AFV Modeller - 111 - 3 - 4 - 2020

111
MAR/APR 2020 • £6.95 UK $15.99

www.mengafvmodeller.com
PETE USHER’S AWARD-WINNING DIORAMA

2 Mind the Gap
Pete Usher’s dramatic rail-yard diorama
10 M1128 Stryker MGS

Sean Lynch takes the AFV Club kit into the Premier League
18 Communication Breakdown
The Editor gets funk-y with Meng’s Kingtiger
26 High Roller
The Gentleman’s choice of armoured car by Domingo Hernandez Martin
38 Panzerkampfwagen IV Part 29
The Editor continues detailing Trumpeter’s 1:16 kit.
48 Keeping Track
New releases.
54 Abandoned IS3
Karel Sutt models one of the forgotton Soviet beasts of Shikotan Island
Meng AFV Modeller is published Bimonthly by

AFV Modeller ltd
Old Stables
East Moor
Stannington
Northumberland
NE61 6ES
Tel: 01670 823648
Fax: 01670 820274
Editor and Designer: David Parker

email: [email protected]
Deputy Editor and Designer: Mark Neville ‘Like’ us to follow what’s new and
email: [email protected] follow our build projects.
Sales Director: Keith Smith
AFV Modeller welcomes contributions from interested parties, but cannot accept any responsibility
email: [email protected]
for unsolicited material. The contents of this publication including all articles, drawings and
photographs originated by AFV Modeller ltd become the publishers copyright under copyright law.
ISSN 2059-4305 Reproduction in any form requires the written consent of the publisher. Whilst every care is taken to 1
avoid mistakes AFV Modeller ltd. cannot be liable in any way for errors or ommissions.
2
MIND THE GAP
Pete Usher’s award-winning dramatic diorama
The Battle of Kolberg was the taking extremely desperate fighting by the connecting lines. The Soviet and Polish
of the city of Kolberg by the Soviet army Germans to hang onto the city. forces pushed the Germans out of the city
and its allies from the occupying German with large numbers of German forces
forces during March 1945. The Soviets by German forces were ordered to hold the escaping by sea. SS forces worked hard in
this point were pushing the German forces city with no more withdrawals but with so Kolberg as they realised they would need
back across Europe daily. Kolberg was a much forward momentum by the Soviets to slow the Soviet attack, while plans were
strategic goal for both Soviet and German there could only really be one outcome. drawn up for the German withdrawal. The
forces due to its working port which was There were lots of smaller battles in and city was in Soviet hands by the end of
essential for resupply. The battle of Kolberg around the city with some of the worst March 1944.
has always piqued my interest with some focused around the railway yards and
3
AFV-111 March/April 2020.qxp_AFV/26 Jan/Feb 06 10/02/2020 10:33 Page 4
The Story Composition needed to keep everything almost parallel

but to help get around this, I very slightly
Dioramas must above all tell a story; the Composition is at the forefront to make the pointed the tracks inward at the back of
viewer should know almost immediately story make sense and focus the viewer's the scene creating a very slight ‘V ‘shape.
what is going on. The original idea came to eye on focal points in the diorama. Rule two – Dead ground: to keep the focus
me while playing around with some on the story, you must avoid dead ground
diorama ideas with my son Harry; originally, The challenges I had with this diorama areas of the diorama that add nothing to
I had an overturned train with a man left in were staring straight into the face of two the story. Dead ground can dilute the
no man’s land. This triggered my fundamental no goes of diorama building, impact of the story and possibly even lose
imagination to ask how would the other parallel lines and dead ground! the focus completely. MIND THE GAP
soldiers act in this situation? They can’t go needed to have a gap; too small and the
The golden rule is, you never place the troops would be able to rescue the injured
out into the sniper trap, but the high
building/vehicles parallel to the base, you man, too large and it would detract from
emotion and the comradery between the
always keep them slightly on an angle so the story. After settling on the right
soldiers would mean his comrades would
as not to clash with the right angles of the distance between the train and carriage,
risk their lives trying to rescue him. This
base. I did angle the resin tracks (which the dead ground was populated with
scene expanded as a true boiling pot of
are from JoFix Studios and are absolutely various railway related items, Miniart make
emotion and division in the men looking on.
stunning and much better than the tracks a beautiful water tower. I also added some
With the focus around the railway yard in
in the kit) in the design stage, but the more of the loose tracks as railway repair parts
Kolberg, MIND THE GAP was born plus the
I moved the vehicles clockwise the more it from the mother kit. Populating the ground
title had an interesting play on words from
reduces the noticeable ‘gap’, and this also gave me the opportunity to subtly
the UK Train system; these words are
diorama was all about the ‘gap’! So I highlight the just abandoned layer by
printed on the train platforms.
adding a wheelbarrow with the toolbox and
tools from the Yen Models range, the
balance again needs to be struck here, the
ground is open and empty to give space
but populated enough to not make the
ground dead and pointless.
4
Trumpeter’s BR52 Locomotive Eduard photo-etched set for the interior pigments and powders from the Mig
and exterior of the kit. The exterior set range. I used Vallejo paints throughout
This is a huge kit! I was glad to be only had some essential replacement steps thinned to highlight and define the
using one-third of this monster, but I did and grills. different shades and panels.
mark up the sprues as normal with the
masking tape letters to reduce the Painting The Engine The only other main colour on the BR52
‘looking for the right sprue time’ I had was the Red undercarriage; this was a
never built a train before and really The painting was from a base coat of safety indicator to help highlight the train
enjoyed the researching and working in a black acrylic primer followed by two to workmen on the tracks, bright red was
new area of the hobby. The footplate of layers of hairspray. Once the hairspray not a very tactical colour during wartime
the train was going to be on show, due was dry, I sprayed over a patchy, dark so often it was painted over in the
to the huge gap in the rear of the grey colour, then softly removed the grey traditional black but I did see reference
footplate where the tender connected. I layer with a wet brush to further build up pictures of BR52 at this time with very
am lucky enough to live close to a steam the layers of grime and soot. A black worn red lower parts, so I thought I
railway museum, so after an afternoon base out the bottle can be difficult to would go with this, as a bit of artistic
there I was armed with lots of new work with and too dense for this scale, licence also helped to break up the black
reference on how these things looked so a black grey foundation was a perfect colour of the train and add another layer
inside. I soon realised even though the platform to build up the weather layers, of interest to the paintwork.
interior of the kit was very nice, it was which consisted of various greys and
missing a lot of detail, so I purchased the grey/brown/black washes from AK plus
5
The Wagon
Another outstanding addition to this
project was the Covered Wagon G10
made by Sabre Models. It has
outstanding detail throughout, with
photo-etched parts included. The wagon
was cut like the BR52 using a super fine
hacksaw blade so as to keep the cut as
smooth as possible.
I did score the wooden panels with a

scalpel to give the cart more interest and
opportunity to weather the wooden
panels later in the painting stage. These
boxcars came in two main colours, a red
primer colour and unpainted probably
just creosoted for protection from the
weather; I went with the latter starting
from a black-brown base and slowly
highlighted the wooden planks making
them all appear a little different so to
look natural. I worked as I always do in
isolated panels almost finishing the
section before moving onto the next.
The roof effect was the tried and tested
rocksalt method. First I sprayed a dark
grey layer then once that was dry I wet
the roof with water and then sprinkled
rock salt over the damp area. I sprayed
a lighter grey over the salt and once the
second layer of paint was dry, the salt
can be washed off; leaving a nice subtle
bleached and patchy weathered effect to
such an exposed area. I used AK
powders and pencils to build up further
layers to soften the roof colours.
6
The Base & Groundwork
Once the Joefix tracks were glued to the blue foam base the ground was levelled up with
modelling clay. This layer was not completely flat but made with high and low points to look
natural. Several layers of sieved garden earth were built upon on the hard clay fixed with
watered down PVA glue. In standard open track areas, the stone ballast is highly visible
around the sleepers. In the train yards, these are less prominent, and the ground becomes
more featureless, with even the sleepers disappearing over packed dirt. This was what I
was going for so used some of the Joefix stones but only sparingly. The base was painted
in various Tamiya earth colours, with patches of Tamiya smoke to give a slight sheen to the
damp and semi-frozen earth.
7
Snow
I used crushed baking soda sprinkled over the base
through a tea leaf strainer then gently blown by the
airbrush from one side. This effect was to show a light
dusting of snow, maybe the last of a long winter
blowing across the exposed and cold landscape of a
railway yard.
Figures
This diorama has a total of 14 figures on it, and they
need to completely interact with each other to ensure
everything worked towards the central figure laying in
‘no man’s land’. Complete out the box figures were not
going to work. The figures came from a mixture of
Dragon and Alpine originally; all had Hornet 1/35 heads.
The hardest to convert were the three guys ‘fighting’
one trying to save his friend, the other two trying to pull
him back from exposing himself to the sniper that is
somewhere out of sight! I used Magic sculp for all of
the areas that needed to be sculpted; this putty is very
smooth and dries very hard in a few hours.
Once all the figures and all their equipment were

painted the pins which had been drilled and glued into
their feet to hold them during painting were cut off at
about 7 mm and this pin could be pushed through the
earth, after some final positioning the figures were set
into place with fresh earth and PVA glue worked in
around their feet to make them fully connect and be
part of the diorama.
MIND THE GAP has been one of my longest dioramas

to complete. Working on it on and off over the last two
years has been an enjoyable project with all the new
aspects to the dio, and as always, I have learned a lot
along the way.
Special thanks to Harry Usher and Bob from Spot On

models for all his railway advice.
8
9
AFV Club released its model of the M1128 Stryker Mobile versus the swing arm as depicted in the kit.
Gun System (MGS) in 2008. This just a year or two after
the Stryker MGS entered full service with the US Army. I first began building the kit as an out of the box build in
Over the years various service improvements and an effort to clear some of the back log of kits from my
changes were made to the Stryker MGS that are not stash. However, as I started looking at reference images
covered with the AFV Club kit, with the AFV Club kit from Google searches I came to realize the need to
representing early features of the Stryker MGS. Some of follow one of the options of either slat armour or the
the more obvious changes to the Stryker MGS were a external A/C unit. I decided to build the Stryker MGS with
result of the experiences in Iraq and Afghanistan. the A/C unit, mostly because I didn’t want to go mad
building the slat armour from scratch (to my knowledge
Two of the more unique changes were slat armour for there is only slat armour PE sets for a standard Stryker,
vehicles in combat operations as well as an external air which has a bit of a different arrangement than that of
conditioning (A/C) unit help with crew effectiveness in hot the Stryker MGS).
environments and to keep the onboard computers from
overheating and shutting down. A more minor change I had built a large portion of the AFV Club Stryker MGS
was the use of a rail system for the M2 machine gun when I came to realize that I wanted to update the model
to a more current fielded version.
10
11
NEW TRICKS
One of the first things I noticed about the AFV Club Stryker MGS, even
before the consideration of bringing the model to more current
standards, was that the front wheels were set in a straight ahead
position. I find it a bit more appealing and interesting to show a wheeled
vehicle with its wheels turned. The suspension is relatively complex but I
did some surgery to allow the wheels to be turned and the suspension to
match the turned wheels. Once I had decided that I wanted to add the
external A/C unit, I realized that certain issues would have to be
addressed. The first was that I would have scratch build the A/C unit
using only pictures and no actual measurements. The second was that I
would have to add it to a mostly built model and modification would have
to be made to the model while trying to minimize damaging the details
already added to the model.
The external A/C unit rests in the general area of the pioneer tool rack.
On the real vehicle the rack is relocated to the upper deck behind the
drivers station. On the model the rack itself is moulded onto the hull
where as the tools are added to the model, I had to remove the rack
with minimal damage to it and the tools so that it could be
moved to the correct location. I required a very flat saw to
be able to cut under the rack to remove it with the least
amount of damage possible. I made use of a fine razor saw to
remove most parts from the sprues, the blade itself is very thin and is
normally attached to a handle and very useful to cleanly remove details
from a model (indeed I had used this to articulate the front wheels to the
right). I slowly cut under the tool rack with the razor saw blade being
careful to avoid gouging the hull and preserving the tool rack. This did
take some time as my hand cramped up often holding the saw! The tool
rack was removed successfully. Some clean up was needed on both the
rack and the hull but the damage was minimal.
The suspension of the front wheels

and turn rods was modified to allow
the wheels to be turned to the right.
The tool rack was relocated to

behind the drivers station. The
photoetch for the engine grills
were included with the kit. The
canvas cover of the back of the
drivers hatch is provided as a
rubber piece in the kit, which
was lost so a replacement was
fashioned from plastic strip and
lead foil.
12
I had bought the Voyager Model Modern US Army M1128 Stryker

MGS Machine Gun & Gun shield update set as the reference photos
I was basing this project on showed the M2 gun shields installed.
At this point I still thought I would be using the swing arm mount
that comes with the kit for the M2. However, as I looked a bit more
closely at the Commander’s position it appeared that the M2 was
based on a rail system instead of the swing arm.
I wasn’t sure how I would go about building the rail system when I
stumbled upon a rather full PE update set for the Stryker MGS from
Eduard which includes the rail system (set #36068) and was able to
find a mail order shop near me that delivered this within 3 days.
This was confirmed by the War Wheels website which has a large
amount of Stryker MGS walk around photos that show not only the
commanders station and rail system, but also much closer shots of
the A/C unit than what I had been using. These photos would have
made my building of the A/C unit much easier but as often is the
case they were found too late.
COOL BOX CONSTRUCTION
I needed to work out the dimensions of

the AC unit from the photos I had found
online which I printed and converted to
1:35 comparing those dimensions to the
corresponding areas on the model. This
resulted in a width of 25mm and a
height of 15mm. The external A/C unit
has six cooling fans divided into even
rows and columns. Lines were drawn
into the boxes to find the centerpoint for
the hole to be made for each opening. I
have a punch set with the largest punch
being around 4mm.
13
The diameter of each opening should be adjoined to a center hub for the supports. There is a shelf that sits at the top of the
around 6mm. I tried a few different While not perfect this looks the part with supports for the unit at the protrusion
methods to make the openings the the fans made from punched plastic card point of the engine air system. I again
correct diameter resulting in uneven sitting behind. The unit does have a taper used the razor saw to cut a line at the
openings that were not perfect circles. toward the backside, which was cut using correct position on the protrusion and then
Once the backing mesh was in place and a mitre. A variety of widths of plastic strip inserted a piece of plastic card.
a center hub added it became obvious were used, so supports were used to give
that these would not work. I began to look strength to the sides. Final details of bolts The A/C unit, which had been attached to
around the house for something help me and handles were added to complete the the supports was lined up on the hull and
make the correct size openings, the unit. against the inserted card for the correct
answer came in the form of a paper height. The shape of the protrusion was
punch which, although still a touch small, The A/C unit is attached to the hull with drawn on the card and the piece removed
much closer. The openings of the A/C unit two supports. I had one image which had from the hull. The unwanted section was
are actually covered by a screen a clear side view of the support to make a cut from the card and the upper shelf was
consisting of concentric circles. I did not template The template was then used to installed and final details added. The A/C
have a reliable way to replicate this so I cut the parts out in 0.015 plastic card unit was completed by adding a mud
used mesh for the backing and brass rod (easy to cut) and laminated together. guard beneath the unit.
All of the pictures I have found of

current Stryker MGS’s in the field have
a step ladder carried as part of the
standard equipment. I quickly scratch
built one using plastic rod and strips
along with an altered extra piece from
PRETTY GREEN the kit.
The walk around pictures from WarWheels showed

the STRYKER MGS to be very dark green, almost Antennae mounts from RB Model
emerald green. However, various reference and a horn were added prior to
pictures showed a range of green tones. painting.
After playing around with paint mixes

some more I settled on a mix of Tamiya
Dark Green (XF-61), Flat Green (XF-5) and
Black Green (XF-27) in a ratio of 22:4:6. I
felt this was closer to some of the images
I had found in the google searches, and
felt more on the mark but not quite where
the tone needed to be.
14
The green tones needed some altering from the

olive tone I had painted so far as well as needing
to break up the monotone colour.
This was accomplished by applying

a light glaze (approximately 10%
paint to 90% thinner) with the
airbrush of the JN Green followed
by a glaze of Tamiya NATO Green
(XF-67). A higher concentration of
NATO Green (around 20%) was
lightly misted into the center of the
panels to start adding texture to
the paint and break up the solid
green colour.
Some of the details were painted, such as applied with a brush to metallic items to
ammo boxes and fuel cans. Items such as create a metallic sheen. The pencil was
bolt heads were painted with Vallejo US used to create worn edges in various
Dark Green (70893) to add more variance locations on the vehicle (some spots like
to the greens and help make the details the rear doors were overdone but the
pop. A gloss varnish was applied and a code. graphite was easily washed away after
black pin wash was used to add deep Archer Fine Transfers were used for the these pictures were taken). AFV Club
shadows and enhance the details. AFV stencil numbers of the bumper codes. The stickers for simulating anti-reflective
Club does provide a decent set of decals, codes are loosely based on codes coatings were applied to all optical
but I found the bumper codes did not observed in reference images. devices. The turn signal lights and head
match up with those in my reference lights came from the Voyager Models
images. As such I had to make my own All remaining details such as tools were Modern US Stryker M1134 Lenses and
bumper codes. Tamiya Buff (XF-57) was painted. A graphite pencil was ground Taillights (set BR35126).
the choice for the base of the bumper down on sandpaper and the dust was
DIRTY MIND
The wheels were first randomly covered The dirt layer was “chipped” away from A darker mud colour was made by mixing
with Vallejo Chipping Fluid. A layer of the wheels with a damp brush. The the buff with flat brown (XF-10). This was
dust, Tamiya Buff and Flat Earth (XF-52) residual paint on the brush was able to diluted with water and then brush painted
in a ratio of 8:2, was applied in random be used as a wash for the hubs of the to the outer edges of the tires and into
patterns and thickness. wheels and allowed the dirt to recesses of the treads.
accumulate around the details.
15
The same mud colour as used on

the wheels was painted on the
lower hull in random locations with
a brush. The mud colour was also
spattered onto the lower hull. A
darker shade of the dirt colour was
applied over the same areas that
were chipped. This was followed
by a very thin layer of buff. The
process created some depth to the
dirt accumulation. The buff was
also applied in areas of
accumulation on the upper hull and
turret to complete the build.
16
17
COMMUNICATION Modelled by David Parker Pz.Bef.Wg. Tiger Ausf.B
BREAKDOWN
We all have those neglected projects started with considerable The model is based on a real vehicle serving with s.H.PZ.Abt.FHH
enthusiasm but then for one reason or another they never quite (Feldherrnhalle) and abandoned by its crew in May 1945 after it
get finished and time rolls on. This Command King Tiger was one bogged down in soft ground in Czechoslovakia, where it was
such project it dates back to the release of the Meng King Tiger much photographed. The tank was still in good condition apart
kits and it was built in parallel to another on that featured on the from a shell impact on the bow and it’s missing track guards.
cover of Issue 94 in 2017 and although I had the vehicle largely When working on the model I thought it would be interesting to
completed and the poses of the crew mapped out I never quite fit the full extending antenna mast which then prompted the idea
found time to finish the crew. It was when writing my new book for the crew needing to attract someone’s attention by waving
‘Crew School’ that I returned to the figures and was able to finally and shouting despite the state of the art radio equipment that
complete the model. the tank carried.
18
19
The Meng King Tiger is a straight forward build with just a few withdrawing the tool and repeating. Keeping the tool wet, excess
small tweaks required but the biggest requirement is adding the putty collects on the underside of the tool so it needs to be
Zimmerit coating. This was done using Magic Sculp two part cleaned off at the end of a row. Throughout all of this process it
epoxy putty working on one panel at a time. There really is no can look quite messy with excess putty running onto areas you
substitute for recreating the real application technique and I dont want it along with water from the texturing process. It’s
always use Magic Sculp as it has a nice soft consistency when important not to panic at this point but complete the texturing of
freshly mixed which makes it easy to spread thinly. The ribbed your chosen panel and set it aside with all the messy bits. Once
pattern is one of the easiest patterns to replicate and I use my the putty begins to cure and firm it is easy to go back with a
own tool made from plastic card mounted into a tool holder. scalpel and clean away the excess. You can do this once the putty
Working down each row and holding the tool at an angle it is has dried but it is far harder to remove.
pushed up fractionally under the preceeding ridge before
I use a kebab skewer cut at an angle to roughly Water can be used to help smooth the putty as The whole turret side is covered, areas of
spread the Magic Sculp. the panel is gradually covered. overlap are not a concern at this stage.
My zimmerit tool is simply a piece of plastic card The edges of the plastic strip are very slightly The most complex part is working around the
cut to the width of the zimmerit rows. rounded and it is mounted in a tool holder. track hangers so this is textured first.
Working from left to right and top to bottom the tool is used to create the Treat each panel individually to avoid the inevitable accidental marking of the
ribbed pattern. Keeping the tool wet is critical so that the putty is not dragged pattern before the putty has dried. As it starts to harden any overlaps or
off the surface and any excess putty will collect on the tool so clean it after excess can be cleaned off easily with a scalpel.
completing each row.
Damage to the pattern on the bow is easy to replicate by flaking off the A fairly unique feature of the tank was the ring of concrete that had been
zimmerit. The impact is made with a burr used to create the hole and the lip applied around the cupola. This was also created using Magic Sculp that was
is created with more Magic Sculp. then textured.
20
I added a casting number to the mantlet, brush Changes to the standard King Tiger include the The third antenna mount (Panzerart) was added
painted on using Mr Surfacer. antenna pot from Panzerart and the scratchbuilt next to the Loader’s hatch.
antenna tube
The extendable mast was made from Albion The mount for the extending antenna on the rear hull was also
Alloys slide fit brass tube using the Riich Models constructed from Albion Alloys tube with the zimmerit removed to
version as a guide. The locking clamps were fit the lower socket.
removed from the Riich parts and glued to the
collars. Below A full dry fit of the triple antenna set up. The star antenna
and the other two brass antennas are from the ABER range.
The upper section was made from soldered brass

for strength. This bracket is hinged and rests
against the hull when not deployed. Plastic rod
was used to check the alignment.
Below A test fit of the mast in the brackets
21
Final build touches include a New ABER gun barrel and Photoetched tool clamps. I cheated with these
by just gluing the top strap and handle onto the underlying kit clamps which were shaved down to
accept the photoetched parts.
The assembled gun cleaning rods were made from plastic rod and I used the ET Models resin mounts
for these and the tow ropes. Bolt heads for the skirts were added along with the missing rearmost
mount. Tracks and spare links were replaced with the excellent MasterClub individual link tracks.
Painting
I began with a coat of Mission Models red oxide primer although this colour The three tone scheme was airbrushed using Mission Models camouflage
choice had little relevance to the finished effect. colours over Lifecolor Dunkelgelb.
The limited markings were brush painted, checking the location of the track
links on the side of the turret in order to judge their position.
The area of damaged zimmerit on the bow was painted in primer with bits of
chipped zimmerit picked out too. The model was given a coat of satin varnish
and the concrete cupola collar was painted in a light grey base.
22
The dusty look of the real vehicle was recreated with some acrylic washes The spare tracks were finished in a selection of grey/brown tones and then
and some airbrushing. washes were used to both vary the finishes and add rain streak effects.
tracks were sprayed a dark

Chipping and areas of heavy wear around the hatches were added. As a grey/brown and given a loose
veteran vehicle with at least 9 months service the heavier wear was justified. acrylic wash.
Time to fit the gun cleaning rods and the tow cables and the photoetched I did my best to recreate the look of the tow cables on the real vehicle which
stowage clamps could then be added and painted to blend with the rest of were wrapped around the exhausts.
the hull fittings.
The gouged impact on the bow was given a metallic finish as were the Polished areas were also applied around the edges of the turret hatches.
contact areas on the towing points.
23
The crew figures were sculpted using mannequins as a
base and you can read a very detailed look at the
process of creating them in my ‘Crew School’ book.
Below I had to use a little guesswork for the connection

of the mast into the antenna pot which was one of the
last jobs to be tackled. I used copper wire for the cable,
which was pre-painted before it was fixed in position.
24
25
MENG’S BRITISH
Modelled by
Domingo Hernandez Martin
26
ROLLS ROYCE ARMOURED CAR
In 1914, all available Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost chassis were
confiscated by the Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS), to create a new
armoured car on the proven chassis. This first model consisted of an
armoured body and a revolving turret with a Vickers machine gun.
The model was modernized in 1920 and 1924 giving rise to the Rolls-
Royce Model 1920 and the Rolls-Royce Model 1924. At the beginning
of World War II, 76 vehicles remained in service, which were used in
operations in the Western Desert, the subject of my simple little
vignette.
27
The Gentleman’s Choice of Armoured Carriage
The Meng kit, as we are now giving a more natural effect.

accustomed to from the brand, is of Below you can see that the model is
excellent quality; an easy to work-with very simple as the original, which also
plastic without moulding pin marks or made the painting process much easier
flash, easy to build and a superb fit. In for me. The body without the turret in
this case the kit has a low parts count place shows just how small the crew
which is great for modellers with less compartment was, canned sardines
experience or less time than they’d like. spring to mind! I didn't glue the chassis
Some basic tools and adhesive and and body until it was painted because
you’re ready to go. However, there is it's much easier to work with this way. I
always room for improvement. For have never been a fan of vinyl tires but in
example, in the chassis assembly it is this case I had to use them because
almost obligatory to correct the exhaust there were no quality aftermarket resin
outlet. The piece comes moulded wheels at the time of building the kit.
‘closed’ so the distinctive ‘fish-tail’ shape What I did was to cut, with a very sharp
was simply made from some Evergreen blade, the bottom contact surface
styrene stock in two parts then sanded creating a bulged, weighted
smooth. I stippled the exhaust pipe with appearance. Another area I improved
a little Tamiya putty and an old brush to were the covers of the rear stowage
give it a little texture suggesting an boxes adding hinges and padlocks. Final
oxidised finish. improvements were the beautiful gun
Another element that can be customized barrel set from Russia’s Magic Models
are the wooden parts of the model. They (probably originally designed for the
already come with wood grain effect but vintage Roden kit).
I preferred to add some finer textures by
dragging a wire brush and then sand the
marks a little with a sponge-sanding pad The chassis is easy to
assemble and detail is
good for what’s on show.
Only a few tweaks were carried out

as the kit is very nice straight from
the box; wood grain, stowage box
tops and a re-modelled exhaust
outlet finished the chassis and body.
Aftermarket gun barrels are

something I’m always
tempted by and always an
improvement.
At the time of my build there were no specific

resin wheel sets available for Meng’s kit. DEF
Model have since released some excellent
replacements for the vinyl parts.
28
I usually use a good primer as a
good base to start painting. I also
give my models a clean (warm
water and detergent works fine) to
avoid any adhesion problems later in
the paint process.
My primer of choice is Tamiya’s

Surface Primer it is very easy to use
and apply straight from the can.
the wheels and turret

were separated
before painting began
To apply it you have to
as was the large
stowage box mounted shake it very well and apply it
to the running board. in a well-ventilated area. With this
model, I wanted to try something
different from what I usually do and
started the colour process with a couple of
layers of Tamiya White through the
Caunter Capers airbrush.
The next step was to paint the areas I theoretically wanted to I made the base colour with a mixture of Desert Yellow, White and
darken with Tamiya Purple. When applying the ‘yellow’colours Buff from Tamiya, the combination was mixed by eye but as you
of the following layers, the idea is to cool the warmth of the can see in the photo, the colour is very transparent and I airbrushed
yellow and give definition to the panels and shadows without it in thin layers. You can see subtly the areas I painted with the
the shading becoming ‘dirty’ as we’d get by using black or purple.
brown as pre-shading.
Before painting the rest of the colours, I applied a very light

coat of Tamiya Earth to the areas where dust accumulates.
After drying for a couple of days I started masking to paint the
Caunter scheme colours.
Masking and painting the other two colours is no problem, the
silver grey and green I also did by eye; I’ll ask purists to forgive
me if the colours aren’t to your liking but I had a finish in mind
and stuck with it for ‘my’ model! After this step I began to
apply a good layer of chipping especially in the areas of more
use.
For chipping I used several acrylic colours such

as dark brown for the deepest, sand colour for
the most superficial, rust colour and white to
tint the other two colours for the damaged,
desert look. 29
Here you can see how the
damaged and chipped work looks
on the engine covers.
On the other side, you can see the painting without the chipping
process, you can see depth and modulation of the tones with the
first layer of purple and the pale yellow layer that I applied on top.
With a mixture of light pigments and sand

from the beach, I began the work of
simulating the soil accumulated in the
corners. The use of X-20 thinner allows
retouching the result as it dries. Be careful
The wood bed received intensive work with acrylics; brown, sand and not to touch the area until it has dried
white colours simulate weathered wood. With a brown enamel wash completely.
the grain I added is exaggerated adding to the effect.
My favourite paints to simulate rusty parts like the exhaust pipe.

The Lifecolor rust set is perfect. With different ‘blotches’ I
painted from dark to lighter to reflect the irregularity of oxidised
parts. The brightness was toned-down with light dust colour.
While other work dried I

started to work the big
headlights. The interior of
the headlights were painted
with the chrome colour from
‘Molotov’ pens, the effect is
perfect. To add a little
realism I also added the
bulbs and painted them with
a very diluted pale grey
before adding the kit’s clear
To emphasize the rivets a pin wash with Africa Korps Wash parts for the lens.
enamel was applied, remove excess with a clean brush and a
little Thinner.
30
The windows of the headlights were
glued with Tamiya clear varnish. I
painted the weapons with German
acrylic grey and then rubbed them
with a little graphite. The rest of the
accessories I painted with acrylics.
With a mixture of Europe Earth and North Africa With the help of a soft make-up To give some contrast and fix the
Dust pigment dissolved in the water, I painted the sponge, I began to remove excess pigment, I airbrushed some Tamiya
wheels several times until the pigment stayed in all pigment. In this step it is necessary to colours randomly.
the tire tread. be careful because if we press too
hard we can completely clean the
pigment away.
An important step was to clean the
rubber tires carefully with soap and let
them dry.
A couple of days in the ‘dry dock’ with the model in a closed container to
avoid dust is best for the washes and weathering to dry completely.
The next step was to

make a selective
‘mapping’ with oils
throughout the model.
Small dots of oil paint
are blended into the
camo shades with a soft
dry brush adding
interest to the finish. The
lengthy drying time of
the oil paint allows time
for adjustment.
31
The Panzer Art figures, I really like this
after a good coat of primer, technique because
were painted with acrylics with even dry oil
and then finished with oils paint I can retouch
for shading and highlights. and blend layers
without worrying
about the fast drying
of the acrylic paints.
I made the base very simply with the same mixture of pigments
and sand used previously but adding a little dry grass and a
couple of brown washes in some areas. The big corner stone is
a piece of cork painted with acrylics that breaks the monotony of
the flat, uneven terrain.
32
Another very enjoyable kit
from Meng; very suitable
for beginners or a quick
project for more
experienced modellers
which is great fun to paint
and weather.
33
1 12 !
a g e s
p k
bac
sof t k
boo
Panzerkampfwagen
David Parker builds Trumpeter’s 1:16 kit Part Twenty Nine
This installment sees a change of pace moving back to some on flat terrain. What is certain is that the powered arrangement
construction work to build the turret traverse controls. The Panzer was a complex collection of parts making it one of the most
IV turret was electrically powered up until the Ausf.J when the demanding parts of the model to recreate. Equally certain is the
motor was dropped leaving the poor gunner to manually crank the fact that the kit parts for this area are especially poor as well as
turret around with his handwheel. The gearing was modified with being undersized. This is reflected in how little of the kit I was able
an additional gear and tests proved that the new manual traverse to utilise in what was an almost entirely scratchbuilt project.
out-performed the powered version for smaller angles of traverse
The kit supplied turret traverse and gun elevation controls are dreadfully vague and give
only a loose impression of the real thing. Hanging down below the handwheels is the large
electric motor used to turn the turret and it was this that deleted from the Ausf J leaving
just a manual system. It appears also that the early Ausf up to G used the same type of
motor but that the Ausf H had a different motor design. With only one Ausf H preserved
with its motor intact we have no way to completely verify this.
I started work with the electric motor by removing the conical section from The detail was cleaned off the cone and I constructed a triangular base plate
the top of the kit part. The new motor housing was kindly lathed for me by with cut outs for the lower bolts which were made using the RP Toolz Hex
Graham Trotter. punch and die set. I also salvage the ring from the top of the old kit motor
and the hole in the top of it was filled.
I added new correct ribs to the sides of the cone and I used stippled Mr The double front plate was added to the new pipe and four holes were drilled
Surfacer to create the cast texture of the original. On the motor I added the in the plate to take the ABER screw heads. I used a burr in my motor tool to
large right angled tube and filled it with putty as well as adding the welds contour the block sitting on top of the pipe which will mount the electric cable
38 where the two parts are joined. connections.
A quick dry fit of the motor housing and the mouning bracket shows it taking At this point I started work on the resistance controller box and the alternative
shape nicely. Ausf H motor housing (upside down here). The controller box was shaped in
two parts from laminated plastic glued with CA glue. The motor body was
constructed from a plastic cylinder filled with putty and a laminated base
sanded to shape.
Further sanding of the resistance controller box added the bevelled faces and The upper and lower plates where the box is jointed together were then
a comparison shows that the kit part is undersized slightly. added between the shaped parts and all the parts glued together.
The second motor housing has the ring detail added from strips of plastic and Further details were added to the base of the mounting bracket with angled
the mount is interchangeable for both versions. sections and bolt details around the base ring.
At this point I turned my attention to

the assembly that the motor hangs
under with the handwheel that
controls the whole system. As usual
the mechanism is broken down into
individual parts. The complex
shapes of the new handwheel were
again turned on a lathe for me by
Graham Trotter who also turned the
rear section of the worm gear shaft
and the body of the handwheel
mount.
39
The handwheel is mounted at an angle towards the Gunner and an angled The worm gear shaft is joined to the handwheel with a square peg to allow
plate on the top will carry an indicator lamp to tell the Gunner that the gun is the assembly to be broken down for future casting.
loaded and ready to fire.
Comparing the kit parts with my new parts even at this early stage already The control box 1 on top of the worm gear shaft was built onto the shaft
shows the huge difference in detail. using easy to work with 20thou card with was then filled with putty for
strength.
The worm gear shaft also had an inspection cover added to the other
side and the shaft could now be mounted onto the motor mounting
bracket. The ribs and top of the motor mount were blended into worm
gear putty.
Stacking up the sub-assemblies shows how the motor sits under the control
assembly. On this side of the worm gear assembly the ribs of the motor mount do
not blend in as there is horizontal plate that attaches here and that is the next stage
of the build.
40
I started with the box which contains the drive shaft for the turret ring and A cylindrical burr was used to grind out the rebate where the two parts join
which butts onto the worm gear shaft. I used a solid block of plastic, widened together.
with a lamination on each side and then the curved end was sanded to
shape.
The plate or as I think of it, the shelf is cut from 30 thou plastic with a circular The shelf now sits in position against the worm gear shaft and forms a mount
cut out to butt into the motor mount. The drive box is mounted on the shelf for the whole assembly onto the base of the turret in due course.
and the domed cover plate was annealed before being embossed to form the
dome.
The shelf also acts as a mount for the electrical control box which is bolted The control box dry fitted in position. The small shaft 2 will carry a control rod.
down in three places, two discs and the plate marked X are the mounting
points. The shelf now also has the bolt heads that secure it to the turret base.
The forward facing side of the shelf with the electrical control box in position. The small inspection cover on the motor mount was cut from brass sheet and
The shaft on the end of the electrical control box has a chain drive connecting detailed with ABER screw heads.
it with the end of the worm gear shaft which will be tricky to recreate.
41
On the two motor housings the power supply sockets were added to ‘fronts’ The ‘ready to fire’ indicator was added to the top of the handwheel box with
and the ring around the top of the later version was added using copper wire. its pair of power inputs on the front.
Details were added to the top of the worm gear housing cover plate with Mr The rest of the control linkage was made in parts, the most difficult piece
Surfacer allowed to build up on the end of the control arm to form a ball. being the tapered connecting rod. This was made using Albion Alloy’s micro
brass tube slid over a brass rod. The centre nut was drilled and fed onto the
rod followed by the tubes which were then sanded and then sprayed with
primer filler.
The arm was carefully dry fitted in position and once I was happy with the The control arm switches the turret drive from the powered mode to manual
alignment the parts were glued together to fix the completed arm. I switched
the rear bar with one made of brass for added strength.
The oil filler neck on the side of the worm gear was made from copper wire The drive shaft is next and this is bolted to the underside of the shelf on the
with a punched hexagonal cap. centreline of the brass topped shaft box. The gear wheel was made from
42 strips of plastic, sanded to shape and then glued around a plastic rod. Once
dry it was cut to size.
I had no real way to check the alignment of any of these parts but had to rely Here the two parts are seen in position. The bracket bolts onto the turret ring
on the plans I was working from. The shaft was completed with the spring and is one of the few fixed locations to aide me in aligning the whole motor
and bolted cap. The bracket 4 bolts into the plate on the top of the shelf so I assembly on the floor of the turret which is why the pinned alignment was so
used plastic pins on the bracket which align into the plate. critical.
At the back edge of the shelf there is a spacer plate between it and the base Here the shelf is in position on the turret ring showing the drive connecting
of the turret. It looks simple but establishing its shape was a difficult process. with the toothed ring. In reality the toothed ring is covered and there is a
sheet metal guard around the sprocket.
With all the parts dry assembled with the help of Blutac the assembly could at last be test
fitted on the base of the turret floor. There remain a few small details to add including the
dreaded chain drive and then its on to look at the elevation control which happily is far less
complicated.
The project continues in the next Issue 43
new releases
KEEPING TRACK
Meng 1:35 Magach 6B GAL
Following their earlier release of the Gal Batash (cast your mind take too much of a beating in the harsh terrain of the Middle East.
back to our issue 106 cover star) Meng have now added the Meng have made a great job of the rear engine compartment
earlier 6Bet Gal to their impressive range of IDF armour. This doors with their distinctive diffusing fins. The upper hull is packed
being a more ‘stripped back’ version of the Israeli M60 with only with more superb textures and fine detail with the ERA blocks
the ERA blocks fitted is certainly more recognisable as an M60 nicely replicated and a new turret shell is included with strong
but shares many of the parts of the excellent Gal Batash kit. The mounting points for the ERA armour. Turret detail includes a
complex hull design is stunning with working torsion bar superb .50 Cal, armoured gunner’s sight, smoke launchers and
suspension (including telescopic shock absorbers) and delicate accurate Urdan cupola. The delicate nature of the rear turret
weld details. Wheel detail is super-crisp with separate tyres giving basket is further improved by a photoetched base. Another superb
48 beautiful rim detail and tracks can be made workable with Magach which is sure to be applauded by IDF modellers; we’ll
separate pins and assembly jig. Merkava track was fitted to many have a full build feature in the next issue, don’t miss it!
6B Gals as provided here as opposed to T142 which seemed to
Our part-assembled sample
with some parts dry-fitted
without cement.
Ammo 1:16 Panzer I ‘Breda’

A special anniversary edition by Spain’s AMMO of Takom’s brand the individual panels of the hull compartment. Visors are all
new 1:16 Panzer I Ausf.A which saw action in the Spanish Civil separate with. hinge details so they can be opened but there is no
War. The obvious difference of course is the Breda-gunned turret vision block detail included for the interior of the visors. The kit has
with it’s welded extension and new gun and mantlet plus a no interior detail which is a little problematic given the size of the
chance to finish your Panzer I in something a little more colourful turret hatch in particular and even adding a figure will fail to fill
than dunkelgrau. The kit is pleasingly compact even in this scale what is quite a large hatch. The vehicle tools are nicely replicated
and comes with individual track links, a small photoetched fret for with moulded on clasps for those who dont care for photoetched
the exhaust screens and a braided copper tow rope. The running clasps. This Ammo edition can only be built as the Breda version
gear is quite an involved build partly because of the separate and it includes a dedicated decal sheet and colour marking guide
roadwheel rims but mostly because of the quite complex design with a choice of four different although quite similar schemes. The
of the real thing. One particular complaint I had (which originates instruction booklet also includes some archive images of the
with the original Takom kit) is that most of the instruction for the converted tanks in service which are helpful. Its a great looking
running gear are done with the hull upside down which just model in this scale and bound to tempt some into trying 1:16 as
complicates everything unnecessarily. Once you have the running its not much bigger than a large MBT. 49
gear assembled its plain sailing with the a subframe used to carry
Tank Battles in East Prussia Little known tank battles, both in the former Soviet Union and the West, were fought in
and Poland 1944-45 the closing stages of WWII between October 1944 to January 1945 in Lithuania, East
Prussia and Poland involving the 2nd and 5th Guards Tank Corps, Grossdeutschland,
Igor Nebolsin Hermann Göring and Heavy Panzer Battalion 424. This book is heavy; both physically and
Published by Helion in content with very in-depth detail drawing on original records, first-hand accounts and
Hardbacked format, 520 pages detailed tables of the unit organisation of troops and armoured vehicles. Although an out-
and-out historical documentation there are a lot of (surely rare) photographs from both
ISBN 9781912174065
Soviet and German sources; it would have been preferable from a modelling reference
www.helion.co.uk angle if these had been larger. A very well researched study of these little known battles
and very nicely presented.
American Armor in the PTO armour makes for great modelling subjects with unique field modifications
Pacific and paint schemes with some heavy weathering to top it all off. This new addition
Mike Guardia to the Casemate Illustrated series collates many well known images (around 100)
in this compact reference. The author studies not only the American tactics and
Published by Casemate deployment but also the Japanese in these harsh environments and ferocious
Softback format, 128 pages fighting with crew experiences documented along with the battles fought.
ISBN 9781612008189 Although most images are familiar these books are easy and interesting reads,
50 very nicely presented and good value.
www.casematepublishers.co.uk
Rather than us waxing lyrical about the Editor’s brand new book on converting, sculpting and
painting crew figures for your AFV’s here’s what highly regarded modelling and historical
author Steven Zaloga posted on his social media page:
“I got in David Parker's new book on modelling AFV crew figures today. It differs from a lot of
figure modelling books in that it is aimed squarely at tank modelers. So the painting
techniques are aimed at giving very good results without the convoluted and overly intricate
approaches suggested in many books aimed at dedicated figure painters. He provides very
clear painting guides for faces and uniforms that makes the process seem a lot less
intimidating. The figure conversion sections are particularly good. I especially liked the
suggestion that rather than try to hunt down a figure for a specific army and time period, you
David Parker’s Crew School can often find a more generic tank crew figure and adapt it to your needs with some simple
David Parker changes. A really fine book for anyone wanting to improve their techniques or to start painting
Published by AFV Modeller figures for their AFVs. I bought my copy directly from the publisher.”
Softback format, 112 pages
So there you have it. If you want to start adding or improving your figures this book is a great
ISBN 9780993564673 tutorial for modellers of all abilities with the added bonus of containing a great selection of
www.afvmodeller.com images showcasing David’s work over the years.
Medium Tank M3 Lee I

Slawomir Zajaczkowski
Published by Kagero
Kagero’s ‘Topdrawings’ are a wide range of fully detailed scale reference drawings and
Softback format, 20 pages plus inspirational colour profiles, this volume (number 79) focusses on the early version of the
A4 pull-out, American built M3. The drawings take a chronological look at the development of this
Polish / English text interesting tank with great visual reference of production changes, perfect if you have one
of the recent beautiful MiniArt kits or anything from Takom’s excellent range. Drawings 51
ISBN 9788366148482 include Australian and Lend-Lease Soviet M3s. If you’re a fan of the M3 keep tuned in to
www.casematepublishers.co.uk our Facebook page and website, there’s something very special on it’s way…
Wehrmacht in the Mud The ‘Camera On’ series continues which is great news for those who enjoy images depicting
‘real’ war images taken by the troops on the ground without propaganda censorship, for
Alan Ranger
modellers this results in some great reference. ‘We only have to kick the door down and the
Published by MMP Books whole rotten edifice will come tumbling down’ was the famous quote regarding Germany’s
Softback format, 80 pages invasion of Russia, but as history repeated itself the harsh Russian weather became the
ISBN 9788365958549 enemy. This is an excellent collection of images depicting the misery and struggle in the
Russian mud with chapters grouped into tanks and SP guns, trucks, artillery and so forth.
www.mmpbooks.biz Images vary in quality but all are chosen for their interest; so many crying out to be created
in miniature. A great addition to this series which offers superb value.
Cross-Country Lorries. More fresh images in the Camera On series and a

German Manufacturers must-have for fans of the inter-war and early WWII
German haulers. Henschel, Mercedes and Magirus
Alan Ranger vehicles are all featured with some cracking
Published by MMP Books images, again, depicting the reality of the troops in
Softback format, 80 pages WWII without the posed PK photographs of
ISBN 9788365958099 Panthers and Tigers dominating the battlefield! This
series is all about the photographs but all have very
52 www.mmpbooks.biz detailed and well researched captions. Great
reference and great value.
Revell 1:24 Land Rover Series III LWB
A bit of a curved ball here with a look at a kit of a civilian vehicle wheel rims, tyres are typical vinyl parts. The body shell is a single
but we were interested to see this brand new tooling from Revell piece in the LWB ‘Safari’ style with windows all round including
of the legendary Land Rover with the military conversion potential the roof. All doors are moulded closed which isn’t ideal for
in mind. In this ‘car scale’ of 1:24 we have had Land Rovers in the conversion although the bonnet remains separate. The interior
past from Italeri / ESCI including some military versions, but this offers full seating and an option of RHD or LHD. Taking into
kit is not a revamp as you might think: it’s all new and a marked account the price of this kit it’s rather good, but also rather limited
improvement on the old kits. The chassis is provided as a frame to conversion to military spec vehicles without a fair amount of
and a full engine is provided (a little basic but ripe for some extra work but perhaps other versions are planned from Revell?
detail) with decent detail to the leaf springs and diffs with nice Inquiries: [email protected] Website: www.revell.de/en
BMW R75- Escaping from If you’re a long-term reader of AFV modeller you may well recall the work of master German
modeller Robert Doepp, more specifically his passion for WWII motorcycles in the most
the Falaise Pocket
stunning detail. This brand new release from us showcases Robert’s most ambitious project
From Photo to Model; The to date with the recreation of a Wartime image down to the most minute detail in 1:9.
Complete Story Modellers of all abilities will learn a wealth of techniques and tricks with detailed step-by-
Robert Doepp step scratchbuilding, figure sculpting and painting and weathering. There is a point where
our hobby of modelling crosses into a true ‘art’ form which is perfectly demonstrated here
Published by AFV Modeller Ltd with one of the most incredible pieces of military modelling you’re likely to see with every
Softback format, 112 pages single component recreated in fascinating detail- whether it’s seen or not! As well as a feast
ISBN 9780993564666 of first class modelling there’s a comprehensive walk-around study of an authentic
restoration and a collection of Wartime images of the BMW from private collections. We’re 53
www.afvmodeller.com
proud to have worked with Robert on this exciting publication which is available direct from
us now.
SHIKOTAN ISLAND’S ABANDONED IS-3
modelled by KAREL SUTT
54
Last year I had to face a major life changing event when I
shook hands with Mr. Retirement after 40 years of service in a
power plant. I guess my co-workers took into account a
retirement gift linked to my hobby was good idea. One of the
gifts was the 1:35 Tamiya kit of the IS-3 (No.35211). Thanks boys!
I have to admit, this tank is not usually my cup of tea but being a
gift it just had to be built and the results reported back. The most
important aspect for me was to find an inspiration with distinctive
features to get me excited about the project. The first thing to do
was to watch many hours of YouTube videos and browse Internet
photos on the subject until I found an image where the IS-3
looked long abandoned and neglected. I stopped searching when
coming across scenic shots of Shikotan Island with plenty of
abandoned tanks, one of them an IS3.
After WWII Shikotan Island (in the Pacific and disputed between
Russia and Japan) was heavily fortified by the Russians. Plenty of
dug-in tanks, including IS-3 models, were intended to play the
role of shore gun batteries. Apparently my IS-3 was used as a
static pill-box explaining the trench running under it. The crew
would use it to gain access through a lower hatch without need
to expose themselves to the enemy. Everywhere around the
rusting hulks is tall grass so a rough draft for my next few months
modelling activity was laid.
55
it’s alive
I decided to put my model on a base of rough shape of the trench was cut with a line. Moisture, sunlight and higher
living nature, formed by various handsaw out and shaped with various temperatures in the barrel resulted in the
mosses.The growth process of living roughing tools such as a chisel. Thanks to desired effect; living groundwork!
fawner is disproportionately slower than the workability of the material that was
the building of models or putting a ‘dead’ quite an easy job. The trench surface, with After a couple of days I was pleasantly
static dry material on the base. It means couple of steps leading in, was smoothed surprised how the base was coloured with
the first attention was paid to the base in with Tamiya putty and the next day the dirty water. Ash dissolved in the water
advance. For the basic materials I used a textured with a soft concrete paste (just had been soaking into the block gradually
lightweight building block which was easily concrete powder with water) Finally I over the months with pleasing effect.
sculpted. This appropriately battered created terrain around the trench and Unusually, being left to nature and out of
piece I found behind my out-buildings filled the depressions with a pinch of soil my control, the base was exactly what I
where it has been waiting for an occasion and planted the moss. The base was laid had envisaged to display the tank, also
to use it for the last couple of years. First I in a section of old metal barrel (used by left in the hands of nature.
was looked at the most optimal position me like a fire pit) and I have to admit I was
for the hull on the base then the basic too lazy to clean the ash out and just filled
layout of the trench was outlined and a the barrel with water close to the ‘moss’
tearing-up Tamiya’s kit

After a quick glance at the sprues I seat you can see another stowage box for wanted to represent at least the Driver’s
realised that the quality of this older kit is 5 shell cases. This, as many other details seat, boxes for batteries, control levers and
still of a high standard as usual with such as floor, were made from scratch and manual fuel pump on this side of the
Tamiya. The really disappointing part was good reference images. A detail that has vehicle. With every added part I took care
simplifying of details to ease assembly, been missed by Tamiya is a mounting for a that the hull top would still fit.
easily overcome with a couple of upgrades rain cover over the mantlet. The hinged
such as the remarkable Aber photo-etched rain cover I created was attached with two I couldn’t find too many good pictures of
detail set 35 035. This provides a wealth of PE hinges. Tamiya's instruction sheet (see the IS-3 driver’s compartment so most of
exceptionally well detailed replacement step 10) shows the rain cover the kit the details are educated guesswork such
and extra detail parts. Also Aber’s 35L- supplies in a very suspicious non-functional as the battery pack alongside the driver’s
126 gun barrel 122mm D-25T. position - tucked under the mantlet which seat.
First, as the simplest step, I removed the made little sense to me.
moulding seams from the roadwheels with The equipment inside the turret is barely When cutting sections from the hull I found
a file and fine grit sandpaper. I then turned visible and there is no need to reproduce the wall thickness too heavy on the open
my attention to the driver, fighting and detail faithfully (although many modellers panels. These edges were reduced with a
engine compartments which play a key I’m sure would!) I simulated them simply grinding head on a motor tool to a thinner
role when planning assembling the with pieces of plastic cube and another scale thickness and at the same time I
opened-up hull and turret. On each side of surplus kit parts for an approximate drilled out the holes for fixings holding the
the fighting compartment, beside the rendition. The battered Driver’s seat removed engine deck plate.
driver's seat, are ammo racks. Those two bottom was shaped by means of various I wanted the vehicle to look a little beaten
ammunition racks for the D-25 122mm gun grinding tools working with a block of up when it arrived for it’s new role on the
cartridge cases were built up using Milliput. The back of the seat was made island hence the removal of sections of the
aluminium strips. I wound an appropriate from a wire frame and shaped plastic card front fenders.
strip around a drill and glued together the back-rest. The driver’s compartment was
finished rings into the frame with CA glue. built up with random finds from my spare-
Behind the driver’s parts box. Due to the open Driver‘s hatch I
56
The engine deck cover was cut away for later installation with the
new detail parts such as the engine, oil coolers, exhaust pipes and
radiator. Miniart’s V54 engine was modified to a V-11 engine and
other components including the transmission were scratch-built. I
wasn’t happy with both inspection hatches closed on the
transmission cover. One of two oval hatches I opened up with a fret
saw as the main tool. Delicate sanding work was time well invested
as the open hatch adds to the interest of the rear view of the model
with part of the transmission on show.
For many of the scratch-built details I used a scrap plastic sheet, a

safety data sheet which I kept for work like this. It is the same
quality as Evergreen's sheets and perfectly glue-able with classic
Tamiya cement. Inside the hull I fitted sponson fillers secured with
bent adhesive aluminium strip. Aluminium strip was also used for
the construction two oil coolers. As with other elements I’d
gathered enough reference to estimate size and scale of
components in relation to the kit parts used. Constant dry fitting
ensured all of the elements worked with each other allowing the hull
top to be fitted comfortably.
57
Following a reference image I added a engine was converted a little. Milliput was pushed into to mould with this
missing foundry number on the gun Both the exhaust and intake manifolds being cut and sanded to shape the next
mantlet which I cut out from a sprue frame were turned 180° changing Miniart's V-54 day. One of the engine's cylinder heads is
and slimmed down with abrasive paper 12 cylinder engine to resemble a V11-IS3 shown exposed with cylinder liners
before been glued in place. Tamiya’s cast engine installation. Next I decided to have (represented by pieces of brass tube) and
texture seemed to me a little under-scale one of the rocker arm covers opened to two pistons (small rollers from a
so I added a more realistic texture with add to the abandoned and dismantled dismantled roller bearing) adding to the
Tamiya putty on the turret. After texturing look. interest and detail.
the turret I turned my attention to the gun Three access caps on the each rocker arm
mantlet with more the same. Once dried cover are intended for timing the cams. Various plumbing and wiring is shown
the result was lightly sanded to remove any Detailing has no limits so why not leave partly disassembled and damaged, again,
overly high spots. one of them partially opened? Because the all adding to the abandoned appearance
Lead sheet, brass wire, plastic sheet, rods, caps are moulded to the cover I had to with lots of busy detail.
and even metal washers from my spare grind one of them off and scratchbuild a Miniart’s engine from their range of superb
parts box helped me to create all of the new one. I pushed an impression of the T-54 / 55 kits is also available separately
elements of the V-11 engine. The rocker arm cover as the pattern into some (kit 37006)
transmission and engine housings are full ‘Instant Mold’ (a reusable moulding putty
of scratch-built details with only Miniart’s which is reacted by heat). Once set some
The towing shackles were fixed onto

their newly replaced U hanger and
secured with scratchbuilt towing pins
and split pins.
The gun external rear travel lock was

folded to be stowed on the
transmission compartment deck.
Drilling out the holes and inserting two
lock pins in base of both swivel arms
gave function and added detail.
58
To simulate decayed and rotten metal sheet around the
lateral stowage boxes I first reduced the wall's thickness to a
minimum from the reverse with a motor tool then pushed a
round steel cutter into the plastic to replicate dramatic rust
damage. I am firmly of the mind-set that modelling anything
that can not be seen is a waste of time. Maybe my personal
modelling philosophy would be different if I was much
younger! Simply said, if hatches are open I model only what
can be seen through those hatches. In spite of that a
sufficient bundle of details had to be added to the turret
interior. I began by building the turret interior first since there
is some equipment to be painted before the upper turret
parts could be assembled.
The massive breech block for the D25T gun was scratchbuilt
from simple blackboard chalk. I love it’s great workability and
the small negative, fragility, is overcome with several coats of
varnish when finished sculpting. First I drilled the large hole
with a small drill and continued with progressively larger bits
until I reached the proper shape of breech chamber. The slot
was carefully cut with a razor saw. A round piece of sprue
gives a solid connection between the gun mantlet and the
breechblock.
For detailing the breech I used cannibalized parts taken from

old kits. They were used for structural strength, not total I like to add Friul Model tracks when possible and this build was a
accuracy as they are hardly visible on the finished model. For perfect opportunity for Friul’s ATL-34. The spare link is secured to
two indicated vent fans located in the fighting compartment I the turret by passing a bolt through the link to the lug on the front
used, as the main part, suitable wheels from my spare-parts armour plate which required filling Tamiya's holes and making new
box plus copper wire, aluminium sheet and lead beads. mounting blocks. A squared-off piece of sprue was ‘sliced’ into
matching pieces then drilled out for each for connecting bolt and
Around the inner turret ring were 25 holders / loading troughs glued in place aligning with Friul's link. As regards the welding seams
for the 122mm cartridges made from cut aluminium tube. I first to wet the places where they were not very pronounced with a
The fighting compartment is illuminated with two lights. I brush dipped in lacquer thinner which softens the plastic allowing
couldn’t find a kit part that came close to it so I scratchbuilt impressions to be made with a small screwdriver and little pressure.
the light cover from heat-formed transparent sheet. For tools
for making the two covers I used an upholsterer's pin with
large head and my home-made metal former. First, the
transparent sheet was heated in hot water, then put on the
former and pressed with the pin head. Finally I punched out
the cover from the sheet with a hollow punch. The ‘birdcage’
guards were probably the trickiest element of this project
made from a thin copper wire. Die cut aluminium discs and a
silver plated glass beads created the internal details.
One of the turret‘s rotating mechanisms is gearing. wasn’t
sure the teeth on the turret ring would be visible. In spite of
that I decided to represent them approximately at least.
59
By examining reference photos I noticed on for that task. Keen to show the Friul tracks formed a dome-shape replicating the lens
the upper front armour plate that the in all their glory I removed both rear very well. Fuel lines leading between the
horizontal weld seam line is set too far in. I fenders (along with the front already external fuel drum and internal fuel tank is
decided to smooth out the kit weld and mentioned). On the right front side where I better created from wire because the
create a new one in the correct position. I removed the fender I sculpted a support photoetched part is two-dimensional. For
wasn’t satisfied with the fuel tank handles bracket from plastic scrap. One of my this I used a small steel tube and copper
so I took matters into my own hands and reference images showed an interesting wire. Tensioners for the tow cables were
rebuilt them to my liking with folded brass detail: an additional antenna situated on re-worked using a broken drill bit (throw
strips. The original block shaped 'handles' the right of the turret. This was again nothing away!) to add some finesse.
had to be removed. I did not intend to use made from plastic scrap and piece of
all four external fuel drums so decided to copper wire wound around a suitable drill Up on the turret I detailed the open
scratch just the drum’s brackets which bit. I drilled shallow holes in side indicators hatches with a hinge from photoetch and
would stay fixed to the hull. Plastic and and repeated layers of a mix of Tamiya's X- brass rod and it made no sense that after
aluminium ‘leftovers’ served me very well 22 Clear + X-1 Black. This eventually fifty or more years the machine gun would
still be in place so I ground out the gun
from the mount. Much patience combined
with a couple of sharp tools and both items
were separated. The DShK machine gun
could be saved (again, throw nothing
away!) with a little cleaning-up it was ready
for another project.
60
Crusty colours
Delicate parts that wouldn’t survive the adhesion. Once thoroughly dry I then from XF7+ XF3 + a drop of XF64 and XF2.
abusive weathering process were painted sprayed the model with AK Heavy Chipping I kept in mind places where I had revealed
separately including the individual fluid. The next stage colours used were black/brown/metal in the previous step and
roadwheels. This gave my airbrush and Tamiya XF-1 Flat Black and XF-10 Flat strived to put the patches right there.
brushes good access to all nooks and Brown randomly sprayed in patches. The When the AK and Tamiya patches dried I
crannies. When the model was assembled areas I wanted to appear worn through to moistened the areas with warm water and
I cleaned the all subassemblies with soapy the metal layer were moistened with water used a large, stiff, flat brush revealing the
water to remove any dust, greasy and after 10-15 minutes I rubbed down underlying coat slowly but surely for
fingerprints and fluff to avoid any certain spots with a short haired stiff brush realistic tiny marks and scratches. Time for
frustrations later. It was then time to start and toothpick to achieve random scraping the salt technique; this means a light wash
the painting process beginning with the and deterioration. Before the next step the with water and a sprinkle salt to the areas
turret interior which has to be done before model and sub-assemblies were covered where I wish to show the previous effect, a
gluing the two turret halves together. with Mr. Super Clear as a protective layer. random speckled mask creating more
depth and realism due to the multiple
As with all my models it received a good In this step I combined two different layers. When the salt was completely dry I
coat of MIG 2002 surface primer and a methods - hairspray and salt techniques in then sprayed a pink-ish shade over the
subsequent bare-metal layer consisting of that order. It was the time to start the salted areas using mix of Tamiya XF7 Flat
AK671 with AK 479 mix, my usual first coat rusting, the hairspray stage was Red + XF3 Flat Yellow. Once the pink-ish
of colour for my AFVs. Considering progressed the same as before; I decided coat was dry I swept the salt from the
different materials such as plastic, again for randomly airbrushed patches surface in ready for the next ‘course’.
aluminium, resin, photo etch and putty using ‘AK Crusted Rust Deposits’
these steps are essential for good alternately with another rust shade mixed
61
More experimenting with the next layers so 932 Russian Green Base, thinned a little restrained manner (XF2 just licked with
the hairspray and salt were replaced with with MIG 2000 thinner. I intended to show XF20 so a dirty white is the result ) using
some airbrush masking. First the Tamiya the last remains of the green top coat an old large flat brush. The speckles were
masking tape was attached at certain heavily worn-out by it’s extremely long stay dabbed randomly with a make-up sponge
areas following my reference images, then with mother nature. The radom patches of slightly moistened in Tamiya X-20 Thinner.
a thin aluminium foil sheet pierced with remaining paint needed close control, I The next day when the speckling was
different pointed tools and crumpled to found decanting hairspray from the aerosol completely dried I repeated the process to
allow irregular patches to be created. I into the can’s cap and applying with a add further depth to the surfaces and an
held the foil close to the surface and paintbrush gave a more controlled appearance becoming more organic rather
sprayed a yellow-ish hues through it, just process. than man-made, as we’d see on
locally using Tamiya XF3+XF7+XF5+XF2 weathered rocks or timber after aging
and XF20 I added a light gloss coat using Mr. Super outdoors. Fine adjustments were made
Clear Gloss spray which gives a smooth with a needle tip if anything appeared
The turret interior was painted in the same shiny finish ready for dirt and weathering unnatural.
manner as the exterior. I followed the same steps. A dark black/brown pin-wash was
steps for the base coat deteriorated with applied over the all the raised details with
rust shades. As the top-colour, for the Abteilung 502 oils (ABT110, ABT080).
interior I used mix of XF2 Flat White with Once the wash was dried the excess was
XF55 Deck Tan airbrushed over a hairspray removed with a soft cloth, make-up
layer. Once the acrylic colour dried I used sponge and fine brush moistened with
the same scrubbing and chipping methods white spirit. I varied the effects on the
until I had a satisfactory deteriorated exterior by using a piece of sponge for
appearance. The enclosed sheet of subtle chipping with various colours from
Tamiya's decals weren’t really applicable Abteilung 502 oils. From memory I used
for the markings I needed so had to come blue darkened with black (235+160), brick
up with my own solution. The Red Star is red (220) and Light Flesh Tone 135. With
the only marking so I airbrushed it with the heavy use of turpentine required for
heavily diluted Tamiya XF-7 providing a washes I work depending whether my wife
good faded effect correct for decades at home or not; she’s not a fan of the
exposed to the elements. Tamiya tape was turpentine smell!
placed over a 1:48 star from a spare decal
sheet giving a correct size. The last step of Some delicate speckling was the next
the painting process I realized with MIG step. I carefully ‘spattered’ speckles in a
62
when
applied
when dry
I’d like to describe an accidental method then next soaked the same foam in Vallejo again I noticed a dramatical change –
applied in last phase of weathering. I have Rust Texture and touched the napkin Thank goodness! The glossy bubble
to point out that wasn't intentional just again. Time for the fun; gently touching popped and dried matt reminding me of an
coincidence, as with many techniques the model surface I watched something effect of rust spots and staining to the
adapted by modellers over the years. Let’s like a bubble forming in a dark colour surrounding area; I was pleasantly
call this ‘FOAMING’! I was playing around (Vallejo Rust Texture) bordered with a surprised with the result and immediately
with AK Rust Crusted Deposit, Vallejo Rust lighter halo around (AK Rust Crusted installed this trick to my technique arsenal.
Texture and a rough structured Deposit). Interestingly both chemicals are quite
polyurethane foam. First I grasped a little Oh dear! ‘The model will need re-touching’ different, the Vallejo is acrylic and AK is
piece of the foam with tweezers and was the first thing that came to mind. It enamel, that's the secret of my discovery
soaked in AK Rust Crusted Deposit then reminded me of oil or soap lying on water I’m sure!
touched a napkin to remove the surplus without mixing. After a while when I looked
One of the final stages was to add the wheels and tracks. I
approached both with the same painting steps as the rest of
the model. As far as tracks, the initial phase was a little
different using two chemicals. I washed the tracks in mix of AK
Metal Burnishing with Solid Track solution. I highly recommend
the use of latex gloves, safety glasses and tweezers for this
part of the process. There are warnings on the bottles about
the precautions you should take during use and it's wise to
follow them. I used an old stiff toothbrush to help get the liquid
in the small holes of the metal castings. The process took a few
minutes and eliminated any bright metal. Brown or black
finishes depends on the length of time the track is exposed to
the chemicals. Once the process is complete you can pour the
used solution into a new container and re-use it once or twice
again although it has less intensity. Further surface effects were
used with the same painting steps as the rest of model to unify
them with weathering on the vehicle's hull, turret and wheels.
As the last step I applied Scenic Rust just to select track links to
add interest.
The contact surface of the road wheels on an abandoned tank

must not be exaggeratedly shiny or not at all, so I used a matt
shade and just applied it to some of the wheels touched with a
graphite stick with variation between the individual wheels. The
graphite treatment was also given to some of the heavy welded
joints. Details were further highlighted by ‘drybrushing’ with a
silver pencil tapping edges very gently.
As the last step I always use Mr. Hobby Top Coat Matt Spray.
This is my favourite ‘full stop’ when I finish my projects
imparting a uniform finish on the model which is not dead-matt
but has a slight lustre.
63
Tamiya released their IS-3 kit in 1996. In spite of
that, the model is well engineered, accurate in
shape and a relatively inexpensive model. It's a
simple kit that is a great introduction to post WWII
tanks. It can be built straight from the box or used
as the basis for conversions. I surprised myself
with how much fun I had with this project and raise
a smile when I see Mr. Stalin in my showcase.
REFERENCES:
Heavy Soviet Tank IS-3/IS-3M
author Alexander Cubacin
IS-3 Last tank of WWII
IS-3 Heavy Tank
author M. Barjatinskij
Armybook 2000
Manual for maintenance IS-3
IS vol. III
Moskva 1955
Tank Power vol. 306
Heavy tanks IS
Tank Victory IS-3
author M. Sbirin - Eksprint 2004
author A Maskin, Bronekolekcija 3/2010
64
65
1 12
pages
sof tb
!
ack
book

AFV Modeller - 111 - 3 - 4 - 2020

Uploaded by

Document Information

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

AFV Modeller - 111 - 3 - 4 - 2020

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

111

MAR/APR 2020 • £6.95 UK $15.99

PETE USHER’S AWARD-WINNING DIORAMA

10 M1128 Stryker MGS

Meng AFV Modeller is published Bimonthly by

Editor and Designer: David Parker

The Story Composition needed to keep everything almost parallel

I did score the wooden panels with a

Once all the figures and all their equipment were

MIND THE GAP has been one of my longest dioramas

Special thanks to Harry Usher and Bob from Spot On

The suspension of the front wheels

The tool rack was relocated to

I had bought the Voyager Model Modern US Army M1128 Stryker

COOL BOX CONSTRUCTION

I needed to work out the dimensions of

All of the pictures I have found of

PRETTY GREEN the kit.

The walk around pictures from WarWheels showed

After playing around with paint mixes

The green tones needed some altering from the

This was accomplished by applying

The same mud colour as used on

The upper section was made from soldered brass

Below A test fit of the mast in the brackets

tracks were sprayed a dark

Below I had to use a little guesswork for the connection

The Meng kit, as we are now giving a more natural effect.

Only a few tweaks were carried out

Aftermarket gun barrels are

At the time of my build there were no specific

My primer of choice is Tamiya’s

the wheels and turret

Before painting the rest of the colours, I applied a very light

For chipping I used several acrylic colours such

With a mixture of light pigments and sand

My favourite paints to simulate rusty parts like the exhaust pipe.

While other work dried I

The next step was to

At this point I turned my attention to

Meng 1:35 Magach 6B GAL

Ammo 1:16 Panzer I ‘Breda’

Medium Tank M3 Lee I

Cross-Country Lorries. More fresh images in the Camera On series and a

modelled by KAREL SUTT

tearing-up Tamiya’s kit

For many of the scratch-built details I used a scrap plastic sheet, a

The towing shackles were fixed onto

The gun external rear travel lock was

For detailing the breech I used cannibalized parts taken from

The contact surface of the road wheels on an abandoned tank

You might also like