Tamiya's T34, former shelf queen WIP

Going to town on this old guy. I like what you've done to it so far. Are those tracks indies? The sag looks great on them, so I assume they are and I know the kit comes with one-piece.

Tracks are friuls, my favorite for anything with "dead" track.

I've got a lot of studying to do the next few day for my Somm 1 test, so progress may be a tad slow on this one, but it's good therapy. Yeah, that's it, yeah......

Good luck on your test.

If thats the reak old Tamiya,I built that kit in the 80's as one of my first models,probably blew it up with firecrackers.Yours looks like a nice project,should come out real good.

RBaer, first off its great to see work being done to a shelf queen!!  I've got a few of those on the shelf that I keep thinking I will dust off....well you know how that goes!

Secondly, I love what your doing...combining different hull, wheels and turret to come up with something you can't buy off the shelf!!  I'm going to be doing something very similar with some T-34 parts I've been collecting.  I'm sure your work will inspire me (and others!) to do get going!

Keep those WIP posts coming, I'm eager to see how this turns out!

Thanks all.

I did the engine deck cooling air outlet screens today, using the old On the Mark pieces and some metal mesh I had laying around, and that was it. I'll get some more pics up as I get some more progress made. 

Thanks for watching!

<~~~lurking... I'm going to build a T-34 mashup tank for the Imagination GB.. so.. lurking I am..

I've got a pic of two air outlet covers, one for this model and one for a T34/76 that's in the same state of completion (read: started and abandoned several years ago). I like the all-PE example better, but will probably go ahead and use the other one as well. Still studying for the test.........

All brass:

And screen embossed into the existing framework:

Work, study and upcoming trip, away from Texas heat, all pretty much taking lots of modeling time these days, but still plugging away.

And talk about spare parts models, in digging around for parts for these two, I figured out that I have almost enough for another T34......if I can find one of those Dragon or Tamiya kits of the big pressed turret, I'm golden!

A couple more pics today........good camera decided to die today, so forgive the lousy pics.

Turret is ready for texturing, all the biys and pieces are on. I built up the nose around the mantlet, due to the poor fit of the Maquette parts, and replaced the barrel with a Jordi Rubio parts that was in the stash. Other bits are from an old Tamiya kit and the Maquette kit. Grab handles are .020" welding wire. I filled in the front roof ventilator hole and cut the rear out for the dual ventilators characteristic of the earlier "composite" turret. A couple of old Sherman HVSS return rollers were set into the holes, and the Tamiya cover added. Welds are plastic rod. Fuel cans are from a Tamiya kit, with the mount straps sharpened up a bit. Smoke pots (or more fuel cans?) are Maquette. Front and rear hull pieces are about all that remain on this one.

Off to Colorado for some vacation time, celebrate passing my Somm 1 test, cool off too.

Thanks for looking!

A real FrankenT34 project! I love it! You hardly notice the stitches. Seriously, a very nice job cobbling this one together, ought to look great with some paint and weathering when the time comes.

Thanks, Bill. I'm looking forward to the painting part myself. BTW, anyone know if the Sovs used primer, and if so, what color? I've seen a few models that the builder used red oxide on, but still curious.......

I'm not certain on Soviet armor specs but have read that a yellow-oxide primer was used but unsure if it was a standard or if it varied from factory to factory. If you can get get Treadwell aka william_carls attention, I'm sure he would be able to provide a more definitive answer.

  Quite innovative Russ. 

 A good way to recycle an old favorite.

I've heard stories & seen pictures of russian tanks coming out of the Stalingrad factories and heading straight into the battle with only red primer for a finish.

I think I've heard something similar, just couldn't remember the color. I don't want to show something in primer that should be green, or use the wrong color. I'm digging through my resources, including articles on builds, and have found some definite contradictions........  seems like red oxide is a bit over-used, IMO. I have an earlier tank in about the same state of build as this one started in and I want to show the rear cooling louvre cover slightly open on both. I'm leaning towards the exterion green for this area now, since the louvres themselves would be visible from the outside, through the screens.

Also, the tank I'm building is meant to be a factory re-build, common in the later part of the war, in which usable hulls and turrets are combined to get a servicable vehicle, even though they may not be exactly "matched", as far as production dates and/or places go. I have acouple of pics of vehicles that are identified as such, and since I'm using a variety of kit  parts anyway, it was a natural.

Anyway, back from CO, maybe get some bench time in here in a bit, plus gotta scare up another camera......

Well, progress. I finished the assembly, mostly OOB Tamiya but some more Maquette parts, and shot primer, Krylon red oxide. After one day, a coat of Krylon "camo green", kind of a medium green sold with hunters and such in mind. Another day to dry, then a heavy wash of Vallejo german medium green darkened with a touch of black. Aften a couple of hours, I started to scrub the wash away in the flat and "touchable" areas, leaving it in the shadowed and concealed parts of the tank. Then, I used a bit of lighter fluid on a q-tip and scrubbed the high'traffic areas to bring up a little bit of the red oxide, and edged those areas with the original vallejo green, which is a bit lighter than the Krylon sprayed on as the first green coat.

Sorry for not having any shots of the process, just now got a camera to work. So, enough of the talk, here's the pics, sort of. I can't seem to get this camera to consistently focus on the work instead of the background. Hmmm.....

Looking great so far

That's some serious looking green on that green machine....

   Did you hairspray it before the Vallejo wash?

Hmmmm, I see a sherman lurking off to the side.

No hairspray, the Vallejo comes off really easily.  One reason I like it, and the fact that it brushes on very smoothly, no streaks or brush marks.

I may get a little time in over the next couple of days, going to the IPMS show in Arlington on the 10th and would like to have this one ready, but that's doubtful now. Then vacation for a couple of weeks so I'll be seriously away from the bench......

I have the exact same kit myself I even picked up the Tank workshop interior for the Tamiya kit Legend detail set and Friul tracks.

BTW for those that don't know the Friul tracks are not left or right handed for the T34 they are what are called "Ambidextrous" tracks which means it doesn't matter if they are installed forewards or backwards they will look the same no matter what. And when weathering the tracks after using the Blacken It solution put the tracks on and take note of the location of the drive wheels and idler wheels along with the road wheels as these will show you where to use the Rust All weathering compound.

WOW, Cool!

I've been wondering what those Macquette turrets look like built up--I've got on myself, but haven't used it yet.

I can tell you're having fun with this one! I like what you're doing with it!

Correct on the tracks, easy to use and build.

Thanks, doog. I'm having a blast. It's all mudded up now, glossed up with decals on. Next is the dust, tracks and some stowage (ammo boxes mainly) but I'm on the way to the airport, gonna get some Nova Scotian lobster or something in Boston for a few days, then probably down to the gulf for a few more, so I'm outta touch for the next couple of weeks. Hasta luego!

Back in town, New England was a hoot, visited the Hobby Bunker and Minuteman Hobbies in the Boston area, and managed to get some modeling time in to boot. so here it is so far: mud and dust is white glue, used tea, craft paint and pigments. Over that a gloss coat, and simple turret numbers. Next will be dust only, then a flat coat. I did manage to pick up the Dragon tank riders at Minuteman that this thing is crying out for.

Tahnks for looking! Oh, and D-master, there's always a Sherman in the background......

One with the flash, to show the amount of grunge:

And without:

And a frontal shot:

And the hind-quarters, sort of:

Wow Russ!  That's a right purty tank ya got there! 

Your T34 is looking real good!  Looking forward to see the riders on it next...

Yeah. This particular kit was my first presentable model.  I'm not much into aftermarket, though. I'm more the weathering type guy. None of my models are half this good! Really!

Richard, Andy, Londo; thanks! I'm having too much fun here.

OK, pics with the dust, fuel and oil stains, and tracks. I also added a teenie bit of rust on the spare tracks, not much. Lots of runny soot around the exhausts as well. There's a pic floating around somewhere of a T34 running at the Bovington Tank Fest, shows lots of gaak on the rear plate. Apparently these engines were pretty loose, pumped some oil as well as lots of smoke.

 Next is the bunch of crazies hitchin' a ride.

I also need to see if I can get a latch on the inside of the loader's hatch, just noticed that......

Edit: and a headlight lens. Oops.

wow.. thats looking knarly dirty...! nice

ps.. dumb question.. is the item just behind the headlight a horn ?? is it on backwards ??.. hard to tell from the pic.. but??....

RBaer

 

Russ,

I might be wrong here; but take a look at this track.  It looks to me like there's a bit too much sag before the track meets up with the road wheel.  You might need to take out a link or two?  I'm not 100% though.  See what the experts say.

Dusty! I like it.