The base – Painting.

I hadn’t realised it was so long since the last post in this blog. Over five months have disappeared since the last entry. Sometimes life gets in the way, and when free time is limited, a time-demanding hobby such as this, usually suffers. This painting stage was already done before I had my ”break”.

The base colours were sprayed on using Tamiya paints. Over this, individual brick colour was painted using various colours from Humbrol. The mortar colour was washed/painted in place. I just use colours that look right to me rather than using a fixed reference. This also means that I haven’t written down what actual colours used either.

The colours look quite bright and gaudy at the moment, but after filters and weathering this will be toned down. By filters, I mean spraying very diluted colours over the whole wall to tie the various brick colours together.

I marked on the base with a pencil, where the tank will eventually sit, and then added rubble randomly. Everything is fixed in place with diluted wood-working white glue. I used sand, some more cork bricks and some scribed plaster bricks from a previous scene. To this I added some burnt out jerry cans from MIG Productions and some “crushed and dented oil drums” from Reality in scale. More rubble will be added later when the T34 is in place.

The base – Part 3.

The wall and road areas were grouted over a few evenings. Each part had to be grouted twice, as the original mix shrunk a lot when dry. The grout mix was spackle, thinned white glue and a little washing-up liquid to help with surface tension. An artist’s oils-knife was used to first mix and then place the grout, and to work it into the crevices between the cork bricks.
Before completely drying, a dampened sponge was used to wipe away any excess grout, and also to ensure that there was definition between the cork stones. This also helps tighten the grout into the seams in the cork.

When dry, the walls were painted with Mr. Surfacer 500, diluted with acetone. This makes it easier to see the finished surface, and any rough bits can be cut off with a sharp knife and/or sanded. It also primes the base ready for painting. Cork and spackle tend to suck in paint, so this step has so many advantages, it is really worthwhile doing.

At this point I’m caught in two minds … do I add all the debris now and paint, or do I paint and add debris afterwards? I’ll probably go with the later, as it will make painting easier.

Again, the T34 and both figures are placed to get an idea of what space is available, and where the debris will be spread. The damaged barrel is from Reality in Scale and the damaged jerry cans are from MIG Productions, as are both figures. At last the end is in sight of this project. The goal is to get it finished for IPMS Sweden in mid March.

The base – Part 2.

Building each brick individually takes time and patience, but it’s no worse than building individual tracks for tanks. Little effort and not much thought are needed. However, to complete the ends of the piece, and to show some “natural” bomb damage, took a lot more thought. I contemplated just gluing stones and sand randomly, but as these walls were built with brick, I wanted it to show brick, something like how the ends of MiniArt buildings are portrayed. I come to the conclusion that sculpting the ends would be the easiest way to achieve the “finish” I was after.

For this I used Magic Sculpt. It’s a two-part putty that is blended together and gives approximately one hour of working time. Using tools dampened with water, it is easy to work the putty into whatever form is required. While still soft, I formed brick shapes and filled up the open ends of the walls. I had planned to place more of the cork bricks into the soft putty to help with the bombed-texture, but they didn’t sit properly. When the putty hardened, I glued the cork bricks in place with more of the white glue instead. These can now be grouted to fill them out, along with the faces of the wall.

The cobblestones were made pretty much like the bricks of the wall were. Individual cork bricks were cut up measuring 2 x 4 x 8mm. Each brick was glued in place using thinned carpenters glue. Lines were drawn on the cork base to keep them straight, and a few more evenings were spent placing the cork stones.

The main wall assembly was designed so it could be kept separate to ease grouting later. But the remaining wall had also to be shown. I made a simple little piece and placed it in line with the main wall piece, and then filled in behind with more bricks. The two pieces will be joined properly when the main wall element is fixed in place.

The image above shows the built base from behind with just enough detail to keep it interesting. The image below shows the T34 in place, so the viewer has an idea of the scale of the wall. I built the wall and base over a 2-week period, which is a lot of time when there’s not too much to spare, but the big advantage is originality and not just another bought item.

The base – Part 1.

I’ve used the same basic-base idea as was used in the previous panzer III ausf. N scene. A square photo frame was built up with some 2mm balsa sheet. As I need a slightly larger ground surface this time, I added the balsa to the outside of the only frame I had available.

The inside of the balsa was built up with expanded polystyrene as used in packaging of electrical items. A sheet of cork was used to top it off. This has the advantages of having something more solid than the polystyrene to attach the cobblestones to, and also provides a flat base for the T34. There’s nothing worse than floating tracks on a vehicle that’s supposed to weigh in excess of 30 tons.

I needed a background to the tank and something that wouldn’t be overpowered by the T34. I decided on some city wall to give an urban Russian feel. Rather than just some flat wall, I wanted to add some architecture, and have used the cork method as made popular by Carlos Elias Llop. Sandwiching more polystyrene between poster-card sheets, and building up some details using poster card and cork sheet, made up the bulk of the wall. Hot glue was used for this for speed.

Individual cork bricks were cut up measuring 2 x 3 x 6mm. Each brick was glued in place using thinned carpenters glue. The wall section will be kept separate to the base to ease grouting later, when filling in between each stone. The corkboard/polystyrene skeleton was cut roughly to imitate bomb damage.

I have been admiring the work of Carlos for many years on Armorama, and the details used here are ideas I have ”borrowed” from some of his buildings. More than 1000 bricks in total were used to build the wall.

Detail Painting

To continue tying all the previous steps into a more solid colour again, I sprayed the whole model with a few filters. The filters were made from Humbrol paints and enamel thinners. Only a small percentage of paint is used, which makes the thinners appear dirty, rather than having a thinned paint. This step also dramatically reduces the gloss effect after using Johnson Klear in the previous step.

To paint wood, I usually paint a sandy yellow colour first using Humbrol, and when dry this is re-painted with burnt umber or burnt sienna oil paints. This is left for about an hour to stain the under-coat, and is then mostly brushed off using a dry clean brush. When there is a flat surface like tool handles, the grain is scraped into the colour using a tooth pick, allowing the base yellow colour to show through again. A nice wood grain affect can be achieved with a little practise. When dry, a light wash with thinned black or grey will tone the bright oil colours down and give a natural wood colour/affect.

The remaining details are painted with Humbrol paints. When silver or gun-metal colours are used for metal, some brown or black are blended in to give a more realistic result. Some tidying up was done on the wheels and tracks, although this is largely un-necessary, as the weathering will take care of any light over spray from the first steps. Some black pin-washes were also used to define details a little better.

When detail painting was finished, another black filter was sprayed over the whole model to again tie the details in place. This gives everything the same hue, and makes the newly painted fixtures look like they have been on the tank for a while. The next and final step in the process will be weathering.

Decals

Just a quick update, to explain how I attach the decals. The decals used are the Zvezda-kit supplied decals … I was going to add a simple number, but went with the text to add more contrast to the monotone base green colour.
I spray “Johnson – Klar polish” (called Klear outside Sweden) straight from the bottle to act as a gloss coat. I’ve used this for years, and as it never lets me down, I don’t feel the need to change to more fashionable gloss coats. I let this dry over night. The next evening I attach the decals using Microset and Microsol. I paint on the Microset and place the decal on top, and use a cotton top … starting from the middle, push out the excess liquid and air from underneath the decal. When this done I brush over with Microsol to ensure the decal sets permanently. The decal may wrinkle at the edges, but this is normal. I usually add more Microsol to ensure it dries back in its proper position again. Again, let this dry overnight, and on the third day, I spray again with Johnson’s Klar, to seal the set decals.

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To some this might seem like overkill, but getting the decals right can make or break your finished model. No matter how much work you do on a model, “silvering” or lifting decals will take away from the finished article. I’ve used this system for about five years without it ever letting me down. In most instances … when the decals are nice and thin … it even looks like the markings are painted on. You will also notice that the two coats of Johnsons Klar have also darkened the base coat considerably and started the process of tying the previous steps into a united base coat, still allowing the details to be clearly visible.

Painting

There are quite a few schools of thought when it comes to painting a model. Some want their models to be realistic and keep the painting natural, as it would be on the 1/1 version. Others prefer to take the artistic route, but still aim for a realistic finish. I’d probably sway more with the second grouping, and attempt to let the paint represent the natural shadows and highlights of a real vehicle. At the moment, pre-shading/post-shading, dry brushing, pin-washes etc are almost becoming redundant, as its not considered realistic, but in reality a 1/35 model cannot cast shadows and capture light like the real version. Both sides have valid arguments, so it all comes down to each modeller’s own preference on what way they paint their model.

Newcomers to the hobby often ask the question; “should I paint my model as I go along and in sub assemblies, or should I build the model completely and then paint?” Again it all comes down to preference and what works best for each individual. On a tank like this, I prefer to paint normally in two pieces …. the lower hull and the turret. As hatches are open, and would be easy to knock off, they will be kept separate until I make the final weathering effects. I decided to keep the etched two-man saw separate as well, as it’s so fragile.

The first step is to paint the entire model in a brown, earthy colour. This is done for two reasons; to prime the model so that all added details have the same ground colour, and also for the base colour for the tracks. This is probably the most critical stage, as everything must be covered. There’s nothing worse than seeing some unpainted plastic on the inside of wheels or the running gear on a finished model. Less care can be taken in the stages afterwards, as any of this brown colour that shows through, will look like built up dirt or dust. Tamiya earth and hull-red was used for this colour. I use T-röd (ethanol) for thinning.

Stage two is to spray Tamiya black for the tyres. With properly thinned paint and some practise, this is easy enough to do. I never worry about over-spray, as the upcoming stages will take of that. I played around a little with some pre-shading on the edges and panels, but this is not necessary. Stage three was to spray some yellow-mix, as a ground colour for the wooden box and the tarps. Then its time for stage four, and the T34 green. Tamiya J.A. green (XF-13) was used. I don’t get too hung up on the actual colours, as the later weathering stages will change it anyway. Stage five is to fade the base green slightly with the same yellow-mix as used previously.

The final stage of painting is some dry brushing (a Humbrol 159 khaki drab and Hu 103 cream mix). I still believe dry brushing is a useful tool for defining edges and making the smaller details “pop up” more. The model now has a lot of contrasts in the base colour and it has also made it lighter. Each stage after this will darken the base colours again, and also tie them together. Even though the colour will get more unified, because of the previous steps, it still allows the details to be visible and gives them a more natural depth.

The final touches

With the main assembly complete in the previous stage, all that it is left is to add the details.
Not only does this stage help with the detail level, it also adds ”life” to the plastic model.
These steps are probably the most time consuming .. getting all the small details sitting or looking right, but they are also the most rewarding, when complete.

The figure is from MIG Productions … Observing Soviet Tanker (MP 35-119). Nice figure and probably the figure that brought about the whole engine trouble idea. I have also ordered MIG Productions … Russian Tanker At Work (MP 35-118) to be placed at the back end of the T34, and compliment the story line, but it has not arrived yet.

The extra fuel cells are from Armorscale … Soviet Rear Large Fuel Tank for T34/76 (R35-001). As in step #4, I didn’t really enjoy working the Armorscale items. They had large casting blocks that were difficult to remove, and the edges of the fuel cell are very easily damaged. Some of them arrived slightly damaged also, so I’ll have to paint this to complete the damage effect. One big advantage of modelling WW2 armour!!

I test fitted the Dragon magic tracks again to make sure there would be no problems after painting, and found they didn’t join up again easily. Rather than revert to Friul tracks, I cemented them, and will paint them in place. Even though I left these for several days to cure, they still managed to shrink some.

The tools come from Tamiya´s Panzer IV Photo-Etched Detail Set (35183). This is an excellent little set and very useful. The vent hatches can be put in the spare box for Panzer IV projects later. The actual etch is quite thick and the etching has nice details. See for yourself.
The crate is a Jaguar resin item, the snow cleats are from a Dragon T34 premium edition kit, the tarps are sculpted from 2-part putty Magic sculpt, the tow rope is from Aber using the kit tow ends and the straps are from lead foil with Aber buckles.
Now its time to break out the airbrush!!

More Bling!!

Now that the top and bottom hull pieces are joined, I added the details in pretty much the same order that they are called out, in the kit instructions. First step was adding the Part fenders. This is a first for me, so I was rather apprehensive and maybe overly cautious. The first attempt was using gator glue, but getting good adhesion along the entire length and holding the long fender in the correct position wasn’t easy. I had to remove the fender again, scrape down the glue residue and make a second attempt using superglue. This didn’t go much better … so more residue to scrape off. I remembered a tip from some years ago by Robin Nilsson, where he mentioned gluing a thin plastic strip to the etch part first, and then attaching it using regular cement. This worked really well and allowed me time to adjust the position, and still having good adhesion. Third times the charm!

The remaining parts were pretty straightforward. The stowage boxes were soldered and the smaller details added using gator glue. When the parts are placed, any excess glue that squeezes out can be easily cleaned away with a damp brush. This leaves a glossy finish on the surrounding surface, but this will disappear when painted. The machine gun was replaced with a sawn-off hypodermic needle, of similar size.

The kit exhausts were pretty much a solid affair, showing the age and quality of the base kit, so I drilled out the insides starting with a small diameter drill-bit and increasing the size each time after. This was done from both sides. I finished this off with a burr-bit in my Dremel. I really should have added some texture using Mr. Surfacer before placing the exhausts .. but this can be done later as well.

Handrails were added following the instructions and the plastic bits used for scale, using suitable metal thread. The shovels were replaced with etched parts and plastic rod. A holder for them was also fashioned from plastic profiles, based on the design offered in the etch set. Making this from plastic was easier, and also allowed the shovels to be placed and fixed easier. The towrope is from Aber (TC02L – 1.1mm). The moulded kit parts were drilled out and a length of the Aber rope glued into place.
All that’s left now is the square fuel drums that were common on this model and some of the usual stowage items.

Engine painting

Getting into the habit of modelling again, after a long summer break, takes some getting used to and to move forward with the rest of the exterior details, I decided the engine compartment needs to be painted, so that the upper and lower hull parts can be joined.

Painting was pretty straightforward. The engine block, transmission and interior were based painted with some Tamiya middle green. Don’t know the exact mix, as it was something I blended for another project. The actual colour is not that important, because after weathering and when closed up, it wont be noticeable anyway. Then I stippled different Humbrol browns and rust colours, over the whole interior, concentrating mostly on the floor. I then dry-brushed the details with a gunmetal and silver mix. Silver on its own, is too bright. Finally the whole interior received a thick wash of Humbrol black. Humbrol´s own enamel thinner is used throughout.

Final weathering was made with ground pastels of various dust, brown and rust colours, brushed over the model, and again heavier on the floor. I sprayed over this with some flat cote to hold in place. Some of the effect disappeared, so I added more and repeated the flat coat. The oil spills were mix of satin gloss and black. They are not seen on the final model, but its a perfect place to experiment with new ideas. Maybe the next time it will be crucial to the finished model!!

The Maquette engine, by today’s standards is quite a poor piece, but in reality if you consider what can actually be seen through the two open hatches, it does the job well enough with a little extra care and wiring. I also took the opportunity to spray some green over the grills to make sure they were placed OK and no further work was needed to the modified holes.

All that glitters is not gold

After a long summer break, I was anxious to get back to the T34. I usually try to attach as much as possible before painting, so it was time to break out the photo-etch.

The two sets used in this project are both from “Part”. I picked up both sets cheaply in a sale, but as neither was intended for the Italeri/Zvezda kit, some planning is needed. Set P35008 is a general detail set with grills, designed for Tamiya´s T-34, SU-85 or SU-122. Set P35087 was intended for Dragon models and included fenders, fender storage boxes and another grill for the back hatch.

The hull side and top grills have 3 pieces to make up each individual grill assembly, and are placed on top of one another to give a proper thickness effect. Great care is needed while handling and soldering the 3 pieces together, as they are literally paper thin. I used gator glue to attach the photo-etch to the kit for the first time, and thought it was excellent. It appears to be a fast drying “white glue” and because it is acrylic based, a wet cotton top can wipe away and excess. It also allows you that few extra valuable seconds to adjust placement, if needed.

What took the most time at this stage was scribing out the moulded grills. The plastic here was quite thick in places, which didn’t make life any easier. It was also clear at this stage, why one should not buy the etch intended for each particular kit. The grills were too small for the cut out holes. I glued some thin plastic strip along the inner edges, and putty in the corners to round them. I sanded this down and then painted over it with Mr. Surfacer 500, to ensure a neat fit. Lots of dry fitting was needed to ensure a good fit, but I didn’t go overboard either as the fit of the grills in reference images doesn’t look perfect either.

Preparing to get dirty

Every modeller has their own little peculiarities concerning certain details. Things that must be taken care of on their own models, and the first things you notice when looking at somebody else’s model. I’ve often seen beautifully weathered models, dirtied up nicely yet the wheel arches on wheeled vehicles or behind the running gear on tanks, sre untouched and still in the base colours. This can so easily let down all the effort taken with the model, yet it so easy to add some texture and make this more realistic.

I have used a textured paint from “Eberhard Faber GmBH” called “Granit Farbe”. It has small specks of granite dust mixed in with a grey-coloured acrylic paint. There are many similar options available today for textured paints and gels, so a visit to your local art or craft supply shop may be worthwhile.
As it is acrylic, it won’t paint directly onto the plastic, so I roughly brush the area intended, with Mr. Surfacer 500 first. Then I brush on the Granit Farbe randomly. The best thing with this method is that it is very controlled, and you can easily avoid areas with details. It dries quickly if not painted on too thickly, and more layers can be added if desired. As the specks look a little un-natural in this scale, I cover again with Mr. Surfacer 500. This has the added benefit of securing the granite specks in place as well.

Adding this texture to the underneath, or other areas where dirt builds up, also allows you to wash and dry brush, to bring it up the effect better. Some gloss can be added to give it a wet look, or brushed with pastels if a dried appearance is desired. Included here are some images from a DUKW, where this effect has also been used.

Building the turret

The turret, more or less, got a complete overhaul. The Zvezda turret is supposed to be quite accurate straight from the box, except for the gunner’s sight being too close to hatch hinge. I also decided to add the barrel and resin mantlet from Armorscale (#B35-066; 76.2mm F34 gun barrel for soviet tank with hexagonal turret) to improve the detail quality, as well have my first experience with an Armorscale product.

With the Armorscale pieces in place, it looks great in my own opinion, but I wasn’t totally overwhelmed with the quality. The huge casting block wasn’t fun to remove; parts of it being rock hard, and other parts being as soft as butter. The placement hole in the mantlet had also to be enlarged to allow the barrel to be fitted. A lot of work was needed for something that is supposed to ease assembly.

The plate where the gunner’s sight was attached to was scrapped off and a new one made from some plastic sheet. This was then moved forward slightly. The side vision ports were solid pieces, so these were glued in place and then opened using a small drill bit and a knife. I then added Mr. Surfacer 500 around the whole turret to give it some texture plus to fill out around the vision ports. Finally I added weld detail according to some reference images using magic sculpt and a hypodermic needle, using the Lee Lloyd method.

Keeping Track(s)

The tracks have been the greatest cause for concern so far. I originally had Friulmodel tracks in mind for this project so that everything could be kept separate for painting, but a friend has placed doubt in my head, saying they are too good to use for an old Italeri kit. I listened and have gone with magic tracks from one of the newer Dragon T34/85 kits instead.

I have often seen guys who complete the tracks in one solid piece, who form them over the wheels and when dry, can remove them to paint separately. I had to try this for myself. I use Model-Master liquid cement to glue the tracks, as it so slow drying; the full length can be made at the one time and then placed. To get the sag between each wheel, I place marbles, “borrowed” from my daughter. They are perfectly weighted and give a more natural curve to the finished tracks. The wheels are held in place during this time with a little blue-tac or silly putty. I left these for a few days before removing, to allow them to cure fully.

Although the tracks and wheels are now removable, I will have to make a break in the tracks, because when the upper hull is fixed in place, it wont allow the tracks to lift enough to insert the wheels over the rather large alignment teeth. The tracks can then be slid in from the back. Although the cementing has made the joints pretty solid, they are still very flexible.

In these last images, I have placed the upper hull to ensure there’s no surprises when its time to fix in place. It also allows me to get an idea of what can be seen through the open grills. I had originally decided to keep the top grills as the plastic is so thick in this area, it may be hard to cut out, but as progress has been good so far, I’m prepared to tempt fate some. I guess this wont be the only detour before I’m finished!

Is there a mechanic in the house?

Considering the engine is central to the theme of the scene, it probably wasn’t the smartest idea to start with such a low quality kit. The Maquette kit wasn’t considered good enough when it was first released so time and advances since haven’t done it any favours.

The soft details and missing parts are not the biggest issue here either, as not a lot can be seen through open hatches. It’s the lack of compartment, which would enclose everything and also to stop light leaking in from where it’s not wanted.

The kit includes a very rudimentary frame on which the engine block and transmission sits, but I added a few small bits a pieces to fill out all the empty space. I also have the Verlinden “T34/76 blown up rear end” which allowed me to make a rough copy of the firewall. I also added panels between the engine and transmission, which resemble some reference images I found online. I considered briefly making some further details like the internal suspension channels and fuel cells, as well as some other missing parts, but considering what will eventually be visible, decided against it.

The parts went together well enough, and I added some simple wiring and plumbing that will be visible. Dry fitting and making sure all parts fitted snugly and still allowing the upper hull to be placed unhindered took the most time.

Biting the Bullet

The last few years have seen a lot of changes regarding modelling practices. The days when a new kit was released, and followed shortly afterwards with the release of several “compulsory” aftermarket sets to dress it up, are more or less gone. Many modellers, including myself, are left with quite a few of these older kits and the aftermarket items bought to detail them. Unfortunately they still don’t reach the standard of the newest and best kits available today.

Having always been attracted to and interested in the T34, I’ve never actually built one. I could have chosen one of the newer and simpler Dragon kits, but have decided instead to build the older Italeri kit and use-up some of the items that will go unused otherwise.
This kit was the best available for many years, but has been surpassed by several releases since. The more I read about the kit and the more knowledge gained on the original tank, the more that appears to be missed or inaccurate. But most of the models that have inspired me over the years have been built from kits of this standard, so I just had to bite the bullet and get stuck in. 

The kits used.

The base kit is Italeri´s T34/76 m1943 (#282), which is a copy of the Zvezda kit. The swing arms are moulded in place in a fixed position and they are completed with five all-steel road wheels per side. T34s with a complete set of Ural-style all-metal road wheels are exceedingly rare, if they existed at all, as there is no conclusive photographic evidence.

 Tanks were delivered with rubber-tyred wheels on the first and last stations, and as availability improved the other three were replaced as well. Thanks to Dan Sandberg who sent me four Tamiya wheels with rubber tyres for this project.

Another kit I’ve had for years, was Maquette’s T34 engine and transmission set (#35024). This has very crude details and many items not included at all. As it will only be seen through the hatches and the view is limited, it will be OK for this project. To dress up the kit, I will be using etch sets from PART – P35008 and P35087, along with newer items from Armorscale; B35-066 – 76.2mm F34 barrel for Soviet tank with hexagonal turret and R35-001 – Soviet large fuel tanks for T34/76. Magic-tracks will be borrowed from on of the newer Dragon releases to complete the model.

Ground-work.

The hull tub had some moulded text and inner supporting ribs removed, to prepare for the engine instillation. The upper hull and back hatch had their respective hatches opened, by scribing using a scalpel blade. The wheels were cleaned and assembled, and the Italeri hubs mated to the Tamiya wheels to make them more uniform. The engine and transmission blocks were assembled and joints sanded smooth, and all other parts were cleaned up. This took a few evenings of cutting and sanding, but the worst is now done.
I´d also like to say a special word of thanks to Scott Fraser who has helped quite a bit and provided a lot of information for this project.