The Trumpeter JS-3M comes with a piece of cotton string that, I assume, is supposed to be for the vehicle’s towing cable. The styrene hooks for the cable are provided.
How would you treat, paint and weather that cable before attaching it to the hull?
Also, I have no idea how JS-3M crews carried that cable on the vehicle so any help, especially pictures, will be appreciated.
Never mind the correct placement of the cable, just found a picture (how has mankind ever coped without the web?), just tell me how to treat and paint that cloth string so it’s both workable and looks realistic. I vote for a coat of gunmetal followed by dry-brush with steel.
I have just ran across the same thing Monsterzero, glad you asked.
Unless it’s nylon, just toss the provided ‘cable’. ‘Natural fibres’ such as cotton will have tons of tiny bits of thread coming off everywhere… In that case, find yourself some fine wire, get a few (5-6) strands together and twist them (attaching both extremities if the strands around a, say, cocktail stick, really helps here!
Use the kit’s hooks. Attach with superglue at a few spots before priming/painting them come back on ot with a fairly dark thick wash (black with 50% thinner). Then use the lead of a pencil to rub graphite over the cable to give it its metallic look. The pencil is also useful to make tiny ‘metal’ marks/sratches near bolt heads, engine access panels and anything standing out (handles, edges, and also the teeth of the drive sprockets!)
BTW, isn’t the Stalin-III the meanest looking SOB ever built? I love it.
Here´s what I´d do:
I´d mix some white glue with water, soak the cotton thread in there (this will prevent the fibres from falling of as well), take it out of the ‘bath’ and place it in the desired position on the tank.
When it dries up it will be hard because of the glue and then you can paint it and wheather it.
Sure is, Monster!
It’s really a cool vehicle… no wonder it scared the pants off of Western tank designers when it was paraded in Moscow! I couldn’t believe (coming off of M60’s) how tiny the thing is in real life! I’d love to drive one of them![:p][:p][:p]
Ron.