1/35 Scale | Construction

TANK
Basic armor modeling
skills are all you need

techniques &
By Glenn Bartolotti

S
ometimes it’s nice just to build Wheels run together first, then wrap it around the
something. When I picked up Building the rear idler assemblies, I discov- wheels. This may seem more difficult than
Italeri’s Carro Armato L6/40, I ered the part numbers were mislabeled in dividing the runs into sections, but experi-
decided to eschew aftermarket the instructions – another reason to check ence has taught me I get straighter runs
products and use only what was in fits before gluing, 2. When I attached the doing it this way.
the box (which even provided a little pho- idlers to the hull, I was very careful about I assembled the runs according to the
toetched metal to detail the light tank). how they lined up, checking references to instructions, but added a few links at the
be sure they were right. It is important that end; it’s better to take off extra links than to
Alignment they line up because the kit’s link-and- come up short, 6. (I’m glad I did, because I
Some armor kits come with the lower hull length tracks are designed to fit a certain needed 21 individual links rather than the
molded as a single part. But Italeri chose to arrangement, 3. 17 called for!) With the links pushed
make the L6/40’s hull from four flat com- The suspension builds up in two units together, I brushed Testors liquid cement
ponents. on each side. This arrangement allows for (the stuff with a pink label) over the back
It fits well, but it’s important to pay articulation but, because I was using the of the track run, letting the glue flow into
attention to the alignment of the major kit’s link-and-length tracks, I wanted all of the gaps between the links. Then I let the
components. A slight deviation at this stage the wheels, from the idler to the front road glue dry for about five minutes until it was
is magnified as construction progresses, wheel, level. Ensuring that I had the right tacky enough to hold the links together but
causing parts not to fit. So, take your time, parts and dry-fitting them helped. I glued still flexible.
dry-fit, and double-check any less-than- Part 23A last to make sure it lined up, 4. When I started to wrap the tracks
positive fits before finally committing glue I clipped the long runs of tracks from around the running gear, I discovered a
to plastic. the sprue to ensure the wheels lined up, 5. problem: The drive sprockets’ teeth were
I didn’t have any major problems with too big for the corresponding holes in the
the L6/40’s hull, and I fit the interior parts Tracks links, and the spacing was off. To make a
at this stage before painting. It’s basic, but it When working with link-and-length or long story short, the tracks wouldn’t fit on
looks good, 1. individual-link tracks, I glue a side’s entire the sprockets.

1 2 3
Glenn made sure the four-part hull of the little Dry-fit twice, glue once: While putting together When building a tank that will sit on a shelf, it’s
Italian tank squared up. A misalignment this the idler assemblies, Glenn discovered the parts important that all of the road wheels touch the
early in a build can cause big problems later. were mislabeled in the instructions. ground. Glenn made sure the idlers were posi-
tioned correctly before gluing.

44  FineScale
© 2012 May 2010
Kalmbach Publishing
Modeler Co. This material may not be reproduced in any form
without permission from the publisher. www.FineScale.com
tipsThis may dis-
courage some
builders from
using the kit
tracks and/or drive
sprockets in favor of Glenn is known
aftermarket items. My solu- for his detailed mod-
tion, while less elegant, works els and well-built dioramas,
well and is largely invisible: I cut but his straight-from-the-box build
the teeth off the sprockets wher- of Italeri’s 1/35 scale L6/40 shows his
ever the tracks touched them, 7. foundation in good, basic modeling skills.
After that, the tracks needed a lit-
tle maneuvering to look right. But I’m and pastels blend everything together, fur- flat white, 10. If more of the fighting com-
happy with the results, 8. ther disguising any unpainted areas. If I partment were visible on the finished
I feel tracks make or break an armor built a factory-fresh tank, my finishing style model, I would have airbrushed shadows
model. I attach them before painting so I would not work. and highlights. This tank is tiny, so I left
know they are glued on well and look right. the interior alone (except for picking out
Some modelers question adding tracks this Upper hull details and a little pastel weathering), 11.
early, especially when it comes to getting After gluing the fenders to the lower hull, I After gluing the upper hull in place, I
paint into all the nooks and crannies. My assembled the superstructure. Once again, attached the photoetched-metal details and
theory: If you can see it, you can paint it … test-fitting showed that the upper hull other equipment, 12. References are handy
well, kinda. First, I airbrush everything I didn’t quite fit. I had to sand the edges of for positioning details when instructions
can. Then, I apply controlled washes and let the section marked on the fenders to get a are vague. I used Mr. Surfacer to eliminate
thin paint run around the road wheels to snug attachment, 9. minor gaps between subassemblies.
cover color shortfalls. Weathering washes I masked the interior and airbrushed it The kit’s engine hatch clasps (parts 6B)

4 5
Italeri’s clever design makes it possible to animate the L6/40’s suspension. A handy alignment jig? Glenn uses the kit’s continuous bottom link to
Glenn wanted his straight, so he test-fitted everything before adding glue. ensure that the wheels touch the ground and are aligned, front to back.

May 2010  www.FineScale.com  45

 6 7 8
Glenn glues one side’s entire track run with slow- When Glenn discovered that the drive sprocket Modifying the sprockets made it easier for Glenn
setting liquid cement and lets it set for about five teeth were too big for the tracks, his simple solu- to install the tracks. He prefers to attach them
minutes, then attaches it to the model. tion was to trim the teeth. early in the build to ensure a good fit.

9 10 11
Glenn filed the sponson locator on the fenders to To minimize scraping and sanding of future mat- Rommel-approved! With very little of the interior
produce a tighter fit between the upper and ing surfaces, Glenn masked the edges of the hull visible from outside, Glenn painted details and
lower hulls. components before airbrushing them flat white. added a little pastel weathering. It’s just enough
to look OK when the turret is off.

13
Unsatisfied with the kit’s over-scale engine-cover
clasps, Glenn replaced them with short pieces of
fine wire.

I painted the road-wheel tires with a

black wash and painted the tools, 16.
12 The figure has a Tamiya body with an
After assembling the major parts, Glenn added the kit’s photoetched-metal details and brushed on Italian tanker head from Hornet.
Mr. Surfacer to hide gaps. I thought the kit’s headlight lenses were
too small, so I replaced them. First, I glued
were out of scale, so I replaced them with with a metal needle to replicate the origi- aluminum foil inside the light, 17. Then I
fine wire, 13. nal, 14. After painting, the turret was com- filled the light with tacky glue, a thick PVA
plete, 15. adhesive used for crafts, 18. It dries clear,
Turret and gun looks very realistic, and is cheap, 19.
The turret assembled easily and, although Painting
the details were Spartan, Italeri included I sprayed the model with Model Master Weathering
nice touches, such as bolt detail inside the gray enamel primer, then airbrushed Model I use pastels and artist’s oils for weathering.
turret. Master Afrika braun (No. 2012) lightened The pastels are cheap, art-store sticks
The gun came in two parts; I damaged with a little white. After a coat of Model ground to a powder with a file. I mix them
the barrel removing it from the sprue, so I Master clear gloss I applied kit decals for with odorless turpentine and apply them
replaced it with a piece of styrene rod, drill- the Italian North African tank, then sealed selectively as a filter, not over the entire
ing out the muzzle and flaring it slightly the decals with a coat of clear flat. vehicle.

46  FineScale Modeler May 2010

14 15 16
After damaging the gun barrel, Glenn replaced it Mounting the barrel on the turret completed Glenn primed and painted with Model Master
with styrene rod, drilled out the muzzle, then major construction. enamels, then gloss-coated before applying the
flared it with a needle to match the L6/40’s gun. kit decals to model a tank in North Africa.

17 18 19
The kit’s headlight lenses looked too small to … then, he filled the light with tacky glue, a thick Dried and weathered, Glenn’s tacky-glue head-
Glenn, so he replaced them. First, he pushed alu- and inexpensive craft glue that dries clear. light lens looks the part.
minum foil into the bezels …

I applied rust shades in wet glazes to the

muffler and used slightly darker tones on
the shovel blade.
I mixed light desert sand-colored pastels
with white artist’s oils and brushed on a
thin layer to highlight prominent areas.
To apply a raw-umber wash, I first wet
the area with clean turpentine. Then I use a
fine brush to add thin paint around recesses
and add streaks of color.
I never dry-brush my models. To my
eyes, a dry-brushed finish looks OK from a
distance – but put a macro lens on a camera
and the model looks like a frosted cake. I’ve
used this technique in the past and hate the
way my older models look. I think it’s easier
and takes less time to add shadows and
highlights with an airbrush, then fine-tune
them with washes and filters.
Italeri’s little L6/40 is a nice kit that
builds up well out of the box – and some-
times that’s just what the doctor ordered. A
build like this can be the perfect antidote to
Advanced Modeler’s Syndrome, and a great
way to practice the basic skills every model
requires. FSM

Weathering with oil washes and

www.FineScale.com
pastels finishes the L6/40.
For a description of the technique Glenn
Glenn spent about a month on
used to join the link-and-length tracks, visit
this out-of-the-box build.
www.finescale.com/Videos/How To and
view “Assembling individual-link tracks.”

May 2010  www.FineScale.com  47