But is was a resin model (by Accurate Armour) and with a price tag to match. So I decided to wait until a plastic model hit the market.

And finally did by the hands of Trumpeter along with another paper panzer – the E25.

I bought the kit only to find that some parts would not allow a build like I would like. The vinyl tracks were really under par and the link and length tracks were not that good either.

The decision I took to order a set of Friul tracks for it, with the cost involved, turned this "build for fun" into something a little more serious. Since I was in a shopping spree what else could I do than buy the IR set from Blast-Models? Nothing I guess, so I did buy that too.

This is the one I’m tackling now and I guess that the initial intentions of doing an OOB build are totally gone. I’m absolutely sure that I’ll be browsing my spare parts to create something in which I have all the freedom. You see, this tank never existed so it’s up to us to decide how plausible it would look like if it ever existed. Now, that’s a modeling style I might like.

Building starts

At first glance the kit looks good. It includes PE parts, link and length tracks and two types of vinyl tracks. They even include a early and late type sprocket (that really made me smile). Some flash is apparent and there are sink marks in many parts. Some of them very pronounced and some lighter but as I assemble it I can see that most of those sink marks will be far from view, so all is good.

The detail on the parts is good and crisp. Not to the level of a Dragon or a Bronco kit but very adequate for a good model. If they are the correct bolts or not, I can’t tell and probably no one can either. Advantages of building a paper panzer.

The kit is kind of big especially if compared with a Jagdpanzer 38(t) which was intended to replace.

I replaced the tracks with a set of Friul for Pz IV and they fit the sprocket beautifully. I bet that someone at Trumpeter measured the Friul tracks expecting that some customers might want to use them LOL. The road wheels (4 per side) are absolutely huge and they would dwarf a Tiger II wheel.

The gun was replaced by an excellent RB Model barrel (for this kit) and it fits well after shaving a little bit from the base. That base is longer than on the plastic barrel and would make the mantlet protrude too much. Easily solved with the help of my faithful Dremel and a sanding disk.

There’s not much to do on this kit. The parts count is low and it’s probably one of those kits that everyone will build differently by adding their own interpretation on the E-10. I’m still wondering what I’m going to do with it. The exhausts seem a bit out of place in the whole model and I have to figure out what I’m going to do with them.

Most of the work on the hull is done. The parts fit is good (not fabulous) and I just used a little Tamiya putty with acetone to fill some minor gaps.

I changed the exhaust arrangement because it seemed undersized when compared to the rest of the tank. I felt that those flimsy exhausts would spoil the "balance" of the whole model. I scratched a little something that is has a loose resemblance with the Pz 38 exhaust albeit a little bigger. After all we are talking of a 550 hp engine.

The tow cables were replaced by two made of string and Trumpeter conviniently included four shackles for them so I didn’t have to dive into the spares box to find replacements. The shackles are finely done and it was quite a surprise to see how good they were. If only Trumeter could avoid the flash and the very bad located sprue attachments points we would be eternaly grateful.

I looked at a few details on a build by Jan Peters and found some interesting mods he did on the commander and gunner hatches and I’m doig the same. I give all the credit to Jan for the idea. His stunning build is here (PlanetArmor – Jan Peters E-10).

I’m very close to a initial coat of primer but as usual I need to do the second track run and finish some little bits n’ pieces.

Painting

What paint scheme will I do? I have yet to decide that. Somehow a Dunkel Gelb white washed scheme is my favorite right now. After the almost disaster of the Pz III I need to insist. I won’t stop till I manage to do a good white washed paint job on a model.

I have a lot of good examples to improve my skills. And I’m going to follow them.

The other option is another of my personal favorites – the ambush scheme. Not easy to do but amazing if done right. We’ll see as the build develops.

Primer done and now it’s just the fun part. I really like the little details I added. The model looks plausible and I just hope that the paintjob won’t spoil the result.

In a couple of days I’ll have a few more pictures of the progress. Stay tuned.

Base Coat

The base coat is done and ready. But not without some troubles. It seems that the painting process is becoming my worst nightmare. I decided to use Tamiya paints and Tamiya Enamel thinners. All seemed perfect after the brown/yellow coat but when I started to apply the base color it started to go downhill. For some reason I can’t really explain the top of the model became rough like an anti slip coat.

I’m not sure if it is the shortest drying time of the mix but it looked really nasty. The matt paint was rough and grainy and I had to decide a course of action. Fine sand paper was the solution and I pretty much saved it, but more trouble was waiting with the application of a gloss coat.

The Tamiya clear varnish didn’t work at all. It just turned the base color in a multitude of odd shades of yellow and much darker than the original. I had to paint the base coat again. At every attempt the grainy effect was there. It was becoming a real mess. In the end a coat of Vallejo gloss was the only thing that saved the paint job but not without a multitude of coats to get was can be described as a mild satin look. The Tamiya matt color was sucking the gloss varnish like a black hole. Amazing. I would never expect that kind of thing to happen.

After several hours for painting a one color base (with 3 different shades but a one color nonetheless) I managed to find the result acceptable. Geez. The things I think will be simple have the tendency to turn into complicated and painful exercises. This seems a test from the Gods to make sure I know what I’m doing.

Chipping, Washes and Filters

I did the chipping with a lighter color than the base and a brown red color over it in corners or areas where some wear is expected to happen. A few spots here and there and I tried to keep the model a little worn but not ready for the junkyard.

I used some oils diluted with turpentine to enhance recesses and areas that I wanted a little darker. I applied the oils in spots and then they were blended with a soft brush and turpentine. A pin wash with raw umber oil was then applied again on the recesses and details to create some additional contrast.

Weathering

In this model I used all the tricks that I know and some that I didn’t know. The underside of the hull was coated with my mud mixture – lightweight wall filler with pigments. Over that dry coat some dry pigments of different shades where later fixed with MIG Productions pigment fixer.

The front and the back were done with pigment diluted in white spirits and to give that dirty look and some dry pigment applied on top and fixed with the same product.

The wet look on the wheels, front and back were done with the MIG Wet and Damp effects. I did some splashes with a brush wet with pigments diluted in mineral white spirits and that was it.

The figure

It’s by Miniart from the Winter Crew set with a Hornet head (they are the best no doubt about it). It has a very good pose for it’s intended use and it was just a metter os some adjustment to make it look very good. It sure compares with a resin figure and after all we only see the top half, so it’s a cheap and good alternative.

The figure is the only thing still waiting for the last painting details. I don’t want to handle it too much because the parka was painted with oils and takes a lot of time to dry. Then I will paint the belt, gloves and the inside of the hood with the Oak Leaf camo pattern.

Final Veredict

Price
Accuracy/Detail
Build
Extras
Instructions

The instructions are clear and complete even for a tank that never existed. I change quite a few things, from the fire extinguisher to the tracks but the detail of the included parts was at a good level.

Discussing the accuracy of a kit based on a tank that never existed is a little ridiculous, but the overall lines are very well depicted and some details are very plausible. The Accurate Armor version has a more sensible exhaust location if we think about the design principles of this tank. Th rear hul could be opened to remove engine and transmission in one go. For this reason having the exhaust on the top deck seems logical, but this design could have existed even with my imaginary exhaust.

I recomend this model to anyone that wants to spend some time doing a fun model open to all sorts of creative freedom. Go for it.

Specifications

Panzerkampfwagen E-10

Type : Tank Destroyer
Length : 6.91m
Width : 2.86m
Height : 1.76m
Engine : Mybach HL101 (550hp) X 1
Armament : 75mm Pak39 L/44 X 1

Pictures

With the Daimler Dingo, the Humber Scout Car was one of the most popular reconnaissance vehicles of WWII. It’s not exactly a nice looking vehicle but after a while it kind of grows on you.

When it started to take shape I looked at it with different eyes. I can almost say I like it…

The Kit

Price
Accuracy/Detail
Build
Extras
Instructions

Unless a kit is an absolute "dog", some care and dry fitting cure most of the issues I found in many of these less good kits.

The kit comes with a nice choice of decals but most of the versions saw service after the war of just at the end. However, there is one that suits me perfectly. It was used in Italy in 1944 and has a very nice camouflage scheme. This kit needs some painting variations in order to make it a little more interesting. I guess that a plain bronze green car would turn this into a green "box" with wheels.

The instructions are not bad, although the sequence of drawings is strange. The decal placement drawings are quite bad, but after reading through the instructions 4 or 5 times I kind of understood what they meant.

Building

It’s very straightforward. Dry fit is in order and some plastic shaving is needed for perfect fit, but I built the basic chassis and suspension in a couple of hours. I used Tamiya thin liquid glue on all the build and just some putty to make sink marks disappear on the inside cabin floor.

It’s one of those kits that can be completed very fast with excellent results.

As you can see, from where I am to the final stages it’s a just a matter of a few hours. I decided to detail the interior (bot not to a huge extent) mainly because the kit comes with a very detailed set of parts for it. I’m not going to dive into the super detailing with cables from point A to B and all that stuff, but I’m going to weather it and paint it.

Of course, none of that work will be visible in the end so I have to take some pictures of it. That s the problem with super detailed interiors. Either you have a way to show them or it’s just a plain waste of time. I just use that work to train my weathering and painting skills.

Painting

After the interior painting session there was little left to do on the interior. The phase I like the most was about to start. But before I had to solve a little problem. Create weld lines between the top and the bottom of the chassis. There is a ridge on the original Humber (reproduced on the kit) but there are also weld lines on between those surfaces.

I could have done the traditional stretched sprue with glue but I decided to try the Archer weld lines decals. Ther behave like a normal decal (almost) and have to be applied before the paint. To make it stick to the surface I use gloss varnish because I remove all the decal film I can and the decal has no way to adhere.

A coat of Vallejo 70821 with some highlighting for the base and then 2 long hours creating the hard edge camo with masking tape. A spray of 70995 Grey and that was it. However I made an error on one of the sides and created a negative of the camo. Touching, retouching and finally after a while I could remove all that tape again and go on to the next phase.

I normally apply filters at this stage because they behave very well over matt colors and I used Grey for white suefaces to break down the very dark grey and also some grey for yeallow surfaces to create different color tones around the vehicle. This will be ehanced by mapping and some streaks with oils.

The paint was sealed with a coat of gloss varnish in preparation for the decals and for all the phases that will happen after – Streaks, pigments and pin washes.

Decals

The instructions on this kit are not at the same level as the kit itself. They are vague and need a lot of attention, and especially the decal placement and painting drawings are particularly poor.

There are not many decals to apply, and they are very good and respond well to Microsol and Microset. They are printed by Cartograf with excellent opacity and colors. The only thing that needed attention was the placement on declas on the rear water/fuel cans. They were cut in half after placement on the cans, and profusely brushed with Microsol. The decals conformed to the cans perfectly.

After decal placement another gloss coat over them to oprotect for the following phases and ready for weathering and detail painting.

Washes and detail painting

It’s very frequent to see chipped Axis vehicles but much less frequent to find British chipped and weathered vehicles. I used some logic onthis one.

1. The dark camouflage color was painted over the light color
2. Under the light color there is primer and metal

So I created some scratches of Dark Mud over the Blue Grey camouflage in places where the wear would happen. Some of them even show metal.

The same approach for the ligther color, bit this time creating chips with an even lighter color with some metal spots in the middle.

This is a process I repeat at the end is I need to balance the final model a bit. The idea is to look after the first session of chipping because when I look aftar a few days I can see errors I missed the first time.

And of course, photography is crucial to spot the errors or omissions on the model.

Pigments

The underside of this model will be profusely coated with pigments. I use a mix of Europe Dust, Russian Earth, Ashes and CMK pigments (Sandy Dust, Light Dust)

I normally apply them separate and one over the other untill I get the color I want. I then blend them with Mineral White spirits, altough in some places where I need a color contrats I just drop some solvent over them without blending.

Since this is a Italy invasion (september 43) I’m going to depict a dusty vehicle and not a muddy one. It does not rain that much in Souther Italy at the end of the Summer. At least not enough for mud.

The figure

The kit included figure with a Hornet head. The headphone wires were made with stretched sprue

This kit comes with a resin figure. It has a very adequate pose and fairly good sculpture and I decided to use it on the model. However, when browsing on my "stock" I started to compare the Hornet heads with the one on the figure. The decision was – Head transplant. You can judge the result, but I believe that the figure ended up a very decent one. It was painted entirely with Vallejo acrylics and I just removed a couple of seam lines and made the headphones wire with stretched sprue.

History

Although at the outbreak of the World War II the British Army already had the excellent Daimler Dingo, the need for scout cars could not be met by Daimler alone, so other companies were required to produce similar vehicles. One of these companies was Rootes group, which in 1942 built a vehicle similar to the Dingo in layout.

To comply with the government contract to keep the weight down, the Daimler "Dingo" was open top, whereas the Humber had an unarmoured floor.

The vehicle carried a crew of two, with an emergency seat for a third member. It was equipped with a No. 19 radio set. The armament consisted of one Bren light machine gun with a 100-round drum. A second Bren could be added if necessary. This was mounted on a Parrish-Lakeman mounting above the roof, and could be operated from inside the vehicle using a system looking similar to bicycle handlebars, where the "brake" levers fired the triggers of the bren/s.

Production of the vehicles continued until 1945. At least 4,298 were ordered and at least 4,102 delivered, 1,698 of them Mk I. They were used by British armoured units (e.g. the 11th Armoured Division and the Guards Armoured Division) for scouting and liaison and were generally considered less capable and reliable than the Dingo. A number of vehicles were given to the Polish II Corps and the 1st Czechoslovak Armoured Brigade. After the war, the vehicle was used by some European armies. Belgian police continued to use the car until 1958.

Source (Wikipedia)

Pictures

The interior that's going to be invisible

The hard edge camo was made with the use of Tamiya paper tape

Vallejo colors all the way.

The kit included figure with a Hornet head. The headphone wires were made with stretched sprue

I bought this kit a while ago and now it's time to build it. I've yet to build one model based on this chassis, in spite of having several of them, from the Stug III B, G to a couple of versions of the Pz III.

It's a much more elegant chassis than the bulky and less elegant Pz IV and one of the most representative German tanks of WWII.

I've decided to do a whitewashed German Grey version, although the model includes DAK versions and plain Grey versions. But I like a good challenge and I need to test other techniques. This time the hair spray technique. If you want to see really good examples of white washed models using this technique just have a look in this site (Michael Rinaldi). An amazing lesson on how to produce works of srt in modeling.

The kit

Price
Accuracy/Detail
Build
Extras
Instructions

In this log I will just be posting information about the build that I hope to start very soon. Well, as soon as I decide which version to do.

The Pz III appeared after the Pz IV and existed in many variants, ranging from A to N. There were short medium and long barrel versions and the J in particular could be found in various combinations.

This kit allows the build of medium and long barreled versions with or without the additional armor that some versions had on the front of the driver's deck and mantlet.

I will do a long barreled version because I bought the fabulous barrel from Aber. I'm not sure about the rest. The versions possible on this kit range from the whitewashed tanks on the Eastern front to North Africa and are no less than 8 different tanks.

First impressions

I started the build today (18-1-2009). The first thing that is immediately apparent is the quality of the detail. Stunning. The lower hull comes in one piece and all the small details, bolts and welds are really an example of what a good model can be.

Building the suspension is fairly straightforward. And it would be even better if the torsion bars weren't there. I can't really understand why the kit includes a complete set of torsion bars, with detailed holders, if the suspension arms are installed static and there is no indication on the instruction sheet to install them movable. Is Dragon planning on a complete interior version? Maybe.

Anyway, the parts have no flash whatsoever, they have remarkable detail and they fit together like a dream.

Building 

ABER PE on the mantlet extra armor

20-1-2009 – The more build this model the happier I am with it's quality. It's amazing how much these kits have improved in 6-7 years. The molding is absolutely fantastic and the fit of intricate parts is amazing. The front deck and the fenders just snap together like they were just one part. Dragon is still a little behind Tasca but it's very very close. In barely 2-3 hours work I managed to reach a point where the lower hull, fenders, upper deck ans suspension are complete.

Pay attention to the idlers when assembling them. They consist of two halves and two PE rings (glued to each of the halves). When I put the two halves together the spokes didn't align (???). Somehow, the locating lug on one of the halves is out of place. I readjusted the slot in order to make them aligned.

If it wasn't for the delicate and tedious task of handling all the Aber PE I believe that this kit would be one of my fastest builds.

The Aber PE is awesome as usual. What's not so great about it are the instructions. This is probably the first example of Aber instructions where some details are really missing. The drawings are vague and I guess that some of the parts have to be positioned by using reference photos.

Building… more

27-1-2009 – Most of the work is done. The model is almost ready for the primer coat. But yesterday I had a fight with an unusual contender – Aber. For some reason the Aber set for this kit is not up to the quality I've seen in other PE sets. The extra armor over the mantlet had to be filed with a Dremel in order to fit it's intended location. I built it before putting it in place. All the parts were soldered and I'm glad I used solder for the job, because if they were just glued everything would just come apart.

After measuring and test fitting several times I marked the places where the material needed to be removed. It's now in place but it was so troublesome that I considered using the plastic parts instead.

On the positive side there are the tracks. They are of the individual link type and it was the fastest track build I've ever done. It just took a little less than half an hour to do a complete track. However the instructions say you need 98 links per side, and I found that 94-95 links are more than enough. You'll end up with a totally unrealistic sag if you use the 98 links.

The turret and commander cupola were also very easy to assemble. With this kit is just a matter of removing the sprue attachments and glue. Everything fits just right. I have to say that the kit is flawless regarding fit of parts and molding. So much that I 'm considering using the plastic molded tow cables instead of diving into the incredibly complicated Aber PE clamps for securing them. I guess that I'll have enough on my hands with the jack support. It really looks awful to build.

Building… even more

Primer applied and ready for paint

8-2-2009 – The kit is complete plastic wise. I applied the coat of primer to make everything look even and to spot the potential problems that can be missed when we are looking at different materials and colors.

I decided to use a lot of plastic parts instead of going the PE route. Some of the details were so small and complicated that it made no sense to spend hours doing them when we couldn't see them on the final model. The supports for the towing cables are a perfect example of that.

I added the front light wiring using stretched sprue and the small PE clips that come in the Aber PE set. Very nice effect. It looks way better. These wires are very visible on the tank and it would be a shame not to do them. After all, it was just under half an hour of work.

Painting

The base coat went very well. I used Vallejo Panzer Grey mixed with some white, to be covered with the white wash finish that this version is supposed to have.

I bought some hair spray and decided to have a try at the technique. The result was disaster. Somehow, every attempt that I made to remove "some" paint resulted in major peeling. Some places more than others but the final result was catastrophic.

At this point I had to decide if I was going to put the model in the bin or try to save it.

I decided that all the work I had done could not be destroyed without at least one try. The fact that I used hair spray helped a lot in saving it because I managed to peel the white paint off almost completely Some of the PE detail came loose and had to be re-glued but I managed to save the kit.

I'm not going to take any chances, so I'll try the white weathered look with another technique- Paint then chip. It it end badly the result will be what almost happened – throwing the kit to the garbage bin.

I'm not very happy with this experience but sometime along the way I guess we are destined to have a few of these

Follow up

27-02-2009 – I guess that I saved it. I'm not entirely sure how I managed to do it but the more I look to the model the more I think that it looks real good. When a mishap like I had happens it's a good policy to do other tasks and forget the model. When you return to it you'll see it under a different perspective. It's a fresh approach and probably you'll find the model to be quite nice. That's what I did with it. I was negatively biased because of the failure and I was not seeing that it was a very decent whitewashed model. It's not at the level of excellent white washed vehicles that you can see from the big names but it's good nonetheless.

I applied mud to the running gear and although it was a first for me it ended up very realistic. I used a special wall filler that is very light (foam) and does not crack. It was just a matter of achieving a good mud consistency and mix some pigments. It dries very fast (30 minutes – 1 hour) and it has the real mud look. Then it's just a matter of using different color pigments and fix them with turpentine or pigment fixer from MIG and the end result is nothing short of amazing.

I'm just doing the finishing touches on the model and I'm even considering doing a small base for display, but I still have to figure out the scenery for it and if it's worth the extra work.

Keep tuned, I'll have more pictures this weekend.

28-02-2009 – I couldn't help it. I had to finish this one asap and I guess I can breathe now. It seems saved and a good model after all. I had almost given up on this model because of the mishap with the hairspray method. I was really annoyed to throw away a model that was built with so much care and dedication. I removed everything I could and started all over again, this time without the hairspray. Instead I applied a white coat of paint and immediately after I started removing some areas with a wet brush. Because there was a coat of varnish underneath the process produced remarkable results. It resulted like the real thing – a washed away coat of white paint.

Finished

I just finished this superb Dragon Pz III. It was close to a disaster but I couldn't skip such a remarkable plastic kit. I did a lot of firsts with this one:

• First White washed model (the T70 doesn't really count)
• First Pz III
• First use of mud

Not bad for so many firsts, don't you think?

History

On January 11, 1934, following specifications laid down by Heinz Guderian, the Army Weapons Department drew up plans for a medium tank with a maximum weight of 24,000 kg and a top speed of 35 km/h. It was intended as the main tank of the German Panzer divisions, capable of engaging and destroying opposing tank forces.

Daimler-Benz, Krupp, MAN, and Rheinmetall all produced prototypes. Testing of the prototypes took place in 1936 and 1937, leading to the Daimler-Benz design being chosen for production. The first Panzer III A came off the assembly line in May 1937, and a total of ten, two of which were unarmed, were produced in 1937. Mass production of the tank, then in model III F, began in 1939.

Between 1937 and 1940, attempts were made to standardize parts between Krupp's Panzer IV and Daimler-Benz's Panzer III.

Much of the early development work on the Panzer III was a quest for a suitable suspension. Several varieties of leaf-spring suspensions were tried on Ausf A through D before the torsion-bar suspension of the Ausf E was standardized. The Panzer III, along with the Soviet KV heavy tank, was one of the first tanks to use this suspension design.

The Panzer III was intended as the primary battle tank of the German forces. It outclassed most of the tanks of the time. However, when it initially met the KV and T-34 tank designs it proved to be inferior. To meet the growing need to counter these tanks, the Panzer III was upgunned with the 50 mm KwK 39 L/60 and received more armor although this failed to effectively address the problem against the KV tank designs. As a result, several self propelled guns, as well as up gunned 75 mm KwK 40 L/43 and 75mm KwK 40 L/48 Panzer IV Ausf G were developed and produced.

In 1942, the Ausf N model of the Panzer III was created with a 75 mm KwK 37 L/24 cannon, a low-velocity gun designed for anti-infantry and close-support work. For defensive purposes however, it did carry a few rounds of hollow charge ammunition which could penetrate 70 mm to 100 mm of armor depending on the round's variant but these were strictly used for self-defense.

(Source: Wikipedia)

Pictures

Aber PE parts can be seen on the mantlet extra armor

Primer applied and ready to paint

A detail of the engine cover and towing cables.

Front with the right light cable showing

Right side suspension and running gear

A side view showing the mud

The exhaust deflector. Painted with Lifecolor Rust and Dust set.

I must confess that I’m not the biggest fan of allied armor. When I have to decide to buy a new kit, my choices lie with the Axis AFV’s.

However there are some examples that are so significant from the historical point of view, that it’s impossible to pass by them. When Bronco released the Staghound, it was followed closely by Italeri with his rendition of the very same AFV.

In one of my typical excursions to the LHS I found the Italeri kit on the shelves (Bronco is near to impossible to find there) and after reading a couple of reviews I decided that this was the one to buy (mainly because there was nothing more interesting or that I don’t have yet) I really liked the box art and that reference booklet included with the kit.

That’s what I call a bright idea.

Instead of leaving the builder to it’s own devices finding pictures around, Italeri includes an excellent set of pictures on the booklet, that will be very helpful in assembling the kit. A+ on this one

When I opened the box I found what we can consider a very good kit in terms of detail. The turret in particular is a very fine rendition of the cast turret on the original. The subtle irregularity of the surface is particularly well done.

But there’s always that little detail that needs some "changes". The parts have good detail, maybe too subtle in some cases, but perfectly adequate for most people. The dark green plastic is of an adequate consistency, not too brittle not to soft.

I had some trouble making the new Tamiya Light activated putty adhere to the surface, but soon I found I could do it. Just remove the oily residue with fine sand paper and you’re done. In this kit the weakest point is the gun barrel. It just didn’t seem correct. I didn’t need to go too far.

The excellent booklet included with the kit contains a lot of reference pictures and plans from the original tank manual. On the first page there it was the proof that the barrel was incorrect. It’s a shame because it’s a fine example of a metal barrel included on the kit that could have been excellent. The other weak point is the instruction sheet. Photos instead of drawings. Inconsistencies in some of them. But that faithful reference booklet could solve any doubts about parts placement. Not all is lost.

The kit also includes a small PE fret (more than adequate for the needs. So much that this time I’m not going to spend any more in after market PE for this kit

Building starts

19-01-2008

It’s clear that Italeri is not Tasca or Dragon when it comes to moulds. There is some flash, nothing big, but enough to attract you attention in every part you assemble. Some fitting problems exist on the hull, but again, nothing that can’t be cured with a little filler.

And with this kit I used the Tamiya Light activated body putty. I think it’s excellent. The way it hardens when exposed to light is one of the benefits of the space age polymers and it’s really cool. Apply it, expose it to a fluorescent light for 2 minutes and start filing. It’s bright yellow color and the smell does not make it the most attractive filler, but the convenience is too good to be true.

The wheels assemble really well and there’s no way you can miss the pattern alignment. Two pins on each half take care of that. The assembly steps are very simple and the kit assembles really fast. From the sprues to the final product ready for painting maybe just a matter of hours. Not in my case because I do a little bit every day, but just a little bit.

There are several versions you can do and I chose the 7th Armoured Division of the British Army in France 1944.

The pictures you can see here show the rear suspension.

The result is very good in spite of the reduced number of parts. The representation of the leaf springs and transmission shafts are totally acceptable.

I would prefer the possibility of assembling the kit with wheels turned. I even considered doing it with some cutting and gluing, but it was to disruptive to do, so I decided to build it with the front wheels straight.

The hull goes together very fast and if you apply some pressure while the glue dries, there’s no need to use much filler. And that’s good because you would need to remove it and some of the welds would have to be redone. The only case where I added some detail was on the turret. The cast turret seam was too subtle. After looking at the reference pictures where this seam was very apparent I tried to reproduce it with the help of some evergreen plastic strip and liquid glue. The front headlights were hollowed out with a Dremel because I’m going to use Resicast lenses for them.

If anyone else wants to use the same method, both the headlight lenses and the turret searchlight use 3mm lenses. It didn’t seem acceptable anymore to just paint them silver.

I’ll have to apply a coat of primer to see how believable the effect is, but it looks quite good already.

One other thing you can see in the pictures is the Stowage set for the Staghound from Blast Models. The set includes 8 parts with exquisite detail for placing on the fenders and turret. The rear box (provided in PE with the kit) is also in the Blast Models set with ammo boxes inside and I decided to replace the original for this one.

One of the parts can be used to replace one of the fuel tanks, because it’s a pile of "stuff" to put on top of the stowage box. I’ll leave that out as I decided to do the kit with the two fuel tanks installed. As always Blast Models flawless service sent my order in 5 days.

In that package was the new Tiger II Porsche turret Zimmerit version from Dragon that’ll be the subject of another little review if time allows. It won’t take long to painting because I’m just waiting for an Armorscale barrel, so be tuned.

Assembly complete

31-01-2008

The assembly is finished. I’m just waiting for the replacement barrel to start painting the model. The coat of Tamiya primer gives me an idea on how good the surface and detailing is.

No doubt this kit is quite good in terms of detail. One can add a little more with the help of after market PE sets or in my case with the stowage set from Blast Models, but if the kit is built strictly from the box it will be an excellent model no matter what.

This one is going to be my first Olive Drab model. Normally with one tone vehicles we have to avoid monotony and to create a believable effect. Pre shading is normally used to highlight the differences between panels and I’m going to try that. I’ll be posting pictures of the painting process as soon as the barrel arrives in the mail

Ready!!

26-05-2008

After 4 months standing on the bench waiting for the finishing touches, I decided it was time to do the very final details on the Staghound. I tried new techniques in painting, in weathering and a lot of very small things that I will use on other kits. Using satin varnish over the base coat and decals was one of them. Why? Well, because I saw a video  with Miguel Jimenez (the famous MIG) in which he explained that tanks are satin, and we can use the contrast between matt, satin and gloss to enhance the final look of a model.

His theory is that gloss "brings" details closer because you are attracted to things that reflect the light with more intensity. The contrast between a satin tank and the matt of weathering also directs the look of the viewer to that contrast creating points of interest that will make the model appear more "real". And it works. It’s not by chance that he’s one of the world’s best modeler. I applied the pigments and then I used a wet brush to create the typical streaks you can see on dirt vehicle after rain falls.

This create a random pattern that again enhances the visual appeal of the model.

The camouflage net was another challenge. After the base color, I applied a heavy pin wash with turpentine and black oil into all the small recesses.

This immediately changed it from a mass of resin strips to a real net with tissue strips attached to it. I was not planning to use it on the model, but after seeing the result I had to. Another pin wash (more diluted) with raw umber and finally highlighting with light olive drab. The net looks good!! The antenna is made of the ever present stretched plastic sprue. Some light scratches were made with a technique I love.

First a lighter olive drab than the base, and over it but not completely covering it, a small scratch with a graphite pencil or with dark metal paint. It looks like the scratch exposed the coat of paint that was underneath and went down to the metal.

In some of them a thin line of burnt sienna to simulate rust and it’s done.

Pros

• Excellent reference photos booklet
• Good quality plastic. Easy to work on
• Nice cast turret surface. Very realistic
• Fine detail all-round. Delicate parts are well molded
• Photo etched parts included on the kit

Cons

• Instructions are the photo type and not theexploded view type. Some details are not at all clear in the instructions.
• Flash in almost every part, although not critical. Attention to  removing flash has to be taken with each and every part
• Inaccurate barrels. The plastic and the metal gun barrels are inaccurate in shape. This is very noticeable as soon as you look at them

Materials and parts used in this kit

Armorscale barrel for M8 Greyhound
Armorscale MG .30 barrel
Blast Models Staghound Stowage set
Vallejo Acrylic Colors
MIG and CMK pigments

Related Sites

Blast Models
Armorscale
Vallejo
MIG Productions

History

For a strange twist of fate, the T17E1 Staghound was never operated by its intended user, the U.S.Army. Nevertheless, between 2,600 and 2,900 vehicles were produced, and took part in World War II wearing the colors of several Commonwealth armies. After the war, Staghounds were supplied to Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Cuba, Denmark, Egypt, Honduras, India, Israel, Italy, Lebanon, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Rhodesia/Zimbabwe, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Switzerland.

The requirement which led to the Staghound was issued by the U.S.Army in June, 1941, several months before the United States entered World War II. The Ford Motor Company quickly built a 6×6 prototype (the T17), while Chevrolet offered a 4×4 vehicle which was named T17E1; the armament was the same in both cases, with a turret-mounted 37mm gun and two 7.62mm machine guns.

Production started in 1942, but the U.S.Army had already opted for the lighter M8 Greyhound; so in October that year the Staghound was authorized for Defense Aid (Lend-Lease) to the British Army. The first vehicles (out of an order for 300 units) were named Staghounds Mk.l, and reached their units by the end of the year, getting the baptism of fire in Italy in 1943. The Staghound soon proved successful in operation, and as production continued new variants were developed.

These included the Staghound Mk.1I with its 3" howitzer for close support, and the Mk.1I1 which was equipped with the whole turret from the Crusader tank, including the 75mm gun (but with no co-axial machine gun).

Specifications

• Weight 14 t
• Length 5.49 m
• Width 2.69 m
• Height 2.36 m
• Crew 5
• Armor 9 to 44 mm
• Primary armament 37 mm M6
• Secondary armament 2 or 3 x .30 (7.62 mm) machine guns
• Engine 2 x GMC 270 2 x 97 hp / 2 x 72 kW
• Power/weight 13.9 hp/tonne
• Suspension wheels, 4 x 4
• Operational range 450 miles / 724 km
• Speed 55 mph / 89 km/h

It seems to be a very simple kit to build and sometimes I want quick results. It happened with the Miniart T70 and I’m wanting something that I don’t want to invest to much time in preparing for paint.

I want to concentrate on paint techniques and this one seems the ideal kit for it – Just one color that needs some skill to avoid monotony

	Photos taken with Canon EOS 1D Mark III TrueVision lighting products

Building

23-06-2008

I had the first look at the kit today. It looks real good, with fine detail and very delicate parts. The molds seem to be top notch. Some of the parts that I used already (idler wheels) need some touches before all fits adequately. The arms that support the idler wheels have some injection and sink marks on the inside. They were removed easily but at first I wondered if they were meant to be there. It seemed odd why they were needed on a those parts. The hull comes in a multitude of individual parts glued together to form a tub. The bottom, sides (where the suspension attaches) the engine deck section and upper sides (the biggest and most complicated piece), the front glacis and finally the transmission housing. That’s a lot of stuff to glue and to keep aligned. I saw one build log where the modeler made a jig to assure that alignment. I did it by gluing all the parts in sections assuring that they were aligned before moving to the next.

Everything fits perfectly and in the end there are no open seams. That says a lot for the kit quality. I’ve seen chassis with much lesser parts and huge gaps in the end. Thumbs up for AFV on this one!!

Just a few hours and results appear

23-06-2008

I love this simple kits. They are simple but full of detail. As you can see, after 4 hours the hull is pretty much complete. I even like the tracks. They are the correct length, plenty of detail and there is separation between links. The best example of vinyl tracks I’ve ever seen. Parts fit well, especially on the hull, but some of them have a bit of flash. This was more frequent on the turret and gun. A really nice build. From the look of things I guess I’ll paint this one during the weekend. That would be an absolute record for me.

Hull ready, turret follows close behind

1-07-2008

I’ve done the hull and suspension. The additional toolbox from the Blast set was glued in place and once again it’s perfect. Just a tiny air bubble in there bit the detail is awesome and the fit superb. It adds a lot of character to the Stuart and it will result in a different model. If possible I like to make little changes to the versions included in the kit to make them more  unique. The tracks are very good and I see no need for aftermarket tracks. I’ve primed them with Tamiya primer and it sticks very well, so I guess that I’ll have no problem with painting them, which is a major issue with vinyl tracks from any brand. The fit of this kit is superb as can be verified by the included photos. Amazing if we think that the hull consists of more than 10 parts. They go together smoothly. All the detail on parts is very crisp from the welds on the hull to the tiny bolts that come molded on parts.

The turret is already painted on the inside. Gun, radio and the weathering is also done. I only have to paint the top panels and periscopes before closing it. Again, here I am detailing something that no one will ever see. There’s a good excuse to open the hatches and put some figure un there. Not all will be lost.

Photos taken with Canon EOS 1D Mark III TrueVision lighting products

Painting. The fun begins

7-07-2008

The Stuart is painted.

I used the pre shading method that didn’t work very well on previous attempts. I guess that the colors that I used over it were very thick, or I made too many passes and destroyed the effect. But tins time it worked perfectly. I used Lifecolor paints from their Olive Drab Allied set, and again, top notch product. These paints are ideal for airbrushing. With very diluted paint I have a degree of control that is difficult to match with any other paint.

The layers are very thin and the detail is all there after the paintjob is complete. I made the pre shade in black, in areas that are typically less exposed to light, or in places where I needed to enhance some detail. This will be further enhanced by a dark wash on weld lines, recesses and all those little things that need attention. The center of the panels were further lightened with a mix of the base color and sand color to give it that yellowish look. On top of it all the gloss coat (also very diluted) for decal placement and washes.

Update

14-07-2008

Decals are on, and weathering is progressing very fast. Yesterday I applied the washes and pigments to the hull and tracks. I found that not even the Tamiya primer sticks well to the tracks.

It  started to peel from the guide teeth, but fortunately a little pigment disguised what could otherwise be a great mess. The pigments were applied using two different techniques.

European Dust mixed with water on the recesses and in places where dust accumulates. Another mix, this time European dust with Sand Dust was applied dry with a large round brush to the sides of the hull and front plate. After that I created vertical streaks by removing some of the dry dust with a damp (in water) brush. This creates and effect similar to what would happen if a dusty vehicle with falling rain. The model is very close to completion, with only minor details remaining.

The typical finishing touches that take forever, like the turret machine gun, hatch interior and antenna are among those little details that are still missing. I hope to finish the model very soon. The question is: What model to do next?

Final Veredict

Price
Accuracy/Detail
Build
Extras
Instructions

The surface detail and accuracy is also of note with the absence of the exhaust deflector being the only exception. The vinyl tracks let me thinking if it wouldn’t be better to get the AFV Club workable track set, but I decided to use them and see if the final result was acceptable. After seeing them on I decided to keep them.

The instruction on this kit are also very good and unlike other brands they have everything you need with correct drawings for placement and, very important, correct numbers.

On top of all that a very cool price (around half of a Dragon kit) and we have a winner. Of course I added the flawless stowage set from Blast to give it a little more character.

What is used in this kit

Lifecolor Paints
Bison Decals
Mig washes and pigments

History & Development

The Light Tank M3 was an American light tank of World War II in use with British and Commonwealth forces prior to the entry of the USA into the European theatre. The name General Stuart or Stuart given by the British comes from the American Civil War General J.E.B. Stuart and was used for both the M3 and M5 Light Tank; in British service it also had the unofficial nickname of Honey. To the United States Army the tanks were officially known only as Light Tank M3 and Light Tank M5.

 The British Army was the first to use the Light Tank M3 as the "General Stuart" in combat. In November 1941, some 170 Stuarts took part in Operation Crusader. The results were mostly disappointing. Although the high losses suffered by Stuart-equipped units during the operation had more to do with better tactics and training of the Afrika Korps than with any superiority of German vehicles in the North African campaign, the operation revealed that the M3 lagged behind enemy tanks. Mentioned in the British complaints were the 37 mm M5 gun – too weak by the standards of 1941 – and poor internal layout. The two-man turret crew was a significant weakness, and some British units tried to fight with three-man turret crews. On the positive side, crews liked its quickness and mechanical reliability, hence its unofficial nickname of "Honey". The high speed and high reliability distinguished the Stuart from British cruiser tanks of the period. From the summer of 1942, when enough US medium tanks had been received, the British usually kept Stuarts out of the main battlefront, using them primarily for reconnaissance. The turret was removed from some tanks to save weight and improve speed and range. These vehicles became known as "Stuart Recce". Some others were converted to armored personnel carriers and were known as "Stuart Kangaroo", and some were converted command vehicles and known as "Stuart Command". M3s, M3A3s, and M5s continued in British service until the end of the war, but British armor units had a smaller proportion of these light tanks than US units.

The other major lend-lease recipient of the M3, the Soviet Union, was even less happy with the tank, considering it undergunned, underarmored, likely to catch fire and too sensitive to fuel quality. The radial aircraft engine used in the M3 required high-octane fuel. However, the M3 was superior to early-war Soviet light tanks such as the T-60. In 1943, the Red Army tried out the M5 and decided that the upgraded design wasn’t much better than the M3. Being less desperate than in 1941, the Soviets turned down an American offer to supply the M5. M3s continued in Red Army service at least until 1944.

In U.S. Army service, the M3 first saw combat in the Philippines. A small number fought in the Bataan peninsula campaign. When the American army joined the North African Campaign in late 1942, Stuart units still formed a large part of its armor strength. After the disastrous Battle of the Kasserine Pass, where M3s and M5s faced German Panzer IVs and heavy Tigers, the US quickly followed the "British route", disbanding most of their light tank battalions and including one company of Stuarts to medium tank battalions, to act as scouting and screening units. For the rest of the war, most US tank battalions had three companies of medium tanks (normally the medium Tank M4) and one company of M3s or M5/M5A1s.

In the European theater, the light tanks had to be given secondary roles since they could not survive against most enemy AFVs. The only place where the Stuart was still adequate was the Pacific Theater, as Japanese tanks were both relatively rare and, when met, were weakly armored and armed. Japanese infantrymen were poorly equipped with anti-tank weapons and tended to attack tanks using close-assault tactics. In this environment, the Stuart was only moderately more vulnerable than medium tanks.

However, the number of M3s/M5s produced was so great (over 25,000 including the 75 mm HMC M8), that the tank remained in service until the end of the war. In addition to USA, United Kingdom and USSR, it was also used by France, China and Tito’s partisans in Yugoslavia (M3A3s and few M3A1).

After the war, some countries chose to equip their armies with cheap and reliable Stuarts. The M5 played a significant role in the First Kashmir War (1947) between India and Pakistan, including the battle of Zoji-la pass at an incredible altitude of nearly 12,000 ft. The vehicle remained in service in several South American countries at least until 1996.

During the 60′s and 70′s, the Portuguese Army also used some in the war in Angola, where its all terrain capability (compared to wheeled vehicles) and fire power were greatly appreciated.

Observing events in Europe, American tank designers realized that the Light Tank M2 was becoming obsolete and set about improving it. The upgraded design, with thicker armor, modified suspension and new gun recoil system was called ";Light Tank M3".

Production of the vehicle started in March 1941 and continued until October 1943. Like its direct predecessor M2A4, the M3 was armed with a 37 mm M5 gun and 5 .30-06 Browning M1919A4 machine guns: coaxial with the gun, on top of the turret in an M20 AA mount, in a ball mount in right bow, in the right and left hull sponsons.

To relieve the demand for the radial aero-engines used in the M3, a new version was developed using twin Cadillac automobile engines. The new model (initially called M4 but re-designated M5 to avoid confusion with the M4 Sherman) also featured a redesigned hull with sloped glacis plate and driver’s hatches moved to the top. Although the main criticism from the using units was that the Stuarts lacked firepower, the improved M5 series kept the same 37 mm gun. The M5 gradually replaced the M3 in production from 1942 and was in turn succeeded by the Light Tank M24 in 1944.

Specifications

• Weight : 14.7 tonnes (32,400 lb)
• Length : 4.5 m (14.8 ft)
• Width : 2.46 m (8.1 ft)
• Height : 2.3 m (7.5 ft)
• Crew : 4 (Commander, gunner, driver, co-driver)
• Armor : 13 – 51 mm
• Primary armament : 37 mm M6 in M44 mount (174 rounds)
• Secondary armament : 3 x .30-06 Browning M1919A4 MG (7,500 rounds)
• Engine : air-cooled Continental-Wright radial petrol 250 hp (186 kW)
• Power/weight : 17.82 hp/tonne
• Suspension : Vertical volute spring
• Operational range : 120 km (74 mi)
• Speed : 58 km/h (36 mi/h) (road), 30 km/h (18 mi/h) (off-road)

The vinyl tracks. Not bad, detail wise...

Primer applied

Primer applied

Primer applied

Base coat and post shading

Base coat and post shading

A coat of gloss before the "big" decals

Yet another Israeli tank… Israel has a long history of conflicts with its neighbors. Since the Independence war, two major wars and an ongoing conflict that lasts till today has turned their armed forces into  a very effective machine, and often with surprising results.

There is something in their ingenuity that distinguishes them from every country. The continuous transformations and adaptations to their material turned the specific Israeli versions of AFV into something very peculiar. The fact that they had T55′s was a total surprise to me. But then again, Germans had Russian vehicles and Russian had German vehicles. The reason was exactly the same – captured T55′s were converted and deployed under Israeli colors after 1969.

The Tiran existed in three major versions, depending on which base version they were transformed from. They were no more than captured Egyptian, Syrian and Jordanian tanks converted to suit their needs, namely the substitution of the main gun and several other transformations to the tank.

I’m going to build the Tiran 5 version. Based on the excellent Tamiya T55A with a Blast Models resin conversion this is going to be one of my all time favorite projects. If you read my pages you probably guessed that I have a soft spot for Israeli armor, so a Centurion and other Israeli AFV’s are planned.

The Kit(s)

Tamiya makes an excellent T55, and Trumpeter makes a really bad Tiran 5.

There was not much to decide. I decided to get the Tamiya kit and one of the best (if not the best) Tiran conversion for making the Tiran 5 – The Blast Models resin kit.

There’s not much to say about the Tamiya kit, so I’m just going to "talk" about the resin kit from Blast. It’s awesome!

The quality of the resin parts is second to none and the accuracy is also of note.

All the photos and reference material I could gather, confirm the accuracy of details of the kit.

From the cupola hatches, to the turret and hull racks, everything seems to have been checked and rechecked on this conversion.

The only minor issue being the gun tube, in which the front section comes a little warped.

However, I don’t panic anymore. I just use hot water and an hair dryer and it’s just a matter of minutes till everything is in order.

Some other parts are going to be used on the kit, namely a set of excellent Friul tracks, the Eduard basic T55 set, a generic tie down loops set from Aber and of course, Bison decals.

The building started already and I’m changing and detailing all the small things that are needed to make this kit a remarkable model.

Building

12-04-2008

Building a kit like this has it’s advantages.

The Tamiya base is excellent in every respect. The way the parts go together is typical of their high quality and that’s what I would expect from them. And I start to think the same about Blast Models.

Their resin sets are always good. In this particular case it was done as a perfect match for the T55 from Tamiya. The end result is surely top notch, provided one handles it with care.

Working with resin is not the same as working with plastic and there’s a need for that little more attention.

I’ve been having a precious help from an authority on IDF armor.

I’ve joined a forum exclusively dedicated to this area and on that forum I found a very helpful Moderator. None other than the head of the Latrun Armor museum in Israel – Michael Mass.

He is a reserve L. Colonel of the IDF and he happens to be a former "Tiranist".

He has the most amazing collection of photos of all IDF armor and specifically of the Tiran.

He provided information and photos of details I could never imagine. This help can turn a regular model into a very accurate replica of the real thing. I had a crush on IDF armor, but with this kind of help a lot more will follow.

I can see myself doing the Achzarit, Shot Kal, Nagmachom etc etc. Almost all details are done and in just a couple of hours the kit will go to painting. And that’s the proof of the pudding.

Turret ready… well, almost

Apr 13, 2008

The turret is now ready. After countless hours doing all the details, it’s finally complete and ready for painting. I like to give a coat of Tamiya primer for two reasons:

1. Because of different materials (resin, metal, plastic) the paint tends to behave differently if a coat of paint is applied directly
2. It highlights any imperfection that may exist and gives the opportunity to correct before it’s too late.

The hull follows close. Most of the work is done and there are only a few minor details missing. I guess that with 4-5 hours work it can be ready for the first coat of primer.

Hull ready

Apr 18, 2008

After the turret there was a huge amount of detailing needed on the hull. Some of it was already done, but what was missing meant a lot of hours looking through a magnifying glass.

All the parts from the Blast kit, the PE on boxes, tie down links, and an endless amount of little things took 5 days (around 4-5 hours each) to do. In the meantime I decided to have a go at lowering the  suspension. It was too high but it was already glued.

With the use of Tamiya Thin Glue (it has the ability to soften previous glue) and some twisting, I lowered the suspension 4-5 mm. And that changes the stance of the tank significantly. It looks heavier and meaner.

After all those small details, the hull was painted with a first coat of primer and the usual set of photos taken. Here they are to the right.

The last one was a last minute change, again thanks to the invaluable help of forum members. This time in Armorama. A member pointed out that the ventilation slot was not there and in fact it was quite easy to do. A file, a small strip from a PE fret, some filler and 1.5 hour of work produced that little slot that I missed from all the reference material I saw. Many things in this model were result of the input on forums.

1. The mount for the IR light on the turret was modified from the original Tamiya part.
2. Sink marks on the rear of the turret that I didn’t notice. They were the placement marks for the original kit
3. The suspension height
4. The angle of the ammo box on the right side of the turret
5. The ventilation slot on the base of the turret
6. Chamfer the base of the turret

Very easy to correct, but I would miss them if it wasn’t the sharp eye of these guys. Some of them were a dramatic improvement on the model, like the suspension or the IR light mount that would not survive scrutiny from more informed T55 modelers (as it didn’t). Many thanks to them.

I’m planning to paint the base coat this weekend and according to the best examples I’ve seen, Tamiya Buff is the base color. Why change a  wining team? If Adam O’Brien used it on is EXCELLENT Tiran, then I’m sure it’s suited for me.

Painting

Apr 20, 2008

The work is progressing fast. Maybe because I want to see the final result ASAP. I applied a base coat of Tamiya Buff (1.) and post shade of Xrtracrilycs Israeli Sand (2.). A brown filter from Mig (Sin Industries) was used to enhance the post shade effect in some places (3.).

This is used to give more depth to some recesses or even to change the way the light normally behaves on a surface. Vertical surfaces are normally lighter because they are less exposed to strong sunlight.

But before further filters and washes I had to apply decals and this was done over a coat of gloss varnish where the decals were to be placed. I preferred to use this approach so that I don’t apply to many coats to the model.

The decals are from the recent set released by Bison (I’m still missing the registration numbers, and they are needed for this model) with Microscale Microsol.

Oops…

Apr 21, 2008

I don’t know why, but I have a tendency to mess up Israeli colors. They seem easy at first sight but things can go wrong very fast. After the filter and gloss for the decals I could not stop looking at the model thinking it was too yellow.

I looked at it under natural light and it was in fact too yellow. At this stage the decals were on and correcting the color was a tough job. But I just could not let things as they were. I planned a strategy for solving the problem.

All decals needed to be masked and a mist of the correct color had to be sprayed on. But what color? After several tries, a mix of Tamiya Buff, White and light grey seemed to be the correct mix.

The proportion is 60% Buff+20% White+20% Tamiya Light Grey. A very diluted (20% paint+80% water) was then sprayed over the model.

In the end I removed the masks from the decals and did it over them, blending the decals with the base color. White got less white and the decals seem painted on the model.

Looking at the results I can say that the color seems the right tone.

Pigments and weathering will take care of the rest. Again a close call on a paint color that was getting out of tone.

Weathering

This was a two phase process with a lot of time between the two phases. The first chipping and pigment application was really very soft. I did it in May, and the model was just sitting on the shelf for a while waiting some details. In the meantime I made other models and especially changed my view of chipping and weathering.

The two DVD’s by Mig productions had a very important role in this. It’s amazing how your perception changes when you see other modelers work.

When I grabbed the model from the shelf a few days ago I understood immediately that the chipping was way to soft and the tank was nowhere as dirty as it should be. So I decided to revisit the process and do it again. Even when I think I’m doing much more chipping, some view it as very subtle and controlled and that’s exactly what I want to achieve.

I just applied lighter base color and metal spots in places where it seemed reasonable to have them. After all, when you look at a vehicle this big you can find countless little imperfections on the surface. The pigments werejust dropped on the surface and then blended with Mineral White Spirit.

The cables the registration plate and a few painted details on the cupola and hatches finished the ensemble.

I hope you like it, because I sure do.

Acknowledgments

Special thanks to Michael Mass and the folks at IDF in Scale forum. Without them and their priceless input this would be a much worse model than it is.

What was used in this kit

Tamiya T55A Blast Models Conversion for Tiran 5
Friul Tracks
Eduard set for T55
Tasca .50 MG Set
Aber .30 metal barrels
Bison decals
Karaya Cables

It’s quite common among modelers to be drawn to WWII German Tanks. Not just because of their fame but also because their technical superiority and design. They are the paramount of tank development during that period.

But there are some remarkable examples of what the other countries were doing at the time.

The Sherman was one of them and the T34 was the other. Those are probably the most famous tanks of the Allies.

And then there was a multitude of other vehicles, from light tanks to support vehicles, some more obscure than others, and I mean obscure because they didn’t achieve the same status of the tanks that we all know about.

The T70 was one of them. It equipped the Soviet Forces in large numbers (more than 8.000) and it got his share of combat action. Usually on the loosing side, because facing 75mm shells in this tiny tank had a know and very unpleasant result.

The MiniArt Kit

Before the fall of the Berlin Wall it was very difficult to have reasonably accurate kits of Soviet military material. They were based in photos or examples that were in Western museums but the choice was scarce.

Recently a few Eastern brands began releasing much more accurate representations of tanks and the best After Market parts are indeed based in Eastern Countries.

Miniart from Russia makes excellent kits of WWII Soviet tanks and vehicles but I didn’t know exactly how good they were. I bought this one on my LHS for a reasonable price and decided to start building it a few days ago (while waiting for the metal barrel for my Staghound).

I must say I’m quite impressed with the quality of the kit. The plastic comes in two shades of grey  and the surface detail is excellent. At first the plastic seems a bit soft, but I found that’s not the case.

The plastic has the adequate consistency with the possible exception of the suspension arms. However, if they bend out of shape they are easy to "convince" to go back to the correct position.

There are very small parts on the kit and flash cannot be seen except in a few cases where it is so small that it’s just a matter of a couple of minutes to get rid of it.

The tracks are the individual  link variety and the molding is absolutely fantastic. Building one track is a matter of patience but that’s why I do kits – to relax and erase from my mind the troubles from everyday work.

I decided to complement this kit with a fine metal barrel from Aber and the Photo Etch set from Eduard. Those little things that add credibility to a model, like grids, handles and all those impossible to do in plastic.

The rest is a matter of work, dedication and good reference materials. By chance I found that one issue on Steel Masters (that I subscribe) has an article on the T70M and a photo of the tank I’m going to depict. Talk about luck..

Building starts

03-02-2008

This was probably the fastest build I ever did. In a matter of hours, the hull, turret and fenders were done.

The fenders are from the Eduard set and they were soldered like all metal should be (eh eh).

After the results I got on the Hetzer with photo etch soldering, I’ll never use ciano again to secure metal to metal. The only problem with this approach is the type of language I often use when holding parts heated at 500 Celsius. I tend to forget how hot those metal parts get.

The fenders are by far the most complicated part on this build, followed by the tracks that need assembling link by link. In the photos you can see the fenders already in place, the grilles for the engine compartment and the stowage set from Blast Models. I like to give some "life" to my models with the inclusion of something that gives away human presence. What better than the bags and boxes that crews used to put on their tank?

This particular tank has a whitewash  over the regular Russian green color of that period. Only the upper part of the hull is painted white (normally it was done very crudely at the field) and this is going to be my premiere in this kind of painting. If I manage to build those tracks fast enough I guess I’ll start painting this week, so be tuned for

further developments

Close to the end

06-02-2008

Tracks done and moving forward to detailing.

The Eduard set has a lot of things that have to be changed or added to the kit.

One of the things I did was to wrap the exhausts with thin Tamiya tape strips. I had this image in the back of my mind that I had seen this somewhere. In fact in some period photos you can see the exhaust pipes that come out of the engine wrapped in asbestos. I just couldn’t find where I saw a kit built this way. So I decided to review all my magazines to find that build article.

I found it on Model Military International and I replicated the same effect the exact same way. From the photos of the specific vehicle I’m going to build there are no photos of that detail, but I don’t care. It adds a nice effect to the tank and from the logical point of view I imagine that it would be something that the infantry guys riding on the tank would appreciate.

I’m not going to detail the interior. It was very simple and there was no way that it would end up good enough. The only parts that are included on the kit are the gun and some parts for the hatch.

Best to build the tank with the hatch closed and detailed on the outside. I’m in the finishing phases of detailing just prior to painting. I guess that I’ll have two kits for painting in a couple of days. Painting is what I like best, so it’s nice to do two in a row.

Close to the end

08-02-2008

All the tiny bits are done. After a couple of nights of work I just painted it with Tamiya primer and the painting will follow. That’s the part I really enjoy. On the first photo on the right you can see the wrapping around the exhaust pipes simulated with thin stripes of Tamiya paper tape.

In the pic the tiny straps that hold the pipes to the mufflers are not visible but are there .

The sag on the tracks was made using the most important tools for the job – hair dryer and toothpicks.

This weekend the green base coat is going to be applied over some pre shading. I ‘m going to pre shade in spite of applying a whitewash over it, because I can have second thoughts and I’ll do it anyway. It’s a good training anyway.

Painting and weathering

11-02-2008

On the left you can see the result of my efforts in painting my first whitewashed tank. The process was not as straight forward as I expected. First it was painted in Russian green with a clear coat over it. I was expecting that with some scratches the green could appear again (like in the real tanks) but what happened was not exactly as planned. The white coat and the green coat bonded so well that any scratch no matter how light would expose the plastic.

Plan B.

Dry brushing with green… Amazingly the Plan B worked better than I expected and the white seems to have faded under the action of rain and snow.

The worn areas (front hull), turret and fenders were painted this way. It looks like the the places where the crew get in and out of the tank are already exposing the green base coat.

Perfect.

Exactly the desired effect. I’ve started to apply pigments on  the exhausts and the next step is the oil wash and graphite wear effect in places where the metal needs to be exposed.

The part that is really terrifying is the mud part. I don’t want to mess the lower hull too much, so I’m training in pieces of plastic before I decide to do it on the model. You’ll soon see if I messed up big or not…

Pros

• Good quality plastic. Easy to work on.
• Nice surface detail. Weld lines well represented and surface roughness of metal molded on the plastic
• Fine detail all-round. Delicate parts are well molded
• Individual link tracks are excellent in detail.

Cons

• Very basic instructions, although it’s not a very complicated kit.
• To build a really appealing kit, some AM photo etch set has to be used increasing the final price a bit. But this is just me. I like detail at this level.

What was used in this kit

Aber barrel for T-70 Eduard Photo Etch Set 35909 Blast Models T-70 Stowage set

Related sites

Blast Models
Eduard
Aber

History

The T-70 light tank was used by the Army of the Soviet Union during World War II, replacing both the T-60 scout tank for reconnaissance and the T-50 light infantry tank for infantry support.

The T-80 light tank was a more advanced version of the T-70 with a two-man turret—it was only produced in very small numbers when light tank production was abandoned.

The T-90 self-propelled anti-aircraft gun was a prototype vehicle with twin machine guns, based on the T-70 chassis. The T-70 was armed with a 45-mm L/46 gun Model 38 with forty-five rounds carried, and a coaxial 7.62-mm DT machine gun.

The tank was operated by a driver and a commander who loaded and fired the gun. Armor thickness on the turret front was 60 mm, hull front and sides: 45 mm, rear and turret sides: 35 mm, roof and bottom: 10 mm.

By 1942, light tanks were considered inadequate by the Red Army, unable to keep up with the T-34 medium tank and unable to penetrate the armor of most German tanks. But they could be produced by small factories which were unable to handle the large components of medium and heavy tanks.

The T-70 was an attempt to remedy some of the shortcomings of the T-60 scout tank, which had very poor cross-country mobility, thin armor, and an inadequate 20-mm gun. It also replaced the very short production run of the T-50 light infantry tank, which was more sophisticated, but also much too complicated and expensive to produce. The T-70 was designed by N. Astrov’s design team at Factory No. 38 in Kirov.

The first batch of T-70s were built with a GAZ-202 automotive engine on each side of the hull, one driving each track. This arrangement was seen to be a serious problem, even before the first tanks were issued. It was quickly redesigned as the T-70M (although it continued to be referred to as just T-70), with the engines in-line on the right side of the tank and a normal transmission and differential. The conical turret was replaced by one more easily welded out of plate armor, and moved to the left side of the hull. Curiously, even after the T-70’s production line was redesigned, SU-76 self-propelled guns started to be built with the same unsatisfactory unsynchronized two-engine layout, and all of them were later recalled for factory rebuilding as SU-76Ms.

T-70s were put into production in March 1942 at Zavod No. 37, and along with T-60 production at GAZ and Zavod No. 38. They completely replaced T-60 production in September 1942, although that tank remained in use until the end of the war.

Production ended in October 1943, with 8,226 vehicles completed. In April 1942, the conical turrets on early-production machines were replaced with new welded turrets. The end of the T-70’s production run was built with two 85-hp GAZ-203 engines, a Mark 4 commander’s periscope replacing a vision slit, and other improvements.

The T-70 remained in service until 1948.

Specifications

• Weight 9.2 tonnes
• Length 4.29 m
• Width 2.32m
• Height 2.04m
• Crew 2
• Armor 60 mm
• Primary armament 45 mm gun Model 38
• Secondary armament 7.62 mm DTcoaxial
• Engine 2×GAZ-202 70+70 hp (52+52 kW)
• Power/weight 15 hp/tonne
• Suspension torsion bar
• Operational range 360 km
• Speed 45 km/h