November 2016

Aussie Centurion
Finnish Klimi
Two new
gifts inside

Massive tadpole

Eduard’s King Tiger

Is published by Coronel Caramel S.l.
CIF B54483052
Editorial office & administration
Club de fútbol Hercules 6
03008 Alicante
Spain
Te: 965112833
Email: fcmodeltips@gmail.com

Director: Federico Collada

Editor: Federico Collada
Design: Federico Collada
Graphics: Federico Collada
Models and photographs: Federico Collada

Editorial
Golden rule

Federico Collada

3
Index

Page 6

Page 16
Page 21

Page 25

6 - Hungary grunge base

8 - Next target, the Blitzscales modelling news
16 - Aussie Centurion Mk. V/1
21 - Vietnam era beer cases 1/35 scale
20 - Tips, tricks and techniques, Self adhesive paper bases
22 - Centurion walkarounds
25 - King Tiger
32 - King tiger museums photos
36 - Klimi, the Finnish KV-1
43 - M1, 75mm pack howitzer on magic ground
50 - Tackling the Takom Mark IV. Tadpole
57 - Miniart’s Full interior SU-122
67 - Tips, tricks and techniques; Sagging vinyl tracks

4
Page 36

Page 43

Page 50

Page 57

5
Cut & paste
Hungary
grunge flag
base

7
35A006 FV 214 Conqueror Mk I
1/35 scale
This new kit form the Chinese company
Amusing Hobby represents one of the 20 FV214
Conqueror Mk.I produced, recognisable from the
Mk.II model by its main gun and the 3 scopes at
the driver station.
The overall quality of the model is very good with
most delicate details. The instructions are easy to
just some subtle ejection marks on the inner side
follow and the many parts are easy to handle and
of the tracks links. The kit is made in a light grey
fit very well so this can be a very amusing short
plastic and includes workable suspension and
time project to add a massive 33cm long tank to
tracks; and a fret of photoetched parts for the
your collection.

35A008 FV 215B (183) As it could be expected, the general quality

1/35 scale is same as the Conqueror model; very nice.
The FV215B was a project to use the Conqueror The decals sheet is the same as the one in the
chassis to carry a massive 183mm gun on a Conqueror kit and the instructions suggest one
limited traverse turret; it can be classified as a fictitious decoration. The good thing about paper
paper panzer as it was never produced. panzers is that offers you unlimited possibilities
The kit shares with the Conqueror Mk.I model as your imagination is the limit to tell a story with
most of its parts except the upper part of the them. This can be a perfect chance to try all the
hull and the turret so there are some new parts new painting tricks that are showing around these
panels with the necessary for this giant vehicle. days.

8
Miniart 35187 SU-85 mod. 1943, mid production
Scale 1/35
There is no doubt Miniart is producing some of
the most fine and interesting models in 1/35 scale
lately, their new range of tanks that includes
full interior is something that every modeller provides all that is necessary to test your skills
has dreamed about. In fact Miniart seems to be in both modelling and painting. The result is the
showing the way to other producers that they best SU-85 available in the market, far from the
have started to present their new kits this way old Tamiya, Zvezda and Dragon kits that simply
too. can’t compare.
Of course a kit with so many parts is more The decals sheet provides two decorations of
expensive to produce than the same one without vehicles operated by the 1st Czech armoured
interior or with just a rubber band tracks; but brigade in 1944 and another one unidentified
unlike other brands that has doubled their price, during the 1943 winter. The instructions suggest
Miniart has hardly raised it. MIG colours but you can choose the basic
After their beautiful T-44 and Su-122 kits, now Soviet green 4B0 from almost every good paints
it’s time for the SU-85; maybe the most known brand and the same happens with the white
vehicle derived from the T-34. Same as the camouflage.
previous model, this new SU-85 is an excellent If you still haven’t a SU-85 in your collection and
kit full of details that will require for some you don’t scare with a long time project, this is
planning as it will not be a weekend project. certainly you best option by far.
With 805 plastic and photoetched parts the box

if you’re a real fan you can have both of them.

Obviously the 99% of the parts are the same as
the ones of the former kit so you can expect the
same high quality but at a lower price.
Miniart 35181 SU-122 early production The instructions suggest four different decoration
Scale 1/35 options supported by the decals sheet; a couple
For those of you who hadn’t bought the full of them unidentified and the other belonging to
interior kit of the SU-122 (built for this issue) now the 4th tank army at the Bryansk front in 1943
you can choose if you want to build it without and the last one from the 1434th self propelled
those parts. Not only this, Miniart provides a artillery regiment deployed in Leningrad that
few parts to make a slightly different version so same year.

9
 This new Mirror model represent the Mk.II
early version wit the Beetle back body with no
Mirror Models 35402 British Morris C8 Quad windows on the doors or the superior big trap
Mk.II covered with a tarpaulin.
Scale 1/35 The kit is made of 270 grey plastic parts, some
The Morris C8 was an artillery tractor used by transparent plastic parts for the windows and
the British and Commonwealth armies during lights, 3 photoetched frets and a decals sheet.
the WWII; between 1939 and 1945 more than The overall quality is very good the parts have
10.000 units were produced of the main 3 good detail; the instructions are easy to follow so
versions that were used to tow the 25pdr and building can be made easily.
17pdr guns.

Mirror Models 35163 CMP C60L Petrol tank

truck
Scale 1/35
The CMP (Canadian Military Pattern) was a
truck produced in many configurations during the
WWII by Ford, Chevrolet and Dodge in Canada
according with the British requirements to equip
the Commonwealth armies.
The new Mirror kit represents a C60L model with
2 axles and 3 ton in a fuel tank configuration.
The model is made of 400 parts including
transparent plastic, photoetched, vinyl tires and
decals.
The general quality of the model is very nice, the
one you can expect from a kit made with new
generation moulds the represent very fine details
and no visible ejection marks. painting sheet show 2 vehicles belonging to the
The instructions are easy to follow and the Canadian and British armies.

10
The Polish paints company HATAKA has two
new sets for military models; the airbrush, some less if you paint with a brush.
HTK-AS51 US ARMY PAINT (MERDC HTK-AS65 Modern Finnish army AFV include
camouflage) comprises the eight colours used six paint bottles that covers the colours used
by the US army from 1975 until 1984 for the by the Finnish army since 1959 to the present
very well known MERDC camouflage patterns. time comprising four different stages that goes
All the basic colours except white are included form 1956 to 1976, 1976 to 1981 and the actual
in the box so you can use it for all the six colour splinted camouflage scheme.
combinations. The bottles are 17ml. acrylic The HATAKA paints can be purchased at your
paints, enough for a handful of models if you use local hobby shop or at their website www.shop.
hataka-hobby.com

11
 35L-202 35L-191 35L-195

35L-202 35L-203 35L-193

35L-195 35L-160 35L-205

35L-203 35L-195 35L-199

ABER
35L-202; Soviet 76,2mm ZIS-3 gun for Tamiya SU-76, turned metal and photoetched parts
35L-191; 120mm L1A2 barrel for Conqueror, turned metal and photoetched parts
35L-195; 8mm Hotchkiss Mle 1914 for FT-17 and St. Chammond, turned metal and photoetched parts
35L-204; 122mm gun for Miniart Su-122, turned metal.
35L-203; soviet 85mm D-5S barrel for Miniart SU-85, turned metalparts
35L-193; Somua S-35, for Tamiya Somua S-35, turned metal parts
35L-160; BMP-1 or BMD-2 armament, for trumpeter models, turned metal and photoetched parts
35L-199; Armament for Whippet Mk.A for any kit, turned metal and photoetched parts
35L-205; ZSU-57-2, for Takom kit, turned metal and photoetched parts

12
Italeri 6533 M113 ACAV 1968.
Scale 1/35 The kit is very
This is a rebox of the standard M113 Italeri inexpensive
kit that includes the Academy panels for the and complete,
armament and stowage parts to build the ACAV a good choice
version used in Vietnam by the US forces. for any Vietnam
The quality of the parts is very good and the era enthusiast
instructions will guide you through an easy or for beginners
building of a model that includes the interior and that will enjoy an
length and links plastic tracks. easy building and
The decals sheet provides the necessary for four attractive decorations.
different vehicles (including the interior stencils)
all of them deployed in Vietnam in 1967 and

13
Italeri 6525 M1120 HEMMT Load handling
system
Scale 1/35
The new kit form Italeri is a new variant of their
M977 HEMMT trucks line; making use of most
of the basic parts to offer the LHS model; a truck
that has changed the flat rear bed for a load
handling system with a movable platform and
reinforced back suspension that entered service adequate model for medium average modellers
in 1999. that will enjoy the building of this large truck.
The box includes 5 grey plastic parts panels There are two decorations suggested in the
and another transparent one, vinyl tires and the instruction according to the decals provided;
decals sheet. The overall quality is very good both of them belonging to the US army deployed
and the parts are easy to handle so this is an in Afghanistan in 2011.

14
 choose different versions of the vehicle.
This new Pz.III for example provides the
necessary parts to choose between the J, L, M
and N versions and the decals sheet provides
symbols for all of them.
I should state that even if you’re not a fan of war
Italeri 15757 Pz.Kpfw.III Ausf. J/L/M/N games, these kits are quite fun to build and paint
Scale 1/56 and as they’re quite inexpensive they provide the
Italeri is developing a special collection of military modeller a perfect opportunity to test some new
vehicles kits in 1/56 scale according to the painting techniques that they would not dare in a
28mm figures for war games. These kits are not more expensive model. The scale is perfect for
thought for average modellers but for war gamers collecting, not as big as 1/35 but not as small as
enthusiasts that doesn’t want to spend lots of 1/72 where painting tricks are not dazzling at first
hours building and painting a single model. The sight. Definitely these kits are a great option for
models are made of a few simplified parts very non rigorous modellers that want to have fun with
easy to assemble and include optional parts to a weekend work form time to time.

Italeri 15761 M3/M3A1 Stuart in a few hours.

Scale 1/56 I always have liked the
This is another adding to the growing 1/56 scale Stuarts very much and I
military vehicles catalogue, the kit can be built into find this little Honey quite
an M3 or an M3A1 Stuart model and the decals attractive and I’m willing
provides decorations for 4 different tanks serving to use it to test some
during WWII with the British, Russian, US army and painting tricks tutorial
USMC. so if you feel curious
The box contains 2 olive drab plastic panels with about how these 1/56
the basic and optional parts to build one of the two scale kits look like when
versions; many of the parts are simplified for an finished keep an eye
easier building so even non modellers will surely on Blitzscales and you surely will see a handful of
finish the kit in a few minutes. With the many easy them.
painting ways and tricks available nowadays I’m
sure that these Stuarts can be completely finished
15
Model; AFV
Scale 1/35

Australia bought their Centurion Mk 3 tanks available plastic kit was the ancient one from
in 1955 and upgraded them to the Mk.5/1 Tamiya, little else than a toy. AFV did a good
standard before sending them to Vietnam job with their new moulds and offered us a
where they proved their value with the C series of versions of this classic English tank
squadron of the 1st Armoured regiment. full of nice details and functional suspension.
From 1968 to 1971 the Australian Centurions Soon many artisan producers started offering
were used to support infantry action until many accessories to improve the kit even
they were withdrawn from the front. Although more; photoetched and resin parts, metal
42 of the 58 Centurion sent to battle were turned gun and metal tracks too, all that we
damaged, only 6 of them couldn’t be would ever need to build a great model.
recovered proving the vehicle to be reliable In my opinion, the only weak point of the
and easy to maintain. model was the vinyl tracks, so soft that the
The AFV kit tracks loose their shape when adjusted to
Until AFV begun to release many versions the idler wheel and sprocket. AFV offered
of the Centurion tank, the only 1/35 scale some individual plastic links tracks that were

16
functional by simple pressure but the quality
was not very good and they tended to turn
one side as you try to add more and more
links.
I decided not to use most o the after market
kits that I had for this project, just a few
ones like the turned gun, the resin mantlet
and the individual links tracks (something I
later regretted) I just wanted to finish my first
Centurion to test some painting tricks like the
splattered humid filter or the acrylic/synthetic
combined staining. 3 Last filter I combined a little of 71141 IDF Sinai
sand and diluted again at 85% I airbrushed form
all directions but from a longer distance, this en-
hanced the details in a similar way than you can
do with the drybrush technique though with more
subtle results.

4 The AFV separated links are definitively not

1- I begun as I always do by priming with a colour worth, building them is a tough job as they requi-
the closest to the necessary one, in this case re a lot of pressure to join the links and in the end
Vallejo 73608 Olive drab. they don’t align but they tend to curve making
the placing on the wheels a bit difficult. And they
are not even crispy pieces, all of the links have
moulding marks so you have to sand them all on
the inner face.

2 -Next I airbrushed a couple of filters; first I

used 71137 US light green diluted at 75% and
applied at the centre of the bigger surfaces. Then
a second one with this same colour and a bit of 5 After a couple of days fighting with the tracks I
71138 US sand and diluted at 85%, applied with finally was able to place them on the tank; heavily
a cenithal criteria all over the model. glued to the wheels I then painted them using the
new Vallejo rust paint 73821.
17
 6 The splattered humid filter consist in spra-
ying the surface of the model with thinner
and immediately after splash little dots of
paint filters everywhere so the stains can
fade in the thinner, the result is a very com-
plex and subtle stained surface.

7 I airbrushed a synthetic wash to darken the ge-

neral look of the tank and create some of the first
faded strikes on the surface.

8 At this stage I made the chipping using rust

colours and a small sponge piece.

I tested the new Vallejo mud effect paints at the

lower part of the hull and wheels, they are easy to
apply, just stencilled with an old brush, if you want
9 Again synthetic paints to create local stains that to add some dry mud just sprinkle a bit of pigment
were blurred downwards with a brush and turpen- over the mud before it dries.
tine.
18
10 I used an earth tone synthetic wash to make
a first layer of accumulated dust insisting on the
vertical surfaces and recessed details.

11 for the bigger dusted areas I used pigments,

applied dry and fixed with some dots of varnish
diluted in a quite a lot of turpentine.

12 I used the new Vallejo effects line

paints to make some fuel and oil stains
here and there.

13 The last touch was to imitate the polished me-

tal at some zones using a graphite pencil
19
 T T ips,
Self adhesive bases
ricks & T echniques

4- Cut some wood strips to make a frame.

1-Select a piece of DM or wood

smaller than the printed base.
Varnish the paper base to protect
the printing.

2-Place the paper base downside, peel the back

paper and place the wood piece over it. Bend the
paper sides to cover the wood piece.

3-Paint the base sides with a primer 5-Glue the strips and sand the corners

20
BUD cases in the sixties
1/35 scale

21
The Centurion tank

22
Thun and Full military museums, Switzerland

23
Model; Eduard
Scale 1/35

25
The King Tiger is one of the most famous tanks that some subjects are a must in a catalogue,
of WWII, hundreds of articles and books have if a producer doesn’t have them their catalogue
been written about this heavy German tank and is not complete. Maybe my friend is right and
if you make a quick search with any internet these producers doesn’t expect to sell the entire
browser you will find more than 17 million results! production fast enough but offering a catalogue
So no need to talk about its history here. Let’s so complete to the customers (shops) that they
see a bit of the models available instead. don’t have to look for more providers……In the
end and what all this is worth for us modellers is
During the XX century Tamiya was the only that we have a plethora of King Tigers to choose
producer with a 1/35 scale plastic kit in the from, and with all the accessories available in
catalogue until Nichimo showed with both the market is not very important which one you
Herschel and Porsche models. While the Tamiya choose, if you spend money enough you will
one was little else than a toy, the Nichimo one have an impressive model in the end.
was a serious kit though difficult to find.

With the new century, producers like Dragon

started offering their own models of the tank
with both turrets and with or without zimmerit,
with rubber or separated links tracks, optional
accessories, etc. Even Tamiya themselves
produced a completely new and retooled model
presented in many boxes that included (or
not) figures, photoetched….And in these last
years we have seen other brands like Zvezda,
ICM or Academy including a King Tiger in their
inventory. And this very year we will see how
new producers like Takom and Meng compete
to have the most complete 1/35 model with full
interior, workable tracks, functional suspension,
etc. Some time ago I was wondering why every
producer makes once and again kits of the same
tanks, are there not King Tigers enough? A
friend of mine got the clue, the thing is not who 1-The kit provides some parts for the gun breech
makes the best or the cheapest one, the key is and coaxial gun but nothing else.

26
The Eduard/Academy kit
Having 5 or 6 King Tigers in my shelves why did
I choose the Eduard one? Simply because it was
the last one I got, you know what it’s said, “Last to
enter first to go” As I already had the necessary
photoetched details and turned gun I decided to
build it before I had more than I could ever build!
The Academy kit is pretty much more or less the
same as the Tamiya or the Dragon ones, though 2-Building was straightforward following the
much cheaper, and Eduard boxing of this kit instructions and adding the Eduard photoetched
includes just different decals and is cheaper even. parts when necessary. I opted to depict my King
Tiger with all the spare links but
without the tools, as I have
seen in some pictures so
clamps and holders are
all empty.

27
3- I decided to paint the tank with the am-
bush scheme, a variant of the German tri
colour post 1943 scheme that includes little
dots of the complementary tones inside the
big patches.

First I applied a layer of Dark yellow

primer and an airbrushed filter with
a lighter shade to make the highli-
ghts.

Then I cut some

masks form adhesive
paper to cover the
dark yellow zones.

4- I made the humid

filter speckling with
Vallejo filters to
create a subtly dirty
base.

I airbrushed the dark brown

colour.

The acrylic filters

are very versatile;
once you try them
And repeated the process to paint with the you can’t do without
dark green colour. them.

28
 5-With some synthetic washes
I made some stains faded
downwards with turpentine.

6 -The Vallejo set of rust colour

is perfect to create all kind of
effects, this time I opted for
the sponge technique to make
some chipping, I didn’t wanted
my tank to look too old and
damaged so I didn’t insist too
much at this point.

7- I used the Star decals set 35982

to depict one of the King Tigers of the
SS-Pz Abteilung 501 deployed at the
Ardennes in 1944. I placed the decals
perfectly with the aid of the decals
softener and fixer.

8-To shut down the colour a bit I

used a white filter diluting the paint
at 80% and applying it in strikes
that I later faded with thinner.

29
 The accessories were an essential
part of this project, if it wasn’t for
the photoetched details I wouldn’t
have been able to do without the
tools, the Star Decals provided the
right decoration for this subject
and the resin/PE MG34 and the
turned gun added a fine touch far
better than the kit plastic parts.

9-The kit tracks are not very nice but this was
not very important for me because I wanted
to mud the lower part of the hull from the very
beginning to keep testing the new Vallejo
ambient paints. I must say that the more I use
them the more I like them.

30
10 Some dry pigments rubbed at the
11-A graphite pencil is good enough to
horizontal plates created a natural dust and
imitate the polished metal.
dirt layer, I later insisted with a pigment rain
filter to accumulate a thin layer all over the
model. This is perfect to absorb further stains
and make them look perfectly integrated.

12-another option is using graphite pigment

and a blending stick to rub it.

31
Sd.Kfz 182 King Tiger
33
34
www.fcmodeltrend.com

35
Model; Trumpeter
Scale 1/35

During the Soviet/Finnish war, the red army tes- previous owners in 1944 during the continuation
ted their new heavy tank, the KV-1. Though the but in very few occasions due to their poor perfor-
tank was heavily armoured and well armed for its mance.
time it also showed many mechanical and design The KV-1 was the best protected tank in the
problems, some of them related with the weight. Soviet arsenal in the beginning of the war and its
When the winter war ceased in 1941 and the 76mm gun was capable of destroying any Ger-
soviet withdrawn many tanks were left in the man tank when the invasion of Russia begun.
battlefield, a couple of them were recovered and The KV-1 went through some upgrading pro-
put into service by the Finnish to equip their Ras- grams that tried to counterbalance the weight,
kas Panssarikomppania (Heavy Tank Company) speed and mechanical problems that included
These two KV-1 where later used against their reducing the armour thickness, producing lighter

36
The Aber photoetched details provided a more The bent mudguard kept the form perfectly.
adjusted to scale look to some pieces.

I sanded the outer rim of the mudguards to give I thinned it down with a file and prepared to
them the proper shape of the Finnish modified remake the rim.
Klimi.

The regular KV-1

mudguards ends
are curved down but
Finnish ones are
straight so I bent them
with the pliers.

37
turrets, etc. But in the end the new T-34 proved and 1940 surviving tanks were provided with a
to be a far better conception, equipped with the 2cm soft steel plates attached with big bolts to
same main gun but far lighter, fast and reliable the turret and hull sides and front. This proved to
made the Soviet army stop producing the KV be an efficient measure in opposition to the new
tank and in the end of the war very little of them German guns Pak 38 and 40 that could penetrate
were still operating. the previously invulnerable KV-1.
One of the most interesting modifications made in There is no exact known number of tanks mo-
the KV-1 was the up-armoured on called Ekrana- dified with this appliqué armour, but seems that
mi (with screens) this was a gap solution before 150 to 200 units could have been affected; one of
the 1941 version started being produced in the them was the one captured by the Finnish troops.
new relocated factories in the Urals. Many 1939 The Finnish made some minor modifications

I used plastic sheet and a curved rim form a The new air intakes were made with plastic card
wheel to make the missing part of the mudguard and stretched sprue.
rim.

The extra hinges in the turret were made with a The Aber turned gun and front modified
piece of wire. mudguards can be seen here.
For many years I thought
that the Finnish army had
captured and put into use
several KV-1; I was a bit
shocked when I finally
read that there were just
2 tanks.
to their KV-1s including new air intakes at the
engine cover, cut front and rear mudguards, new
hinges at the turret and little else.

The Trumpeter kit

Before Trumpeter started producing their line of
military vehicles 1/35 scale back in the beginning
of this century the only KV-1s available were the
Tamiya one; a kit that was little else than a toy far 1 Light grey primer applied in 2 thin layers
form the actual quality standards, and the Eas-
tern Express one, a poor quality kit not very easy
to build. The arrival of the new KV series was
very welcomed in the modelling community as
they provided not only a good variety of versions
but a bunch of good quality kits too. These kits
provided optional rubber or rigid sections tracks,
bent to imitate the sagging; and (unlike Tami-
ya’s) both of them had the inner face correctly
moulded, the kits were easy to build and had
crispy details. We couldn’t ask for more. To be
2 A light greyish blue filter with the airbrush.
honest nowadays these KV kits are not up to the
standards anymore; they have simplified details,
grouse injection marks, no interiors, no photoet-
ched grills, etc. maybe it’s time for a new KV
series with all that we expect form a kit today.

But meanwhile
I had some of the Trumpeter kits in the shelf and
also the necessary decals so I decided that it was
time to make the Finnish KV-1 “Klimi”. I really 3 Masking the first colour with adhesive tape.
wanted to make it since I bought the kit many
years ago but I always had other projects that
were “preferential” so I hadn’t the chance to start
with it, but this summer I finally got some time to
start it.
The changes I had to make in the model were
very simple except for the air intakes but all of
them were scratch made in a few hours and as
the kit building is very simple I had it ready for
painting in an evening. I used some Aber pho- 4 Another of the 3 tone camouflage scheme;
toetched parts to detail a couple of things and a 71133 Dirt
turned metal gun to substitute the kit plastic one
as it looked far better. The tracks are the ones
provided in the kit, carefully sanded in the inside
face to eliminate all the injection marks.

I primed the kit with white colour and then painted

the three colour of the Continuation war” sche-
me using self adhesive paper masks; to cut the
tape easily I fixed it onto some waxed paper, the
typical one that is behind a sticker and protects
5 Masking again and painting the third tone;
the adhesive; this allowed me to cut it with the
71093 Field grey.
39
6 The sponge technique is perfect for the 7 A couple of washes to accumulate some rust at
chipping. the recessed zones.

8 The new Vallejo weathering effects range, for 9 A thicker wash with AK synthetics for the tracks.
many colours stains.

10 Speckling little dots 11 A good metal paint is

of paint over the humid what you need
surface to create subtle for the polished
variations. metal on wheels
and tracks.

40
scissors with curvy lines. the lower part of the hull, suspension and tracks.
Once I had the base camouflage I made some With some graphite pigment I rubbed the edges
subtle chipping here and there but taking care of of the track links and parts of the hull and turret
not exceeding as I knew that both Finnish Klimis where I thought it could be exposed to friction.
did see little action. I used the new Vallejo effects To end the job I made a pigment wash all over
paints to create many stains; I applied them the kit with an earth tone and added some stowa-
directly with a fine brush and then blurred the ge elements made with vinyl.
marks with a bigger brush and thinner. To display the model I used on of the new FCMo-
After painting the details like tracks, spare links, deltips adhesive paper base adhered to a piece
guns, etc. I painted some rust little accumulation of DM and then covered the sides with black
on the fenders and some depressed zones using insulating tape; ready in a couple of minutes.
both Vallejo and AK washes. I used the AK one to
make a heavy wash on the tracks as it has a nice
matt and slightly rough finish that imitates the old
rusting very well.
I used a metallic paint at the wheels rims and
inner face of the tracks, where the rubbing is
constant to imitate the polished metal; then I
used the new Vallejo mud paints to heavily cover

41
42
The M1 75mm pack howitzer was developed A beautiful resin kit
in the 20s of the past decade for the US
army to provide an artillery piece that could I had this Resicast kit in my shelf for a while; I
move on difficult terrain. Both cradle and always wanted to make it but every time I put it
gun could be separated in many pieces for in sight to start with it some other urgent project
an easier transportation. Nearly 5000 pieces came along. This year I was preparing a new
were produced during the WWII with slightly product for the FCModeltrend catalogue and I
modifications. It served mainly with the airborne realized that this was the perfect time to use it for
troops and in the Pacific war. Some M1 howitzers a demonstration.
are still in service; some of them are used for The kit is beautifully moulded and it builds easily
ceremonial purposes but some others have see in a couple of hours. As the resin parts are
war action as late as in 2010. so nicely moulded they doesn’t require much
preparation; just separate the support parts,
Model; Resicast
Scale 1/35

43
sand a little and that’s all. As the kit is very light details enhancing. After this I let the paint cure
and compact you can build it entirely using just for a day and then I made some washes using a
ciano glue so the building job ends quite fast and Dark green synthetic paint form AK.
you can start painting. I painted the tires with a dark grey colour and
then highlighted the outer part with a mix of grey
Standard painting and brown applied again as a filter. I didn’t chip
the paint with rust marks as I wanted the gun
I started by priming with Vallejo 73608 Olive drab to look rather well preserved so I just varied the
and then used the paints provided in the box US base colour with a humid speckled filter. I used
army Olive drab for the highlights filters. I made a graphite pencil to run some edges and details
them using the airbrush from a zenithal approach to imitate the polished metal and then applied a
and diluting the paint at 80%. This technique pigments wash to add a dirt layer using the same
provides not only the overall highlight but also the colour I would later use for the ground.

1 Building this resin

kit is very easy.
4 Once you have the parts
2 The resin parts prepared, the building will
are very good take minutes.
quality and fit
very well.

5 Fit is so good that

no putty is necessary.
3 Ciano glue is
perfect for this
kit.

6 The gun is
now complete
and preapred
for painting.

44
 The sand bags are made
from a latex glove.

The painting process was quite standard.

Magic ground
prepared in a
bowl

Fast scene
Having all the elements of the scene painted I
prepared a piece of DM and covered the sides
with masking tape letting it jut up 5mm (picture
A) Then I poured the “magic ground” on the base
and spread it randomly (B); placed the base on a
B flat surface and put all the elements in the scene
pressing a bit so they could adapt to the ground
with a natural weight sense (C).
Then I poured water over the scene with a spray
C and let it dry (D). The “magic ground” has some
glue in it that activates with water so you really
don’t need to do anything else.
This ground mix is prepared with different size
stones, fine dust and pigment so no painting is
necessary. You can have a natural ground base
for your model in a while.

45
 The soda case is
a new print from
FCModeltrend too.

Once dry, the Magic ground

will keep all elements glued
to the base.

46
47
Model; Takom
Scale 1/35

48
49
The Mark IV was the British tank produced in At last a kit of a thing that never was!
larger numbers during the Great War with more
than 1200 vehicles of both male and female Well this is what we might think ironically about
versions. The Mark IV was the result of the this tendency of many producers of making
Mark I upgrade process and it entered the war models of what is called “paper panzers”,
in 1917. Although the mark IV was supposed vehicles that never passed the design table or
to solve the Mark I problems the truth is that some trials and demonstration units. How can
it really didn’t improve enough, although the these inexistent vehicles can catch up more
armour was increased to 12mm and the fuel attention than others that actually existed, played
tanks were resized and relocated the vehicle and important role in the military history and still
still had poor cross country and trench crossing don’t exist as a plastic scale model? This is a
capabilities. Once the Mark IV was put in service, question that many modellers have in mind all the
some vehicles still served as a base for some time as they surely would prefer to see a Matilda
modifications to increase the performance I, an Archer or even some special Shermans like
in this matter. One of them was the addition the BARV or the Duplex drive, just to mention a
of the Tadpole tail; an extended rear part of few. I guess that the main reason for producers
the rhomboidal sides structures to increase is making use of some already made parts of
the contact surface with the ground and thus previous kits cheapening the producing cost of
outrange larger trenches. The experiment failed the new one.
as the new tadpole tail was not rigid enough so in Whatever the reason might be, the thing is that
the end this version was not produced in favour we’ve got a new odd model offered mostly every
of other solutions. month for those who like this subject.
In order to increase the tank firepower a
platform was installed between the tadpole tails
What to do if you have a tadpole
to accommodate a 6in mortar that was aimed
forward but as this upgrade depended on the
In just 3 years Takom has grown up to be one
Tadpole it never passed the experiment phase.

50
 of the main military
model kits producers
whose news are always
expected by modellers
anxiously. The Tadpole
was one of their first
models and made use
of many parts of their
previous Mark IV kit.
The box includes all
of the former version
parts except for the
new tadpole tails and
the mortar. There are
no decals provided as
the only decoration
suggested is an
imaginary plain green
vehicle…….let your
imagination run wild
here.

The kit is very nice, large parts that fit very well

and free of visible injection marks so there is no
need of any previous preparation. I didn’t use

51
any after-market kit except for
the Aber turned guns that are
quite better than the plastic
ones. I built the whole kit in a
couple of hours and prepared
it for the painting.
With a kit like this one I
always tend to imagine some
peculiar decoration according
(more or less) with the era
and circumstances in which
it should have been used but
this time I decided to paint it
in a monotonous khaki colour
and let the weathering bring
some life to it.
I started as always with a good
primer as close as possible
to the colour I wanted for the
model; in this case it was
Vallejo 70610 Parched grass,
a mid brownish green that I
expected to look like Khaki
brown after all the lights, filters
and weathering. (Photo 1)
Then I applied a filter with the
airbrush using 71081 Tank
ochre diluted at 80% and
aiming the centre of the bigger
surfaces. (Photo 2)
For the second high lightening
filter I choose to use the
colour modulation to lead the
view to the most “charming”
parts of the model. I used a
masking tape to cover the
parts I didn’t want to highlight
and airbrushed 71143 US
light sand diluted at 90% and
painted covering the tape and
the immediately next zone
(photo 3) Once I retired the
tape, the edge of some panels
showed a strong contrast with
the next one driving the light
to the front of the tank. (Photo
4)
With this part of the painting
finished I proceeded to make
some chipping with the
sponge technique and using
the Vallejo rust colours set.
(Photo 5) The key here is
not dumping the sponge and
letting some paint on a paper
before applying to the model,
this way we will ensure a
guarded effect.
Next phase was the dirt
filters, this is something I
always make in different
ways; overall washes, local
washes, strikes and speckled
stains. For this I use both
Acrylic and synthetic paints,
sometimes even mixing
them. I think that this is one
of the most amusing parts of
the painting and I always try
to try something new using
everything I got at hand.
This time I used a mid earth
brown synthetic wash for an
overall wash, heavily diluted
so it would act as a subtle
filter (photo 6) Then I let the
model rest for some hours
and glued the tracks in place
and painted them with the
new Vallejo rust texture effect
paint, the more I use this new
paint the more I like it. I really
like its fine rough texture, very
adjusted to scale. (Photo 7)
I begun a second phase of
filters using synthetic washes
(photo 8) speckling them
over the already humidified
 with thinner surface of the
model, this allowed the
many little dots to blur and
fade melting with the rest
of the colours. For this task
I used earth, sand, brown,
etc. All natural tones that
could fit the look of a
vehicle that has run over all
kind of terrains for a while.
I let the paint job rest and
settle for a day and then

remarked some details

with a local wash using
a dark brown colour and
eliminating any excess
later on with a cotton bud
moistened in turpentine.
Then it was turn for the
pigments, here I insisted
much on the lower parts
of the hull and tracks and
also at the mortar base.
I applied the pigments
mixed with water using a
mechanical sprayer letting
it rain all over the model,
one this layer was dry I
applied them again dry with
 a brush at the zones where
the dust and dirt should
deposit naturally. I fixed the
pigments with the Vallejo
pigments binder and left
the model to rest for the
rest of the day. (Photo 9)
The next day I used a
graphite pencil at the
edges of the track links
and zones of constant
rubbing to imitate the
exposed metal. (Photo10)
To finish the model I used
some weathering paints to
create oil and fuel stains
here and there, I speckled
little dots in some areas
and in others I painted
larger stains with a fine
brush.
The stowage over the hull
came form the spares box;
the boxes were made with
recycled paper and the
clothes with a latex glove.

55
During the WWII the Soviet army was impressed The kit
by the German Sturmgeschutz III concept; a
self propelled artillery Vehicle, cheaper than a Until now the only existing plastic kit, 1/35
tank, capable of mounting larger guns in a more scale, to make a SU-122 was the Tamiya one
spaced fixed fighting compartment. The only and as it happens with many kits it’s too old to
disadvantage was that the crew would have to resist any comparison with modern kits. For
aim the target with the whole vehicle. those modellers fan of the WWII red army this
In April 1942 they started to design their own new Miniart model will be highly welcome as it
assault gun and a prototype was made using represent a new standard in modelling; complete
a captured Sturmgeschutz III mounting a D-30 interior, workable tracks, photoetched and
122mm howitzer. At the same time another SPG transparent parts, multiple decorations provided
was developed using the T-34 hull as a base, this in the decals sheet and a very high detail level.
one mounting a 76mm gun. And if you’re not very keen on interior working
Finally both projects were combined to produce you can choose to buy the model without these
a 122mm SPG based on the T-34 and by the parts.
end of the year the UZTM plant was producing Certainly when I received the model at home
the first vehicles. The SU-122 was eventually I was impressed, not only due to the weigh but
substituted by other SPG like the SU-152, ISU- when I opened the box I realized there was no
122 and ISU 152, by the end of the war the totals room for anything else; the kit had so many parts
SU-122 produced reached 1.150 units. that the box was really crammed; it surely would
provide a lot of fun!

Model; Miniart
Scale 1/35

57
 Even the parts that will be
completely hidden once the vehicle
is closed are very well detailed.

The engine is a kit itself and it will be sold separately for

those who want to add it to their T34 models.

The levers at the driving station are

also very well reproduced although
they will be hardly seen later.

Building the interior of this new model is an The building starts with the engine and
experience! Such amount of details is not usual transmission to get to the fighting compartment
at all, not even in models twice as expensive. where the D30S howitzer and all the ammunition
The instructions guides you clearly enough to are located. Using some effects paints for the
go through this phase slow but easily and the stains and pigments for the dirt will be enough to
continuous colour advices are all that you need to make the interior something credible.
finish the job.

58
 The suspension is made of several parts too,
but most of tit will remain unseen. With many of the parts
assembled I started the painting
job. I tested the new Vallejo
metal paints on the engine.

The acrylic metal color

range has many tones, very
useful for the differente
parts of the engine.

A second wash with the same paint to enhance the

rusted look in the most worn parts.

Having checked many real T-34 engine compartments

photographs I liked much those that looked rusty and dirty,
even when some of them weren’t too worn and damaged, they
seemed to accumulate much wear in that zone, maybe due
to poor maintenance or just too much use. This was the look I
A first and subtle wash with wanted for my model so I painted all the inside with the basic
the new Vallejo rust effect colours and then made a heavy weathering.
paint for the less deteriorated
parts.

59
Pigments are an essential part of the weathering swept the excess with a dry brush.
process, it can be used in different way and for Rust colour pigment was also very useful to add
different purposes; the main one is to recreate some texture at the engine compartment, where,
dust layers but it’s also very god to make a filter, at this stage I had all the elements painted and in
a dry layer to absorb paint stains, and of course, place.
you can make mud with it. For the interior of the Some acrylic washes with brown and earth tones
SU-122 I used it mixed with water at 95% and dirtied the floor and after this I was able to place
applied with a mechanical sprayer. If you try to some elements like the driver’s seat, etc.
make the mix thicker you will obstruct the tool.
Once dry the earth tone pigment was deposited The pigments
naturally at the most recessed zones and I just enhance the
dirty look.
Rust and black pigments applied with a brush

I glued the engine

fastening with some clips.
 I weathered the elements as I added
them to the floor using always the same
washes and pigments colours. I made
large stains at the floor using many effects
paints, sometimes with a fine brush and
others speckling randomly all over. The
thin pigments layer was very useful at
this stage as it absorbed the humidity and
integrated these stains perfectly.

As I went on weathering the interior I

started considering if I could leave as
many hatches opned as possible but then
i rememberd that even if I did it there
would be not enough light to see anything
in there.

61
I painted the D30S gun and sides of the hull and Then I added the front with all it’s
fixed them to the structure. interior parts painted and weathered.

Time now for the

ammo crates and
upper side walls

And finally the roof.

62
 At this stage it was obvious that any of the With the upper hull part in place the engine
interior would be seen. was also covered and hidden.

The rear parts The ABER turned gun

of both hull and fix the kit very well and
casemate hid now looks really nice.
all the job......forever.

Some may think that is a pity that all the previous painting work is now hidden but for me the
important is the fun I get while I work and not the further exhibition, anyway I always take lots of
photographs of the process so I can go through them form time to time or maybe they can inspire
me for next models.

63
Painting the exterior part of the model base colour. Another
was a rather standard process; first I filter with 71094 Zinc
applied a coat of Vallejo 73609 4B0 Russian green enhanced the
green, then I made a first highlight filter shapes of the different
airbrushing 71093 NATO green heavily diluted armour plates and a last one
at the centre of the bigger surfaces avoiding the with 71137 US light green served for a zenithal
edges so they would remain in the darker green illumination.

Base with a primer First lights filter

Second lights filter Zenithal filter

64
 The sponge is
the fastest way
to reproduce the
chipping.
An improvised
tool to fastly build
the tracks.

The speckled
chipping was not
as I expected.

I started building the tracks while I let the model and hits. I used at least three different colours
rest for some hours. Although the tracks are beginning with the darkest one and insisting less
designed to be workable I preferred to fix them with each lighter tone. I also used these paints
so I glued different lengths adapted to the wheels to try some speckling all over the surface to
using a couple of wood slats fixed parallel so they reproduce a homogeneous little chipping; I must
would the links teeth fit between them. say that the result was too exaggerated so I had
I used the Vallejo rust paints set to make some to erase most of it with thinner.
chipping with the sponge technique insisting I painted the tracks using 73821 rust effects over
at the zones that are more exposed to attrition a dark red primer.

65
1 Speckling many acrylic
paints at the same time

2 And then blurring them

downwards with turpentine.

4 And eliminating
the excess with
a cotton bud and
thinner

3 Using a synthetic dark brown wash

to remark some details

5 The new Vallejo Russian 6 Dusting an earth tone

black mud is great. I applied pigment over the flat
it stencilling withan old brush. surfaces and then spraying
turpentine to slightly fix it.

8 And some graphite

pigment rubbed with
a blurring stick.

7 Speckling the
black mud with the
airbrush at the front
to create some
splashing.

66
T T ips,
Sagging vinyl tracks
ricks & T echniques
Many tank kits, mostly older ones have vinyl tracks that are a bit difficult to place onto the model as
they tend to recover their original shape and thus force the wheels axles with the risk of breaking
them.
To avoid unnecessary accidents is advisable to use a hair dryer to warm the tracks; pull them a bit
to enlarge and place them on the model while they are still warm. Fasten the joint and let it cool
down, they will adapt to the model and maintain the new shape.
The key is not using the hair dryer at maximum heat and not using it too close; instead try to warm
all the tracks at the same time from a distance enough.
On a second phase you can force the sagging of the tracks using cotton buds, wood sticks etc.
and heat again. Once the tracks are cold again take off the sticks and see how they maintain the
position, even if you take them off the model.

67