Stug. III Ausf. B w/Assault Troops

Manufacturer: Alemany (Kit #FG7209)

This is the first Alemany kit I have seen, and thankfully, I was warned ahead of time that it wasn't a great kit. But, while it is nowhere near the quality of many of the best resin manufacturers, I certainly have seen worse kits, and with some care, I think this can build into pretty decent model.

The main hull is resin, and the best I can tell, it is an original piece. I'm pretty certain that it is not based on the old ESCI Stug, but if it is, the alterations are extensive. As mentioned above, the quality is not great, with a hand-crafted appearance to everything. But the detail is abundant, and accurate as far as I can tell.

The main chassis parts are molded onto the hull, as are the top track runs, and the engine exhaust system.

The remainder of the kit parts are provided in cast metal. The roadwheels and hatches are very well done, but the sprocket and idler wheels are a little crude, as is the main gun. The tracks appear to be copies of the ESCI Pz. III tracks, and although they lack detail on the inner surfaces, they will certainly be easy to bend into shape around the wheels.

This box is a combo-set, which comes with a set of assault troops, as pictured above. Four complete figures, and two half-figures for tank crewmen are included. They are a mixed bag, with some scale problems. A couple of the standing figures are absolutely huge, whereas the separate arm pieces are miniaturized. New arms will be needed for some of these guys. The poses are a little strange, but I think that one of them is in the process of throwing a hand grenade. Some of the weapons will also need replacing. Aside from those observations, the detail is fairly good, and I actually like the figures better than the vehicle in this set.

No decals or instructions are provided.

Thank you to Jim Matthiessen for sending me the review sample.