Greetings all. I finally finished my build of the Bison II designed by Ivan Sukhorukov. Link here WWII Sturmpanzer II auf Pz.Kpfw II Ausf.B (Sturmpanzer II Bison) Free Paper Model Download | PaperCraftSquare.com. I think Mauther's site also listed this model.
The Bison II was an attempt to fit the sIG 33 Howitzer into a more suitable vehicle: the gun was really too large for its earlier Panzer I ausf. B mount (Bison I). Even the larger Panzer II chassis had to be significantly widened and lengthened to accomodate it. Only 12 of these vehicles were produced, and all were sent to Libya. Their performance was less than sterling. They suffered from frequent breakdowns, and 4 of them were used solely for spare parts to keep the others operational. None survived.
The kit isn't for beginners. In fact, it's not even for experienced modelers that don't have the software to manipulate some parts, redesign others, and even fabricate parts that aren't included. The designer got off to a really great start, and then seemed to lose interest in the whole project, finally deciding, "Meh, good enough". Some (not all) of the issues are: No instructions of any kind. Skins only, no glue tabs. No hull bottom. No interior front panel. No fender undersides. No dust covers for engine grates. Rear hull section needs to be rotated 180 degrees. Gun/crew armor shroud needs to be redrawn - unusable as is. Exhaust cover needs to be rotated 180 degrees (and even then something is still wrong with this piece). The sIG-33 consists of a gun barrel, a couple of too short vertical mounts, and a couple of aiming wheels.
I used some black and white blueprint pics, and my Answer published kit to gin up passable trailing arms and other details for the gun. Unfortunately I used the kit supplied mounts to determine the height of my new parts. As a result, the whole assembly sits too low, so the gun has a very limited range of elevation.
I'm glad it's finally over. Here are some pics.
The Bison II was an attempt to fit the sIG 33 Howitzer into a more suitable vehicle: the gun was really too large for its earlier Panzer I ausf. B mount (Bison I). Even the larger Panzer II chassis had to be significantly widened and lengthened to accomodate it. Only 12 of these vehicles were produced, and all were sent to Libya. Their performance was less than sterling. They suffered from frequent breakdowns, and 4 of them were used solely for spare parts to keep the others operational. None survived.
The kit isn't for beginners. In fact, it's not even for experienced modelers that don't have the software to manipulate some parts, redesign others, and even fabricate parts that aren't included. The designer got off to a really great start, and then seemed to lose interest in the whole project, finally deciding, "Meh, good enough". Some (not all) of the issues are: No instructions of any kind. Skins only, no glue tabs. No hull bottom. No interior front panel. No fender undersides. No dust covers for engine grates. Rear hull section needs to be rotated 180 degrees. Gun/crew armor shroud needs to be redrawn - unusable as is. Exhaust cover needs to be rotated 180 degrees (and even then something is still wrong with this piece). The sIG-33 consists of a gun barrel, a couple of too short vertical mounts, and a couple of aiming wheels.
I used some black and white blueprint pics, and my Answer published kit to gin up passable trailing arms and other details for the gun. Unfortunately I used the kit supplied mounts to determine the height of my new parts. As a result, the whole assembly sits too low, so the gun has a very limited range of elevation.
I'm glad it's finally over. Here are some pics.
Aucun commentaire:
Enregistrer un commentaire