Like I’m sure happens to most of us, the two projects I had going were mojo-killers. One, a Leo2A6 in Finnish colors was ready for final weathering and I was just staring at it. The other, an AFV Club Sho’t in the assembly stage was so tedious I wasn’t having fun, and if I’m not having fun I tend to get uninterested. So instead of not modeling, I dug out a bunch of T-34 AM and partial kits and got after it, gleefully mixing and matching until I had something ready for paint, in a remarkably short time. I used a Tamiya hull, Dragon turret, Maquette road wheels and an Arsenal mine roller, with eBay metal tracks and miscellaneous PE and resin bits.
I put some Value Gear stowage items on it since lots of pics of late-war T-34s show some.
IMG_4985 by Russel Baer, on Flickr
IMG_4986 by Russel Baer, on Flickr
IMG_4987 by Russel Baer, on Flickr
The mine roller was rough and not attached until after painting. I also have not decided on the unditching log so it’s also loose. I had so much fun cobbling this together and not worrying about absolute accuracy that I got started on another back-burner project, a Magach 6B Gal with a mine roller.
Sometimes you’ve just gotta put something aside and indulge yourself.
Nicely done mashups!
I’ve got an old 1/35 Zvezda T-34/76 with a mineroller in the stash. I should pull that kit out.
That’s actually a pretty good kit. I’ve never seen the Zvezda mine roller. If it’s as good as the rest of the kit, it’s a better starting point than the Arsenal kit I used for sure.
Inspires me to complete my Maquette T-34/85 w/ mine roller I started 23 years ago.
Yeah, the Zvezda kit looks alright but the rubber band tracks are disappointing.
The tracks I used were $20, with pre-cut pins, no drilling required, no flash. I soaked them in white vinegar for about 12 hours to dull the finish.
Paint is on, nothing special. I used Vallejo “Russian uniform” from the can.
IMG_5014 by Russel Baer, on Flickr
The white dots on the glacis are where I filled the locators for grab handles I’m not using. I didn’t notice them during the build or after I primed. I quick shot of green on the front is all I need before I can start weathering and adding turret numbers.
Progressing nicely, Russel. Looking forward to more.
Turret markings are on and I’ve some some basic weathering, lots more to do yet.
IMG_5018 by Russel Baer, on Flickr
IMG_5019 by Russel Baer, on Flickr
Really coming to life now
Thanks.
It’s getting dirty now. I have three layers of slightly different colored pastels on now, and I think it’s about there. I will still add spilled fluids and maybe some leaking wheel bearing seals and I want to brighten up the stowage a bit too but that’s about it that I know of.
IMG_5022 by Russel Baer, on Flickr
IMG_5023 by Russel Baer, on Flickr
IMG_5024 by Russel Baer, on Flickr
IMG_5025 by Russel Baer, on Flickr
I also want to get a couple of crew in the turret hatches, digging through my figures stash tonight.
I finished in time to take it to Winter-Blitz where it got a 2nd in class. I admit to being a little surprised as it was a big class (WW2- Allied).
IMG_5045 by Russel Baer, on Flickr
IMG_5046 by Russel Baer, on Flickr
IMG_5047 by Russel Baer, on Flickr
IMG_5048 by Russel Baer, on Flickr
I built this with open hatches, thinking I would add figs later, maybe actually use a couple of good ones. Not wanting to take it out with open, empty hatches I dug out a couple of Tamiya guys and got them painted as quickly as I could, although even if I’d taken my time they wouldn’t have been any better. I am NOT a figure painter but empty open hatches without an interior are like an empty donut box.
That’s really great RBear! It looks properly dusty and rusty and shiny in all the right spots.
Super impressive that it’s a frankenkit, too, with all those different parts sources. Excellent work!
Well deserved award. Awesome build. Great idea with the figures.
Thanks all! Sometimes mixing and matching is more rewarding (for me anyway) than building OOB.
Also, lately I’ve been trying to add at least one fig to my builds, for scale and context.