12.8cm Sf. L/61 Pz.Sf.V Sturer Emil
 

I have been getting a bit bored grinding through a fair few Soviet tanks which I like...but they get a bit "samey" after a while.

So I thought I would push the boat out and see if I could do something different for a change.

Ive always had a thing for Dicker Max but I have no idea how one would go about the suspension and it also has some nasty louvres so I plumped for the next best thing which is Sturer Emil.

I could go the easy route and just do one with the tarpaulin over the top but I decided I would see if I could do the open topped version.

This is going to be woefully slow as there is a whole lot of ridiculously fiddly bits and I am not even sure it can be done given the fact that the gun compartment penetrates deep down into the hull making suspension systems a bit cramped.

Either way, I bought the 1/35 Trumpeter kit and started measuring and multipling. I did not realise how small 1/32 kits are in real life.

I started on the swing arms and just made them from brass and bits of steel rod iinside bits of steel tube and whole lot of silver solder.

https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rcu...ce517c2461.jpg
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A lot of filing and grinding and I got there in the end. My plan is to use Panther road wheels ..... 100% not correct in terms of the "teeth" on the track but they actually do not look a million miles from the pictures I could find and they will fit some tracks I have.

Then I jumped in the deep end and started on the back end of the gun assembly. There is a lot to do on this and small bits but I roughed out the breech and some of the mount from lumps of aluminium and brass and steel and kind of stuck it all together. Lot more to do with this bit.

https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rcu...7075344b0c.jpg
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Cannot promise regular or speedy updates on this but as I get things I will post them.

p

this is incredibly nice work!

I'll watch this creation very close.

The Sturer Emil was one of my favorite German vehicles to build back when all I did was 1/35th scale.

Gun looks fantastic. One small bit at a time. Excellent project.
Bob

Looks great, it is an impressive machine.

Did you find my pictures from Kubinka:

I thought I better show a sign of life on this build so here is a short, if not entirely interesting, update.

This model has a huge amount of surfaces and that meant a lot of measuring and laying out on sheet and then chain drilling, filing and hand fitting.

https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rcu...ab34932528.jpg

I also did some work on my motors...they just fit between the two suspension rails and I still need a mount for them.

https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rcu...2f44d30646.jpg

Some of the bits were really annoying - such as the weird rack thing that th egun is going to sit on....this has at least twenty individual plates and putting it together was horrible.

https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rcu...858ebf0743.jpg


Then the hull started to go together. There are so many angles and so many weird joins that it was a real hassle. But the skeleton of it is in place.

https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rcu...31ebdcce2b.jpg
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rcu...6ec204ba93.jpg
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https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rcu...48262214a9.jpg

Looks horrific at th eminute but thats just the way of it....

P

Coming along nicely. Let me know how those motors work for you. I've been waiting to get some I ordered in the mail for quite some time now. I have some custom tank projects they are slated for.

The motors I took from some drills....but the gearboxes I got off alix and they really are handy. Easy to fit, come with a pinion, full set of drawings and cost very little. Have used them before and pretty happy. All steel gears exceptvthe pinion which is brass I think?

P

Ive been quiet on this one but progress has been made…mostly on the interior bits.

Slowly but surely I was putting together all the features which involved work I had sorely underestimated.

Even those stupid wooden (brass) slats on the base board took literally weeks…filing each one to the right length ans angle. I managed to get hold of many of the things like grenades and MP40s in metal but a lot of stuff I had to make.

Those damned shells nearly killed me and they still dont look OK.

Everything needs fixing and smoothing out.

The hull looks like I dragged it from a swamp…the surface rust is winning the battle.

I still have to do a radio, the optics and so on. The gun mantlet needed more trigonometry than I remember learning at school…

All I can do is push on and look forward to getting paint on this…

P
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rcu...2365986afd.jpg
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Wow, absolutely fantastic work. I don't think I'll ever have your skills, but you have given me inspiration to try and convert a 1/6 scale panzer 4 into a nashhorn. Can't wait to see video of your tank in action.

Amazing work!

Started roughing out the cannon today and its really puts everything in perspective....... its huge. And my measurements are correct.

Its in a total of four parts - the breech, the mantlet and its tube, the bit in front of that and then the barrel.

They are all held together with a length of M5 studding. This is necessary as the mantlet needs to be removeable to get the casemate off.

Lot of detailing and stuff to do but the cannon is in the home stretch...

p
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rcu...cb4cd71c6f.jpg
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rcu...007c94a3ab.jpg

Briefest of updates as I see a glimpse of light at the end of the tunnel..... Had to make a move on the suspension racks so I did. Got as far as shown but then realized I was missing M2.5 bolts of a very specific length for the swing arms so I have to wait for those. Otherwise test fits of the road wheels showed no problems and every thing is swinging freely and not binding.

Mounting the motors meant I had to make some cuts in the mounts to accommodate the shaft rings that will hold the swing arms in place but that was OK. Also, the entire suspension system is just below the height of the crew platform which cuts the hull internal heights so I was glad about that as it was a stress moment.

As can be seen....I have started priming everything as I move towards final assemble. Mudguards are next, then it will be the drive shafts.

I tried to track down the Aber dimple plate for 1/16 but got one and realized I woul dneed four packs. They are hard to get and expensive so I am think there will not be any dimple plates. It would raise the cost of teh tank by 50% and thats a bit daft in my opinion.

P
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rcu...d8206d1b23.jpg
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Today I fitted on my swing arms and connected up the springs to the racks. Had to tweak a few with sleeves on the spring retainers but thats why they were made that way.

Attachment 2274359
Attachment 2274360
And then I test fitted the wheels which are after market as I have no way of dealing with wheels this big. For the first time ever I got a set of interveaved wheels that are not touching each other and where one is not higher than all the rest!
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P

Very cool - really coming along well!
Bob

Those look like asiatam panther wheels. Is that even close?

They look about right in general shape to my eyes. Diameter is within a millimeter based on measurements I took (assuming Trumpeter got it right).
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rcu...158445ea9d.jpg

Big dished wheels on the double rimmed and the bolts and stuff do not look too bad.

Th eidler and sprocket look similar to a Tiger.

The track on mine is double toothed and it shouldnt be.

But if the choice is between a steel 1:16 Sturer Emil with road wheels and a track that 99% of people wont know is not 100% correct and no tank at all...... then I will be happy with the Panter road wheels!

Unless someone knows of where I can get hold of metal 1:16 Sturer Emil wheels and tracks?

I had a look but they are not exactly growing on trees....

p

I wasn't criticizing, I think it's ingenious to use those. And you're right, 99% of people will never know the difference.