Kfz.13 - Body Work

It's beginning to look a lot like a Kfz.13!

Since my last post, I've attached the "tub" to the frame along with the front section, armored grill, and the rear fenders.

Next, it's back to the frame, suspension, and the addition of some "goodies" to the tub.

35th Scale T-34: Hull Work

I've made a little progress on the hull. The upper section has been glued to the bottom. Fit was generally good with the only gap being left at the very rear. I'll fill this with a combination of plastic strips of the appropriate width and putty.

As can be seen above, I attached the engine screen housing after airbrushing the inside with Vallejo Russian Green primer. I then attached the rear access hatch, exhausts, and jack blocks/chocks to the rear fenders and extra track links and attachment points to both sides.

I'm still undecided about which auxiliary fuel tanks to use. My initial thought was to go with the Aber PE square fuel tanks on the rear. After seeing how difficult it was going to be to bend them to the proper shape, I decided to go with the kit-supplied rectangular fuel tanks on the sides. Accordingly, I added the jack blocks (or chocks) to both rear fenders. Then I acquired the resin square tanks from Mig USA but, when examining them after they arrived, they look to be too large. So now the PE tanks aren't looking so bad but that means I'll need to remove the jack blocks/chocks from the rear fenders to get the square tanks to properly fit. I guess I won't make the final decision until I get to a step from which I can't easily recover :)

Kfz.13 - Back to the "Tub"

While I'm waiting for my squarish fuel tanks to arrive from Mig USA for my T-34, I thought I'd spend some time on the Kfz.13 armored car I began several months ago. I've added the front and rear body sections to the floor and have constructed the support system and seat for the MG-42. I'm leaving off the machine gun, shield, and doors at this point to facilitate painting the interior.

The photo below illustrates why this car was termed a "bathtub on wheels."

72nd Scale T-34: Finished!

I've messed around with the finish on the tank and with the ground work about all that I can, so here are photos of my completed T-34/76 Model 1941, 1st Tank Brigade, Poland, 1945.

While not totally happy with it, I've learned some valuable lessons to apply to future builds. Stay tuned!

72nd Scale T-34: The Base, Part 2

I next painted the surface of the ground work flat brown. Once dry, I applied scenic cement and sprinkled on some Woodland Scenics Fine Turf Burnt Grass. I wanted to keep the grass more or less in scale--hence the use of the fine turf and not static grass as I would use with a larger scale. Although hard to see here due to the lighting, I then added several tufts of miniNatur Short Buffalo Grass Spring Tufts from Scenic Express.

Once all this was allowed to dry thoroughly, I used a combination of airbrushing and dry brushing to apply various shades of brown, green, and grey to the grass, dirt, and rocks. I also painted the sides of the foam a flat black using a generic craft paint. My progress to date is shown below.

Next I will epoxy the T-34 to the base, add some additional ground work around the treads, and tidy up the build.

35th Scale T-34: Engine Fan Screening Assembly

I've opted to use the PE screening and louvres on the rear of the hull although, as usual, very little of the assembly will be easily seen once the housing is attached to the hull. I removed the molded-on bolt heads from the hull, sanded them smooth, and then attached the PE plate on the rear deck as shown below:

The louvres were then attached. Since there is no engine included I'll leave them in the closed position:

The screening and supports were then glued to the housing. Note that the tabs on the supports have not yet been bent:

Here's a photo of the housing in position (tabs STILL not bent) showing just how much of the assembly will be visible through the screen:

I will airbrush the area inside the housing in the appropriate Russian green color prior to permanently attaching it. Then it's back to general construction.

72nd Scale T-34: The Base(ics)

Before I applied the final weathering, I wanted to construct the base to allow me to integrate the tank with its environment. I dove into my stash of bases I'd collected over the years for various figures and found one that would fit the scene I had in mind. I first scored the top surface with a box knife so that the glue would better adhere to it.

I then carved a piece of florist foam to the basic shape, masked off the sides of the wooden base, and glued the foam to the base with scenic cement (which I suspect is nothing more than a higher-priced white glue with a matte agent added).

I mixed a batch of Aves ClayShay and applied it with a spatula to the top surface of the foam. This is some of the best ground material I've found. Depending on how you mix it, you can use it either as a clay (thick) or as a mache (thin). When it was partially dried I pressed the tank into the surface so that it would appear sunken into the ground and added a few scale rocks to the surface.

Next up will be painting and adding additional ground work.