:

Hmmmm....

Some odd mistakes to make there. The nose armour seems a strange one to miss. Really dont like the non slip patterning. The sunken roof bolts I could put up with. They need to get past these small mistakes as it takes away from the positives.

Will be interesting to see the Warlord one now.

 Tailgunner wrote:

You should post some feedback on Rubicon's site, JD. They are very receptive.

Oh I've messaged them quite a bit, including lobbying for an Opel Blitz box


Automatically Appended Next Post:

Big P wrote:
Yep... Very good point JD.

I guess as I would only be doing one as a modelling project, as I game in 20mm, that very important consideration of price is moot for me.

But if buying several for units, then its a key factor.

That's where it's a toss-up. I have like 5 Warlord Panthers because they were so cheap, and I wanted a Panther Zug for tank battles.
But I bought a Rubicon Tiger because I wanted one for my DAK.
For Panzergrenadiers, buying in bulk makes sense, a couple dollars savings per kit adds up (I have now a 5th Warlord Hanomag, to make an UHU with, because I was able to get it for next to nothing)
but then, of course, one Rubicon one for an ambulance variant.

Nice to see that these tracks do have detailing on the inside of the treads for a change, this is something that bothered me to no end with their other kits.

 judgedoug wrote:
That's where it's a toss-up. I have like 5 Warlord Panthers because they were so cheap, and I wanted a Panther Zug for tank battles.
But I bought a Rubicon Tiger because I wanted one for my DAK.
For Panzergrenadiers, buying in bulk makes sense, a couple dollars savings per kit adds up (I have now a 5th Warlord Hanomag, to make an UHU with, because I was able to get it for next to nothing)
but then, of course, one Rubicon one for an ambulance variant.

PSC are offering Rubicon kits at a discount, and there seems to be an additional discount if you order 3.

It depends how important historical accuracy is to you, The Ausf D was the most numerous SdKfz 251 type, and by 1944 you'd rarely see an earlier type in service. And the UHU equipment was installed on the Ausf D. If you want to get even more 'granular', Warlord's Ausf C is a very rare bolted version - most Ausf Cs were welded. Tamiya made the same mistake decades ago with their original SdKfz 251...

Why would anyone want a UHU version?

 Tailgunner wrote:

PSC are offering Rubicon kits at a discount, and there seems to be an additional discount if you order 3.

It depends how important historical accuracy is to you, The Ausf D was the most numerous SdKfz 251 type, and by 1944 you'd rarely see an earlier type in service. And the UHU equipment was installed on the Ausf D. If you want to get even more 'granular', Warlord's Ausf C is a very rare bolted version - most Ausf Cs were welded. Tamiya made the same mistake decades ago with their original SdKfz 251...

An online store had a sale on Warlord 251's and they were $12 a pop. So, monetary savings > historical accuracy when it comes to rolling dice with toy soldiers


Automatically Appended Next Post:

Big P wrote:
Why would anyone want a UHU version?

Night fighting scenario I want to run. Gonna get the Warlord Heer with IR AR and gonna convert a Panther to have the IR sights, too.

Okay, back to the reviews.

The T-34/85 is another of my favourite tanks, and the fact that Warlord came out with one in plastic was instrumental in getting me into 28mm WW2 wargaming. I wanted to field a late war force of T-34s, but I wasn't very impressed with the Warlord kit - the detail is very basic, and it looks a bit undersized. So I've been looking forward to Rubicon's T-34/85 for a while. The fact they decided to include a 1943 model T-34/76 turret was a very nice bonus (even though it should have been in their T-34/76 kit!), as the late model T-34/76 soldiered on until the end of the war, and I wanted a mixture of T-34 types.

So what's the kit like? I think it's a very good one. The detail is crisp for the most part, and looks accurate, especially around the engine deck. The tracks and running gear are very detailed, and the spoked roadwheels appear to be correct. It has the usual Rubicon simplified tracks, so the tracks lack the correct tread pattern, but I'm fine with this. You can fit the tracks and running gear from the T-34/76 kit, although you shouldn't use the version with all-steel roadwheels as these were discontinued by the time the T-34/85 went into service. Rubicon provide the inner set of roadwheels as one piece, and I suggest that after you attach them you remove thin plastic tabs that connect the wheels, as these are quite noticeable.

The later circular fuel drums are provided, as well as the MDSh smoke laying canisters (the smaller drum-shaped objects on the hull rear). These are a bit simplified, but look fine (they're the same as the T-34/76 kit, as the two kits share a common sprue). There are no locating points for the fuel drums, so it's worth consulting photos of the real vehicle. Slightly annoyingly (as with the T-34/76, there are locating points for the smoke canisters, even though these only appeared quite late - if you don't want to include them, you'll have to fill the holes. There are a couple of tools missing from the hull sides, but these often disappeared in service anyway. Some extra spare track would have been nice, but Rubicon still prefer to fill their sprues with parts for variants rather than accessories.

The kit comes with optional parts to build the initial 1943 version or the much more common 1944 version - the main difference was the turret roof and mantlet, but another difference that's not mentioned in the instructions is that the 1943 version had its left hand fuel drum mounted forward, while the 1944 version had it towards the rear.

The turret is quite accurate, with just a couple of minor errors. There should be a flattened area on both sides - only a very few T-34/85s lacked this - and the armoured panel above the mantlet wasn't bolted as depicted in the kit. I also think the loader's hatch should sit a bit higher - it's a bit sunken on the kit. And the gun barrel seems a bit thick. But these are very minor quibbles, and easily fixed if you're so inclined (while you're at it, you might also want to add some grab handles for tank-riding infantry).

The bonus T-34/76 turret also appears to be accurate, and looks better proportioned than Warlord's. They've also included a flamethrower, which replaced the hull machine gun on the OT-34 version (and can also be fitted to the T-34/76).

Overall, I think this one of Rubicon's best kits. Itt really captures the lines of the T-34/85, and goes together with minimal effort. The photos below make it look a bit bare, but that's because the model doesn't yet have any tool boxes or fuel drums fitted. I'll also add some stowage from my dwindling stash of 1/48 scale Tamiya accessories. One common feature of Soviet tanks was an unditching log, which was usually lashed to the track guards, and I also plan to add one of these.