It’s the fall of 1944. The long hot days of summer are but a memory and winter is just around the corner. Members of the 464 Ordnance Maintenance Company bring up an early Christmas present for the 7th Armored – 814 Tank Destroyer Battalion. The latest answer to the ongoing struggle with the German forces …. The M36 B1 Tank Destroyer.
Nothing quite like a couple of days where you can sit back and do nothing but model, model, model. Having had that opportunity in the last couple of days had allowed me to complete this little project.
The models:
The centerpiece is Tamiya’s excellent M26 Dragon Wagon, kit #35230. This is without a doubt the best-engineered kit I have ever worked with. The build was almost entirely OOB with very few bits and pieces added. The camo net on the roof was home made from cheesecloth and a few bedrolls were tossed inside to give it a more lived in look. The build was fairly straightforward considering the scope of this kit. The winches could be considered to be kits in themselves with the number of pieces alone.
The load for the trailer is Italeri’s M36 B1 Tank Destroyer. In comparison with the Tamiya kit, this one is just plain bad. But comparisons would not be fair. The turret on this kit is very poor, the interior is just plain wrong and needs a lot of cutting, hacking, and slicing to get it corrected. Therefore a tarp for the beast eliminates any need for work in there and seeing as I wanted an AFV in transport, this worked out rather well. The rest of the kit is essentially a rehash of their M4A3 Jumbo kit (which isn’t a Jumbo, but that’s another story) and goes together fairly well. Other than the tarps, camo nets and bedrolls, this kit too is OOB.
Both kits were painted using Tamiya’s XF-62 Olive Drab for the base coats. They were both drybrushed with Model Master Steel and burnished with pencil lead. More emphasis on the drybrushing was applied to the Dragon Wagon as I wanted it to be the “veteran” of the two vehicles. The M63 B1 was given a much lighter drybrushing effect. Final weathering was achieved through the use of various earth tone pastel chalks. I decided to represent vehicles that were still showing the effects of the dusty conditions that existed before the winter set in.
The base is simply a sign plaque coated with clear gloss finish.
Special thanks to Moses on this one …… he supplied one of the two Dragon Wagons that were on my shelf which inspired me to take a crack at one of them.
The pictures of the finished work are not as good as I would have liked, I’ll try to get some better ones posted as soon as I figure out what I’m doing wrong.
Hope you enjoy. All comments and critiques welcome.
Robert. magnificent would have to be the first thing that comes to mind after seeing that. Almost feel privilaged for seeing something so greatly done. The details are great. Never thought about a cover for a MG, that’s great. Cheese cloth does work great and I’m glad you gave me that tip. So what’s going to be gracing the bench next?
It’s an incredible showpiece Robert, i can’t even come up with the words to describe how good that looks. I’d even put it on my shelf! [;)] [:D] How’s that?? [:D]
What an amazing work that is, Robert! Both vehicles are devastatingly brilliant! The DW looks great carrying the M36, too. Seems like most DWs I’ve seen built are empty.
As I’ve mentioned before, I really like the colors you’ve achieved.
Perhaps the best compliment I can give you is, “it looks real!”
Perfect examples that it ain’t just the PE and resin; it’s the builder that makes a great model![:D]
Shermanfreak,
Wanted to join in with the others and say it’s a fantastic looking display. Just one question. These old eyes aren’t so good, but are those (GASP!) vinyl tracks? Only kidding with you. I’d love to have half the talent that you show in your builds. GREAT WORK!
Regards,
Joe
Absolutely brilliant! Great work, Robert! That sign plaque base is a perfect fit, too. I hope they make Dragon Wagons in 72nd. Id very much like to have one in my braille collection now.
