Tristar Models
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The Sturmpanzer had its roots in 1941 when a new vehicle mounting the 15cm heavy infantry gun based on the Panzer IV chassis was proposed. This new vehicle was to replace the unsatisfactory designs then in service based on the Panzer I, II and II chassis. In 1942 Alkett produced plans and a wooden mockup of the vehicle that was to become the Sturmpanzer. Ultimately 286 Sturmpanzer were built and saw service beginning in June 1943 at Kursk on the Eastern Front, Italy in 1944, Normandy, Warsaw the Ardennes and the final defence of Germany. Officially the Sturmpanzer was known as the "Sturmgeschuetz IV fuer 15cm Sturmhaubitze 43 (Sd.Kf.166)". "Brummbär" was not an official name that the Germans used for the Sturmpanzer IV (Jentz), rather this name was given in an Allied intelligence report during WW2. German troops nicknamed it the "Stupa" which is a shortened version of "Sturmpanzer". Personally I prefer "Brummbär". Brummbär production consisted of four series, the first series of sixty vehicles which we usually call the "early" was built on remanufactured Panzer IV Ausf.E, F and G chassis. The second series we commonly call the "mid" was built on the Ausf.H and Ausf.J hulls (as where all further series). This new series featured a new roof with fewer hatches, an extended sleeve on the Sig.33 amongst other changes. The third series deleted the driver's armoured vision block. The fourth and final series, or "late" Brummbär, featured a redesigned superstructure and defensive MG in a ball mount added. The first series vehicles were deployed in Operation Citadel (Kursk) with Sturmpanzer Abt.216, the surviving vehicles, about 30, returned to Germany in late 1943 to be remanufactured to second series standards. I believe these series where known as the Ausf.I through Ausf.IV but I have only seen them referred to as this by Jentz (ref.4). According to Trojca (ref.1 and 2.) the first series was built on eight Panzer IV Ausf.E and Ausf.F and 52 Ausf.G chassis, if correct this would make the Ausf.E based Brummbär a very rare vehicle. Examining the Brummbär built on the Panzer Ausf.E chassis reveals some interesting features not seen on other Brummbärs. The lower hull sides had 20mm applique plates added. The Ausf.E did not have brake ventilation ports so those from the Panzer III were used, these are evident in photograph as being flatter with bolts around the base. The smoke grenade box on the rear hull was deleted from the Brummbär but it's mounting bars were left in place. On the Ausf.E these were in the middle of the rear upper plate while on the Ausf.F they were mounted on the port side. The Ausf.E also had a full width muffler. These features can all be used to identify the Ausf.E chassis Brummbärs in photographs. Having said that however... the Brummbär example at the Kubinka Tank Museum in Russia, while definitely based on the Ausf.E chassis, has the later Ausf.F brake inspection hatch covers. These could be replacements added by the museum or perhaps the original Ausf.E based vehicles were also fitted with the later hatches? Tamiya released a third series Brummbär in the 1970s, by today's standards it is an awful kit. I did build one a few years ago and it required a lot of work kit-bashing with the Italeri Panzer IV Ausf.H to produced a presentable model. There have been a series of resin conversions from R&J Products available too. In the 1980s DML released a "final" (fourth series) kit, which I am not familiar with. So for some time now modellers have dreamed of a modern new-tooled Brummbär kit. Since we always seem to get what we wish for these days it was no surprise that not one but four new Brummbär kits have recently been announced with two already released. Tristar first announced an "early" (first series) Brummbär a few months ago, this was followed by DML's "mid" (third series) which was recently released too. Tristar has also announced a "mid" (which appears to be a third series model) and DML have also announced an "early" in the form of a hastily drawn box end. Good things come to those who wait, indeed. The Kit Tristar's Sturmpanzer kit is one of the very first Brummbärs built, representing one of the very few of the first series built on the Panzer IV Ausf.E chassis. The kit features all of the Ausf.E specific details as described above. The kit also features the first series roof and not the remanufactured type. So the model represents a Brummbär as used on the Eastern Front during 1943 with Sturmpanzer Abt.216. The Tristar kit is moulded in sandy coloured styrene. Moulding overall is quite sharp, in fact it is as good as I have seen in a Tristar kit, there is no flash, warp-age or short shot problems (which is a problem with new kits). The styrene assembles well with both Testors Liquid Cement and Tenax-7R. The parts breakdown follows the same breakdown of the prototype's armour plates. In addition to the styrene parts there is a photo-etched brass fret. Finally a twisted wire cable is included to be used as the tow cable. The instruction sheet is a ten page fold out printed in black & white. Included are sprue layouts, four marking profiles a short description in Japanese and English. A small addition is including showing the placement of the photo-etched side skirt mounting brackets. Paint references are given for Tamiya acrylics and Mr. Color. The instructions are clear and well laid out. The the box art is superb too, almost photo-realistic, painted by Yuji Asano.
Running Gear Tristar has included part of their "German Pz.kpfw.IV Wheels Set" kit. (see Saul Garcia's review: http://www.track-link.net/reviews/k1516 for more details.) Generally this is a very good set of Panzer IV suspension units. I have assembled one set of these bogies, they go together well with no problems. One thing to look out for is the position of the leaf spring on the trailing swing arm, make sure that the swing arm supports the spring. There is slight gap left between the rubber tyre and the wheel hub, I managed to fill this in with some Mr. Surfacer. Regarding the "CONTINENTAL" logo and serial numbers on each tyre, I feel this is overdone an sanding it down a little goes a long way to matching the appearance in photographs. Much discussion has occurred concerning Tristar's inclusion of depressed leaf springs, most of it caused by DML's negative marketing efforts. By examining photographs it is clearly apparent that the Brummbär did have a slight "lean" to the front. This is evident in new vehicles as well as museum examples. The notion that the leaf springs bend more over time is ludicrous and to me represent "sour grapes" on behalf of DML as they neglected to include depressed leaf springs in their new Brummbär kit. Tristar Includes a full set of eight non-depressed leaf springs and two different sets of four each depressed leaf springs with different levels of depression. So it is possible to simulate many "leans" by different combinations. Regardless of Tristar being right or wrong it is clear that they have provided the modeller with a choice and I am sure even the most cynical modeller will recognize this as a good thing. The final word on this issue is now in the hands of Thomas Jentz who is researching the matter, I shall report what he finds as an addition to this review. Excellent renditions of the later drive sprocket and rear idler are included. Rubber return rollers are included too, some of the built up pre-production examples of this kit depicted the wrong type of return rollers and a missing return roller. This production kit has the correct number of return rollers and the correct type (but I'm sure we all knew it would). Tristar have included a new type of individual track-link in this kit. They are click-together. They appear accurate however the guide horns will need a little clean up. Personally I still prefer to use Model Kasten working links, but this is just my personal preference. Lower Hull Tristar have (finally) included a one piece lower hull "tub". This is a vast improvement over their previous Panzer IV lower hull which are made up of separate floor and side panels. The moulding is incredible, slide moulding was obviously used but I can't figure out how it was moulded, there are no sprue markings! Detail on the hull bottom is very good and accurate and includes weld bead detail between the floor plate and sides. The "channels" (or whatever they're called) that run along the bottom edges are separate pieces. The 20mm applique plates are separate pieces too and scale out to the 20mm thickness. I would love to see Tristar release a Panzer IV Ausf.E tank based on this new hull. The front plate is a separate part as is the 30mm applique plate that fits over it. The bolt detail on this plate matches photographs well. The glacis is correct for an Ausf.E with the separate transmission and brake inspection hatches. The Ausf.E brake hatches are included as well as the Panzer III type armoured covers for the brake cooling vents. Photographic evidence suggest that most Ausf.E chassis Brummbärs had these types of brake hatches installed, however, the Brummbär at Kubinka, a definite Ausf.E hull, has the later Ausf.F hatches. Fortunately Tristar also includes a set of Ausf.F covers. The rear plate is also a separate piece, to it the bottom flange, middle flange and towing bracket parts, which are all separate too, are fixed. The rear idler supports are made up the axle housing, track tension nut and that L-shaped thing. The Brummbär did not have the smaller exhaust for the auxiliary engine so a small plate was fitted over the port on the back plate, this is depicted too as a separate item. The muffler is the full length Ausf.E type, it is made up of a cylinder with two end caps. The mounting brackets and exhaust pipes are integrally moulded, the exhaust pipe armoured covers are separate. Interior Interior parts include a floor, rear bulkhead along with the main gun and its mount. The armour plates are the correct thickness (in scale) with the front piece being made up of two parts to simulate the 100mm thickness. There are some internal braces for the roof included too. This is a good start but there is a lot missing however. Ammunition bins and racks, the radio equipment, the transmission and brake cylinders (which would be difficult to see) and driver's station will need to be added. This is especially true is all of the hatches are left open, and there are a lot of big hatches on the first series. I believe Tristar will release at least a separate accessory kit with the full interior at some point. A very good representation of the 15cm Sig.33 gun is included. The internal details of the gun breach, aiming mechanisms, gunner's seat and the mount are all represented. Compared to references it appears accurate, good references are in Trojca book (ref.2). Care must be taken in studying reference photographs however, the later Brummbär gun had a slightly different design than the first series, so only interior photos of the Kubinka Brummbär should be used. Upper Hull The kit superstructure is made up of plastic "plates" that are fitted together much like the original Brummbär. They are close to the correct scale thickness and interlock like the original. I measured a few plates for thickness and found the following [plate name: kit thickness (actual thickness)] -- superstructure front: 120mm (100mm); superstructure angled sides: 60mm (60mm); superstructure sides: 53mm (50mm); superstructure rear: 37mm (30mm). These thickness discrepancies will disappear once the superstructure is assembled. Weld bead detail is good but I fear the front plate-side plates join may suffer a little from glue damage when assembled as the kit plates follow the prototypes joints. To improve this a thin "sausage" of epoxy putty (Milliput) could be added to the kit joints and textured. Details on the superstructure roof is excellent. The turret roof "overhang" is correct for the first series Brummbär, it is pronounced. Each hatch can be displayed open and features accurate internal details. There pistol ports, one per angled front plate can be modelled opened, there is a photo-etched chain and securing apparatus on the inside. Note that the first series had only two ports, while the later series had more. Specific details of the Ausf.E engine deck are depicted, these include the unique bolt pattern on the air intake/out flow covers. The engine deck represents the "Tropen" type modified for use in North Africa. This is interesting to me. Since only about 10 (Jentz ref.7) Ausf.E tanks were so modified. This means either the rebuilt Ausf.E chassis that the Brummbär was based on already had the extra ventilation grills, or they were added during the conversion or some Brummbär on the Ausf.E chassis did not have the Tropen conversion. I haven't seen any photographs of a series 1 Brummbär engine deck based on the Ausf.E chassis except for the Kubinka vehicle which does have the Tropen modification, so I can't answer this -- anyone else? Another first for Tristar's Panzer IV series is the inclusion of separate fenders, annoyingly their previous Panzer IV tank kits had fenders integrally moulding with the superstructure. While the detail is good I would prefer to use the new Aber photo-etched fenders as the have detail on the undersurface. Being separate now it, is a simple matter to just replace the styrene parts with Aber's. Details The pioneer tools are well done and feature realistic mounting brackets moulding in styrene with photo-etched clasp handles. The 20t jack is particularly well done, representing the earlier type well and feature a separate notched bar that can be built to simulate an extended jack in use. The spaced armour or "schuerzen" is uniquely represented. The armour plates are made from a "soft" material that resembles vinyl, it does stay flat however. Whatever the material is, it is true to scale. The original plates where made from rigid 5mm thick steel and the kit plates scale out to a little over 5mm. I am curious to see how this material reacts to paint, in particular paint thinned with lacquer. I'll test the plates out and update this review. The mounting brackets and rail are provided in styrene and photo-etched (with a bending guide included). The styrene brackets are very thin and I would prefer to use them as they are easier (for me) to work with. The rails however are a little on the thick size and would be best replaced with some thinner strip styrene stock. Markings Options Since less than eight (Trojca ref.1 and 2) of these specific Brummbärs were produced, markings options are limited. All were issued to Sturmpanzer Abt.216 and saw action in Operation Citadel (Battle of Kursk) July 1943 in the Northern arm of the offensive. The 216th continued to fight up until the defence of Nikopol were it was finally withdrawn to Germany in November 1943. There are several photographs of Brummbärs on the Ausf.E chassis during this period with at least one surviving up until Nikopol. Tristar include four markings options from Sturmpanzer Abt.216 during the Kursk battle. At least one command version was built on the Ausf.E chassis too, although the photograph it appears overall dark yellow and unmarked at the time.
In addition to the above the only other possible options is the example seen at Nikopol which appears to have received winter camouflage (although it could be frost/snow). Another option is to depict the factory fresh vehicles when they were first issued to Sturmpanzer Abt.216. These were still overall dark yellow. I assume they were camouflaged just before the Kursk offensive as were the contemporary Ferdinand. The decals are made by Cartograf of Italy. Cartograf decals are very thin, on register and opaque (photo. #13). I have used other Cartograf decals with Solvaset and they snuggle down over details well with the carrier film disappearing. Painting information is given for Tamiya acrylics and GSI Mr. Color and Aqueous Hobby Color. The Tamiya matches are probably not that accurate since Tamiya's colours are more general. The instructions are vague as to what the secondary camouflage is, it is not noted but it is dark green (over dark yellow). Conclusions This is an excellent kit, it is well researched with a special thanks to Thomas Jentz who provided original data and measurements for the project. It is very well moulded, and based on my assembly of the hull the construction is also good, much better than Tristar's other Panzer IV kits. It is an excellent subject too, a vehicle that many modellers of German WW2 vehicles have wished for a long time. As for detailing and accuracy, I can not see any obvious problems, this is definitely a kit that I would build straight from the box. Of note I can see that Tristar has listened to the wishes and advice of modellers. This is evident in the new one piece lower hull tub -- many modellers, including myself, asked Tristar to switch to theses from their usual multi-part lower hulls (Panzer IV). Also Tristar have included separate fenders, this was something which I have asked for on their Panzer IV kits too. I recommend this kit without hesitation. Five stars. Disclaimer: This kit was supplied at no cost by Tristar Models to Track-Link for review purposes. References There is a good amount of reference material available now on the Brummbär, recently the new Trojca book was published this is probably the best single volume reference available.
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