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HOW TO BUILD...

TAMIYA’S

ARMOUR KITS IN 1:35 SPENCER POLLARD

INCLUDES

FIVE COMPLETE BUILDS PLUS:

■ How to apply zimmerit ■ In-service references ■ Step by step tutorials: construction, painting and weathering ■ How to detail your model: aftermarket and from scratch ■ Learn to sculpt your own tarpaulins and sandbag armour From the publishers of Tamiya Model Magazine International, Model Military International, Model Airplane International and Military Illustrated Modeller

Covers Armour.indd 1

FEATURING THE WORK OF

Spencer Pollard, Marcus Nicholls and Brett Green

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FOREWORD How to build... TAMIYA’S ARMOUR KITS IN 1:35

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here can be very few people who have taken an interest in modelling military vehicles who haven’t at some time or another, built one of Tamiya’s extensive range of military vehicle kits. Such is their ubiquity, originality and availability, they have become almost as much a watchword for 1:35 armour modelling, as Airfix have been for kits of aircraft in 1:72. But perhaps their greatest boast, the one that they hold most dear, is that they are the most user-friendly kits on the market. From the most basic kits that they offer, through to the giant tank-transporters that grace their range, you open the box and you know that your next project will be fun, with parts that fit, instructions that make sense and details and features that will make you smile with every passing step along the way. They are, quite simply the modeller’s, model kit. I’ve lost count of how many Tamiya armour kits I’ve built – perhaps most of them. Without exception I’ve always enjoyed the delightful way that the designers approach even the most subtle of details and not just those offered in plastic. The instructions for instance often make me smile, pointers that others miss, such as colour call-outs, exact positioning arrows and clear drawings, making the road to completion pleasant and relaxing. In concert with their simple approach to kit breakdown (why use 100 parts when 20 will do?) building a Tamiya armour kit is quick and that means you can speed along the path to those areas we all enjoy, painting, weathering, adding detail, crew, accessories and even building dioramas around each and every one. They are a gateway to an all-encompassing hobby and that’s why I love them so much. This new book brings together five in-depth features created around a diverse group of Tamiya’s more original releases, two of which are new to their range this year – the Nashorn and the M4A3E8 ‘Easy Eight’ Sherman, the latter being as you may be aware, a tie-in with TASCA. Hold on a minute! I hear you cry – that Sherman’s not a Tamiya kit! No, it’s not, but its design, layout, ease of assembly and appearance once complete is such that it could so easily have been designed by Tamiya rather than elsewhere and that makes its inclusion here, more than acceptable. I’d like to thank my other two co-conspirators in this project Marcus Nicholls and Brett Green for the offer of their models, as well as the Hobby Company who so kindly provided the kits that we used to create the five extended chapters that I hope you are about to enjoy. Thank you all, without your help this book would not have been possible. This then is ‘How To Build… Tamiya Armour Kits in 1:35’. We hope you enjoy reading it as much as we enjoyed putting it together. Spencer Pollard, October 2014

■ Spencer Pollard Spencer was born in Haverfordwest, South Wales in 1967. Having been born into a military family (both his mother and father served in the Royal Navy) it was not surprising to see him develop an abiding interest in the military and thanks to that Fleet Air Arm connection, aircraft, both full-size and in miniature. Having spent many years building models as a hobby, Spencer was able to turn a part-time passion into a full-time career, as he swapped a role in the Civil Service for one in the Editor’s chair, taking over the reigns of Military In Scale magazine in 1997. Sixteen years on, Spencer changed direction once more as he joined the ADH team to become their in-house model-maker, working on a wide range of models both military and civilian. He spends downtime playing drums in a rock-covers band, living in Shropshire with his wife Liz.

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CONTENTS

2 Page 4 Page 6 Page

Forward Introduction Chapter 1 Tool Box

Page

8

Chapter 2 An Easy Eight by Spencer Pollard

Page

Page

Designed by Alex Hall

36

Chapter 4 Rhinoceros: Armed And Dangerous by Marcus Nicholls

Page

First Published in the United Kingdom by:

ADH Publishing Ltd., Doolittle Mill, Doolittle Lane, Totternhoe, Bedfordshire, LU6 1QX Telephone: 44 (0) 1525 222573 Fax: 44 (0) 1525 222574 Email: [email protected] Website: www.adhpublishing.com

Chapter 3 Getting Your Goat by Spencer Pollard

Copyright © 2014 ADH Publishing Ltd.

All rights reserved. Reproduction in part or whole of any text or photographs without written permission from the publisher is strictly prohibited. While due care has been taken to ensure the contents of this book are accurate, the publisher cannot accept liability for errors.

28

52

Chapter 5 (Re)Made In Israel by Brett Green

Page

66

Chapter 6 Elefant In The Room by Brett Green

Page

82

Chapter 7 Final Thoughts

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INTRODUCTION

INTRODUCTION

Where it all began, Tamiya’s very first 1:35 military release was this group of spiffy looking German tank crew, offered for sale during 1968.

Tamiya have never rested on their laurels, often taking time to replace older kits with new tools, as they did in 2009 when they replaced their 1973 era Matilda with a brand new kit.

W

elcome to the latest in our ‘How to Build…’ series of books and the second that I have personally put together, based around Tamiya’s superlative range of kits. Last year we took a look at their aircraft and now we are tackling some of the kits from their extensive range of 1:35 armoured vehicles, perhaps their most loved range. Over the next 80-odd pages you’ll find five different projects that encapsulate what Tamiya’s range of kits is all about: simplicity, ease of assembly and fun. Each of the articles is designed with beginners in mind and as such, we have tried to offer ideas that most should be able to at least attempt, if not in their entirety, then at least in part, pulling out aspects of each one to help improve their own projects. But why have we done this? There can be little doubt that over the last few years that modelling has become more and

more sophisticated. Kits that once featured 200 parts, now contain 500-1000. Individual track links have become the norm, etched brass, resin updates, multi-layered finishing techniques, everything that has pushed the boundaries of the hobby to hitherto unimaginable heights. It is truly a golden age. Whilst this is great for those with the skill sets to keep up, those less able can at times feel left behind, unable to both commit to the time needed to complete these complex new kits and learn the skills needed to finish each one. Sure, magazines are a useful way to offer ideas to these modellers (indeed many of those published here at ADH do just that) but often the features can be complex and the kits used, embellished with all many of aftermarket goodies and finishing products. It’s not that we are against that sort of thing as we love these models as much as you do, it’s just that we feel an opportunity

Before their tie-in with TASCA, this was what Tamiya’s ‘Easy Eight’ looked like!

The addition of personal touches can improve the most ordinary of kits. This is Spencer Pollard’s Opel Blitz, built just after its release.

Spencer Pollard’s favourite Tamiya 1:35 armour kit is the Leopard 2A6, as featured in our sister title “How To Build… The Leopard Family In 1:35”.

An all-time classic - and still available today - is this neat little Pak 35/36. How many remember those end-opening boxes?

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is being missed. And that’s where we come in… The great thing about Tamiya’s range of kits is that they are on the whole very easy to build and so can be used as a learning tool without feeling that you need to spend hours on construction. As you’ll see here, they compromise little on detail and so can be made to look very good, even when you build them from the box and apply a simple layer of paint. But that’s only just the beginning of the story! What we really like about our favourite manufacturer is that the shorter time needed to complete basic assembly, leaves plenty of time to add those little personal touches that we all love so much. With the exception of Marcus Nicholls’ ‘out of the box’ build of the new Nashorn, all of the models have been embellished with scratchbuilt details, crew figures, accessories and other

little features, most of which are either homemade, or found in the spares’ box. This has resulted in a collection of unique models that almost anyone can be inspired by without worrying about breaking the bank, or being beyond their level of skill. Along with the constructional aspects of each feature, we have been careful to ensure that the finishing steps are simple to follow and use products that most modellers will find in the toolbox. Though there are some advanced ideas amongst those revealed (such as the ‘hairspray technique’ used on the Sherman), many of them will be familiar to modellers who have followed our work over the years with washes, drybrushing, pigments and chipping all present and correct. That’s not to say that you won’t learn anything, just that you might find yourself more inspired than intimidated, just as we would hope you might be.

We certainly do use off-the-shelf weathering products and materials, but we don’t let them sit front and centre: the kit and resulting model is always the most important element of each feature, not the materials used to finish it. We hope that this book will be used to drive forward your projects and that you try and build some of the models seen within its pages. But don’t let that be the end of the story; use the ideas to help you choose other kits to build, other models to collect, other techniques to master. There are plenty of fantastic kits that we could have built - such as the Leopard 2A6M seen here – but we will leave those to be part of your future. We just hope that you enjoy building your Tamiya kits as much as we have, after all, that really is what this is all about: having fun! So, with the introduction out of the way, shall we begin..?

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CHAPTER 1 TOOL BOX

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TOOL BOX

efore we begin to enjoy the models, we thought it might be worth talking briefly about the tools that you might need to complete the projects that you’ll find within this book. Discussions with modellers often reveal some gaps in their knowledge and thanks to the proliferation of tools and materials available to the modeller, a little confusion about what they will need and what they most definitely won’t! This short section should point you in the right direction and offer some guidance as what you’ll need to complete your first model.

GETTING STARTED In order to build a model kit, you’ll need a very basic tool kit comprising only a few specialist tools. From the off though, let us stress that it is always a good idea to buy the best tools you can: you get what you pay for. It’s a false economy to buy cheap tools, brushes and materials and hope that they will last and produce good results – they won’t. Experience has taught us that it is better to buy well and you’ll not need to do so again! So, in order to build your first model, what do you need? Here’s a list of tools to get you started: A sharp knife. Modelling companies produce their own knives, but we tend to favour Swann Morton Scalpels fitted with No.10 & 10A blades. Whatever you choose, always ensure that they are sharp – blunt blades are far more dangerous because you will force the blade and that can make them unpredictable in use. Keep them sharp and once dull, replace. A pair of side-cutters. This is a very useful tool that allows you to snip the parts away from the runners with little chance of damage. I use Xuron cutters, but they are also widely available from many of the model kit manufacturers as well. Tweezers. Grab yourself two pairs, a standard set with large prongs and fine set with sharp prongs that can be used for delicate details. We use Tamiya’s own tweezers, but we would also recommend checking out Adam Wilder’s new sets (www.wilder.su) as they are very good indeed.

The basic tool kit – everything you’ll need to build your latest masterpiece!

Sanding sticks and sponges. These are perfect for cleaning up seams (see our ‘Easy Eight’ feature for more details on their use). Again widely available, but we would recommend Flory Models as the best we’ve used (www.florymodels. co.uk/skinny-sticks/). Files. You’ll always come up against delicate parts that need to be cleaned up and this where fine files come in handy. Though you can use standard steel files, we would recommend using smaller ‘diamond’ files that are available in packs of five. These are far harder, don’t clog so easily and if they do, are very easy to clean. The set we use is made by Keil Kraft and is available online from fruugo (www. fruugo.co.uk). High quality drill bits and a pin vice. Most kits require at least one hole to be drilled to accept a small

piece of detail. To do this neatly you will need a set of drill bits and a small pin vice to hold it tight. A search of the web will reveal a huge choice of both items to buy, most of which will be quality enough for modelling use – Amazon being particularly useful in this regard (www.amazon.co.uk/Micro-HSStwist-drill-20pce/dp/B004H2AF9S). Liquid cement. Though modellers have traditionally cut their teeth on tubes of cement, these days we have plenty of easy to use liquid glues that are far easier to apply and produce consistently clean results. The builds in this book were completed using four types: Plastic Weld; Tamiya Extra Thin Cement; Gunze Sangyo Mr Cement S and Humbrol Liquid Poly. Each of these glues has different properties, drying times and viscosity, allowing the modeller to create instant joints,

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joints that can be adjusted and those that fall somewhere in the middle. Experimentation will reveal which is best for a given job, so we recommend using all four. Modelling filler. Sometimes you have gaps to fill so we recommend adding this to the toolbox. We use Humbrol Model Filler as well as Squadron White and Green Stuff. All are available from your local model shop. High quality paint brushes. Don’t skimp on this part of your toolbox! If you want high quality finishes, you have to use the best brushes you can. Both synthetic brushes and those made from materials such as sable can be bought in both art and model shops, as well as online. For beginners, we would recommend looking at some of the brushes produced in packs from the likes of Humbrol, AK Interactive, Lifecolor and Tamiya. If you really can afford it, the Winsor & Newton Series 7 range are the very best you can buy – expensive, but worth every penny!

THE FINISHING LINE Almost all of the kits that you build will include detailed painting information, both for the smaller details and the camouflage scheme in which the model will be finished. This will usually take the form of numbered call-outs, crossreferenced to the manufacturer’s preferred range of paints – such as Humbrol with Airfix – but not always. Sometimes you’ll find a list of different manufacturer’s paints, so you can choose which best suits your personal preferences. In terms of specific choices you will use either acrylics or enamels and we can certainly not offer any advice here as to which is best. The reason for this is that we use both and so it will be up to you to decide on which is more user friendly; you may decide to spray acrylics and brush-paint enamel details, or the other way around: enamels being used for the main finish and then acrylics for the smaller features - it really is up to you! Whatever you

Keep you bench tidy! Here’s a shot of Spencer’s workbench during a project earlier this year. Everything is neatly laid out and the surfaces are perfectly clean – not a speck of dust in sight!

Paint and thinners need to match for optimum performance. Here’s a small selection of those available to the modeller.

do though, ensure that you use whatever thinner is created for the paint you have chosen. Each of these thinners is specifically formulated for the paints and so whether you decide to paint your model with a paintbrush or more sophisticated airbrush, please do so using matching materials: Humbrol Enamel Thinners with their enamel paints; Vallejo Thinners with their acrylics; Mr Color Thinner with Gunze Sanyo’s range of lacquers, etc., etc. Trust us, it makes a massive difference to their performance – after all, you wouldn’t fill your car’s engine up with the wrong oil now, would you?!

AND FINALLY… I often see images of workbenches where the surface is covered with all manner of kit parts, paint, glue and accessories with barely an inch to work in. Don’t do this! If you want to be truly productive and create well made, well finished models, work in as tidy an environment as you can - you’ll find it easier to concentrate on the job in hand, will reduce accidents and the risk to your finishes from dust and dirt. Trust me – I know what I’m talking about! Tidy up; remove dust and dirt from your bench and put everything away – it only takes five minutes at the end of the day, but repays you with a clean slate from which to begin the following day. Think about it: how can you hope for a dust free finish if you are painting on a work surface that is covered in the stuff? We are now ready to get cracking. Let’s begin with Tamiya’s excellent ‘Easy Eight’ Sherman…

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CHAPTER 2 TAMIYA 1:35 M4A3E8 SHERMAN “EASY EIG

AN EASY EIGHT HOW SIMPLE IDEAS CAN IMPROVE A STOCK KIT… MODEL SPEC TOOLS AND MODELLING PRODUCTS USED: Tamiya Extra Thin Liquid Cement Gunze Sangyo Mr Cement S Tamiya Masking Tape ZAP Super Glue Delux Materials Roket Blaster Tamiya Fine Surface Primer PAINTS AND FINISHING PRODUCTS: Magic Sculp Green Stuff Baby Talc

Spencer Pollard shows how, with some straightforward alterations, a little scratchbuilding and the addition of some stowage and crew, even the easiest of kits can look radically different from one built ‘out of the box’.

Tamiya Fine Surface Primer XF-1 Flat Black XF-52 Flat Earth XF-49 Khaki XF-67 NATO Green XF-59 Desert Yellow XF-62 Olive Drab XF-71 Cockpit Green XF-68 NATO Brown XF-15 Flesh XF-85 Rubber Black XF-7 Flat Red XF-84 Dark Iron Gunze Sangyo Mr Color Thinner Humbrol Enamel Thinners 86 Light Olive 150 Forest Green 159 Khaki Drab 33 Matt Black 72 Khaki Drill 29 Dark Earth 119 Light Earth 61 Flesh 34 Matt White 73 Wine 26 Khaki 117 Light Green 33 Matt Black Mig Productions Thinner For Washes 502 Abteilung oil paint, buff, Light Earth, Light Rust, Dark Rust Dark Wash Tamiya Earth Texture Paint Vallejo Flat Varnish Vallejo 169 Black 150 German Camo Black Brown 306 Dark Rubber Vallejo Face Painting Set ACCESSORIES Verlinden Productions - US Tankers WWII Wet/Cold (2587), US AFV Crew WWII (1619). Value Gear – Wooden Crates #3, Tents &Tarp Rolls

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SY EIGHT” KIT NO.25175

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amiya have had a longstanding love affair with the Sherman, releasing kits of this famous vehicle regularly over the years. Indeed, the ‘Easy Eight’ was one of their very first kits and though far from accurate (parts of it were in 1:32, with others in 1:35) it was a staple of the kit world before they decided to replicate the M4A3 during 1981, followed by the 105 mm howitzer-armed variant during 2002. More recently we’ve seen an Israeli M1, an M51 and thanks to a tie-in with Asuka Model (formerly TASCA) we now have both the Sherman Firefly and the subject of this feature, the M4A3E8 - or more memorably, the ‘Easy Eight’ - thus taking us full circle!

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CHAPTER 2 TAMIYA 1:35 M4A3E8 SHERMAN “EASY EIG IN THE BOX… Though this feature is not really a review, it may well be worth offering some thoughts on the kit before we get cracking on the meat and bones of this section of the book. When TASCA first emerged onto the modelling scene, they were instantly lavished with praise, many believing that their new range of Sherman kits were not only the last word on the subject, but also bore an uncanny resemblance to the work of Tamiya’s designers. Though more detailed than Tamiya’s Sherman kits, they matched in terms of sensible breakdown of parts, ease of assembly, packaging, instructions and fun! They seemed to be twins split at birth and so seeing their kits now sold in Tamiya boxes, is no surprise whatsoever. Their ‘Easy Eight’ is a fine example of what they are capable of. Though initially daunting in terms of parts-count (the tracks alone, could give you sleepless nights!), the ease with which everything goes together, makes the building of this kit a far from arduous task. The hull for instance is broken down into individual panels that fit cleverly together, internal bulkheads stiffening it up until the one-piece upper hull is glued in place. The turret is similarly straightforward, two parts taking care of the shell before the modeller spends a few happy hours adding the details. The bulk of the work is needed to construct the wheels, suspension and tracks. Initially, this looked overwhelming, 26 parts for each suspension unit seeming like a lot of work, but fear not; clean-up is minimal and so once the parts are free from their runners, everything falls together easily. The kit would have you build the bogies so that they can articulate, but as I loath such gimmicks, I glued everything together firmly, a flat surface being used to ensure everything was straight and level.

With the suspension dealt with, we come to the tracks. As part of this feature you’ll find a ‘step-bystep’ guide to their construction that will show you how easy they are to build. In essence they are made up from individual links broken up into two pieces that combine to trap pins moulded on the edge of each one. Though repetitive, the only care you need to take is with the glue brush, sparing application of adhesive being needed to join the links to create a run of flexible track. It was planned to build these tracks over a few days, but once in the groove they can together in only a few hours. The finer details in this kit are really very well handled. I was particularly taken with the amazing .50 cal MG and the almost unbelievably fine retaining springs found on the loader’s hatch: I’m not sure I ever seen finer parts in a kit! Tools and other fittings are equally splendid and though they don’t feature any form of retaining straps – thus aping the Tamiya parts found in their own kits – they look great once in place and painted. Where you will find improvement over Tamiya’s Shermans, is in the way that TASCA handle the handles (sorry!), all of these being tiny individual parts rather than solid features, moulded in-situ. This of course adds to the care needed to assemble this kit, but the results are worth it: even from the box, this is a fantastic looking model.

The lower hull is built up from separate flat panels, internal bulkheads ensuring that everything joins square and true. The fit is perfect.

The lower hull is complete. Fix the inner wheels in place allowed the bogies to be lined up and then flattened out, all working features being fused permanently in place with liquid glue.

THIS FEATURE… Over the next few pages or so, we will take you through the construction and painting of this model. Unashamedly aimed at the beginner/intermediate modeller, you’ll find a whole raft of step-bystep guides that you can use for not only this model, but many more besides. This then is Tamiya’s ‘Easy Eight’ – we hope you like it!

When TASCA first emerged onto the modelling scene, they bore an uncanny resemblance to the work of Tamiya’s designers...

The large air vent and exhausts are superbly realised in the kit, multi-part assemblies ensuring a pleasing level of finesse.

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SY EIGHT” KIT NO.25175 DRAWING UP A LIST OF THINGS TO DO…

Though looking complex, the multipart bogie assemblies are easy and fun to build. Note the excellent detail.

Another view of the completed lower hull. For those inquisitive types who may be wondering why there is a mark inside the hull, I glued a return roller mount to the wrong side of the hull plate for the photos and had to remove it…

Anyone who has stuck with me through my years of building models, will know that I like to draw up to-do lists that I can use to guide progress through a project. This model was no different and though not as complex as others that I have completed recently, was needed so that everything was done both in order and within the time needed to complete the model. Here’s the list that I drew up: • Build the lower hull checking everything was square and true. • Assemble all suspension units, fixing the innermost roadwheels in place to allow each bogie to be fixed to the hull and levelled out. • Assemble the tracks, ensuring that they remained flexible. Paint and set aside to dry ready for weathering. • Complete assembly of model, leaving .50 Cal separate, along with sprocket and idler wheels (to allow fitting of the tracks later on). • Make sandbags for the glacis plate from Magic Sculp. Leave in place to be painted with the rest of the model thus ensuring the colours and tones are in sympathy with the surrounding camouflage. • Add stowage to the rear hull using resin items from the spares’ box. Glue in place. • Blend stowage into model with soft tarps created using thinly rolled sheets of magic Sculp. Tie in place ready for painting, once again at the same time as the camouflage. • Add heavy mud to suspension and lower hull with Tamiya’s textured paint. • Apply camouflage paint and layer of hairspray ready to deal with worm whitewash finish. • Weather model. • Paint details. • Construct figures, painting results with Tamiya acrylics and Humbrol enamels.

The HVSS assemblies are superb and surprisingly quick to build.

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CHAPTER 2 TAMIYA 1:35 M4A3E8 SHERMAN “EASY EIG

SEAMS EASY – AND IT IS!

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When building plastic model kits, whether they are armour or aircraft, you will be faced with the need to deal with joints between large sections and the clean up of the seams that result from their union. Beginners can sometimes be stumped by this step of a model’s construction but they needn’t be as much like anything else that we do, with the right tools and a little guidance, it can be easy to achieve excellent results. In this section we’ll show you how to deal with the joint line between the upper and lower turret sections and restore the texture that will be removed during the clean up operation. Let’s go! Some of the tools needed to deal with a joint on a model: a black Sharpie marker pen, sanding stick, sanding sponge and a piece of Scotchbrite. The two halves of the turret shell have already been joined and left to dry out.

D

Happy that we have highlighted all areas in need of work, a medium grade sanding stick is used to smooth out the joints, short controlled strokes being used to ensure that we don’t remove too much material and damage the surrounding surfaces.

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Having spent time with the sanding sponges, the whole turret was treated to a buffing with the Scotchbrite seen early.

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For those difficult to deal with areas, a curved scalpel blade (No. 10) was used to gently scrape away the unwanted plastic.

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And here’s the result of our labours, a turret shell with little evidence of a joint line. That said, the surface now is a little too smooth, so needs some additional work to complete the job…

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Here, remov

SY EIGHT” KIT NO.25175 B

The joint is marked out with the Sharpie, as are any unwanted seams left from the intricate moulds use to form the turret parts. This not only highlights areas to be worked on, it shows that we have done enough sanding once all trace of the black ink has been removed.

F

Here, we can see that the joint has been smoothed over and that seam around the hatch, removed. Time to clean up the surfaces ready for painting.

C

There is a nasty seam around the opening for the turret’s side hatch that needs to be removed – seen here marked with our Sharpie.

G

Sanding sponges come in all manner of sizes and grades and are perfect for this task, being able to not only smooth the surface but thanks to their soft nature, do so without risk of deforming the rounded edges.

J

Where the surface has been smoothed over, Mr Primer Surfacer 500 was stippled on to create a delicately rough surface that blended in with the surrounding plastic. Our turret was now ready to be detailed.

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CHAPTER 2 TAMIYA 1:35 M4A3E8 SHERMAN “EASY EIG Though we have a separate ‘stepby-step’ guide to the completion of the stowage on the engine deck, here is a shot of the underlying resin parts initially fixed in place. Though it’s great to use these items, it’s also fun to add your own touches and that’s why further layers of tarpaulins were created to lay over this collection. The dark grey tarpaulins and box are from the Value Gear range, the remaining yellow pieces being from VP’s extensive range of accessories.

Many of the images I found of late-war Shermans showed them bedecked in all manner of soft camouflage and that was something I was keen to add to the model. The glacis was decorated with sandbags made from small blobs of Magic Sculp, fine mesh embossed into each one, adding texture, modelling tools being used to add seams and other details. The tarpaulin was made as shown later. Note the resin box and the wooden retaining plank, the latter being made from a coffee stirrer liberated from a well-know chain of coffee shops…

We’re starting to get somewhere now, the bulk of the hull being assembled ready for the finer details. Though not everyone’s cup of tea, I like to fix as many of the accessories in place as possible and paint in situ, as it allows everything to blend in to the surrounding camouflage more naturally than would be possible if they were painted as individual items.

A

PHOTO ETCHED DETAILS: OVERCOME YOUR FEAR… Many modern kits include frets of photo-etched details. These usually include such hard-to-mould items as light guards, handles and other tiny features. Though many of these are also supplied in this kit in plastic, they are far from delicate and so the use of the brass parts, though daunting, is something to be encouraged. To do so needs little more than a few tools, some fine tweezers and superglue – all things that an average modeller will find in their toolbox. Let’s take a look at how we can use those supplied in this kit and maybe inspire you to have a go at more complex sets.

Some tools of the trade: a cutting plate from Little Cars, a scalpel, diamond files, superglue and section of brass rod to shape the pieces.

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The rear hull’s light guards are shaped with the aid of a jeweller’s screwdriver, care being taken not to deform the part through rough handling.

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SY EIGHT” KIT NO.25175

Had we taken the stowage away from this build, Tamiya’s ‘Easy Eight’ would have taken little more than a few hours to get to this point, making it a perfect beginner’s kit.

The pioneer tools are nicely detailed, lacking only the retaining straps found on the originals. Photo-etched details available from the aftermarket can deal with this omission should you choose to address it.

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The fret is laid down on to the Perspex cutting plate and then using a new No. 10 scalpel, the part to be used is careful removed from the fret.

C

With the part removed, any excess brass from the attachment point is removed and then the surface smoothed off with a file, the delicate piece being held tight within the jaws of a pair of modeller’s pliers.

E

Small drops of medium viscosity superglue (ZAP in this case) were applied around the tabs for the light guards with a length of fine wire.

F

The tiny guard could now be dropped into place adjusting its position before the glue set. In order to reinforce the joint some thin superglue could also be flowed around the joints – that’s up to you!

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EPOXY PUTTY TARPAULINS MADE EASY! Though the aftermarket is awash with all manner of stowage items and tarpaulin rolls, sometimes you’ll need something unique to fit your model. Over the years, these have been made from tissue paper soaked in thin PVA glue, but you can also make them from two-part epoxy putty. In this section, we’ll show you how. There are a number of different products on the market to accomplish this task, but our favourite is Magic Sculp, a soft, ultra-fine putty perfect for jobs such as this. Along with the putty you’ll also need some talcum powder, soft brushes and a section of rubber-tipped sculpting tools that are available from all good art shops.

D

Using a fine metal blade (in this case a thin steel ruler) the sheet is cut into small squares.

H

The roll has been placed onto the model and is being gently forced down over the detail. In order to ensure that the putty stays put, small drops of water are added between it and the model, the water helping to make it sticky enough to bond to the resin details seen here.

A

The putty is mixed by taking equal quantities and combining them until the colour is completely even with no evidence of marbling. This is then rolled into a ball and placed onto a cutting mat well dusted in talcum powder. We can now start to roll it out.

E

Though it is possible to cut the putty sheet with a blade, I find it tends to drag and deform, so the use of a longer cutting tool pressed into the surface, helps create more accurate, neater cuts.

I

With the putty in place, sculpting tools are used to added creases, details and other shapes. There is no science to this, the details being added until the results are pleasing to the eye.

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The p result it doe

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The putty is rolled with a brass rod, the sheet being rotated and flipped over to ensure the results are even. With each pass of the rod, the sheet is dusted with more talcum to ensure it doesn’t stick to either the rod, or the cutting mat.

F

We can now start to roll the individual pieces using a soft, flat brush. Note the amount of talcum in this shot; this is necessary to ensure that the material can be worked without worrying about it sticking to you, the mat or the tools.

C

Here, you can see how thin the sheet is as we scrunch it up. At this point it is ready to use for our tarpaulins and bedrolls.

G

With your first sheet rolled neatly, folds and the like can be added using either a paintbrush or the rubber-tipped brushes seen here. This can be done either on the mat, or on the model, whichever is easiest for you to achieve your desired results.

J

Happy that the first layer is in place, another sheet could be added and blended in with the underlying detail. The putty is so soft that it can be pushed over the detail with the aid of a soft brush, all of the underlying features being perfectly visible, just as they would be in reality. It is now up to you how many layers you wanted to add and where – just use your imagination!

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Compared to more modern designs, the Sherman’s turret is positively basic!

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The stowage on the rear deck is finished off with several layers of Magic Sculp tarpaulins (see separate guide to their creation). Whatever you do with your stowage, make sure you tie it down! Those loose items won’t stay there all by themselves!

I feel that an armoured vehicle model really benefits from the addition of crew, both for a sense of scale and also a level of drama not possible from the vehicle itself. These two arguing crewmen are made up from different VP figures, arms and heads, found in the spares’ box. The loader obviously has plenty on his mind!

The remaining crew figures are stock items taken from VP’s ‘US Tankers WWII Wet/Cold’ set, plasticard plinths glued inside the hull, holding them in place.

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CHAPTER 2 TAMIYA 1:35 M4A3E8 SHERMAN “EASY EIG

MAKING TRACKS – A STEP BY STEP GUIDE

A

The tracks in Tamiya’s Easy Eight are well moulded and easy to assemble – if you take your time and follow some simple steps. Over the next few paragraphs we will show you how to build not only these tracks, but also similar tracks in other kits. To accomplish this task you’ll need a sharp knife, side cutters, a sanding stick, tweezers and some high-quality liquid glue. The individual components are removed from the runners ready for assembly. Each link comprises two parts: the tread and the upper panel complete with guide horn.

D

Using a pair of fine tweezers, pick up the upper panel and very carefully lay it into place, trapping the second link as you do so.

H

Here’s a close-up of the tracks – nicely detailed and flexible.

E

Press the upper panel down using the tip of the tweezers for a few seconds until the glue sets.

I

With the individual lengths constructed, they could be brought together and left to dry overnight. The following day they could be checked to see if any links had accidentally fused together, if so, they could be carefully flexed until they worked loose.

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Assembly begins. Lay a link down and then drop a second in place ensure that the pin and socket joints line up.

F

Begin to add the next few links, ensuring that they are all lined up and the upper panels are firmly cemented in place.

C

Very carefully add drops of liquid glue onto the upper surface of the first track link. A fine brush is essential to accomplish this task.

G

The tracks were built in blocks of twenty until I had the 77 that were needed for each side.

J

And here they are complete after little more than a few hours work: perfectly detailed, flexible tracks ready to be fitted to our model.

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Before painting the model, some mud was added to the lower hull using Tamiya’s excellent ‘Soil Effect’ Diorama Texture Paint.

When applying the textured paint to the model very little care was taken – it was just applied where I felt it needed to be!

There was something utterly liberating about splashing mud-coloured paint all over my model – subtle it most certainly wasn’t!

In order to regulate the tone of the upper colours and provide an initial layer of shadow, the model was basecoated in a layer of Halfords Satin Black aerosol paint. This provided a hard surface that dried ready to be overpainted, in only a few minutes.

The upper surfaces have been airbrushed with several layers of green beginning with Tamiya XF-62 Olive Drab, followed by XF-67 NATO Green and then NATO Green lightened with XF-59 Desert Yellow. All of these colours were applied in very thin layers, the paint being diluted around 50% with Gunze Sangyo Mr Color Thinner.

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The sandbags were given an initial coat of Tamiya XF-49 to differentiate them from the surrounding paintwork. Though not an obvious shift in colour in this shot, this was enough when it came to painting them properly, later on.

As with the sandbags, the stowage on the rear deck was first sprayed with some light green, grey and khaki tones ready for final painting and weathering. There was no real science to this, generic shades being mixed in the airbrush’s colour cup until I was happy to move on.

Tamiya XF-1 Flat Black and XF-52 Flat Earth were mixed to create a dark brown colour and then sprayed over the running gear, lower hull and wheels. The colour was then lightened with increasing levels of Flat Earth, each one being sprayed over the details to create a nicely 3D effect ready for final weathering.

The completely airbrushed model. Note the patchy finish, made possible through the use of multiple shades applied in both a scribbled pattern and long streaks, the latter being used down the model’s vertical surfaces.

In order to create a worn winter scheme complete with patches of whitewash, the ‘hairspray technique’ was used. This involves a layer of hairspray over which paint is applied, the hairspray allowing the upper paint to be removed through the application of water to dissolve the hairspray and thus dislodge the paint. Here, the model has been sprayed with several layers of fine hairspray and then oversprayed with a thin layer of Tamiya XF-2 Flat White thinned with water.

Happy with the camouflage, a brush was used to apply water over the white, which in turn melted the hairspray to allow the white to be removed. Care is needed to ensure this is done carefully to ensure that the effects are natural and in scale.

The whole model has been scrubbed to remove areas of the white paint, the results being a realistic, worn finish. Time for some weathering and detail painting.

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The turret was the first section to be completed. This was weathered using very simple washes of Raw Umber oil paints (thinned with white spirit) to bring out the detail, stippled areas of Vallejo German Camo Black Brown (applied with a sponge) to replicate paint chips, and drybrushing with Humbrol Matt Black and Forest Green to pop the edges and smaller features. Detail painting was completed in the main using enamels, Xtracolor RAF Blue Grey being used for the periscope glazing.

Here, you can see the difference between the completed turret and as yet, unweathered hull. Note how much darker the turret is after all of the washes and why it is necessary to begin with lighter shades when painting, if the resulting model is not to end up looking overly dark once complete.

Time to weather the hull…

Of all the areas of the model, the most fun to paint was the glacis plate and its sandbag armour. These were washed with various dark earthy shades, before being drybrushed with Humbrol 72 Khaki Drill darkened with a little 29 Dark Earth, thinned layers of this mix repeatedly lightened with the addition of white, helping to define the creases and seams. The tarpaulins were painted in a similar manner, greens and greys being used for contrast.

The figures were painted in an almost identical way to the stowage, their uniforms and flesh being blocked out with Tamiya acrylics before their uniforms were refined with Humbrol enamels to add highlights, shadows and details.

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The rear hull is awash with details, painted effects and weathering. The greasy fuel stains flowing from the filler caps were applied using AK Interactive’s Fuel Stains, thinned layers of this liquid being used to add further dirt and degradation over the surfaces of the upper hull.

The tools were painted with a mixture of Vallejo and Lifecolor acrylics and Mig Productions washes. Metal parts were painted with Lifecolor UA731 Dirty Black, washed with Humbrol 72 Khaki Drill and then highlighted with graphite. Handles were basecoated with Vallejo 310 Weathered Wood and then washed with Mig Productions dark Wash, a fine, flat brush moistened with thinners being used to manipulate the wash to create the grain pattern seen here.

Close-up of the finished sprocket. Oil paint and enamel washes helped break up the colour, as did an overspray with gloss brown, the latter helping create the look of wet mud. Some graphite would also help here around the sprocket teeth – maybe later when this model is built into a diorama…

The completed model with crew in place. Note how everything blends together, nothing looking to be out of place.

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I feel that an armoured vehicle model really benefits from the addition of crew, both for a sense of scale and also a level of drama not possible from the vehicle itself...

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CHAPTER 3 TAMIYA 1:35 M561 GAMA GOAT KIT NO. 35

GETTING YOUR GOAT

Spencer Pollard builds a very unusual vehicle, the M561 Gama Goat, adding plenty of homemade details along the way. MODEL SPEC MATERIALS Injection-moulded polystyrene, polycaps, waterslide decals TOOLS AND MODELLING PRODUCTS USED Tamiya Extra Thin Liquid Cement Gunze Mr Cement S Tamiya Masking Tape Zap Super Glue & Zip Kicker Tamiya Fine Surface Primer Gunze Sangyo Mr Color Thinner PAINTS AND FINISHING PRODUCTS Magic Sculp Green Stuff Baby Talc Tamiya Fine Surface Primer XF-1 Flat Black XF-52 Flat Earth XF-49 Khaki XF-67 NATO Green XF-74 Olive Drab (JGSDF) XF-71 Cockpit Green XF-72 Brown (JGSDF) XF-68 NATO Brown XF-15 Flesh XF-85 Rubber Black XF-7 Flat Red XF-84 Dark Iron X-35 Semi-Gloss Clear Humbrol Enamel Thinners 86 Light Olive 150 Forest Green 159 Khaki Drab 33 Matt Black 72 Khaki Drill 29 Dark Earth 119 Light Earth Mig Productions Thinner For Washes 502 Abteilung oil paint, buff, Light Earth, Light Rust, Dark Rust Dark Wash European Earth, Beech Sand pigments AK Interactive Dust Effects Vallejo Flat Varnish Vallejo 169 Black 150 German Camo Black Brown 306 Dark Rubber

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NO. 35330

T

he Gama Goat was a six-wheel-drive semiamphibious off-road vehicle originally developed for use by the US Military in the Vietnam War, although it never took part in combat during that conflict. The vehicle's nickname came from two sources; ‘Gama’ from the name of the inventor of its powered articulated joint, Roger Gamount and ‘Goat’ for its mountain goatlike off-road ability. Its full military designation was M561, 6×6 tactical 1-1/4-ton truck.

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Having completed the chassis, attention turned to the nose of the vehicle. The kit does not supply foot-pedals so they were added from Evergreen rod and strip. Note the cable bundle under the dashboard.

GAMA GOAT IN MINIATURE So, having got over the shock of this left-field release, what does the kit offer the modeller? Well, this kit is typically Tamiya in the sense that it is well packaged, beautifully moulded and very easy to build – but there is a but… this kit is typical of a 1980s Tamiya kit rather than one produced in 2013. Let me explain; when you open the box you are faced with a very simple kit with little in the way of parts (around 130) and some areas of simplified detail. It looks to all intents and purposes as though it was designed some time ago and has only just seen the light of day. That’s not to say it’s a poor kit, it isn’t, but if you are expecting a modern, all whistles and bells replica, you may well be disappointed. So what do we have? From the off this kit looks to have been designed with ease of assembly first and foremost. The main bodywork of the both the tractor and trailer are essentially created from one large section that is then embellished with suspension and drive train sub-assemblies, again, mostly moulded in one piece. Not only does this make assembly easy, it makes it quick: I had the lower flanks of the tractor built in less than thirty minutes – almost unheard of in a 1/35 kit! Though this simplification is a welcome aspect of the kit, it does have a knock-on effect in terms of detail; despite the basics

A Tamiya Dragon Wagon was robbed of some towing lugs and a cable-end for the winch. Lifting eyes were made from Evergreen rod and fine brass wire wound around a drill bit.

The inside of the driver’s compartment was plagued with some hard-to-remove pin marks, so the floor was lined with plastic card to cover them up. Another pedal was added to the side of the transmission tunnel.

The fuel tanks are rather simplified in the kit so were extensively re-detailed using rod and strip. Note the plethora of pipes attached to the hull sides.

Adding detail to the tanks was a fun aspect of this build, careful reference to online images, being used to ensure everything was in the correct place. Fire lead wire – available from littlecars.co.uk – was used to add the electrical cables to the headlights, predrilled holes being used to anchor each one.

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NO. 35330 The rather agricultural trailer coupling is another simplified aspect of the kit’s detailing and could really do with either some extra detail, or better still, replacement. We went with the kitsupplied parts, choosing only to add a few cables here and there. Small brackets were fashioned for the hoop that holds the tarpaulin over the cabin. Note also the small strengthening strip that has been added to the lower edge of the engine cover. A view of the completed tractor reveals the compact look of this very distinctive design.

The front of the model certainly looks impressive with that winch in place. The kit offers the choice of a plain nose as well, depending on the version chosen.

The wing mirror stanchions were replaced with fine 0.5 mm Evergreen rod, before being detailed with tiny bolts sliced from the end of another piece of rod, this time 0.2 mm.

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CHAPTER 3 TAMIYA 1:35 M561 GAMA GOAT KIT NO. 35

all being present and correct, careful examination of reference photographs reveals a lot of missing features that you would perhaps expect from a twenty-first century kit – and not just one from Tamiya. What that means is that the modeller can either elect to build the model quickly from the box and enjoy the painting, or as we have here, have some fun adding some of those missing items and make something that is perhaps a little more unique. Along with the plastic parts, the kit includes a comprehensively drawn set of instructions and a finely printed set of decals that cover three options. The choices are as follows: • No.14, 82nd Airborne Division, Grenada, October 1983. Vehicle painted in MERDC scheme of Mid-Brown, Green, Buff and Black. • 3rd Marine Division, Camp Fuji. Vehicle finished in overall Olive Drab. • A Standard U.S. Army Goat from an unknown unit during 1976. Vehicle finished in overall Olive Drab.

The trailer is easy to build and looks fine from the box. We decided to take things a little further though and so chose to add some extra detail… The rear tailgate is nicely detailed, but the tool stowage is rather heavy-handed and so they were left off and the area cover with a Magic Sculp tarpaulin. The retaining handles were shaved off the rear wall of the trailer and replaced with new, larger pieces made from strip and rod.

Pictures often show a jerry can on the rear mudguard and so a Tamiya accessory set was raided for one, Tamiya’s masking tape and some strip being used to create the delicate retaining straps.

Jerry can on one side: stowage box on the other. This is simply a resin part from the spares box.

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The decals are well-printed and feature plenty of the distinctive data panels that can be found in and around the interior of the Goat. The instructions provide plenty of painting instructions that not only help you deal with the fine details as you proceed through construction, but also the camouflage and markings once complete. All paints are pulled from Tamiya’s range of acrylics. Being such a simple kit, we decided not to take you through the construction and painting using a lengthy written description, but instead, create a photo-essay that would show you some of the details that were added to the model and a few of the painting steps that were used to finish it. All of the techniques, tools and materials used should be suitable for the beginner/intermediate modeller, or perhaps those with more advanced skills who will be looking for a relaxing little project during which they can have some fun.

Some hoops for the trailer’s tarpaulin cover were made from some Albion Alloy’s 1 mm brass rod, bent to shape using a plastic card template.

Test-fitting the tractor and trailer. The wheels have been washed with a thin layer of Humbrol Dark Earth and then the tyres drybrush with Humbrol Matt Black to pop the tread detail.

Broken down, the various sub-assemblies have been airbrushed in their relevant colours. In keep with our reference shots, the tractor was painted Olive Drab – Tamiya XF-71 Interior Green over XF-74 Olive Drab (JGSDF) - and then the trailer in a MERDC camouflage scheme painted using a base-coat of XF-67 NATO Green, XF-72 Brown (JGSDF), XF-78 Wooden Deck Tan and XF-69 NATO Black. The tyres were painted with Tamiya’s brand-new XF-85 Rubber Black, with XF-71 Interior Green hubs. Once done, the sub-assemblies were sprayed with several thin layers of X-35 SemiGloss Clear ready for weathering.

Here are the wheels painted ready for weathering. The hubs were painted freehand, subsequent layers of dirt helping to blend in any overspray.

Washes of thinned Winsor & Newton oil paints helped to define the smaller details, a layer of drybrushed Humbrol Khaki drill – carefully applied – being used to sharpen up the details, post wash. How to Build... Tamiya’s Armour Kits in 1:35 33

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CHAPTER 3 TAMIYA 1:35 M561 GAMA GOAT KIT NO. 35

Painting the tractor and trailer in different camouflage schemes certainly helps to make this model even more interesting.

Though a simple part of the model, careful painting and weathering brings out the best in the kit parts. Along with those washes applied earlier, Mig Productions and AK Interactive pigments were applied to the rear end and then fixed with Humbrol Thinner and Pigment Fixer. Washes of MP’s Fuel Stains and Raw Umber oil paints, followed by drybrushed layers of Matt Black and Humbrol Metalcote Steel, add to the filthy look.

The Gama Goat is predominantly made of aluminium and so any chipping was carried out with Games Workshop metallics, Chainmail and Boltgun Metal. Some areas that are steel on the real vehicle were ‘chipped’ with Vallejo German Camouflage Brown and then washed with MP’s Rust oils.

Being an old ‘for sale’ vehicle, the winch came in for some heavy weathering including oil-paint washes, pigments and drybrushing. Note the appearance of the glazed lights in this shot, Tamiya X-26 Clear Orange being used for the indicators and X-27 Clear Red for the reflectors on the trailer.

The completed tractor, painted and weathered and ready to be joined to its trailer.

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CHAPTER 4 TAMIYA 8.8CM PAK43/1 AUF GESCHUTZW AG

RHINOCEROS ARMED AND DANGEROUS Marcus Nicholls builds Tamiya’s new-tool 1:35 ‘Nashorn’ Tank-Destroyer

MODEL SPEC MATERIALS; Injection-moulded sand-coloured polystyrene, flexible synthetic rubber tracks (glue-able with kit cement), metal rods, waterslide decals PAINTS USED; Vallejo - AFV Painting System: Dunkelgelb German Dark Yellow (78.401), 71006 Camouflage Light Green, 71249 NATO Brown, Vallejo 306 Dark Rubber, 71057 Black, 306 Dark Rubber Tamiya: XF-3 Flat Yellow XF-55 Deck Tan XF-49 Khaki Alclad II: Steel, Transparent Yellow, Transparent Smoke

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ZW AGEN III/IV SD.KFZ.164 NASHORN KIT NO.35335

I

t’s been a while since Tamiya released a new-tool WWII German vehicle in 1:35, so when the news of the Nashorn started to filter through, the sense of excitement was palpable. Sure there are already kits available of this vehicle in 1:35 from the likes of Dragon and AFV Club, but there is something wonderful about seeing one from the Big T. Over the next few pages we take a detailed look at this kit and offer some ideas to beginners keen to tackle its construction and painting.

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CHAPTER 4 Tamiya 8.8cm Pak43/1 Auf Geschutzw age BEGINNING THE KIT As you might imagine, the Nashorn assembly begins with the running gear. The roadwheels are in two halves with a polycaps trapped between them for easy mounting to the suspension bogie axles. The idlers also have polycaps and then those for the drive-sprockets are mounted within the final-drive housings. The lower hull's belly is covered with masses of superb detail, perhaps for modellers who wish to display their rhino as a knocked-to machine on its side! Tamiya choose to mould their Pz.IV suspension bogies as one-piece units and quite frankly, once the wheels are fitted, you'd never know. Some modellers prefer the multi-part construction favoured by Dragon and that's fine, it's just a different way of doing things – and variety is the spice of life! The modular bogies also allow for extremely rapid construction and I soon had a rolling chassis on my workbench. The track-guards were next and here it's essential to make sure they are cemented on perfectly straight or gaps might form when the fighting compartment walls are attached. I recommend temporarily fitting the hull roof (C23) and the frontal section of the fighting compartment armour (C8) while the track-guards' cement dries as you'll be able to check the guards' alignment against these upper structural parts. They can be lifted off for use later on once the track-guards have bonded in place, ideally overnight.

The chassis and running gear is finely detailed. Here, you can see the suspension mounts and associated details. Poly caps hold the wheels in place. Those for the sprockets are fixed inside the wheel mount.

The suspension units are single pieces – perfectly adequate when they are this detailed!

In order to allow the tracks to be adjusted, the idler’s mounting holes were reamed out to allow them to move. The opened mounting hole…

FIGHTING COMPARTMENT WALLS The main fighting compartment sidewalls are slightly marred by a number of ejector pin marks - which is slightly frustrating - but it only took a short while to fill and sand them out of existence. I used my favoured filler, Holts' Cataloy Knifing Putty (available in the UK from Halfords). It's a very smooth, fastdrying tube filler that bonds well to kit plastic without destroying it. I chose to leave off the various items of equipment that are fitted on the walls' inner faces, choosing to paint them individually and fix them in place later on. I skipped through the instructions

…And the now ‘moveable’ mount, fixed in place.

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ZW AGEN III/IV SD.KFZ.164 NASHORN KIT NO.35335

The hull is completed in very short order. Despite its simplicity, the detail is superb.

The wheels and sprocket now in place. Though a brand-new kit, the ease of assembly is very similar to early Panzer IV variants from Tamiya.

to assemble the basic parts of the 88 mm main gun, mainly so I could see how the barrel looked with its hardware fitted. Tamiya have chosen to mould the barrel as a solid part in standard kit plastic; quite a bold move but one they seem to have pulled off in style. The gun 'tube' just has some very fine moulding seams to scrape off (very gently, to avoid distorting

The underside of the hull is well detailed. Those ejector pin marks are invisible on the completed model.

the cross-section) and it's ready to use. The muzzle brake is moulded conventionally in two halves with a detailed baffle in the middle. The weapon is fully moveable and the heavier-than-normal barrel is supported by elevation cylinders that feature metal piston rods and a pair of mini polycaps each, which will ensure the barrel doesn't develop a droop.

Some careful cleaning up of the spokes is needed here, before the idler can be fixed in place.

HULL STRUCTURE Having highlighted the ejector-pin marks on the inner faces of the fighting compartment wall earlier, it becomes clear that with the ammunition bins and other parts test-fitted, most of them are actually hidden. You will need to fill/sand the marks along the upper edges of the sidewalls though, as they are the ones most easily seen.

The kit supplies one-piece tracks and though they are not everyone’s cup of tea, they look perfectly fine once run around the road wheels.

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CHAPTER 4 TAMIYA 8.8CM PAK43/1 AUF GESCHUTZW AG

IDLER MOUNT Perhaps somewhat surprisingly, Tamiya's new kit comes with one-piece flexible tracks rather than the link-and-length, kit-plastic tracks that we have become used to in recent AFV kit releases. The one-piece items are well detailed and are usually fine for vehicles with concealed upper-runs (modern tanks etc) because the natural 'sag' of the track is not visible (the sag is a feature that one-piece tracks cannot easily replicate) but on machines such as the Nashorn whose tracks are fully exposed, it becomes a bit of a challenge. So, we have to make a compromise by tightening the tracks to remove the unrealistic bowing effect around the idler and sprocket wheels; this looks much worse than an absence of sag. The idlers' axles plug into bases on the hull sides which each contain a locking device to fix the idlers at the correct, average angle. By hollowing them out, the idlers are free to rotate and can be swung rearwards, which will have the effect of tightening the track. The idlers shouldn't go all the way to the rear or the tracks will be too tight and they'll distort around the rim of the idlers, but just off the horizontal is about right to pull the tracks straight.

The insides of the armoured shields are afflicted with some noticeable ejector pin marks. Here they’ve been covered with automotive filler.

And here they are cleaned up. As mentioned in the text a number of these are covered by the ammo bins, so you could actually only deal with the upper marks and ignore the rest!

The hull is broken down into individual panels. The fit is perfect!

THAT HUGE 88 MM GUN… The gun is by far the most complex sub-structure of the kit. Tamiya have incorporated some nice touches here and if you are really, really careful with the liquid cement, the gun can elevate and depress. I, unfortunately, was not careful enough with the cement and so the gun on my Nashorn is fixed in the position you see it in here! I chose to build up the gun and its shield

Test fitting the panels reveals a close tolerance between the parts and some nicely in-scale edges.

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Fine detail found inside the upper panels.

The glacis plate and the driver’s hump reveal some very neat weld beads.

The periscope and MG mounts fitted to the inside of the left-hand shield. Further detail could be added, but from the box, this kit is perfectly acceptable.

The poor old driver can’t see much through that open hatch!

Perhaps somewhat surprisingly, Tamiya’s new kit comes with one-piece flexible tracks rather than the link-and-length, kit-plastic tracks that we have become used to in recent AFV kit releases...

The dot-pattern treadplate is beautifully realised and will look amazing under paint.

Time to build the ammo bins and associated ammunition rounds.

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The completed bins, one open, one closed. The ejector pin marks inside the open bin are covered with The bins can be completely assembled, painted and then fixed in place. Note how the rounds, once in place. many of those pin marks are covered by the bin, once in place.

The closed bin: it’s nice to have some variation!

Tamiya have chosen to mould the barrel as a solid part in standard kit plastic; quite a bold move but one they seem to have pulled off in style...

The completed pistons – very nice! Cleverly designed pistons allow the gun to move up an down, plenty of friction reducing the chance of drooping to almost nil.

The gun barrel is astonishingly moulded in one piece – testament to Tamiya’s skill.

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The complete gun is a stunning example of the tool-maker’s art.

as much as possible and rely on the airbrush to push the paint into the recessed areas. The rotor shield is very well done and looks about the right scale thickness. The support struts also have a nice scaled down appearance and look just right, without the need for photo-etched parts.

AMMO BINS The Nashorn had two large ammunition bins within its fighting compartment, each capable of holding eight rounds of 88 mm ammunition. The bins featured three-part covers that were folded

The gun is fun to build and fun to paint!

up and rested on the top of the bin. The bins in the kit are built up from a main rear panel, end panels and four internal shelves that support the forward end of each round; the rear ends are supported by shallow lips moulded into one of the end panels. The inner faces of all the bin parts exhibit ejector-pin marks but they are hidden by the ammunition, so it's not worth filling/sanding the marks unless you intend to build your bins with the covers open and empty of shells. The bins build up easily but make sure each shelf is pushed downwards onto its location-lip on the inner face of the end panel.

The ready rounds were mounted on cocktail sticks, ready to be painted.

And here’s the completely assembled Nashorn – superb, eh?

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PAINTING AND WEATHERING To paint this model, I chose to use one of the pre-packed sets currently on the market, to see how it performed. The set I used was 'AFV Painting System Dunkelgelb German Dark Yellow' (78.401) by Vallejo of Spain (complied by José Brito) and it comes with five 8ml bottles of incrementally lighter shades of dark yellow, plus satin varnish. You can form your own opinion of how it looks on the model (bearing in mind that the layers of weathering did change the colours somewhat) but I think the set worked well and created a subtly shaded effect without being too contrasty. The set is available now from Creative Models and costs £8.99 which I think is a pretty good deal; I reckon you could paint at least two good-sized 1:35 AFVs with one set, maybe more if you spray conservatively! The images that accompany this feature take you through the stages we completed to paint this model.

A First of all, the model was given a good dusting to remove particles on its surface; model kit plastic can be quite static charged and quite a layer of dust can build up, which will spoil the surface.

B For this project, Vallejo's recently issued 'AFV Painting System' set for German Dark Yellow AFVs was tried out. It consists of six, 8ml acrylics starting with a greenish primer and ending with a pale stone colour for highlights, plus a bottle of satin varnish.

The initial colour to be airbrushed on was #604 German Dark Yellow Primer. The instructions say to cover the whole model but here, just the lower areas were sprayed, chiefly because the green colour is quite strong and I wasn’t sure how well the subsequent colours would cover it.

C Next on is #25 Dark Yellow, with is close in shade to the primer but lighter in tone. This was applied over the whole model, inside and out. I chose to thin the paints with tap water to a ratio of around 70% paint to 30% water, to allow thinner layers to build up.

D Here we see the Nashorn's main weapon getting its coating of #25 and we can see how green it looks!

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F

Over the Dark Yellow, #28 Sand Yellow was applied, and it was at this stage that the model started to looking more like a German AFV. Again, the paint was thinned 70/30 paint to water.

#27 Light Brown was applied over the Sand Yellow, which was actually slighter richer in colour than the preceding colour, but it did create the correct colour balance. You’ll notice the numerical sequence of the paints is not in order, but this is the correct sequence, following the instructions on the paint set’s box.

G

H Once the AFV Painting Set had been used, I turned to my own supply of Vallejo acrylics to create the model’s camouflage. I intended this to be very faded so exact colours and patterns were unimportant to me. I used 71006 Camouflage Light Green for the Olivgrun portions.

The final colour in Vallejo’s sequence is #75 Sand, which is a very light colour that must be used sparingly on the highest points of detail only, or the subtle colour variations applied previously will be lost. If you wanted to skip a stage of this process, this would be the colour to omit.

I

J To seal in the paints and to create a base for the weathering stages, #522 Satin Varnish was airbrushed over the whole model.

The Rotbraun was represented with 71249 NATO Brown which is a reasonable approximation.

L Oil paint colour-washes were next, and here I used a dark brown shade, mixed from black and burnt umber, diluted with white spirit.

K Here we can just see the subtle sheen on the armour, created by the satin varnish

M A medium-size paintbrush was used to apply the colour-wash, touching it on the model surface and allowing capillary action to do most of the work. How to Build... Tamiya’s Armour Kits in 1:35 45

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Panzer IV-based vehicles always have 'those' wheels, with the fiddly rubber roadwheel tyres. Maybe this is why the laterpattern wheels with steel rims are so popular with modellers? I prefer to hand paint the tyres using Vallejo 306 Dark Rubber; a slow process but when done with care, it offers a tidy result.

O

The tracks were airbrushed with varying shades of brown to form an oxidised steel effect. Using Lifecolor PG110 Reflecting Agent (powdered graphite) the treads were burnished.

The effect was adequate but much of it wore off during the track mounting process!

P

Time to add some muck to the lower hull sides. So the wheels would be easy to re-fit, the axles and holes were sealed off with balls of Blu-Tack.

Hannants XAFF Xtracrylix Flat Varnish was airbrushed in a heavy layer on the hull sides, heavy enough to remain wet for a minute or so.

R Q Here we can see the varnish, still wet. It goes on with a milky colour, but dries completely clear.

Fine-grade model railway grit was sprinkled onto the wet varnish and the excess immediately tapped off. Now we can see why the Blu-Tack protection was needed!

S When the varnish was dry, the gritted areas were airbrushed with Tamiya XF-55 Deck Tan and XF-49 Khaki. This seals in the grit and creates a base colour over which pigments can be applied.

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More Lifecolor products were used here, a combination of PG103 Lebanon Dust and PG106 Damp Dust pigments, mixed into a thick slurry using white spirit.

U

A cut-down paintbrush was then used to flick the pigment slurry over the lower hull sides. The upper hull was masked off, otherwise it will become a complete mess with over-sized spots of pigment everywhere.

V

This is an extremely messy process and the flicked pigment slurry goes absolutely everywhere, in all directions. Protect or put away anything you don't want ruined.

W

X

The kit-supplied one-piece tracks were used on this model, so we can see how they look. The material used is quite flexible and I experimented by jamming in cubes of foam where the track would sag to see if the tracks would hold position. They did to a certain extent, but it's hard to say how long this will last until the tracks revert to being perfectly straight. The upper run was tacked down to the return roller with CA glue to avoid an unrealistic 'floating' effect.

The model's 88mm gun is fully on show in the finished model, so it needs a special treatment when it comes to weathering. A piece of foam was dipped into Vallejo 150 German Camouflage Black-Brown and dabbed onto the breech and surrounding structures to depict extreme paint chipping.

Y

The sponge was small, so it was held with tweezers which allows for a more accurate application of chips and scratches.

Z

The dark brown paint was applied to the high points of the gun (and vehicle structure) in places where the paint would be exposed to most damage.

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AMMUNITION – A SIMPLE GUIDE The ammunition bins can be displayed in the open position with a full load of eight rounds inside, or closed up for travel. The kit comes with eight rounds of high-explosive and eight rounds of armour-piercing ammunition, moulded in kit plastic, ready to be painted in suitable colours. The instructions suggest using X-12 Gold Leaf to depict brass, but due to shortages of brass later in the war, steel was often substituted, so you could use an steel/ aluminium colour for the shell casings instead. The bins are the same left/right as they were on the real Nashorn and can be built off the model and simply 'dropped' in once painted and fitted with their rounds of ammo.

A

Tamiya provide a full set of sixteen rounds of 88mm ammunition (eight high-explosive, eight armour-piercing) but only eight were used in the opened up ammo locker of the review model. Here we see the high-explosive rounds being painted; their tips have already been painted silver, masked off and the yellow for the projectiles sprayed on. Strips of Tamiya masking tape have been wrapped around the heads to protect the yellow from subsequent paint applications.

B Alclad II Steel has been sprayed here, in two light layers to prevent paint runs.

C The steel-colour neck has been masked with strips of tape.

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E

With a few drops of Alclad II Transparent Yellow added to the steel, a pale brass colour is created, and sprayed on.

A second application of Steel was airbrushed to tone down the brass colour a little, and Alclad II Transparent Smoke was used to create a shaded effect around the neck and base of each round.

F With the masking tape peeled off, we can see the effect of the various paint operations. A light colour-wash with diluted dark brown oil paint will create a more realistic look on the projectiles.

Here we see the high-explosive rounds alongside the armour-piercing rounds, with black heads, painted using the same method. Before painting began, the bases of the ammunition were drilled and a cocktail sticks inserted to act as handles.

Tiny drops of CA glue were all that was needed to fixed the 88mm rounds into the stowage locker.

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CHAPTER 4 TAMIYA 8.8CM PAK43/1 AUF GESCHUTZW AG FINAL THOUGHTS… I have heard many comments about Tamiya's new Nashorn, primarily asking “why bother, when there are the Dragon and AFV Club kits already on offer?”. Well, true, those kits are excellent renditions of the vehicle, but Tamiya's release offers a quick build and impeccable fit of parts in the style we have all come to know and love from Tamiya. All kits have their plus points and are suited to the differing tastes of modellers, and now there's another player in the form of Tamiya's 2014 release!

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To paint this model, I chose to use one of the pre-packed sets currently on the market, to see how it performed...

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CHAPTER 5 TAMIYA 1:35 SCALE ISRAELI TANK TIRAN 5.

(RE)MADE IN ISRAEL Brett Green builds Tamiya’s 1:35 scale Tiran 5, adding some stowage and air identification sheets, to create a memorable, post-war favourite

MODEL SPEC ACCESSORIES USED Modelkasten Item No. SK-59 – T-55 Workable Tracks Verlinden Item No. 1890 – Israeli Army Military Vehicle Stowage Karaya Item No. TCR06 – Tow Cables for Modern Russian Armour TOOLS AND MATERIALS USED Kneadatite Blue Yellow Epoxy Putty Albion Alloys - 0.6 mm Brass Tube (from Slide Fit Set SFT1); Ni.Silv Tube 0.3 mm (Set No. NST03) Olfa hobby knife Revell Contacta Cement Tamiya Extra Thin Liquid Cement Tamiya Surface Primer PAINTS AND FINISHING PRODUCTS USED Vehicle Tamiya Spray Cans: Grey Primer; Fine White Primer Lifecolor Israeli Amy Combo Pigments and Colour Set - UA901 IDF Sandgrey 1; UA902 IDF Sandgrey 2. Tamiya Acrylics - XF-1 Flat Black; XF-57 Buff; XF-59 Desert Yellow; XF-64 Red Brown. Vallejo Panzer Aces and Model Colour Acrylics - Various Future Floor Polish Testor’s Model Master Flat Clear Lacquer Sin Industries Filter - P401 Ochre for Grey Sand MIG Productions - P221 Brown Wash; P300 Earth Wash MIG Productions – P411 Standard Rust Effects AK Interactive Enamel Wash – AK 045 Dark Brown Mig Pigments – P042 Ochre Rust; P416 Fresh Rust 2B Pencil Figures Vallejo Model Colour Acrylics: 845 Sunny Skin Tone; 70862 Black Grey; 919 Foundation White; 70955 Flat Flesh Vallejo Panzer Aces Acrylics: 318 US Army Tankcrew; 337 Highlight Ger. (Black); 348 Splinter Strips

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B

y 1943, Soviet tanks found themselves pitted against daunting German super-Panzers and tank destroyers including Tigers and Panthers. It was clear that future enemies would also field such dangerous adversaries, so work began on a new Soviet tank design that was up to the challenge. The prototype for the new T-54 tank was produced just before the end of the war in February 1945. This was an all-new design with a low silhouette and rounded turret, with five large road wheels on each side, powered by a 12 cylinder diesel engine and armed with the 100 mm D-10T cannon.

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CHAPTER 5 Tamiya 1:35 scale Israeli Tank Tiran 5. The T-55 was initially developed as a response to the need for nuclear, biological, and chemical protection of the vehicle and its crew. The T-55 received the new V-55 12-cylinder 4-stroke onechamber 38.88 litre water-cooled diesel engine, improved armour and increased ammunition stowage. The T-54 and T-55 are simple tanks that are relatively inexpensive to maintain and easy to crew. These attributes made the T-54/55 very popular as an export type, and large numbers were supplied to counties in the Middle East following the 1956 Suez Crisis. Israel subsequently captured around 400 T-54 and T-55 tanks during the Six-Day War in 1967. These were modified and returned into Israeli service as the Tiran 4 (based on the T-54) and the Tiran 5 (T-55). Further modifications and upgrades continued into the 1970s, and the Tiran 5 was eventually retired from front line service by the early 1980s.

The suspension goes together quickly.

Note how Part 41 interlocks with Part 36. Part 36 should be glued in place first, then Part 41 press-fitted into its locating hole. Part 41 may then be rotated into position and fixed with a bead of Tamiya Extra Thin Liquid Cement.

IN MINIATURE Tamiya’s 1:35 scale T-55 kit was released in 2002 and became an instant classic thanks to its high level of detail, accuracy and ease of assembly. It is still easily the best T-55 kit available in 2013. In much the same approach as it applied to last year’s T-55 Enigma, Tamiya has taken advantage of this excellent base kit to deliver a 1:35 scale Israeli Tiran 5. Although the running gear, lower hull and some of the detail parts are from the original boxing, most of this kit is new or modified. Moulded in dark yellow, Tamiya’s 1:35 scale Tiran 5 comprises approximately 291 plastic parts, four large polythene caps, ten small polythene caps, one small sheet of vinyl mesh and two full-length flexible vinyl tracks. Three of the sprues, including the turret, plus the upper hull are brand new. The cast texture and weld beads are more prominent on this turret than on earlier releases. Options include covered or uncovered mantlet and poseable hatches. Plenty of mounted jerry cans are supplied for turret and fender stowage, while the .50 cal and two .30 cal machine guns are well

detailed. All the parts, whether from 2002 or 2013, are moulded to the same outstanding level of quality. The suspension features separate swing arms, so the wheels may be posed on uneven terrain if the modeller wishes. The road wheels, idler wheels and drive sprockets are held in place with polythene caps. I was a little surprised that Tamiya

did not take the opportunity to offer a set of link and length tracks with this new kit. The vinyl tracks are well detailed, accurate, fast to install and they may be glued with regular plastic cement; but with the full top track run exposed on this model, some may prefer individual link tracks. Fortunately there are plenty of options available for

The tyres were roughed up with a coarse sanding stick. This also took care of the very faint raised centreline seam on each of the tyres.

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The Tiran 5 features a number of unique stowage bins and other fittings.

replacements - Modelkasten and Friulmodel being the best - if you prefer an alternative to the flexible vinyl tracks. Vinyl mesh is supplied for the grilles on the engine deck. The external fuel drums from previous Tamiya T-55 kits were replaced by a stowage box in this version. The engine deck appears to be a Russian production pattern, so break out your references to check what style was used on the particular vehicle you will be modelling. The gun barrel is broken down into left and right halves with an end piece. This kit retains some of the minor inaccuracies of the original 2002 release. Probably the most obvious of these are the recessed radial ribs on the tyres (they should be raised); and the missing fuel lines from the cells fitted to the fenders. If these issues are of concern to you, there are aftermarket fixes available from a number of sources. In addition to the original Soviet crew figure, Tamiya has also included two well-sculpted Israeli tankers for the turret hatches. I particularly like the guy with the beard and the sunglasses!

The kit-supplied vinyl mesh looks good with its authentically woven finish. A template was made from Tamiya masking tape before the mesh itself was cut to size. The basic upper and lower hull subassemblies are now complete.

More of the newly tooled parts exclusive to Israeli T-55s.

The pre-cut mesh is glued on the inside of the engine deck using Tamiya Extra Thin Liquid Cement, then the bottom cover is secured for a convincing result.

HIT THE GROUND RUNNING I started building the kit on a Wednesday morning and had finished basic construction, minus tracks and machine guns, by lunchtime on the following day – thus making it a perfect weekend build! Construction is typical

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The locations of the legs for side guardrail (Part J3) the You will need to drill out holes in the turret for stowage boxes and jerry Commander’s .50 cal mount (Part J8) is a little tricky. cans. This would be better done before any of the fittings are added to the This is how they should look when fitted. turret shell.

Basic construction, sans tracks and machine guns, is finished little more than a day after starting.

Tamiya: sensible engineering, straightforward parts breakdown and perfect fit. There is no mismatch between the original 2002 and the 2013 parts, everything fitting exactly as it should. There are only a couple of additional construction notes that I would make: • I was a bit lost in Step 20. One of the parts initially appeared (to me, anyway) to be unnumbered on the instruction sheet, but it turns out this was illustrated as a scrap view in the bottom right corner of the Step 20 frame. Parts H20 and H21 should be glued together, then they are attached to Part H41. • In Step 21 of the instructions, you are advised to drill several holes for jerry cans and stowage boxes to be fitted to the turret. I would recommend that you drill these holes and test-fit the parts before you add any other parts to the bare turret shell – i.e. during Step 15. • I fitted the mounts for the two .30 Cal machine guns but left the guns, the ammo boxes and the entire .50 Cal assembly off until the model had been painted. Apart from that, and the replacement of the kit tracks, everything went together exactly according to the instructions.

Even prior to painting, the Tiran 5 is pleasingly busy with bins, jerry cans, spare track links and more.

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AN 5. KIT NO. 35328 MAKING TRACKS Tamiya’s flexible tracks are nicely detailed and they fit well, but it is not easy to reproduce the characteristic even drape of the long top run. This would not be a problem if the tops of the wheels were covered by mudguards or additional armour, but the Tiran 5 has no such advantage. There are plenty of replacement track options for the T-55 family these days, including individual links from Friulmodel, Modelkasten, Masterclub and WWII Productions. For this project, I chose the workable plastic links from Modelkasten. Organisation and patience is the key when assembling any set of individual tracks. My first task was to remove all the links from the sprues and trim off any excess plastic that might interfere with the fit or workability of the tracks later on. The links are attached to the sprue at just one point, so removal and clean up is very fast. These were placed in a ziplock plastic bag for later assembly. Modelkasten thoughtfully moulds the track pins onto sprue handles. Each handle has a pin on each end. These are marked ‘1’ and ‘2’, and they have to be installed in a particular way to deliver left and right-handed track lengths. An assembly jig for 11 links is also supplied with the tracks. Putting the links together is really quite simple. First, drop the 11 links onto the jig – their location is positive and precise. Next, carefully push a pin into the hole into one of the holes the side of the tracks. You should feel a slight “click” as the pin slides into the correct position, and then you can twist and snap the sprue off, leaving the pin in the hole. Now add a tiny amount of liquid polystyrene cement (I use Tamiya Extra Thin Liquid Cement) to the head of the track pin. When the short run is complete, carefully lift the 11 links from the jig and set them aside until the glue has set. Repeat until you have enough for both track runs. I had eight lengths of 11 links per side, and test fitting suggested that I would need 89 on one side and 90 on the other. Unfortunately, I

Modelkasten workable tracks were used for this project. No mudguards to hide the top run of the tracks here!

The Modelkasten individual links are held in place with just one sprue attachment. This makes removal and cleanup a breeze.

Two assembly jigs are included for joining 11 links at a time.

Organisation is the key to assembling individual link tracks. Here I have removed and cleaned up the individual links and the track pins. They have been sorted into separate ziplock bags.

The track lengths are handed – there are two different track pins and they are fitted on opposite sides for left and right runs. The pins are left on their short sprue, pressed into the hole in the side of the tracks, then the sprue is twisted off and a tiny dab of Tamiya Extra Thin Liquid Cement is applied to the head of the pin.

Completed sections of 11 links are set aside until a full run of 88 is ready.

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CHAPTER 5 TAMIYA 1:35 SCALE ISRAELI TANK TIRAN 5. had glued the adjustable idler arms (Parts A11) in place before I started working on the tracks. If you are fitting individual link tracks, I urge you to leave the idler arms off until the tracks are ready to install. That way, you can adjust the position of the idler wheel swing arm - which acts as a track tensioner - to the desired amount of track drape. Modelkasten supplies plenty of spare tracks regardless of your preference.

STOWING UP All those big empty bins just looked too lonely, so I decided to fill them with stowage. I also wanted to add a dash of colour to the otherwise fairly plain finish. Sam Dwyer sent me some photographs of IDF tanks with large orange Air Identification Panels on the turret or the rear deck. I knew I had to have one of those! I bought Verlinden’s Israeli Army Military Vehicle Stowage, Item No. 1890, and selected items from this set to go in the big turret bin and the rear hull bin. This set also included some generic packs, which I hung from the turret handrails, and a wooden ammo box, which was glued between the tow hooks on the front of the hull. Custom packs and tarps were made from Kneadatite, a two-part epoxy putty that comes in a blue and yellow strip. When the parts are sufficiently blended, it becomes an even shade of green. When mixed, Kneadatite feels quite stiff compared to Milliput. It is also shinier, with what feels like a harder surface. I rolled and rubbed the two parts together between my fingers and palms until the colour was a solid green. I sprinkled my green cutting mat with Johnsons Baby Powder and pressed the epoxy ball onto the surface. A small glass jar was also dusted with baby powder and used as a rolling pin. I rolled the jar firmly over the blended putty, the peeled it off, added more powder and repeated the process until I was happy with the size and the thickness of the epoxy sheet. The epoxy sheet was now trimmed into a rectangle by pressing down with the edge of a steel ruler. The result was a thin and very flexible rectangle of epoxy – just perfect for my Air Identification panel. One corner of the thin sheet was

Verlinden offers a helpful set of Israeli Army Military Vehicle Stowage in their resin range. Some of the yellow resin parts after removal from (sometimes stout) casting blocks. Detail appears a little soft here but they look much better after painting.

The tracks are being test-fitted here. The left-hand tracks were perfect, but the right tracks were a little too loose with 90 links but too tight with 89. I decided on 90. Next time I will not glue the idler adjusters (Part A11) until I fit the tracks.

Additional rolls and packs were sculpted from Kneadatite epoxy putty. These are really useful for filling in spaces between hardshaped commercial stowage pieces.

The biggest individual extra item was the Air Identification Panel. This was rolled thin from Kneadatite epoxy putty, folded at one corner and then allowed to drape naturally over the resin stowage.

Extra packs and rolls were made for the rear stowage bin too.

When fully cured, the thin epoxy tarp was lifted off the rear stowage bin so that it could be painted separately.

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folded upon itself, then the sheet was carefully placed on top of the stowage in the rear turret basket and allowed to drape naturally with as little manual assistance as possible. More packs and rolls were formed from Kneadatite for both of the big bins.

Some reference photos show a wooden ammunition box squeezed between the towing hooks on the front hull. This box was sourced from the Verlinden stowage set.

All the extra stowage items are in place and the model is ready for paint.

THE ILLUSIVE ‘SAND GREY’… The model was prepared for painting with a base coat of Tamiya’s Grey Primer straight from the spray can. Tamiya supplies white decals for the cannon barrel markings and the chevron on the turret, but I thought that these would look more authentic if they were painted. The areas of the barrel and the turret where the markings would be applied were sprayed white then masked with Tamiya tape. Lifecolor UA902 ‘IDF Sandgrey 2’ was used as the base camouflage colour. I like Lifecolor’s interpretation of this sometimes illusive Israeli shade. A blend of the base colour plus UA901 ‘IDF Sandgrey 1’ was then sprayed as a highlight on horizontal surfaces in irregular streaks and mottles. Next, a 50/50 mix of Tamiya XF-1 Flat Black and XF-64 Red Brown was thinned heavily and sprayed in shadow areas. The Air Identification

The lovely soft copper tow cables are from Karaya. These also include resin ends, which are nicely detailed but quite brittle.

Tamiya supplies decals for the barrel and turret markings, but I decided to mask and paint these white markings myself. The stripes on the top of the barrel and the turret chevron were masked with Tamiya tape.

A coat of Tamiya Grey Primer straight from the spray can highlights any remaining flaws or inconsistencies before camouflage colours are applied.

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The base camouflage colour is Lifecolor UA902 IDF Sandgrey 2 from their Israeli Amy Combo Pigments and Colour Set.

A blend of the base colour plus UA901 IDF Sandgrey 1 was sprayed as a highlight on horizontal surfaces in irregular streaks and mottles. A 50/50 mix of Tamiya XF-1 Flat Black and XF-64 Red Brown was thinned heavily and sprayed in shadow areas too.

The Air Identification Panel was painted with a mix of red and yellow, with green on the undersurface. Here, it is being checked for fit and colour.

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Kit decals were applied over a glossy coat of Future floor polish. They performed perfectly.

Tyres, jerry cans and spare track links were carefully brush painted ‘scale black’, a 50/50 mix of Vallejo Model Colour 70862 Black Grey and Vallejo Panzer Aces 337 Highlight Ger. (Black).

The other stowage details were now picked out using mainly Vallejo acrylics.

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The stowage in the rear bin looks a bit stark under 1000 watts of studio lights and prior to subtle weathering.

AK Interactive Enamel Wash AK 045 Dark Brown has been applied around structural surfaces while the gloss coat is still in place.

The Air Identification Panel retains its shape even off the vehicle!

The track lengths were taped to the inside of a box lid and labelled “right” and “left” prior to painting.

Panel was painted with a mix of red and yellow, with green on the undersurface. At this stage I thought I would add a sandy filter - Sin Industries P401 Ochre for Grey Sand to be exact. I hated it. The filter left stark orange patches on the Sangrey base, which was not the effect I was hoping for. This Ochre filter may look good with some colours, but I decided to rinse it off my Tiran’s Sandgrey surface with mineral turpentine. Kit decals performed perfectly over a glossy coat of Future floor polish and with an application of Solvaset decal setting solution. As

usual with most of Tamiya’s decals, they look a bit thick on the sheet but settle down nicely once on the surface of the model. Tyres, jerry cans and spare track links were carefully brush painted ‘scale black’, a 50/50 mix of Vallejo Model Colour 70862 Black Grey and Vallejo Panzer Aces 337 Highlight Ger. (Black), and the other stowage details were picked out using mainly Vallejo acrylics. A pin wash of AK Interactive’s Dark Brown Wash was applied around structural features while the model was still glossy. A coat of Testor’s Model Master Flat Clear Lacquer sealed the deal.

The tracks were painted in a base coat of a Tamiya XF-1 Flat Black and XF-64 Red Brown mix, followed by MIG Productions P300 Earth Wash on the outer face and P221 Brown Wash on the inside face.

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The Tamiya crew figures were used straight from the box. The flesh areas were first primed white, after which they were masked and the uniform sections treated to Tamiya’s Grey primer straight from the spray can.

The inner sections of the helmets are fitted with padding and headsets. These were represented as a painted black border around the faces. Looks pretty rough here!

The base colour for the uniform is Vallejo Panzer Aces acrylic 348 Splinter Strips applied by brush.

The faces have received a Burnt Sienna oil wash and detail painting with Vallejo acrylics. A top-coat of Testor’s Model Master Flat Clear Lacquer seals the paint job. The finishing touch is a brushed application of glossy Future Floor Polish on the sunglasses and the glass of the wristwatch.

Edges were highlighted with thin lines of ‘scale black’. The flesh base is Vallejo Model Colour 70955 Flat Flesh.

Antennas were made from Albion Alloys’ 0.3mm Nickel Silver rod. The base for the loader’s side antenna was made from telescoping 0.6mm brass tube.

The figures fit the hatches perfectly.

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CHAPTER 5 TAMIYA 1:35 SCALE ISRAELI TANK TIRAN 5. A DRYBRUSHING CONVERT The two kit figures were assembled without modification. I really like the poses and sculpting of these figures, and had fun painting them. The flesh areas were first primed white, after which they were masked and the uniform sections treated to Tamiya’s Grey primer straight from the spray can. The base colour for the uniform is Vallejo Panzer Aces acrylic 348 Splinter Strips applied by brush. At this point of the narrative I am tempted to say “although I am not normally a big fan of drybrushing…” Well, to tell you the truth, I am actually starting to view dry brushing favourably under certain circumstances. As with any technique, however, subtlety is the key. We are trying to achieve a realistic result, not blatantly flaunt the methods we used to deliver it. Right, now that I have outed myself as a drybrusher, I lightly dry brushed the uniform with a paler shade of the base colour. Next, edges were highlighted with thin lines of ‘scale black’. The flesh base is Vallejo Model Colour 70955 Flat Flesh. The inner sections of the helmets are fitted with padding and headsets. These were represented as a painted black border around the faces. Looks pretty rough here! The faces received a Burnt Sienna oil wash followed by detail painting with Vallejo acrylics. A topcoat of Testor’s Model Master Flat Clear Lacquer sealed the paint job. The finishing touch was a brushed application of glossy Future Floor Polish on the sunglasses and the crystal of the wristwatch.

CONCLUSION Tamiya’s 1:35 scale Tiran 5 is a great kit that will hold no nasty surprises for even relatively new modellers. The fundamentals are well done, and detail is very good straight from the box. Modellers who wish to go the extra mile may decide to add workable tracks, plumbing for the fendermounted fuel cells or stowage. Either way, you will have an attractive replica of this Israeli T-55 variant, bristling with its distinctive stowage bins, jerry cans, spare track links and close defence machine guns.

The area around the exhaust was sprayed with a thin mix of Tamiya XF-1 Flat Black and XF-64 Red Brown, followed by a dry powdering of Mig Pigments’ P042 Ochre Rust and P416 Fresh Rust, and finally MIG Productions’ Standard Rust Effect liquid brushed over the top to seal the pigments and spread the rust.

The tracks were the source of some anxiety close to the end of the project. The oil washes must have softened some of the pins and the lengths split into two sections. These were glued back together before the tracks were carefully wrapped around the running gear and glued in place.

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The Tiran 5 in profile. With the benefit of hindsight, I really should have reduced the track length by one link on this side.

The bright Air Identification Panel offers a welcome splash of colour to the Tiran 5.

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CHAPTER 6 TAMIYA 1:35 GERMAN HEAVY TANK DEST RO MODEL SPEC ACCESSORIES USED Royal Model Item No. 641 – Wine Barrels and Farm Accessories Royal Model Item Nos. 255 and 258 – Ferdinand Crew Parts 1 and 2. Kamizukuri Item No. A-5-35 – Oak Leaves (1:35) TOOLS AND MODELLING PRODUCTS USED Tamiya Epoxy Putty Smooth Surface Tamiya Extra Thin Liquid Cement Revell Contacta Plastic Glue Selleys Super Glue Mr Surfacer 1000 Gator’s Grip Acrylic Hobby Glue Irwin Clamps (various sizes) Historex Hexagonal Punch and Die Set Evergreen Plastic Card

THE ELEFANT IN THE ROOM

Brett Green builds Tamiya’s brand-new 1:35 scale Elefant and reacquaints himself with the lost art of zimmerit…

PAINTS AND FINISHING PRODUCTS Vehicle Tamiya Spray Cans: Grey Primer; Fine White Primer Lifecolor Acrylic German AFV Dunkelgelb Easy 3 Set. Item No. MS01: Contains UA 249 Dunkelgelb Flashed Shade; UA 250 Dunkelgelb Ground Colour; UA 251 Dunkelgelb Deep Shade Tamiya Acrylics: X-25 Clear Green XF-1 Flat Black XF-52 Flat Earth XF-59 Desert Yellow XF-60 Dark Yellow XF-64 Red Brown XF-67 NATO Green Figures: Uniforms (all Vallejo Panzer Aces acrylics) – 333 Germ. Tkcr. (Black); 334 Germ. Tkcr. I (Feldgrau); 335 Germ. Tkcr. II (Feldgrau); 337 Highlight Ger. (Black); 338 Highlight Ge. I (Feldgrau); 339 Highlight Ge. II (Feldgrau). Flesh Base Coat: Tamiya acrylic XF-15 Flat Flesh. Wash: Rowney Georgian Oil Paint 221 Burnt Sienna. Variations and Highlights: Vallejo Model Colour acrylics 70815 Basic Skin Tone; 845 Sunny Skin Tone; 919 Foundation White (mixed). General Detailing (all Vallejo Model Colour acrylics): 70826 German Cam Medium Brown 847 Dark Sand 70862 Black Grey 70865 Oily Steel 70891 Intermediate Green 919 Foundation White 70950 Black 70957 Flat Red. SIN Industries (MIG) Filter – P242 Tan for Tritonal Camo Easy Mud Item No. 21105 – European Earth AK Interactive AK 045 – Dark Brown Enamel Wash Mig Pigments – P033 Dark Mud Vallejo Pigments – 73104 Light Sienna

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T

he hallmarks of Tamiya’s recent military releases have been a high level of detail, clever engineering, simple parts breakdown and trouble-free construction. Tamiya has brought all of these attributes to their new 1:35 scale Elefant. I was so excited to see the new kit that I started cutting parts off the sprues before I counted them. I can tell you, however, that the parts are presented on five sprues of typically Tamiya dark yellow plastic, with a further 96 track links and lengths on four brown-coloured sprues. The hull is presented in one large piece with the floor, lower and upper sides plus sponsons all moulded integrally. Similarly, the big superstructure is moulded in one piece. The rolled armour plate features subtle but convincing pitting – some of the best texturing that I have seen from Tamiya. Tamiya seems to have made a special effort to minimise ejector pin marks on this kit. Traditionally, the danger areas have been the insides of hatches and the back face of track links. On this kit, there are literally no moulding marks anywhere on the tracks, and those on the insides of the driver’s and radio operator’s hatches are so faint that they should not be a problem. Smaller detail parts such as handles, tow cable guides and the gun barrel travel lock are delicately moulded. The simple suspension units will be workable if you take care while applying cement. The wheels and drive sprockets are all held in place with polythene caps. The plastic parts are rounded out with three crew figures – a driver, a loader and the Commander. They are all well moulded and the facial detail is particularly nice. The only multimedia in the kit is a length of string for the two tow cables. With no headlights and the only grille being virtually invisible behind a heavily undercut exhaust housing, clear and photo-etched parts are not really required. Three marking options are provided – one based in Italy and two from the Eastern Front. The instructions are well laid out over 17 steps with clear illustrations supplemented by text directions

The completed model as built from Tamiya’s kit. Over the next few pages, we’ll show you how to build something similar for your own collection…

The hull is supplied in once piece, including covered sponsons.

The big one-piece superstructure. The Elefant features subtle and convincing pitting on the rolled steel surfaces.

There is not a hint of ejector pin marks, even on the back of the track links. Three markings options are included – one in Italy and two from the Eastern Front.

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ST ROYER ELEFANT. KIT NO. 35325 It has been 15 years since I last attempted zimmerit, so I tested out some new products alongside other old favourites on a piece of scrap plastic.

Tamiya offers the option of a self-adhesive zimmerit upgrade. Two patterns are included on the one printed sheet.

where required. The section dealing with the tracks is especially well done.

IT’S ALL ABOUT THE ZIMMERIT The Elefant was essentially a reconditioned and improved Ferdinand. During 1943, the Ferdinand tank destroyer on the Eastern Front suffered from mechanical problems that were compounded by poor visibility and the lack of any close defence weapons. The large smooth steel surfaces were also a magnet – quite literally – to infantry-placed explosive charges. The surviving Ferdinands were therefore withdrawn and rebuilt with more reliable engines, a modified Panzer III cupola with all-round episcope vision, and a bow mounted machine gun. Zimmerit coating was also applied to combat magnetic charges. The bottom line is that all Elefants wore a coat of zimmerit. If you want your model to be accurate, you’ll

need to add a zimmerit coat using one of three methods: • Do it yourself with putty and your favourite zimmerit application tool. • Adapt a commercially available resin zimmerit set to this new kit. • Use Tamiya’s self-adhesive zimmerit set made especially for this model. The easiest of these solutions will be Tamiya’s self-adhesive zimmerit. The various zimmerit segments are printed onto a textured vinyl sheet, and feature two different patterns. The zimmerit looks great on the sheet, and the depth of the pattern means that it should show up well on your model under a coat of paint. All you will need to do is cut the sections from the sheet, punch or cut out the circles to accommodate the conical bolt heads, peel off the backing and apply them to your model. Voila! Instant zimmerit! Last century, I used photo-etched trowels and saws to apply zimmerit patterns in putty. This time around, I also experimented with a set of cast metal zimmerit stamps, and a 2.4 mm precision metal screwdriver. The screwdriver won.

First was GunzeSangyo’s Pro-L twopart epoxy putty. This was a bit coarse, with the grain slightly visible when the putty was dry. It also tended to stick to the zimmerit tool more than the other putties.

White Milliput is another two-part epoxy putty. This is finer than the Gunze putty, and if the surface was kept wet, it did not stick to the tool.

Tamiya Putty is a onepart solvent-based putty. The putty formed a skin soon after being applied to the plastic, but remained wet underneath. The effect does not look good here, but I suspect that better results are possible by modifying the application and zimmeriting techniques.

Tamiya Epoxy Putty Smooth Surface is, in the immortal words of Goldilocks, just right. This two-part epoxy has the smoothest surface of all that I tried, and was also the least likely to stick to the zimmerit tool. It remains workable for at least 30 minutes after mixing too – very handy.

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CHAPTER 6 Tamiya 1:35 German Heavy Tank Dest ro AND I’LL TAKE THE LOW ROAD… I am almost inevitably enticed by the easiest option, so I really should have used the Tamiya self-adhesive zimmerit. However, I hadn’t attempted a custom-made zimmerit finish in around 15 years, so I thought that this would be the perfect opportunity to try some new products and techniques – all of which are revealed in the photos that accompany this feature. Tamiya Epoxy Putty Smooth Surface is, in the immortal words of Goldilocks, just right for this task. This two-part epoxy has the smoothest surface of all that I tried, and was also the least likely to stick to the zimmerit tool. It remains workable for at least 30 minutes after mixing too – very handy. I decided that this would be the zimmerit material for my Elefant. I also experimented with a set of cast metal zimmerit stamps and, following a discussion with TMMI Editor Marcus Nicholls, a 2.4 mm precision metal screwdriver. I was very pleased with the effect of the screwdriver in soft putty, but my experiment showed that I would have to roll the putty very, very thin in order to obtain a convincing zimmerit finish.

I’VE GOT BLISTERS ON MY FINGERS! Tamiya Epoxy Putty is made up from two flat strips, one white and one pale grey-green. I took an equal quantity from each strip and rolled them together, then rubbed the ball of putty briskly between my palms - Only when the putty is a single colour is it ready to be used. The mixed putty is quite sticky, so our working surfaces must be very smooth. I laid out a sheet of greaseproof paper, and chose a glass jar as my rolling tool When the putty was as thin as I could manage, it was cut into shapes that would fit onto one side of the superstructure and then pressed onto the plastic. Pressing the putty not only improves adhesion, but also makes the putty thinner still. Now it was time to apply the pattern to the putty. I removed the masking tape from that side of the superstructure and pressed the screwdriver into top corner of the soft putty. I applied the tip of the

Before commencing, the superstructure was masked along the faint raised line with 10 mm Tamiya tape.

Equal proportions of each strip of Tamiya Epoxy Putty were mixed thoroughly into a pale green ball before being rolled flat on greaseproof paper using a glass jar. The jar was kept wet during the rolling process to help stop the putty sticking to it. A tiny spot of detergent helps too.

A thin sheet of epoxy putty is laid onto the side of the superstructure and pressed onto the surface with a damp fingertip.

The zimmerit pattern is created simply by repeatedly pressing the 2.4 mm screwdriver into the soft putty.

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The same process was followed for the hull, but a rough circle around each of the conical rivets was cut away before the zimmerit pattern was applied.

In addition to the vertical columns of zimmerit, the conical rivets were surrounded by a starburst pattern. This was applied with a 1.4 mm precision screwdriver.

Although most of the zimmerit is arranged in vertical columns, the port side hull features long horizontal rows. This variation was typical of the Nibelungen works in Austria, and was often seen on Elefants serving on the Italian front in early 1944.

The zimmerit pattern on the superstructure. The putty on the sides was allowed to set before the zimmerit was applied to the rear of the superstructure.

screwdriver at a 45 degree angle, and worked down the first column, one indentation at a time. With the first column done, I started the second, and the third, and so on. The process was repeated for all the panels that needed zimmerit. The sealed vision ports and the conical bolt heads featured a starburst zimmerit pattern. This was simply applied with a 1.4 mm screwdriver after the regular columns were finished. By the way, don’t forget to drill out the locating holes through the new coat of zimmerit before you fit the superstructure to the hull.

MOVING RIGHT ALONG With the zimmerit in place, the balance of construction could get underway. Being a tank destroyer without a turret, the gun and the superstructure were simple and fast to build. Similarly, the running gear of the Elefant is quite simple, so these components built up quickly

too. The suspension units were glued to the hull, and the wheels pressed onto the axles via the polythene caps. The instructions would have you fit the track guards and mudguards at this stage, but I recommend that you wait until after you have installed the tracks. In my opinion, these link and length

tracks are Tamiya’s best yet. I always liked Tamiya’s approach to link and length tracks because they are quick to assemble and they represent a good solution for sagging runs, but the level of detail – especially on the edges – is particularly impressive in the case of this kit. The instructions offer clear and

Zimmerit was also present on the rear hull, the exhaust cover and the stowage box. Locating slots and holes were poked through the zimmerit before the hull was glued to the superstructure.

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Road wheels and drive sprockets are all fitted with polythene caps.

There is no interior detail, but the gun mount features a simple and effective mechanism that permits elevation and traverse.

accurate directions to installing the tracks. My only additional advice would be to make sure you take special care to keep track of the part numbers of the track lengths. There is little more to say about the installation of the hull and superstructure fittings. I found fitting the intricate gun travel lock was a bit tricky to assemble (in fact, I managed to launch one of the small parts – B1 – into space, never to be seen again), but the effort was well worthwhile. The final job was the tow cables. I super-glued 19 cm lengths of string into the cable ends, then filled the open slots with two-part epoxy putty. I mixed up Gator’s Grip Acrylic Glue and water in a bottle cap, and ran the length of each string through this thick liquid. This stiffens the string as it dries, and adds to the impression of weight. While the string was still drying, I glued the ends in place and ran the cables through the guides on the hull sides.

The wheels and drive sprockets are pressed into place. Alignment is perfect, and all the road wheels touch the ground at the same time!

Superstructure mounting plates had zimmerit applied while they were still on the sprue. This made these small pieces easier to handle.

The superstructure and hull were glued together using Tamiya Extra Thin Liquid Cement and Revel Contact glue. A large plastic Irwin clamp was used to press the parts firmly together while the glue set.

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The instructions would have you fit the track guards and mudguards at this stage, but I would recommend that you wait until the tracks have been installed.

First, the individual links are wrapped around the drive sprockets.

A

The tracks were fitted one side at a time. Here, all the parts required for one side have been cut from the sprue and carefully assembled by part number. You really don’t want to get these mixed up!

Next, partial lengths for the top and bottom runs are assembled. The instructions offer some helpful suggestions for these partial lengths and the sequence of assembly.

D

B

C

A. B. C. D.

The top forward run has been glued to the rearmost individual track on the front drive sprocket. The second top track run has now been glued in place. Next up is the droopy lower front run. This is followed by the two bottom runs. A view from the bottom. The tracks fit really well and are admirably detailed, even along the edges.

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Tamiya’s string tow cables are dipped in a thick mixture of Gator’s Glue and water. This will stiffen the string as it dries, and adds to the impression of weight.

IT FIGURES… Figure painting is another tricky area for me. On the one hand, carefully selected figures can bring a project to life. They also lend a sense of proportion and context to a model. On the other hand, my figure painting skills in general, and my face painting skills in particular, are pretty ordinary. Despite this, I bought a set of three resin figures offered by Royal Model for Dragon’s Ferdinand kit, but they would be equally appropriate for my Tamiya Elefant. I was delighted with the relaxed, natural poses and excellent sculpting. In fact, I was so impressed that I ordered the second set of three figures. With six figures to paint, at least I would get plenty of practice! First, the figures were assembled with super glue (except for the heads), any small gaps and pin holes filled, and the completed figures primed with Tamiya’s Grey Primer straight from the spray can. The heads were sprayed with Tamiya’s Fine White Primer to give a lighter base for the flesh tones before being painted using acrylics.

A YELLOW ELEFANT The excellent Fedorowicz book, ‘Combat History of the Schwere Panzerjager Abteilung 653’ by Karl Heinz Munch, features several photos of an Elefant in Italy shortly after its remanufacture. This particular Elefant features very low-contrast disruptive camouflage and muddy wheels and tracks. The six crew members are

The end connector is glued to the hook on the hull side, while the still-wet string is threaded through the plastic guides. The front of the tow cable is attached to the large eye on the front of the hull.

also lounging around the vehicle, and a wine barrel is perched on the front spare track links. I had finally found my inspiration! Without too much more delay. I primed the model and sprayed the tracks and running gear with Tamiya XF-1 Flat Black. I usually mix my own German Dark Yellow from Tamiya acrylics, but a few new sets of acrylic paint sets from Lifecolor had recently arrived at my office. These are sets of three related shades designed to deliver contrast and desaturation. Specifically, I was using Lifecolor Acrylic German AFV Dunkelgelb Easy 3 Set, Item

No. MS01, which supplied UA 249 Dunkelgelb Flashed Shade, UA 250 Dunkelgelb Ground Colour and UA 251 Dunkelgelb Deep Shade Weathering was now applied – first a brown filter, followed by a more substantial AK Interactive Dark Brown Wash around the key structural features, then chipping and scrapes with Vallejo’s German Black Highlight colour applied by the tip of a fine brush and a small piece of sponge. The wheels and tracks were finished to represent areas of wet and dry mud. The base (dried) mud was Easy Mud Item No. 21105 –

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Note the missing mudguard on the starboard side. This gives us a better view of the tracks and its characteristic drape.

The unmistakable look of Dr. Porsche’s ill-fated heavy tank destroyer. An Elefant is in the room!

The model received an overall coat of Tamiya’s Grey Primer straight from the spray can.

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A crew can really add context and a sense of scale to a vehicle. Royal Model of Italy produce two sets of three crew figures for Dragon’s Ferdinand, but they may just as appropriately be used for Tamiya’s new Elefant.

Each of the completed figures has his own unique personality thanks to the excellent mastering and casting of Royal Model. Buttons and buckles were picked out using Vallejo’s Oily Steel. Fine facial details such as mouths and eyes were carefully brush painted with Vallejo 337 Highlight Ger. (Black), actually a dark brown shade. This was thinned with water before application. High areas of the face such as the chin, brow, nose, cheeks and ears were painted with paler shades of flesh, while shadow areas (under the eyebrows, under the nose and chin) received darker shades. I made no serious attempt to paint the whites of the eyes, preferring a dark thin slit in most cases.

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ST ROYER ELEFANT. KIT NO. 35325 Following a few tests on the bottom of the hull, the vehicle received an overall coat of Lifecolor acrylic UA 250 Dunkelgelb Ground Colour, one of three shades in a German Dunkelgelb Contrast and Desaturation set. Next came the Deep Shade, UA 251. This was sprayed into crevices, structural features and natural shadow areas. Finally, it was the turn of the Flashed Shade. This is a very pale highlight colour. Rather than spray this uniformly in the centre of panels, it was applied in patches, streaks and spots.

Meanwhile, back at the Elefant… The first painting task was to coat the tracks and running gear in Tamiya XF-1 Flat Black.

The single disruptive camouflage colour was a 50/50 mix of Tamiya’s XF-67 NATO Green and XF-60 Dark Yellow, heavily thinned with isopropylene alcohol.

Despite toning down the colour and spraying it very thinly, it was still too intense. Reference photos show the camouflage on this vehicle to be very subtle indeed. I oversprayed the green with a thin coat of Lifecolor’s Dunkelgelb base shade to achieve this effect. The entire model was coated in SIN Industries P242 Tan for Tritonal Camo filter using a wide soft brush. Before this had completely dried, I quickly highlighted edges and structural details with a selective application of AK Interactive AK 045 – Dark Brown Enamel Wash.

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CHAPTER 6 TAMIYA 1:35 GERMAN HEAVY TANK DEST RO Spare tracks and the tow cables were brush painted a dark blackbrown shade using Tamiya acrylics at this stage.

The next stage of weathering was adding tiny spots and scratches with the tip of a fine brush. This chipping damage was also applied to edges and corners using a sponge. Vallejo Panzer Aces 337 Highlight Ger. (Black) was used as the chipping shade.

We’re getting there, but the tracks and running gear look out of place!

Next, a generous amount AK Interactive AK 045 – Dark Brown Enamel Wash was brushed over the Easy Mud. Weathering the tracks, running gear and lower hull started with a wet application of Easy Mud. Although this product had dried in its bottle, it reactivated nicely when mixed with water. The Easy Mud dries to a pleasingly irregular colour and texture. It is also quite robust – resisting damage from handling.

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Once this had soaked in and dried after an hour or two in the sun, some of the dark was scrubbed off with a stiff brush.

A couple of reference photos show a large wine barrel perched on the front spare track links of this vehicle. Royal Model offers an accessory set that includes a barrel of roughly the right size and style.

A little garnish was added using Kamizukuri’s paper Oak Leaves. A base colour of Vallejo’s Model Colour 70891 Intermediate Green was sprayed onto both sides of the die-cut paper sheet. Branches were bent into shape from multiple strips of fine copper wire. These were secured with super glue. The branches were painted brown and the paper leaves cut from their backing sheet. A few different shades of green were randomly painted onto the leaves after they had been attached to the branches. A dark brown acrylic wash was also applied to highlight the nice vein detail.

European Earth. Once this had set, it was followed by a liberal, brushed application of AK Interactive’s Dark Brown enamel wash. Once dry, some of the dark wash was scrubbed off with a stiff brush to provide more contrast between the dry and wet areas. The same products were used for the mud effects on the bottom of the front and rear hull. The wheels of the Elefant were fitted with steel rims, not rubber tyres, so the edges of the wheels were touched with the tip of a

2B pencil to suggest worn and polished metal. A 2B pencil was also used to highlight the worn high areas of the tracks.

GARNISH Reference photos in the Fedorowicz book show this vehicle with a piece of foliage attached to each side of the mid-hull area. It is hard to believe that anyone thought that such modest garnish would hide this 65 tonne, 26 foot behemoth, but I thought it would add some further interest anyway.

Now that is effective camouflage, isn’t it?

The foliage was sourced from Kamizukuri’s 1:35 scale paper Oak Leaves set. A base colour of Vallejo’s Model Colour 70891 Intermediate Green was sprayed onto both sides of the die-cut paper sheet. Branches were bent into shape from multiple lengths of fine copper wire. These were secured with super glue. The branches were painted brown and the paper leaves cut from their backing sheet.

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CHAPTER 6 TAMIYA 1:35 GERMAN HEAVY TANK DEST RO

Time for the crew to take up residence too. Most of the figures look very relaxed and natural, but I am still not sure about the guy leaning against the superstructure…

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ST ROYER ELEFANT. KIT NO. 35325

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FINAL THOUGHTS…

S

FINAL THOUGHTS…

o, that’s our book done and dusted! By now you should have read our features, enjoyed seeing the models and you’re now planning some of your own builds: but where to go next?

ALL THE BEST LAID PLANS… Any good book should leave you wanting more and we hope that this one is no different. The features that we’ve included were chosen as a primer for possible future projects, builds that you can embark on either to continue adding to your collection of Tamiya’s ‘Military Miniatures’, or maybe try some of the ideas that you’ve discovered within these pages. The choices of course are endless, even within Tamiya’s own range. How about building a vignette around one of your models? Even the most cursory of glances at the Tamiya catalogue will show you that they not only produce kits of vehicles, they’ve released figures, accessories, even simple buildings that can be combined to produce pleasing little scenes. Indeed, many years ago, the catalogues were famous for including centre page spreads featuring all manner of wonderful dioramas, all of which were built using Tamiya kits and accessories. Heck! It was these very same catalogues that introduced the wider world to the work of Francois Verlinden and Shep Paine, both of whom guided and inspired generations of modellers to take up this great hobby. But what if you don’t have the space to build models in 1:35, is there anything smaller that you can enjoy? Well, yes there is. Tamiya are now well known for their excellent range of 1:48 vehicle kits, many of

Tamiya’s kits are perfect subjects to build vignettes around. Here’s one featuring their beautiful Austin Tilly…

Two of Tamiya’s kits, that can form the basis of multiple conversions, the Hetzer and Opel Blitz truck.

Not all dioramas have to be constructed in 1:35. How about building a larger one in 1:48 such as this one replicating a German railway?

which mirror those released in the larger scale. Beautifully detailed, easy to assembly and compact, these delightful little models are perfect for modellers with less space to display larger builds. They can also be embellished with all manner of accessories, both of which are available from either Tamiya, or the aftermarket. But perhaps their greatest plus point, is the opportunity to build expansive dioramas around these kits without taking up huge amounts of space and worrying about compromising either presence, or detail. Some years ago I built a railway diorama around Tamiya’s Jagdpanther and though large, it was still manageable, something that would not have been the case had I chosen to attempt it in 1:35!

So you have a few models under your belt, you’ve tackled some kits from the box, added a detail or two and even built a simple base or vignette, what’s next? Well, how about a conversion? Though the world is filled with conversion kits, there are plenty of subjects that you can tackle without using someone else’s parts. How about converting Tamiya’s Hetzer into a recovery vehicle or Starr variant? The Opel Blitz truck into an engineer’s truck complete with tool benches, lathes, and all manner of other stowage items? If you fancy something really demanding, you could check out the T-55 and the many specialist variants based on this famous vehicle. All of these projects would a fun way to not only build something unique, but also develop your skills as you learn to scratchbuild new sections, work with plasticard, rod and strip, add details, sculpt stowage and work with figures. You may never want to build another kit from the box, again! Well, it’s time to move on and build something new. We really hope that we have inspired you to have a go at building a new model with plenty of ideas that will help you either improve your skills, or take you in an another enjoyable direction. Have fun and we’ll see you around, hopefully keen to show us what you’ve built from Tamiya’s range of wonderful kits.

82 Final Thoughts

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The ‘HOW TO BUILD...’ series

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There can be very few people who have taken an interest in modelling military vehicles who haven’t at some time or another, built one of Tamiya’s extensive range of military vehicle kits. Such is their ubiquity, originality and availability, they have become almost as much a watchword for 1:35 armour modelling, as Airfix have been for kits of aircraft in 1:72...

Building Tamiya Armour Kits in 1:35 Though the modelling world is awash with an incredible variety of military vehicle kits from a huge number of different companies, one stands head and shoulders above the others in terms of originality, buildability and fun. That company is Tamiya, who have consistently provided the budding enthusiast with some of the finest kits available in the scale of 1:35. This new book brings together five detailed features that will show what is possible from this extensive range of kits. In so doing, it offers hints and tips, detailed step-by-step guides and written descriptions on all manner of techniques from basic construction, through detailing, painting and realistic weathering. No stone is left unturned in the quest to inspire the modeller to complete similar projects for themselves. It really is a one-stop-shop for the budding military modeller! This then is the world of Tamiya’s wonderful 1:35 military vehicle kits – we hope that you enjoy your visit!

Published by: ADH Publishing Ltd., Doolittle Mill, Doolittle Lane, Totternhoe, Bedfordshire, LU6 1QX Telephone: 44 (0) 1525 222573 • Fax: 44 (0) 1525 222574 Website: www.adhpublishing.com

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