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Tamiya T-34 Shelf Queen

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  • Member since
    September 2006
  • From: Dripping Springs, TX, USA
Tamiya T-34 Shelf Queen
Posted by RBaer on Monday, June 22, 2015 2:14 PM

Apprentice rivet counter.

  • Member since
    September 2012
Posted by GMorrison on Monday, June 22, 2015 4:32 PM

One of my earliest, and favorite armor models.

Mickey Mouse.

 Modeling is an excuse to buy books.

 

  • Member since
    November 2009
  • From: SW Virginia
Posted by Gamera on Tuesday, June 23, 2015 7:29 AM

Very cool! I started a Dragon T-34 a few years back and didn't like how the paint turned out so ended up shoving her back in the box, really need to pull her out too.

"I dream in fire but work in clay." -Arthur Machen

 

  • Member since
    March 2013
  • From: Puebla, Mexico
Posted by garzonh on Tuesday, June 23, 2015 9:44 AM

cant believe someone can leave a kit unfinished at that stage... so far, any kit I start, I finish it, aint matter if it takes me 8 months to complete.

Glad you came to finish it, that little tank needs some deserved paint....hehehe...

Looking good and want to see what colors/weathering it will be completed.

  • Member since
    September 2006
  • From: Dripping Springs, TX, USA
Posted by RBaer on Tuesday, June 23, 2015 10:23 AM

G, I think the first time I built one of these Tamiya T-34s, I was a few years shy of having my driver's license, and I'm getting close to thinking about Social Security now. Dang it.....

Cliff, similar deal here, just didn't get that far.

Hugo: Dude, you would totally wig out if you saw my stash of shelf queens. I'm having some fun with this one, and I suppose that's why I put it up so many years ago: it quit being fun. I imagine sometime in the near future, I'll pull the Merkava4 back out, once it looks like fun (maybe).

Apprentice rivet counter.

  • Member since
    July 2003
  • From: On my kitchen counter top somewhere in North Carolina.
Posted by disastermaster on Wednesday, June 24, 2015 12:38 PM

garzonh

cant believe someone can leave a kit unfinished at that stage... so far, any kit I start, I finish it, aint matter if it takes me 8 months to complete.

That's the same way I am about it.

No new project until I finish the last one........

               https://www.myptsd.com/c/attachments/tired-tired-weary-exhausted-smiley-emoticon-000749-large-gif.14048/    even if it takes five years.

 

Sherman-Jumbo-1945

"I was so much older then, I'm younger than that now"

 

 
  • Member since
    September 2006
  • From: Dripping Springs, TX, USA
Posted by RBaer on Wednesday, June 24, 2015 4:07 PM

Oh man, I'd go absolutely nuts.....

Apprentice rivet counter.

  • Member since
    July 2003
  • From: On my kitchen counter top somewhere in North Carolina.
Posted by disastermaster on Wednesday, June 24, 2015 11:10 PM

RBaer
Oh man, I'd go absolutely nuts.....

Nuts?
 Am there.......   http://castletv.net/wp-content/forumuploads/mutha_nite/2015/02/panic.gif  doing just that.

Sherman-Jumbo-1945

"I was so much older then, I'm younger than that now"

 

 
  • Member since
    September 2006
  • From: Dripping Springs, TX, USA
Posted by RBaer on Thursday, June 25, 2015 10:37 AM

I guess I'm right there with ya'......

So, green! I had a couple of hours last night, so I shot primer, let it dry for about an hour while I whipped up some dinner, then fixed the numerous faults I found which in the end meant making up some dried mud from Squadron green putty, MEK and floor sweepings to daub on in places where the tracks would throw junk. Color is Krylon "Italian Olive", a bit bright now but washes should fix that. I did end up popping the rear plate off and doing some adjustment, makes me happy.

Apprentice rivet counter.

  • Member since
    September 2012
Posted by GMorrison on Thursday, June 25, 2015 10:43 AM

Great! Now you need to find the old decals. I always thought the model looked good with the horizontal white ring around the side of the turret.

 Modeling is an excuse to buy books.

 

  • Member since
    September 2006
  • From: Dripping Springs, TX, USA
Posted by RBaer on Thursday, June 25, 2015 5:21 PM

Ah, it's probably just gonna get some numbers, or maybe some kind of patriotic scribbles. I'm poking through refs now.

I thought the white band around the turret was an air recognition marking during the tail end of the war. Something about some Rooski tanks getting strafed by P-47s?

Apprentice rivet counter.

  • Member since
    November 2009
  • From: SW Virginia
Posted by Gamera on Friday, June 26, 2015 11:38 AM

Ohhhhhhh mud, cool!!!

If I remember correctly the white band was an identification used in the Battle of Berlin- not sure how accurate it is. I'd guess there might have been a few T-34/76s involved but I'd think most had been replaced by T-34/85s by then.  

"I dream in fire but work in clay." -Arthur Machen

 

  • Member since
    September 2006
  • From: Dripping Springs, TX, USA
Posted by RBaer on Friday, June 26, 2015 2:51 PM

There were a few of the older tanks still in action in Berlin, most being repaired hulks. I've got a pic somewhere of a line of T-34s, some 76, some 85, and they all look hammered.

I recently read the average life span of a T-34 in 1944 was 30 days, some repairable, some not.

Edit: Or maybe it was 30 hours.....   frighteningly low, whichever.  It's in "Armored Champion", I'll have to dig it up tonight.

Apprentice rivet counter.

  • Member since
    January 2007
Posted by the doog on Friday, June 26, 2015 6:26 PM

Pretty cool, Russ. That's some "brave mud" on that sucker---I LIKE it! Stick out tongue

I just can't believe that you keep a stable of "shelf queens". I can' sleep if I don't finish a model...;lol..

  • Member since
    May 2009
  • From: Poland
Posted by Pawel on Saturday, June 27, 2015 3:58 PM

Hello!

While I mostly finish the builds I started, sometimes it takes a lot of time. But I have like two or three builds going on in parallel - helps me stay sharp and let certain things dry really well - I just use that time to do something else.

Now your T-34 is looking good! It was a right decision to restart this build. If you should need some translation from Russian, please let me know, I could help you here. As for those white stripes - those weren't the P-47's, but Il-2 Shturmoviks. Remember, the Germans had some captured T-34s in their units, too. Once I even used to know an old man in Germany, who used to shoot those soviet T-34s on the eastern front. Now I wish you good luck and good fun with this build and have a nice day

Paweł

All comments and critique welcomed. Thanks for your honest opinions!

www.vietnam.net.pl

  • Member since
    September 2006
  • From: Dripping Springs, TX, USA
Posted by RBaer on Monday, June 29, 2015 10:50 AM

Karl, I've always needed more than one going at a time. It's possible a side effect of what I did for a living for so long, which was being an automotive tech, then fabricator, still automotive but more in the competition end of things, the last ten years of which were in my own business, so I had to have more than one job going as I couldn't afford to be held up on anything, for whatever reason. In modeling, I find that if I get to a "hump" on a particular model and don't feel comfortable at that particular step, I can pick up something else and still get maximum benefit from the limited modeling time I have.

Pawel take a look at the turret in the following pics: I'm copying another build (top of post) and am moderately unsure of the accuracy of the script. It's supposed to say: "Avenger". Keep in mind I painted it freehand, so any errors in the actual Cryllic letters are mine.

Speaking of knowing vets, my recently passed neighbor was in tanks in WWII, but wouldn't talk about it at all.

So, current pics from work done last night: Turret washed, name and numbers on, more mud to get a layered effect and a brown wash on the hull, tracks and wheels. Also added is mud on the outer wheels. No pigments yet, still adding the heavy stuff.




ACW, as always, and thanks for looking!

Apprentice rivet counter.

  • Member since
    May 2009
  • From: Poland
Posted by Pawel on Monday, June 29, 2015 1:10 PM

Hello Russ!

I'd be glad to help you with this one. The word we're looking at is "Ms-tit-yell" - or at least that's my transcription. In Russian it would look like this: мститель. So the first letter is an M - no problems here. Te second letter is an s - looks exactly like a C in russian. The third - a T - is also no problem. The fourth is an I - and should look line an inverted N. On the left side of the turret it looks OK, on the right side it looks too much like a H, which is a Russian way to write N - confusing, eh? The fifth and sixth signs are OK. The seventh sign is a "hard L" - and it looks like an A, but without the crossbar. What you have looks too much like the Russsian sign "Ya" - that looks like an inverted R. What you are missing completely is the "soft sign" - that looks like a small b. You definitely need that, or you're going to have a typo. So I guess you want to do some fixin here - if you need some more info, please let me know and I'll try to help. Good luck with your build and have a nice day

Paweł

All comments and critique welcomed. Thanks for your honest opinions!

www.vietnam.net.pl

  • Member since
    September 2006
  • From: Dripping Springs, TX, USA
Posted by RBaer on Monday, June 29, 2015 3:08 PM

Pawel, thank you so much. Oddly enough, I'm blogging this on another forum as well, and I've been told the exact same thing. I even have my word written out in several styles, which I've printed. Gotta love the internet!

On the down side, I've sprayed a light coat of satin over the turret sides, so fixing this may involve repainting the turret sides, or not, I'll find out tonight.

I just knew I'd get into trouble copying some one else's work, lesson learned.

Apprentice rivet counter.

  • Member since
    November 2009
  • From: SW Virginia
Posted by Gamera on Monday, June 29, 2015 3:16 PM

Ohhh, very cool! Never tried painting my own slogans like that, course I never had anyone like Pawel to help me though!

"I dream in fire but work in clay." -Arthur Machen

 

  • Member since
    September 2006
  • From: Dripping Springs, TX, USA
Posted by RBaer on Monday, June 29, 2015 3:29 PM

I've done it a couple of times, IDF chevrons too since those are sometimes hand-painted on the real thing, and normally don't have an issue. I've also used drafting pencils, which I prefer but this one is painted in a semi-gloss and the pencil wouldn't work on it.

It's just that I copied this from a pic in a modeling magazine (see original post) and it's wrong there. Oops.

Apprentice rivet counter.

  • Member since
    May 2009
  • From: Poland
Posted by Pawel on Monday, June 29, 2015 4:09 PM

Well, gentlemen, I'm always glad to help. Next time just ask me before you grab that paintbrush Big Smile

Good luck with your model, Russ, and have a nice day

Paweł

All comments and critique welcomed. Thanks for your honest opinions!

www.vietnam.net.pl

  • Member since
    January 2007
Posted by the doog on Monday, June 29, 2015 7:50 PM

Russ, that makes total sense, why you would be driven to do multiple projects a a time. :)

Your latest efforts are looking great. Love that dirt!!

  • Member since
    September 2006
  • From: Dripping Springs, TX, USA
Posted by RBaer on Tuesday, June 30, 2015 10:03 AM

Pawel, count on it! Big Smile

Karl, it's a workable system, keeps me modeling rather than burning out: I've always got something going on that I feel energetic about. And thanks, I'm a little bit out on a limb here with the chunks of accumulated turf, but I think it'll work out.

So it was a lot easier than I thought it would be to get the old script off, only took about ten minutes to prep both sides of the turret, but then I spent upwards of an hour trying to get the new on. In the end, after having re-done both sides multiple times, I had to settle for the look of something very hastily applied. It's definitely time to buy some new small brushes. Anyway, here's what I ended up with:


Apprentice rivet counter.

  • Member since
    May 2009
  • From: Poland
Posted by Pawel on Tuesday, June 30, 2015 4:22 PM

Hello Russ - that looks all right! Terrible things happened on the eastern front - tanks rolling from the production lines straight into battle or young soldiers from the Asian parts of the Soviet Union sent to fight before they even had a chance to read or write - I say in that context your inscriptions look just right. Your political officer would have been proud! Good luck with your build and have a nice day

Paweł

All comments and critique welcomed. Thanks for your honest opinions!

www.vietnam.net.pl

  • Member since
    September 2006
  • From: Dripping Springs, TX, USA
Posted by RBaer on Wednesday, July 1, 2015 10:37 AM

Excellent Pawel, thanks again! Good thing to keep the political officer happy too.

At it again last night, adding more dry dirt with several washes and both wet and dry pigments, then some assembly. Still to do that I'm sure of at this point: TC fig, some light stowage, tow cables, exhaust and maybe fuel stains, and a radio antenna. Anything else that anyone sees? All suggestions welcome!




Apprentice rivet counter.

  • Member since
    September 2012
Posted by GMorrison on Wednesday, July 1, 2015 10:41 AM

It looks great. Maybe just an unditching log.

 Modeling is an excuse to buy books.

 

  • Member since
    September 2006
  • From: Dripping Springs, TX, USA
Posted by RBaer on Wednesday, July 1, 2015 11:06 AM

Good idea......

Thanks!

Apprentice rivet counter.

  • Member since
    November 2009
  • From: SW Virginia
Posted by Gamera on Wednesday, July 1, 2015 11:07 AM

The slogan and mud look really good from here.

"I dream in fire but work in clay." -Arthur Machen

 

  • Member since
    September 2006
  • From: Dripping Springs, TX, USA
Posted by RBaer on Wednesday, July 1, 2015 11:11 AM

Thanks, Cliff!  I may yet add some localized, darker washes on the accumulated clods on back, to try and make the stuff on the bottom look almost wet. Not sure yet.....

The thing I notice about the pics, taken this morning, is a slight orange tint to the mud. In reality, it's much more like a varied  light brown, which I expect (hope) will show up in the finished pics I take outside.

Apprentice rivet counter.

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