"Horror! Help with StuG III gun repair :(" Topic

Just when I was finishing a very scratch-modified StuG, I broke the gun barrel last night. It's a Plastic Soldier Company model. And I don't have any replacement guns (I used the others to upgrade other older Quality Castings models).

I was wondering which method would be best, Krazy/Super Glue or Testors plastic cement, which melts the plastic together? The latter would necessitate me holding the barrel together for quite a while I guess, and maybe it dries crooked? The break is clean and flat, luckily.

Help please, friends. I almost couldn't sleep last night (First World problems).

—Rolando

Hi Rolando,

Can you drill and pin it? Would make the repair stronger and you wouldn't need to hold it. I don't drill plastic so can't really say how easy it is.

Hope it works out.

Drilling plastic is very easy. I always start with a pilot hole to guide the pin vice (never use a power drill).

I would use a cut off pin or needle for the center core.

I agree with VCarter: Drilling plastic is very easy. I always start with a pilot hole to guide the pin vice (never use a power drill).

Except that I often find that pins and needles are very hard to cut off, I tend to use a papper clip which I find easier to cut.

I can't argue the authenticity of it, but you can cover the break area with some glue soaked gauze and paint it as cammo netting for a stronger bond.

coryfrom misssoula, what a GREAT idea!

Coryfrom Missoula has it exactly right – I had the same thing happen to a Panzer IV from an over-enthusiatic grandson and the gauze worked very well

Incidentally that is a fantastic paint/kit job on the StuG!

I think for the best job use a pin & use plastic cement. No need to wrap the barrel in anything. Using just plastic cement works fine too, depending on the type you use. Plastruct Plastic Weld bonds very fast, so you'll only need to hold it for a few seconds. Testors liquid cement might require several seconds to bond enough.

Damon.

Alternately you could remove the barrel completely from the mantlet and muzzle brake and replace it with brass tubing of the appropriate caliber.

Definitely pin it first, with spring-steel wire, or similar material. A paper clip would work.

For that, I'd use a liquid styrene cement, since you say the break is clean. That'll do the job, and be less obtrusive than other methods.

I'd recommend drilling out the barrel entirely, and fitting a brass tube of the correct diameter. Be sure to do the rifling in the inside of the tube before you insert it. The, of course spray prime black and then paint. You should then be able to attach the muzzle brake, though you'll want to drill it out so that people can see the rifling in the barrel. If that's too complicated, then pinning and gluing would work too. :-)
More seriously, I would use a liquid weld glue, since it melts the plastic and makes a better bond. I would also pin for extra strength. If you use liquid weld, you may get a bit of a bulge at the joint where the plastic melts a bit. You'll either need to sand it, or use Cory's great idea and cover the barrel with a bit of gauze and call it cammo netting. For pins, I tend to use brass wire since it comes in pre-measured sizes that correspond with the drill bits. I cut them with an old pair of nail-clippers.

Thanks to all, friends! And thanks for the compliment, Frederick :D

I tried the drilling and internal wire, and what making progress. But I fractured the gun even more when almost done.

So I went for my first brass gun! I cut the skinny gun section out, and drilled in 3 drill-bit widening steps the mid-width section out. The muzzle break was epoxy + Krazy Glued on.

Thanks all for your ideas and help!! Becoming better modelers together <3

—Rolando

Did you rifle the inside of the barrel? :-)

The repair looks great!

Darn! The rifling!!! :(

;)

—Rolando

I was lucky with an Airfix StuG III, the barrel was too thin and broke!
Fortunately, I had a spare PaK 40 from another kit, and stuck the barrel from that on instead, and its fine!- I never would have considered a brass gun, well done on doing it so well!

Looks great!

TMP at it's best!