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Panzer II Ausf. F By combining pieces from two old model kits and doing a hyper-detailed job, we can get a high quality kit. This review also contains two pages with color profiles.

Staghound Mk. III This vignette is a hobbyist’s dream: A well balanced composition with a vehicle, some figures and a ground piece executed and painted with the highest skills.

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Steyr 1500A Kommandeurwagen A high quality scene set in Normandy, where the author demonstrates how we can use very little space to tell part of a story.

Soviet Tank Crewman Portrait of a Russian tank driver right after the liberation of their national territory.

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Panzer IV Ausf. C An interesting version of the famous German armored vehicle with an interesting camouflage scheme.

BT-5 (mod. 1934) A 1/72 scale vignette set in the Eastern Front on the summer of 1941. Color profiles with different camouflage schemes are included after this review.

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MODELLING LESSONS: US Tank Crew A step by step review of acrylic painting techniques on a 1/35 scale figure.

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By: Juan Luis Mercadal Pons

Pictures by the author Color profiles by: Carlos de Diego Vaquerizo Tamiya

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A few years ago I began to get obsessed about doing a “decent” reproduction of a “Panzer II F”. That meant that I had to get a reasonable likeness with the real thing. Back then you could only find the old Tamiya kit, which was very simple and lacked detail. That’s why I decided to use the hull, tracks and fenders from the “Panzer II C” manufactured by Alan, which were not wonderful; just more accurate.

KITS USED Models: - Panzerkampfwagen II Ausf. C, Alan ref. 004 1/35 scale. - German Panzerkampfwagen II Ausf. F/G, Tamiya ref. 35009, 1/35 scale. Photoetches: - Pz.Kpfw. II Ausf. F, Eduard ref. 35047. - Pz.Kpfw. I&II, On the Mark Models ref. TMP 3508. Gun: - German 2cm KwK 30, Jordi Rubio ref. TG-21. Tracks: - Pz.Kpfw. II/Wespe, Friulmodel ref. ATL-30. Accessories: - Sprocket wheels Pz. II-Wespe early, Friulmodel ref. AW20. - German cranks 10-15 Tons, M4 Models ref. 35023. - Pieces from a Pz. Kpfw. IV On-vehicle equipment set, Tamiya ref. 35054. 3

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A S S E M B L Y I adapted to these pieces the superstructure and the turret of the Tamiya kit, and used a few available complements for the kit that you will see listed in the chart below. I also had to do a few pieces from scratch. Nowadays you can buy a good kit of this char, so I’m not going to bore you any more with assembly details.

P A I N T I N G

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This vehicle saw active service for a number of years; this means that your paintjob options are many. They range from dark grey to dark yellow, and you can also do all of the “African colors”. However I think that the most interesting camouflage schemes for me are those applied on the dark grey base color on the summer of 1942 in Southern Russia. Nobody really knows for certain where those paints came from. It could have been paints RAL 8000 or RAL 8020 from the African theater of operations or paint obtained from the enemy. Once I consulted the reference images, I began painting my miniature Panzer. I consider that the main painting techniques are too well known, and have been better described in other reviews of this magazine and other hobby manuals. That’s why I’m not going to go into too much technical detail. I will just make a list and will only get into detail when I consider it interesting enough: Base Color: A couple of airbrushed layers of Tamiya’s XF-63. Highlight: XF-63 lighted up with XF-2 from the same brand airbrushed to enhance the different armored planks. Camouflage: Airbrushed XF-60. Camouflage highlights: XF-60 lighted up with XF-2, XF-57 and a little bit of XF-4 applied with airbrush kit as well. Enamel Filters: Tamiya’s XF-50, oil paint 48 and Humbrol’s 93 on enamel thinner, all applied with a brush and allowing each color to dry up separately. Varnish: Three Model Air satin varnish airbrushed layers. Paint Chips: Hand painted using Panzer Aces acrylics 306 and 302. General Layer of Dirt: Irregularly airbrushed Humbrol enamel 63. 15 min-

The Alan hull (light grey) has been adapted to fit the upper structure from the Tamiya kit and its turret (light brown).

All welding marks have been created with the tip of a triangular shaped X-Acto knife mounted on a small electric welding machine (see Model Kit School in Panzer Aces/Armor Models No. 11).

The kit has been enhanced with photo etched pieces and other available accessories, but it has been necessary to build a few pieces from scratch using plastic sheet and plastic rods, copper wire, metal sheet, etc.

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utes later it is partially removed using enamel thinner. Intensifying Dirt: Hand made washes with enamels XF-57, 93 and 29 (Tamiya and Humbrol references). These will intensify the dirt effect, but paint puddles may occur, so be ready to clean them up with your handy thinner bottle. Dirt accumulations: Specific acrylic washes on some areas with Tamiya’s XF59, XF-57 and XF-15. Powdered color

pigments manufactured by Mig Productions have also been used (diluted in water). Mistakes in placing these (P037 and P030) can be corrected by partially removing pigments with a brush soaked in water. Stains and Dirt Trails: These are only applied in some areas with subtle brush strokes using almost undiluted paint in some places and sometimes using almost transparent paint veils

where needed. I used enamels, oil paint and acrylics when the need arose. I chose orange and brown colors for creating rust, sand colors for dirt and bitumen of Judea (thinned out accordingly) to convey grease and fuel stains. Worn areas: Some gloss is made by passing your finger repeatedly on the edge of the hatch, fenders, etc. Dry Mud: The tracks and the lower areas of the hull are given some powOnce we’ve covered the kit with XF-63, we add XF-2 to the mixture and airbrush a few highlights. The effect becomes particularly visible on the wheels. The upper part of the wheels is lighter than the bottom one.

Now the gun previously painted with XF-56 will receive a few washes on X-18.

The camouflage spots on XF-60 are lighted up slightly with XF-57, XF-4 and XF-2.

The flag used for airplane identification purposes is a rectangular piece of tinfoil with an Archer transfer (ref. AR35035).

After we’ve dirtied the kit with three color filters, we proceed to varnish it using gloss varnish before placing all decals and transfers. Afterwards, three layers of satin varnish will preserve our paintjob and the decals.

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Paint chips are made with a No. 1 brush and paints 302 and 306. Around the edges and other areas where the chips are bigger, we’ll use a No. 4 brush and apply paint in ample dry brush strokes.

dered Mig pigments: P028 and P037. These are mixed together (in varying proportions) and applied with enamel thinner and a little mat varnish. Tracks: The same pigments and the same procedures described above. The areas worn to a polish are recreated using Tamiya’s XF-56 and pencil lead. Well Worn Areas: Areas like the hooks of the track wheels, the band where the wheels pass, the corners

around the commander’s hatch, etc. are rubbed with graphite powder (pencil lead). Painting Small Details: The exhaust’s silencer and the spare tracks are done with a number of paint washes and some passes with the dry brush technique. The inside of the exhaust is filled with Mig pigment P023. The rear lights are painted with Panzer Aces 308 and 307. The covers for the front lights

are painted with 314 of the same brand. The gun shine of the gun and machine gun is created with base paint XF-56 and some washes on X-18 (both Tamiya references). Accessories and equipment: The wooden handles of the tools are painted with enamel 93 (Humbrol) darkened with oil paint washes on 46. The remaining accessories are painted with Panzer Aces acrylics. The canvas is a rolled alu-

At this stage we create a number of dust and dirt effects using different kinds of paint. The first paint washes help ease “dirt” into the kit’s crevices.

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The next and final stage of the “dirt” effect is achieved with powdered color pigments.

minum sheet and the flag is a tin sheet with an Archer transfer. The accessories are dirtied following pretty much the same techniques used on the vehicle.

BACKGROUND I’m among those who think that a military vehicle is better displayed on a small scene built for it, regardless of its size. In order to get good reference material on how does the Russian countryside look in the summer I looked up for a number of good color pictures on the

Internet. I had to do this because all the pictures I had of the vehicle where obviously in black and white. I measured the dimensions of my base and cut a piece of plywood accordingly. Then I poured a mixture of sand, powdered color pigments, stones, Das Pronto paste and latex. While the above mix was still fresh I added some texture to it with a steel brush and also created some prints with the tracks of the vehicle. Once all dried up I was not convinced with its colors, so that’s why I painted it all over with the appropriate ones. I finished it off by gluing a few blades of grass using well diluted white carpenter’s glue.

smell and can be diluted using water. Panzer Aces 333 (black) was applied with a few drops of Tamiya’s mat varnish in order to avoid any unwanted gloss. You have to keep testing until you get the right proportion of varnish and paint because excess varnish can turn paint whitish.

BIBLIOGRAPHY -BITOH, Mitsuru. “Pz.Kpfw. I/II series and variants”, in achtung Panzer No. 7 Dai Nippon Kaiga, Tokyo, 2002. -FEIST, Uwe and DARIO, Mike. “Leichte Panzers in action”, in Armor No. 10, Squadron/Signal Publications, Michigan, 1974. -SPIELBERGER, Walter J. “Die Panzerkampfwagen I und II und ihre Abarten”, in “Militarfahrzeuge” No. 2, Motorbuch Verlag, Stuttgart, 1991. -SEVERAL AUTHORS “Chars in Russia I”, in Monographic vol. No. 6, Acción Press, Madrid, 2002.

F I G U R E I created this “Leutnant” using a number of different spare pieces that had been lying around in my spares box. The figure is a Tamiya reference; I remodeled the arms and added a couple of Verlinden hands that could suit my needs. I traded the figure’s head for a Hornet reference, and scratched off the Waffen SS skull and glued instead a plastic circle (obtained with a hole puncher) where I created the Heer insignia. The rank insignia and the other medals where obtained from an old photo etched sheet. I painted it using Panzer Aces acrylics which are comfortable to use, do not

The figure is painted with acrylic paints pretty much following the techniques expounded elsewhere in the magazine.

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COLOR CHART TAMIYA (acrylics) X-18 semi gloss black X-21 flat base X-22 clear XF-2 flat white XF-4 yellow green XF-15 flat flesh XF-57 buff XF-59 desert yellow XF-60 dark yellow XF-63 German grey MODEL AIR (acrylics) 60 satin varnish PANZER ACES (acrylics) 302 dark rust 306 dark rubber 307 red tail light 308 green tail light 309 periscopes 314 canvas 333 German tankcrew (black) 337 highlight German (black)

On the axis of the wheels colored pigments are removed with our finger, and believe it or not we get a very natural effect.

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341 flesh base 342 highlight flesh 343 shadows flesh TAMIYA (enamels) XF-50 field blue XF-57 buff HUMBROL (enamels) 29 matt dark earth 63 matt sand 93 matt desert yellow MIR (oils) 46 burnt umber 48 burnt Sienna MIG PRODUCTIONS (pigment) P023 black smoke P028 Europe dust P030 beach sand P037 Gulf war sand TITAN (asphalt) Asphalt

The accessories we place later can be dirtied, following the same techniques used on the armored char. Some areas are exposed to continuous wear and we can convey this by rubbing graphite powder (pencil lead)

The patina or dirt layer gives the kit an absolutely realistic look.

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Pz.Kpfw. II Ausf. F (Sd.Kfz. 121), Pz.Rgt. 5, 21. Pz.Div., Gambur Libya, November 1941.

Pz.Kpfw. II Ausf. C (Sd.Kfz.121), Pz.Rgt. 4, 13. Pz.Div., Heeresgruppe Süd, USSR, July 1941.

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Pz.Kpfw. II Ausf. F (Sd.Kfz. 121), Pz.Rgt. 15, 11. Pz.Div, Kursk, USSR. June 1943.

Pz.Kpfw. II Ausf. F (Sd.Kfz. 121). Pz. Rgt. 201, 23. Pz.Div, Caucasus USSR. September 1942.

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ost units ended up being built almost exclusively for the armies of several Commonwealth countries (including of course the UK), following the Lend-Lease treaty. Production began in the summer of 1942, and in October of the same year the initial run of 300 units arrived to the British arsenals. These “Staghounds MK. I” wound up being attached to the armored regiments. On December 1943, with about 2844 vehicles manufactured, production ceased. The Staghound was a rather bulky vehicle on wheels. Its armoring was 50mm thick in the front, and it had a

37mm gun and a 7,62mm Browning machine gun on a swiveling turret and another machine gun on the chassis. It was equipped with two GMC 270 6 cylinder gas motors that gave it 97 (horsepower) when going at 3000 rpm. This vehicle proved itself worthy while in combat: it was fast, maneuverable, easy to maintain, and its fuel reserve of 623 liters gave it an operational radius of action of about 250km. This vehicle saw action to full satisfaction for the first time in Italy in 1943. Later on, the vehicle was delivered to Canada, New Zealand, Belgium and India. The vehicle had a number of pioneering

devices such as the automatic hydraulic transmission, the turret swirling mechanism which was also hydraulic. In order to upgrade its weapons, 100 British units removed the vehicle’s turret, the machine gun outside of the turret; and were given a 75mm “Ordnance QF” gun and a Besa 7,92mm coaxial machine gun mounted on the turret of a “Crusader III” instead. These modified vehicles that seated four men where called “Staghound MK III’s”. These modified vehicles were used by the Polish, Australian, Canadian and New Zealander forces.

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By: Javier Redondo Jiménez Best Value Models

Figures by: Diego J. Jiménez Molina Pictures by the author 1/35

The “Staghound” was designed by the Chevrolet Division of General Motors Corporation following the specifications given by the US Army. After a number of prototypes were created, the specifications changed, and the vehicle ceased to be manufactured.

The kit has a resin turret and a styrene chassis. It can be assembled quickly and doesn’t need many improvements. Some handles have been removed and have been traded for ones made of telephone wire. The gun has been substituted for an aluminum one, and on the back I’ve placed a box from a Verlinden set.

A S S E M B L Y Bronco, the Asiatic hobby brand announced the manufacture of this kit, however its production was heavily delayed –more than my patience as a hobbyist could tolerate- so I finally chose the Best Value kit already for sale. The kit is a transformation of an available kit from another brand (Typical of Best Value). This kit is basically a copy of the “Staghound MK I” from Bronco molded in styrene with the pieces and resin elements to turn it into an MK III. As luck would have it, as soon as I was

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done with my kit, Bronco finally released its Staghound MK. III. The Best Value kit is assembled easily and uneventfully as long as you keep an eye on the instruction sheet. The only thing I did to it was to discard the plastic gun and use a Jordi Rubio aluminum one instead, place on the rear a Verlinden box and place MV Products lenses on the kit’s headlights.

I have little to say in terms of assembly. We’re dealing with a kit that can be assembled without problems, which relieves me a great deal. I feel that vehicles on wheels are particularly attractive, and this one with its massive turret is in my opinion one of the most beautiful built during WWII.

Mud splashes have been made with a hard tipped brush and powdered color pigments on enamel thinner. The silencers on the exhausts have been painted with a mixture of oil paints: 209, 305 and 701. This mixture was later on given some nuances with pigments P024 and P025.

KITS USED Model: - Staghound MK III, Best Value Models ref. 35058, 1/35 scale. Gun: - British 75mm, Jordi Rubio ref. TG33. Accessories: - Lenses, MV Products ref. TG33. - Tank tool & equipment boxes, Verlinden Productions ref. 346. - Jerrycans, Italeri ref. 402. Buildings: - Anti-tank defenses, Hobby 37 ref. H3732. - 38(t) Bunker, Mig Productions ref. MP35-261. Figures: - Soldier in running crouch, Hornet ref. BH04. - British tank crew WWII, Verlinden Productions ref. 0311.

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The turret from the “Panzer 38(t)” was painted with XF-60 toned down with XF-57 and XF-2 (All Tamiya references). The camouflage on the turret has been airbrushed with the help of some masking tape using XF-63 toned down with a small amount of XF-2. Dirt has been made following the same treatments usually employed on any military vehicle. The ground is a mixture of plaster, acrylic paint, powdered pigments thin sand and water. Once it all dried up I used several powdered color pigments, grass and fallen leaves.

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P A I N T I N G When time came to choose a camouflage scheme I opted for the British camouflage scheme popularly known as “Mickey Mouse”. This scheme was named after the famous cartoon character because the camouflage spots resembled the ears of the character. This camouflage scheme was first used from 1944 onwards and was seen in British and Commonwealth units in Normandy and the following French, Belgian and the Netherlands campaigns. This scheme basically consists The bunker has been painted with Humbrol enamel 95, and the splintered camouflage scheme has been made with the help of masking tape using Tamiya’s XF-1. Vertical dirt trails that usually appear on the surface of concrete have been made by melting various oil paints.

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White carpenter’s glue has been used to glue the MV Products lenses on the kit’s headlights. These items help to add an extra touch of realism to any kit.

on a number of black spots on a Khaki Drab SCC15 base color that visually break up the lines of the vehicle. The spots had to have semicircular shapes on the vertical and slanted surfaces, and cover up the horizontal surfaces completely. I airbrushed the kit entirely using Tamiya’s XF-51 (85%) and XF-60 (15%). Then I did a dark mixture with XF-1 and highly diluted XF-52 using Tamiya’s X20a thinner and used it to do some detail profiling on the details and carved areas, and used XF-60 to create a few highlights. Once I did that I began to work on the camouflage pattern. I painted the peculiar spots using a brush and highly diluted (using water) Model Color’s 950; I first drew the outline, and then I filled up the shapes using a thicker brush, going over it several times. Then I used my airbrush (set on very low air pressure) kit to create a few highlights on the camouflage by using highly diluted XF-63. Then I used my brush to paint the box on the rear of the turret using Model Color’s 897. I did some detail profiling on the box and the corresponding camouflaged areas using the mixture employed earlier (XF-1, XF-52 diluted with X20A). In the meantime, and while I allowed paint to dry up, I painted some of the equipment and other details on the vehicle. I used the Micro Set and Micro Sol decal fixing products for attaching decals, and then I protected the kit using an overall coat of Model Air satin varnish, airbrushed in thin layers. Then I created some wear in the paintjob by doing a few enamel filters on P241, P242 and P246 allowing each color to dry up separately. Later on I increased the paint wear effect throughout by melting a few oil The cover for the motor has been given a dust layer with powdered pigments on enamel thinner. Grease stains have also been painted.

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The roadsing, made with an Evergreen sheet has been dirtied with powdered pigment P024. The letters in it are Decadry transfers. The figure has been painted with Model Color acrylics following the classic technique of highlights and shadows. Base color for it was 921.

COLOR CHART TAMIYA (acrylics) XF-1 flat black XF-2 flat white XF-51 khaki drab XF-52 flat earth XF-57 buff XF-60 dark yellow XF-63 German grey PANZER ACES (acrylics) 302 dark rust MODEL COLOR (acrylics) 882 middlestone 897 bronze green 921 English uniform 950 black 976 buff MODEL AIR (acrylics) 60 satin varnish THE FILTER (enamels) P241 brown P242 tan P246 grey 20

HUMBROL (enamels) 34 matt white 64 matt light grey 95 matt concrete VAN GOGH (oils) 105 titanium white 209 cad. yellow 227 yellow ochre 305 cad. red 409 burnt umber 411 burnt Sienna 623 sap green 701 ivory black TITAN (oils) 80 bitumen MIG PRODUCTIONS (pigments) P023 black smoke P024 light rust P025 standard rust P033 dark mud P034 Russian earth P037 Gulf war san

Two Verlinden figures have been placed on the turret. These are hardly visible through the portholes or hatches, making their respective paintjobs a whole lot easier. Only the head and shoulders are painted in both cases.

paints. I worked on separate areas, moistening the surface with Humbrol enamel thinner, and placing small amounts of oil paints smearing them with a brush soaked in thinner. The result was transparent paint veils that enhance the vehicle’s general appearance. The colors used were 227, 105, 209, 623, 411 and 409. Then I took care of the paint chips. I used a mixture of Model Color’s 882 and 976 for the superficial scratches, and Panzer Aces 302 for the deeper ones. I used a thin brush for painting both. And finally I took care of adhered dirt and sand with the use of Mig Pigments’ P033, P034 and P037. I created mud splashes by diluting these pigments on enamel thinner, and put them on the tip of a hard tipped brush, and splashed it

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on the kit with low pressure air from my airbrush kit. When these mud splashes dried up I found out that I had achieved a pretty realistic effect; the areas where mud splashes were not wanted I removed pigments with a brush and some water. I left the polished metal effects for the end, doing them with pencil lead. The black soot on the exhausts and on the gun was created with pigment P023. Grease and oil stains were done with oil paint 80, a very useful oil paint reference that was diluted in different proportions for the different –extremely convincing-results obtained.

BACKGROUND The area where the action takes place is located on the north eastern part of the Rhine, on the final stages of the war. The Germans took advantage of the natural barrier formed by the river and built permanent defense structures throughout hoping to stop the invasion of their territory. Among the units commanded by Field Marshal Montgomery that liberated the Netherlands in fierce combat, we

could find the 1st Canadian Army. I built the base with Polyfoam material (as usual) and cut with a knife, different levels into it. I glued on a corner of it (using white carpenter’s glue) a resin Mig Productions’ bunker which includes a Panzer 38(t) turret that I didn’t glue in order to paint easily. I also glued some dandelions provided by Hobby 37. Before I worked up the background, I painted the blocking structure and all other obstacles using Humbrol enamel 95. I put some dirt into it doing some enamel washes with 64 and 34, and added a few dirt trails with some oil paints. The ground is a mixture of textured plaster, Mig color pigments, and thin sand mixed with some water. I applied this paste with a hard brush: I collected the paste on the tip of the brush and then placed it on the ground and patted it down. When the allies found these defensive structures, they sent down the engineers who used bulldozers and explosives to clear obstacles and landmines. I portrayed one of these bulldozed passages after some vehicles had trodden the ground and left the surface printed with all sorts of wheel and track marks.

I created these prints with spare wheels from an old kit. When the mixture had dried up I used a soft brush to place a few powdered color pigments that were fixed in place with drops of enamel thinner. Then I placed a few small roots, artificial grass and a few Hudson & Allen dried leaves. The “Canuck” (name given to the Canadian soldiers) is an old white metal Hornet reference of a Tommy (British soldier) with tin leather strap for the gun, which I manufactured. This figure and the entire crew of the armored vehicle were all painted by my old friend Diego J. Jiménez Molina with acrylic paints.

BIBLIOGRAPHY - BUONO, Benedict. “Canadians in WWII”, in “Eurouniformes No. 24 (October-November 2004), Acción Press, Madrid, pgs. 16-24.

Black camouflage spots on this “Staghound” were carefully painted by hand one by one. A hard job, but well worth the effort.

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ID. badges. CDN stands for Canadian Armed Forces. The letter before the serial number refers to the recruitment district.

Uniform and equipment of Canadian Infantry Troops between 1944/45. The “Battledress” uniform designed in Britain was created in 1942. It was a dark kaki green colored cloth of a better quality than its British counterpart. It was commonplace to use the camouflage net as a scarf in order to avoid friction between the neck and the leather jacket. The 1937 model made in Canada, (also a British design), was a deeper yellow than its British counterpart. The British Mk. III helmet was usually worn covered with the camouflage net. Canadian troops usually employed the cover of the water canteen to keep the lunchbox inside. All platoon commanders like this caporal were armed with a submachinegun Sten Mk. II. You can see the regiment name by his shoulders: “Queen’s Own Rifles”. Underneath you can read the country –Canadaand further down you’ll see the division insignia: a blue rectangle belonging to the 3rd Infantry Division and underneath it all you can see the caporal gallons.

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By: Joaquín García Gázquez

Pictures by the author

Tamiya

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During the first stage of WWII, the automotive units of the “Wehrmacht” conquered most of Europe using the Blitzkrieg (thunder-lightning-war). These victories can be attributed to the highly professional training of the higher ranking officers and also to the extensive training of all intervening units.

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he mobility of the command officers on the different fronts was paramount. One of the vehicles employed for this purpose was the Steyr Kommandeurwagen, manufactured by the Austrian firm Steyr. This vehicle was manufactured using the chassis of a 1500A/01 truck as dictated by the directives of the “Schell” plan of 1940, which established the standards for the army vehicles destined to carry different kinds of loads. The “Wehrmacht” was well pleased with this vehicle which could carry a maximum speed of 100km/h on well paved roads. The vehicle was propelled by an 8 cylinder gas motor having 85hp (horse power) it had four forward gears and a rear one: Excellent gear arrangement all in all. The “Kommandeurwagen” command version was designed with comfort in mind and seated five people. All its seats were leather lined and the front one could recline and turn into a bed. This

vehicle was regularly used by commanding German officers from northern Africa to Russia. I have placed this vehicle in a diorama representing Normandy after the allied landing.

A S S E M B L Y This Tamiya kit is exceptional: A simple array of parts, clean molding and a perfect fit. I like the styrene tires on the kit, because rubber ones tend to harden and crack over time. In other words, the kit is a joy to the hobbyist. I bought the Eduard photo etched sheet for the vehicle, because I wanted to improve significantly on the kit. I took from the sheet: the ventilation grilles covering the motor, the gear shift guides, fuel can fastenings, the clutch pedals, the brake, the accelerator, and the textured (to avoid slipping) metal floor planks. This set also contains a transpar-

KITS USED Model: -German Steyr Type 1500A “Kommandeurwagen”, Tamiya ref. 35235, 1/35 scale. Photoetchs: -Steyr 1500 “Kommandeurwagen”, Eduard ref. 35286. Building: -Ruined building sections, Verlinden Productions ref. 1533. Accessories: -Jerrycans, Italeri ref. 402. -Brick walls, Italeri ref. 405. -Red bricks, Verlinden Productions ref. 1447. -Building accessories, MiniArt ref. 35005. Figures: -Panzergrenadiers, Panzer Lehr Division (Normandy 1944), Dragon ref. 6111. -Chasseur de Chars 2. Pz.Div. Normanie Juin 1944, Nemrod.

The vehicle has been painted with a mixture of Gunze Sangyo’s H-403 and Tamiya’s X-2 and XF-57. In order to give this mixture the adequate gloss finish, a few drops of gloss varnish were added to the mixture. The thin camouflage lines have been made using Tamiya’s XF-61 and XF-64. Both colors were toned down with XF-4.

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Weathering and other paint defects were achieved with the usual oil paint treatment, using colors: 21, 46, 39, 45, 41, and 11. The lines between the planks on the chassis were darkened with oil paint washes with 45.

The background is modeled using Das Pronto putty paste and before it dries up we have created some wheel prints. Sand and pebbles of different calibers are glued using white carpenter’s glue. The thick part of the foliage is made out of foam rubber used by model train hobbyists.

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Leather on the seats was created using a base mixture containing XF-1, some gloss varnish and Tamiya’s X-26. I followed the standard figure painting techniques, doing highlights using Model Color Acrylics 39, 956, and 982 applied with a brush. Earth and debris are painted with XF-52, and are highlighted using XF-15 and shadowed with XF-10. The foliage is painted with a mixture of XF-4 and XF-5. The Verlinden wall has XF-7 and XF-64. All of the above Tamiya references have been applied using an airbrush kit.

ent acetate sheet with the speed meters printed in black ink. All these elements make assembling the vehicle a fun and easy experience. I finished the assembly phase by doing a few dents on the fenders: I heat-

ed them by getting them close to a small electric welder (Being careful not to melt plastic away) and created dents by pressing them against a wood block.

We take to the brushes now and use Model Color acrylics to take care of some details like loose stones, a few bricks, etc. We make the wall stand out by hanging a poster and an advertisement both created by Verlinden Productions (refs. 23 and 1264).

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THE BASE It’s important to choose the proper base size, and arrange in a simple, yet effective way the elements which are going to be in it: The figures will be placed in a small depression on the ground so they are set against the vehicle and let you see the details in it. The ruins on the bottom will act as a background and will help you get a feeling of verticality.

We apply an overall wash on oil paint 45 to profile details and create depth within the details. Then the wall needs some dirt provided by some washes on Humbrol enamel 72. Debris on the ground is a mixture of cat litter sand, Italeri and Verlinden bricks painted with Tamiya’s XF-57. The inner part of the wall has a mixture of XF-2 and XF-3. These have undergone the same treatments used on the ground.

P A I N T I N G Before we begin painting, we should know what goal we pursue, and what is what we want to transmit with our choice. Each kit has precise demands in that sense. We should not turn our kit into a complete exhibit of our talents. We should come to reason and take only the adequate steps to create the scene that we want to portray. In this particular case we’re dealing with a command vehicle, which has been adequately taken care of with the right amount of maintenance. When the US Army unleashed the Cobra Operation to weaken German resistance, the Germans began to lay hands on everything available, so it makes sense for this vehicle to show minor defects, even if most of it is in a very acceptable state.

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Plant life around is further enhanced by additional vegetation provided by the now defunct brand Silflor. These are glued on the foam rubber surface which provides the bulk needed. The bright colors are then toned down by airbrushing highly diluted Humbrol enamel 72. When finished I applied a few touch ups on the walls and ground applying some colored powdered pigments, oil paint and acrylic paint.

COLOUR CHART (Steyr) GUNZE SANGYO (acrylics) H-403 dark yellow TAMIYA (acrylics) X-2 white X-22 clear X-26 clear orange XF-1 flat black XF-4 yellow green XF-7 flat red XF-57 buff XF-61 dark green XF-64 red brown MODEL COLOR (acrylics) 861 glossy black 956 clear orange 982 cavalry brown MIR (oils) 11 Persian yellow 21 cinnabar green 39 ivory black 41 yellow ochre 45 raw umber 46 burnt umber HUMBROL (enamels) 29 matt dark earth 72 matt khaki drill MIG PRODUCTIONS (pigments) P028 Europe dust P033 dark mud

BIBLIOGRAPHY - BUFFETAUT, Yves. “Les Panzer en Normandie”, in “Militaria Magazine” Hors Serie No. 1, Histoire & Collections, Paris, 1991.

The pile of debris is treated with powdered pigments P027 and P029 applied with a soft brush.

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The Nemrod resin head of the grenadier has also been changed for a Hornet reference that I had in my box of spares. The bottle and the “Panzerfaust” are both Tamiya references.

The officer is a plastic figure manufactured by Dragon, improved with a Warriors head, and Hornet hands. The map is Plus Model reference.

The figure’s pants have been dirtied using sand colored acrylic paints applied in very well measured paint washes. The final touch consists of powdered color pigments.

It’s important to vary the color tone from one item of clothing to the next. The Feldgrau cloth was manufactured by different companies was also subject to manufacture dates, and changing availability of tissue. This created varying tones of Feldgrau, and that should reflect in our miniatures.

30

The windshield and the windows are dirtied by airbrushing Tamiya’s XF-57. On the windshields, masking tape was used to create the clean area where the wipers act.

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The figures have been painted with Model Color acrylics using the usual method of highlight and shading techniques following a zenithal light source.

COLOUR CHART (Base) TAMIYA (acrylics) XF-2 matt white XF-4 yellow green XF-5 flat green XF-7 flat red XF-10 flat brown XF-15 flat flesh

XF-23 light blue XF-52 flat earth XF-57 buff XF-64 red brown MODEL COLOR (acrylics) 908 carmine red 956 clear orange

982 cavalry brown 986 deck tan 990 light grey MIR (oils) 45 raw umber HUMBROL (enamels) 72 matt khaki drill

MIG PRODUCTIONS (pigments) P027 light dust P029 brick dust

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We apply some dirt to the vehicle using Humbrol enamels 29, 72 and some Mig Pigments. The rings on the sides of the tires are cleansed, because in real life much dirt is cleansed as well by the wheel’s movement.

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By: Diego J. Jiménez Molina

Pictures by the author

Alpine

1/35

The German invasion of the USSR which began on June the 22nd 1941, began with a number of defeats suffered by the RKKA (Red Army of Workers and Peasants) and almost obliterated all of its armored resources. An urgent policy of reconstructing these with new means was instantly put to effect, and a new generation of tank crewmen had to learn the job on the hardest of circumstances. The armored division was reborn out of its ashes to become the war machine that eventually reached Berlin on early 1945, and gave Germany its greatest defeat in history

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his diorama portrays a Soviet tank crewman in 1944, year (in the calendar of the Great Patriot-

ic War) that became the apex of sacrifice in the liberation of their national territory. We can also see in this diorama the

remains of an old T-26, used by the Nazis to police the area and fight the partisans.

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den Productions) and Mig Productions’ powdered color pigments applied with a spatula on a wooden peg texturized with a hard brush. Before the mixture dried up I placed on a corner the turret of a T-26 made by Italeri (Zvezda original mold) with a few custom modifications (rivets mainly), and painted following the techniques explained elsewhere in reviews of this magazine. Once the background was completely dry I used white carpenter’s glue to put a few Hudson & Allen dry leaves and some mushrooms modeled with putty (bi-component one)

On the shoulders, the sow marks, lapels and buckles on the Jacket, we’ve used a greater amount of 921 and 913 in order to convey the usual wear on leather implements. The turret has been painted by following the usual techniques used for painting vehicles. The impact on the side has been pierced with a triangular shaped X-acto knife, and twisting it around. The leather strap and the holster have been made with a mixture of AC-16, 950 and 817. Then shadows were created with the addition of 861 and 828, and highlights include 948.

KITS USED Figure: - WII Russian Tank Crew, Alpine Miniatures ref. 35040, 1/35 scale. Complements: - Head from a WWII Russian Tanker 1943-45, Alpine Miniatures ref. 35012. - Turret from a T-26 Soviet Tank, Italeri ref. 359. - Static Grass Autumn/Winter Brown, Verlinden Productions ref. 638. - Forest Litter, Hudson & Allen Studio ref. HA-9403.

The resin figure, sculpted by Taesung Harmms, belongs to the Alpine Miniatures catalogue. The modeling as usual with this brand is excellent; the only modification –it can hardly be called that- was trading the figure’s head for another one of the same brand. The background is a mixture of plaster, acrylic resin, artificial grass (Verlin-

P A I N T I N G Preparing the figure before we begin painting was just the usual thing: Get rid of molding lines with wet sandpaper (500 or 600 gr.) puttying the parting lines between different pieces (using a number 2 brush) and washing the figure with some soap and water to clean

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The ground is a mixture of plaster tinted with color powdered pigments, static grass and acrylic resin. The turret was slightly sunk into the ground before it dried up.

COLOUR CHART MODEL COLOR (acrylics) 817 scarlet 822 Germ.cam. black brown 828 wookgrain 845 sunny skin tone 861 glossy black 872 chocolate brown 876 brown sand 913 yellow ochre 917 beige 921 English uniform 945 magenta 946 dark red

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948 golden yellow 950 black 951 white 960 violet 965 Prussian blue 966 turquesa

TAMIYA (acrylics) XF-24 dark grey

MIG PRODUCTIONS (pigments) P034 Russian earth P038 African earth pigment

ANDREA COLOR (acrylics) AC-16 medium brown AC-38 Napoleonic green AC-45 gloss varnish

residue and grease provided by my fingers. I stuck the figure on a temporary base in order to be able to manipulate it without touching it. I primed the figure by airbrushing Tamiya’s XF-24. Priming resin figures is essential; I used to employ

PANZER ACES (acrylics) 316 dark mud

lighter colors for priming, but I like darker figures better now. I took my brushes and some Model Color acrylics and did an initial shading job using a mixture of 872 and 950. The reason I did this is because I wanted to pin down the transition area between

The mushrooms, modeled with two component putty, were painted before gluing them to the ground. The leaves on the ground are a Hudson & Allen reference.

highlights and shadows and get the profile lines into the figure’s clothing. Getting those deep profile lines into the clothing would be an extremely difficult thing to do once the figure’s already been painted. Then I began working on the eyes on the figure’s face. I usually paint the white area in the eyes, using white and some grey, a touch of red etc. I ‘m always on the lookout for new color ranges, even if at this scale all efforts go largely unnoticed. Then I painted a thin line to create the eyelids using a dark brown shade, more specifically 822, which was also used to trace the iris. Then I filled it with 966 highlighting it with 951. Then I took care of the flesh tones using a mixture of 876 and 946 and did the highlights by adding 845 and 917 and the shadows with greater amounts of 946 and 921. I also performed a number of paint veils with 817 combined in different proportions with 921, 960 and 945 in the figure’s cheeks, nose, temples, etc.

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The figure has been effectively set on a simple background, the modeling of it and the T-26 turret didn’t take that long to build. Glass on the goggles has been conveyed with two drops of gloss varnish.

I continued the job by painting the leather jacket using a base color containing Panzer Aces/Armor Models 316 mixed with 950 and 921. I highlighted this color with 921 and 913 and provided the shadows with 950. When dealing with black clothes like this leather jacket you can create an infinite array of paint veils: Depending on the colors you mix with black (blue, flesh tones, beige etc.) we will obtain results that will help us convey all kinds of tissues, and recreate the lighting conditions of our chosen environment (a cloudy day, a sunny day, a deep forest area were light is blocked by the trees, etc.). It may seem a little far fetched, but it’s always good to explore new techniques. Let’s go back to the painting process, and specifically to the figure’s pants. I closely followed my research material and created a greenish tone obtained by mixing Model Color’s 921, and Andrea Colors’ AC-38 and AC-16. I highlighted this item of clothing using 913 and 948, and

Dirt on the figure was done after it was glued to the ground. The colors used on the ground were also used as dirt on the figure.

gave it some shadows with 965, AC-38 and 950. Once I was done painting the straps, gloves and boots, I stuck the figure to the diorama using Cyanocrilate glue. Then I put some dirt into the figure’s knees and some other areas using the same color powdered pigments used for the ground. I used a soft brush for the pigments. I just have to say goodbye for now and conveniently thank my friend Javier Redondo for helping me on the diorama, thanks that also extend to José Hernández and his teachings, and to Carlos de Diego Vaquerizo editor of this magazine for helping me write this review. See you later and have a good time painting your stuff!

BIBLIOGRAPHY - SHALITO, Anton, SAVCHENKOV, Ilya and MOLLO, Andrew. “Red Army uniforms of WWII”, in “Europa Militaria” No. 14, Windrow & Greene, London, 1993. - MOLLO, Andrew and Mc GREGOR, Malcolm. Army Uniforms of WWII”, Blandford Press, London, 1973. - ZALOGA, Steven J. and VOLSTAD, Ron. “The Red Army in the Great Patriotic War”, in Carros de Combate No. 71, Osprey Military/RBA, Barcelona, 2001. 37

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By: Mario Gabás Ruiz

Picture credits: Raúl Fernández Ruiz

Tristar

1/35

I’m not going to bother with the historical background on this vehicle, because most of us already know a great deal about the operational lifespan of the Panzer IV. It’s possible to find a rather large amount of research material about it just about everywhere, so if you want to know the details check the bibliography.

A A 38

s you’ll see at first glance I did a somewhat special and seldom seen version of this vehicle. This is particularly evident in terms of its paint scheme. This vehicle belongs to the “21. Panzerdivision” as pho-

tographed in Normandy in 1944. I wanted to portray this unit a long time ago; I remember the first time I looked at it in a book my father brought home when I was 14. The book was an old Osprey special on the Panzer IV. As soon as I

saw it I ran to the nearest hobby store to purchase the kit, but I was headed for disappointment… The owner of the store told me that no styrene reference of the vehicle was available on the market. The only thing you could do was to trans-

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decals by Cartograph. I was rather eager to begin, so I decided to assemble the kit right out of the box, getting only a set of new Modelkasten tracks. I only did this because the ones in the box are not the ones on the unit I wanted to portray. As I said, the kit got me hooked at first sight, but as I moved forward I realized that the instructions on the sheet were a little confusing and that posed for me some serious issues… When gluing the bogies to the barge I found out that the wheels collided between it selves, so I had to move them apart a little. When I got together both halves of the hull I realized that the rear did not fit together well, so I was forced to test it fit in many ways until I finally got it right and could use glue. After I did the cables for the headlights using very thin copper wire I substituted the kit’s Notek’s headlights for resin ones created by Mig Productions. Then I glued all the tools and the fastenings for them included in the photo etched sheet that comes with the kit.

KITS USED

form a resin kit (I believe that the resin kit was produced by MB Models –an American brand-) which was something out of my reach at that time. That’s how my project got postponed indefinitely… Several years later I found out that Tristar was going to release a Panzer IV Ausf. C, so as soon as I saw it in the hobby store I bought it right away and a few months ago I began to assemble it; so this is the story…

A S S E M B L Y The Tristar kit is a kit that gets you hooked as soon as you open the box: A huge amount of plastic pieces with some incredible detail, the kit comes with a photo etched sheet and some excellent

Models: - Panzer IV Ausf.C, Tristar ref. 35017 1/35 scale. Tracks: - Panzer III/IV, Modelkasten ref. 3508K. Accessories: - Stowage set for Panzer IV, Blast Models ref. 35087K. - Notek light, Mig Productions ref. 35-130. - Storage boxes for late Pz. III variants, Mig Productions ref. 35-147.

The next thing I did was the tower, and its assembly is a little troublesome: Few pieces and none of them fit well. I can hardly believe that this is a new state of the art kit. I had to sand the edges of the lateral hatches in order to fit them into their respective fitting places. I also had to put lots of putty in the commander’s dome in order to fill the gaps between the different pieces that this area is made of. The worst however, were

the armored planks, (the ones that form an angle in the front) those just leave too much space open, so I had to use several thin Plasticard strips to close those open spaces on the sides. I finished the tower by trading the plastic handles for ones made of regular wire and copper wire, I placed one of dragon’s MG 34’s and made a little stand

COLOUR CHART HUMBROL (enamels) 33 mat black 145 mat medium grey GUNZE SANGYO (acrylics) H-403 dark yellow TAMIYA (acrylics) X-22 clear XF-2 flat white XF-26 deep green XF-60 dark yellow XF-67 NATO green PANZER ACES (acrylics) 302 dark rust 304 track’s primer 306 dark rubber 307 red tail light 310 weathered wood 311 new wood 313 stencil 314 canvas 315 light mud 316 dark mud 325 Russian tanker I MIG PRODUCTIONS (enamels) P241 brown P220 dark wash MIR (oils) 1 titaniu white 7A cadmium yellow deep 45 raw umber 46 burnt umber 50 bitumen 502 ABTEILUNG (oils) 035 buff MARABU (varnish) 1108 matt varnish MIG PRODUCTIONS (pigments) P023 black smoke P024 light rust P025 standard rust P026 concrete P027 light dust P028 Europe dust P034 Russian earth P230 old rust

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for it using leftover photo etched pieces. On the rear I glued a rectangular resin box (made by Mig Productions). On the period pictures we can see that this vehicle did not carry a storage box like this one, but I took some small artistic license, hoping that “purists” will somehow forgive me. On the front part I placed some resin spare track links made by Blast Models.

base for further paint treatments and gives away any assembly mistake. I obtained base color by mixing Tamiya’s XF-60 and Gunze Sangyo’s H403 and a hint of XF-2. I airbrushed this mixture in a couple of thin layers, and allowed it to dry for two days. Then I masked those areas that wouldn’t get the green splintered camouflage spots. This takes time, because in order to avoid

taste, but it really helps me later on when I recreate dirt. Several hours later (once varnish dried up), I applied several brown colored enamel (Mig Productions) color filters. If you are cautious enough and allow enough drying time (a few hours) between each layer, then this is your product because this product gives an interesting nuance to the camouflage colors.

The camouflage pattern has been outlined with masking tape, and then it has been airbrushed throughout.

This set also had two spare wheels and some canvas which I also used. I replaced the Tristar tracks by the Modelkasten ones that I mentioned earlier. These tracks are made of injected plastic links that are assembled together wonderfully well and that meant that in about a couple of hours they were all ready to paint.

P A I N T I N G 40

I first primed the vehicle using 145 Humbrol enamel, which creates a good

paint leaks its best to use thin masking strips for outlining the contours and then fill in by using bigger strips. It certainly is a bother to do, but doing it will prevent touch ups later. The green camouflage tone was created by mixing Tamiya’s XF-26 and XF-67 and did also apply it in two (thin) airbrushed layers. I allowed it to dry for a couple of hours and carefully removed the masking tape. Then I took my brush and used Panzer Aces 306 and applied it on the wheel bands. Then I needed a satin finish and airbrushed a real thin layer of gloss varnish. This is just a matter of

Afterwards I did some paint gradations, by “melting” oil paints 46, 45, 1, 7A, and 035. I also created a few transparencies on some areas using tiny amounts of the oil paints referenced. These can hardly be noticed but they create very pleasing color gradations. I allowed oil paint to dry up for a couple of days, and then I began profiling all details: rivets, joint lines between armored planks, etc. I used to do this using oil paint 45, but I tested on this kit Mig enamel P220, and found out that the results are good and that you can do it easily.

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The machine gun has been painted using Humbrol 33 and then I’ve created a metal finish with pencil lead. (Using the powder you obtain by sanding pencil lead). A light spreading of Mig Productions’ color powder pigments especially on the lower parts of the vehicle and the flat areas adds a finishing touch.

In order to do the infamous paint chips I used two Panzer Aces acrylics: 302 on the deep ones, and 315 for the superficial ones and the slight scratches. I also used Tamiya’s XF-60 to do a few paint chips on the green camouflage pattern. After doing a few dirt trails and rust by “melting” some of the oil paints mentioned earlier and some Mig powdered color pigments (highly diluted in Humbrol enamel thinner) and even using a few Panzer Aces acrylics my kit was almost ready. However, I felt that I needed something more, so I created a few more transparencies on some areas but using only highly diluted Panzer Aces acrylics. I used: 315, 316, 510 and 304. When I was finally pleased with the results I varnished the kit airbrushing

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The exhaust has been painted with Humbrol enamel 33, and rust is created using Mig Productions’ color pigments P024 and P025. This has been done with a brush, insisting until a convincing effect was obtained.

Marabu mat varnish (a couple of layers) and allowed it to dry for a few days. Then I painted the tools and other accessories and the headlights using specific Panzer Aces acrylics. I also used a soft pencil on some areas to convey some areas worn to a polish, and used oil paint 50 to create fuel spill stains.

Spare tracks also received some Mig Productions’ powdered color pigments. The canvas load has been painted using Panzer Aces 314, the crests on its creases have been highlighted with 315, doing it the same way it’s done when you paint figures. The canvas painted with 325, has been highlighted with 313.

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS In spite of the troubles I had with the kit, I am pretty pleased with the results, because doing this vehicle in this version was for me a project pursued for years. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did. I would like to thank Luis Fernando Solanas, Daniel Blasco and Luis Fuster for their advice and help. I would also like to extend my thanks to Miguel Jiménez “Mig” and all of his advice and comments, which were absolutely invaluable.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

The tracks have been primed with Humbrol’s 145 and then they’ve been covered with two layers of Panzer Aces 304 and received a wash with 316 and then another one with 315 (Panzer Aces refs.). I finished the tracks by putting some dirt simulated with Mig Pigments and imitated metal polished edges using a soft leaded pencil.

On some areas on the tracks I’ve glued some grass to give the kit a natural and realistic look.

- ANDERSON, Thomas. “Panzer IV, the short gun variants”, in “History File” No. 3, Acción Press, Madrid, 2007 - PERRET, Bryan and SMITH, David E. “The Panzerkampfwagen IV”, in Vanguard No. 21, Osprey Publishing, London, 1980.

SILUETEAR

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We can see here, the array of paint chips and scratches and the effect created by profiling all crevices and depressions.

2_Portada_PanteraING_62 ES Suscrip.qxd 21/04/13 19:09 Página 62

6€

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pag

We start a new series of Model Laboratory with a Sd.Kfz.171 Panther and the intention of offer you an exhaustive step by step of the realization of this model kit, from the building to the painting. Also you can find some profiles and a gallery with Panthers of several authors.

Accion press C/Ezequiel Solana, 16 bajo, 28017 Madrid, Spain www.euromodelismo.com/shop • [email protected]

Historex Agents Wellington House, 157 Snargate Street, Dover, Kent CT17 9BZ www.historexagents.com

46-54 BT-5 ingles:PzI.F 18/04/13 4:12 Página 46

By: Joaquín García Gázquez

Pictures by the author

Color profiles by: Carlos de Diego Vaquerizo

UM

1/72

The “Bystrojodnii Tank” or fast armored vehicle was a vehicle design based on the American Christie T-3 tank created in 1931. In the nineteen twenties, the USSR believed that a vehicle that could move both on wheels and on tracks would be quite useful. This idea was embodied by the BT-2 an armored vehicle created in 1931. The vehicle’s tracks could be removed in about 30 minutes by an expert crew.

I 46

n 1933 the BT-5 –an improved version- came out of the Steam factory “Komintern” (KhPZ 183) in Jarkov. The vehicle was equipped with simple convex wheels, a more powerful motor, a sturdier transmission and a bigger turret (exactly like the one on the T26) that housed a 45mm gun. Obviously,

the weight of this vehicle (5.43m long, 2.19m wide and 2.34m high) increased to 11.5 tons. It had a water cooled M-5 modified 12 cylinder “V” shaped motor with a 350cv power, 2300 rpm that propelled the vehicle at a rate of 72km/h (this motor was a modified airplane motor).

Unlike the T-26, the BT-5 was a deep penetration vehicle and not an infantry support or backup. Its number one advantage was its speed on its tracks (this vehicle was seldom used without them). However it had a setback: the tracks often got unhooked from the wheels especially in fast turns.

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KITS USED Model: - BT-5 Soviet Wheel-Track Tank, UM ref. 301, 1/72 scale. Photoetches: - Net, Abder ref. S 15. Figures: - USSR Infantrymen on a Tank, Preiser ref. 72523.

Doing from scratch all the rivets on the sides of both the turret and the hull was indeed the most painstaking thing to do. The hatches on the turret and all other small pieces were built using thin Plasticard sheet. The handle on the front hatch was made with copper wire. The grille that covers the motor was taken from an Aber photo etched sheet. The frame of the grille and the rear fenders were also made out of thin Plasticard sheet. The silencer on the exhaust has been fitted by sanding it, the smoke outlets were made out of sanded Evergreen strips.

The rivets on the sides of the turret were totally wanting because of the lack of detail in the mold. The photo etched sheet was rough and without detail on most pieces so I threw it away. To cap it off a few details were entirely omitted and others were simply out of scale. I was still however in love with the kit, so I decided to spend some extra time and effort into its completion and hopefully succeeded.

P A I N T I N G

Even if at the time of the Nazi invasion the T-34 was already in production, the BT-5 and the final run of the BT-7 were the backbone of the RKKA inventory. The inefficiency of these machines at the beginning of the conflict was in greater part due to inadequate tactic use, deficient training of the crews, and mechanic problems that arose from the vehicle’s own design. The landscape of the first weeks of this conflict was a trail of destroyed and or abandoned BT-5’s and BT-7’s alongside the Soviet roads.

A S S E M B L Y The UM kit was a pleasant surprise I found on a trip. I entered into a small model kit store (by no means a specialized store) and I saw a few old kits from this brand. I opened up the boxes to check and found out that they were fairly accurate in shape and scale and they also had a small photo etched sheet and injection molded tracks on separate links. As soon As I started assembling it, the defects became immediately apparent:

I was set on doing some research, and planned a number of (pretty high) painting goals that gave me both my share of joy and pains. I just wanted to paint my 1/72 kit as pretty as possible on the scale given. The color I began with was a Tamiya acrylic mixture of 60% XF-61, 20% XF-58, 10% XF-49 plus 10% Gunze Sangyo’s H-60. I gave this mixture a satin metallic gloss by adding a few drops of Tamiya’s gloss varnish. I began by creating a few highlights by airbrushing the above mentioned mixture with some XF-4 added to it. I applied a second “highlight coat” with XF-57 on the mixture to further enhance the effects. I created some contrast to these highlights by profiling the kit with a well diluted mixture of XF-1 and XF-10. I gave the kit a layer of dirt using Humbrol enamel 72 and partially removed it from some areas with a brush and some thinner about 15 or 20 minutes later, as you can see in the pictures. It’s very important to choose well the areas where you leave or remove dirt; reference material should be kept handy. I gave the kit some color by melting small oil paint pellets throughout the sur-

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Base color is airbrushed in thin layers until the kit is completely covered. Highlights are airbrushed on the edges of the armored planks, horizontal areas, etc.

face. I used oil paints 620, 67, 224 and 617 on the green areas, and 234, 92, 86 and 538 on the “dirt areas”. When it all dried up I worked on the kit’s profiles with oil paints 701 and 403. Then I created the paint chips using Model Color acrylic 975 for the superficial chips and a mixture of 817 and 950 for the deeper ones that show rusty steel underneath. I’ve always believed that you should not exaggerate paint chips; lots of paint chips don’t necessarily mean a more realistic finish. I like to work on the kit by stages, because then I can carefully spend time on each step for each stage. As soon As I finished the upper part of the hull I centered myself on the wheels and tracks. I used the same techniques employed above, but insisted on the brown and sand oil paint ranges and added some sand colored powdered color pigments.

The profiling of the armored planks, hatches, etc. is airbrushed with low air pressure on your airbrush kit using well diluted paint. Vertical dirt trails are also applied.

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Once we’ve covered with white paint the cross (meant to be seen by airplane) not worrying too much about straight lines –as in real life–, we cover the exhaust with a mixture of acrylics 950 and 982 (both Model Color references). After that we apply an enamel paint filter on Humbrol 72 to convey dirt accumulated on the vehicle’s crevices.

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In order to increase the color tones on the kit we apply a few enamel filters with Humbrol’s 120 and 15. The corners which are normally subject to be worn to a polish we carefully airbrush the mixture used as base color for our kit.

The different nuances and the paint gradations of an operational vehicle can only be obtained with an intense oil paint treatment. These should be smeared throughout using Humbrol enamel thinner.

Paint chips are made with acrylic paint and are painted with a brand new number 1 brush.

Depth in the details of the hatches, dark areas in crevices and other scribed features are created with brushwork on oil paints 701 and 403.

It’s important to make the paint chips in the right scale and size; the opposite takes the realistic effect away.

After we’ve airbrushed Humbrol enamel 72 on those areas that usually accumulate dirt, we wait a few minutes, and then we partially remove this using a brush and the brand’s own enamel thinner. This gives us a very realistic patina.

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Once we’ve created dirt trails and oil splashes using oil paint 80, the tracks and the lower areas are treated with the same techniques used for the upper part of the kit but putting the stress on sand colored paints.

THE

SCENE

I enjoy placing vehicles on their original environments. I chose for this one a simple, yet effective composition rather nice for displaying the kit to full advantage. I used some modeling paste to create a small dirt road where we can see a few infantrymen walking alongside the BT-5. Preiser has a wide ranged injection molded plastic figure catalogue on a 1/72 scale. These figures are created in a “multipose” system; this means that you can easily create different combinations of heads, torsos and limbs to get the pose you need for your dioramas. I painted both the ground and figures following the usual techniques. It’s very important to be able to adapt the painting techniques to the scale and this sometimes means that you have to simplify the process or simply adjust it to the smaller scale. You have to be brave enough to create enough contrast between the highlighted and the shadowed areas. The captions underneath the pictures will tell you the mixtures used in every stage.

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Adhered sand on the tracks is created with powdered color pigments on several different colors (see color chart) adhered with oil paints of the same color range diluted with Humbrol enamel thinner.

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Once the figures are clean and assembled, we can prime them by airbrushing Tamiya’s XF-66.

The skin tones are created with Model Color base paint 927 highlighted with 845 and 918. Shadows are created with 921 and 817.

The clothes are painted with 924. Highlights are added with 845 and 918 on the base color. Shadows are created by adding 887 and 950.

The color of the weapon contains 871, 950 and 956. This color is highlighted with 845.

The knapsack on 882 has been highlighted with 918 and shadowed with 873 and 950.

The helmet, painted on 897 has been highlighted with 882. Shadows for it were done with 925 and 950.

Black color on the boots has been highlighted with 871 and a little bit of 845.

When you are working on detail profiling in this scale you should use a very thin brush in perfect conditions.

COLOURR CHART TAMIYA (acrylics) X-22 clear XF-1 flat black XF-4 yellow green XF-10 flat brown XF-49 khaki XF-52 flat earth XF-57 buff XF-58 olive green XF-61 dark green XF-66 light grey GUNZE SANGYO (acrylics) H-60 IJA green MODEL COLOR (acrylics) 950 black 951 white 982 cavalry brown HUMBROL (enamels) 15 midnight blue 72 matt khaki drill 120 matt light green VAN GOGH (oils) 224 Naples yellow red 234 raw Sienna 403 Vandycke brown 538 Mars violet 617 yellowish green 620 olive green 701 ivory black TITAN (oils) 67 cinnabar green 80 bitumen 86 yellow ochre light 92 yellow ochre reddish MODEL COLOR (acrylics) 817 scarlet 845 sunny skin tone 871 leather brown 873 field drab 882 middlestone 887 brown violet 897 bronze green 918 ivory 921 English uniform 924 Russian uniform 925 blue 927 dark flesh 950 black 956 clear orange 975 military green CITADEL (acrylics) Boltgun metal MIG PRODUCTIONS (pigments) P028 Europe dust P033 dark mud P034 Russian earth 51

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The ground is done with modeling paste on a cork base. Before the modeling paste settles we will give it some texture using a used toothbrush and a small stone. After we’ve glued some sand and pebbles using white carpenter’s glue we also glue a bush which is in fact a seaweed branch collected on the beach. Base color for the dirt road has been painted with XF-52. The sides of the road have been highlighted with XF-57, and the center is shaded with a mixture of XF-52 and XF-1. All of these Tamiya references have been applied with an airbrush. Then we can do some detail profiling to add some color with a dark sand colored oil paint palette.

BIBLIOGRAPHY - ZALOGA, Steven J. and VOLSTAD, Ron. “Red Army in the Great Patriotic War”, in Armored Vehicles No. 71, Osprey Military/RBA, Barcelona, 2001. - DE DIEGO VAQUERIZO, Carlos “BT-5”, in “Todo Modelismo” No. 55 (February 1997), Ediciones Contrastes, Madrid, pgs. 14-18.

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We’ll finish the ground by spreading powdered color pigments and gluing the figures and the tank.

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Scarce as it is, vegetation is painted in greenish colors. The tracks on the vehicle are painted with Model Color’s 873. These also received a somewhat intense dry brush treatment with Citadel’s Boltgun Metal color. Work on the tracks was finished with earth colored oil washes and pigments.

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BT-5 (mod. 1934), RKKA, Byelorussian Military Ditrict, USSR, September 1935.

BT-5 (mod. 1934), Rgto. de Carros Pesados, Div. de Ingenios Blindados, Spanish Republic’s Popular Army, Fuentes del Ebro, Spain, October 1937.

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BT-5 (mod. 1934), 1st Guard’s Armored Brigade, Moscow, USSR., November 1941.

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Modelling lessons

By: Jesús Pérez Huélamo Picture credits: Fernando Cañellas Planchuelo

US TANK CREW Among all the hobby disciplines, painting and assembling figures isn’t probably the easiest one. However, if we already have the adequate paint mixtures ready for the different colors of the figure’s uniform, the task turns a whole lot easier.

F

ollowing a thorough study of all the tank crew people of WWII, Acción Press created a number of paint sets that Vallejo Acrylics sells under the Panzer Aces. We can find in those sets the base color for each uniform plus a lighter color of the same range to do the highlights. As with all other acrylic paints, these products can be mixed together with any other Model Color references for instance. Beginner and midadvanced hobbyists will discover how easy it is to work with these paint sets, because paint doesn’t almost smell, can be easily spread, it dilutes in water and dries up pretty quickly. Advanced hobbyists will find out that these sets save a lot of figure painting time. This review will show the step by step painting system on a US tank crew. Beginner Hobbyists don’t necessarily have to follow every step described, because these steps should only be closely followed by advanced hobbyists. Beginner hobbyists should only use this review as a general guideline. I just hope that every one of you will take the main ideas adapt them to their abilities, and keep enjoying our hobby.

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Priming the figure with a highly diluted mixture of XF-59 and XF-49. Paint is airbrushed with a pressure of ½ bar. We add XF-15 to the priming mixture and airbrush it from the head to get some highlights and see some volume.

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Brushwork begins with a watered down mixture of Panzer Aces paints 318 and 322.

By increasing the amount of the lightest color reference we begin to increase the highlights on the crests of the clothing folds. We should use a number 2 brush.

Further mixtures with increasing amounts of the lightest shade are used for increasing highlights. By going over several times with watered down paint we will obtain a gradual smooth highlight.

Light strokes will light up in a subtle way the shoulders, forearms, clothing folds etc.

In order to increase the highlight and a put a range of color into the highlight itself we add a little 323.

Basic shadows are created with paint filters on 318 mixed with 333. We will work on the creviced areas (inner part of arms and legs for instance) and inside the creases on the clothing. The darkest areas will only get the second paint reference.

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1

2

1-Now we’ll work with both the lights and shadows, increasing either one wherever necessary. Working on the whole figure at once helps you equilibrate both effects. 2-3-The final highlights include 344 added to the final highlight mixture. Using a diluted version of this mixture and a number 1 brush will help us light up details like seams and zippers. We can also mark the contours with the previous “shadows” mixture.

3

9

6

7 4

10 8

11

9-Boots are painted with 333. 10-The folds on the leather surface are highlighted with 337. 11-A greater proportion of the last reference will be useful to create the impression of well used leather. The shadows on the folds are painted with Model Color’s 950.

5

4-The patches on the figure’s arms have a bluish base obtained by mixing 309 and 333. The blue area on the triangular patch contains Panzer Aces 309 and 344, the yellow area 953 and the red one 908 both Model Color references.

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5-The rank insignia and the “T” that stands for technical personnel are painted with 332. The edges for both are lighted up with 344. After we’ve lighted up the triangular division patch with 344 we paint its inner design with 337.

6-The elastic clothing elements are painted with a mixture of 334 and 336. Highlights are done by adding 340 and 313 to the previous mixture, and for the shadows add 337. 7-The binoculars, painted on Model Color’s 950, can be noticeably lighted up with Panzer Aces 333. The

leather strap is painted with 312. 8-Once we’ve lighted up the leather strap using Panzer Aces 341, chipped areas can be done using a number 1 brush and Model Air 63. The lenses are conveyed with a drop of Model Color gloss varnish.

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12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

12-Both hands and face get Panzer Aces 341 base paint. 13-The first highlights are subtly applied on the chin, nose cheeks and the arc above the eyes. The mixture used contains 341 and 342. 14-The same mixture is used to apply the next highlights on the same areas. We need to dilute paint in order to deposit the pigments gradually over a number of

20

20-The helmet is dealt with a couple of layers with the following mixture: 333 and 348. 21-Highlights are obtained by adding 323. This color is used to create some specks on the upper area of the helmet and its edges.

applications, until we get the desired effect. 15-In order to get a good overview of the results we’re obtaining, we interrupt the highlighting process and begin to create the shadows. We use extremely diluted 343 and apply paint filters underneath the chin, nose, cheeks and eyebrows. We begin the eyes by sketching the eyelashes with a line of 333. 16-Areas like the eye lines, nostrils or lips are marked

with 343, the same color reference employed to proceed with the shadows before. The white area on the eyes is taken care of with a mixture of 342 and 313. 17-After we’re done painting the iris in the eyes using 309 lighted up with 313 both the lights and shadows on the face are strengthened with a few more highlights and shadows. The last highlight requires 342 and 313.

21

22

24

25

24-Rust on the steel helmet is created with 302.

25-Excess gloss can be taken care of with a paint wash of 323, which also gives it a dusty look. Final shadowing is created with 333.

18-An unshaved face will create some character into our figure. Using a well diluted mixture of 342 and 333 we put a five o’clock shadow into the figure’s jaw and upper lip area. 19-The beard is slightly lighted up by adding more 342 to the mixture. The congestion in the face (effect of cold weather) is achieved with a filter below the nose, lips and cheeks with a mixture of 343 and 908.

23

22-Shadows are created from the bottom upwards applying color filters of base mixture with greater amounts of the darkest color in it. 23-Paint chips on the surface are created with tiny dots created with a number 1 brush dipped on Model Air’s 63.

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The quality of the figure that goes alongside a vehicle must also match the level of expertise of the hobbyist.

KITS USED Figure: - US Tank Crew in winter 1, Alpine Miniatures ref. 35033, 1/35 scale.

COLOUR CHART TAMIYA (acrylics) XF-15 flat flesh XF-49 khaki XF-59 desert yellow

Displayed in conjunction with an M-20 (Italeri ref. 366) by Carlos de Diego Vaquerizo.

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COLOUR CHART PANZER ACES (acrylics) 302 dark rust 309 periscopes 312 leather belt 313 stencil 318 US Army tankcrew 322 highlights US tankcrew 323 highlights USMC tankcrew 332 Japonese tankcrew 333 German tankcrew (black) 334 German tankcrew I (Feldgrau) 336 highlights Afrikakorps 337 highlights German (black) 340 highlights Afrikakorps tankcrew 341 flesh base 342 highlights flesh 343 shadows flesh 344 white (German tanker) 348 Splinter strips MODEL COLOR (acrylics) 510 glossy varnish 908 carmine red 950 black 953 flat yellow MODEL AIR (acrylics) 63 silver metallic

Tools employed for painting this figure sculpted by Taesung Hermms: An airbrush (priming) and number 2 and 1 brushes.

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JACkET AND PANTS

Airbrush Priming XF-49 + XF-59

JACkET AND PANTS SHADOWS

1st shadow Base color + 333

Detail profiling for highlights 322 + 323 + 344.

DIVISION PATCH

1st color 953

Highlight Above + 313 Airbrush highlight Above + XF-15

2nd shadow 333

Detail profiling for the contour 333 + 318 2nd color 908

Base 318 Highlight Above + 313 1st highlight Above + 322

3rd color 309 + 313

2nd highlight Above + 322

3rd highlight 322

Highlight Above + 313

4th highlight Above + 323

Detail profiling and inner design on patch 333 ELASTIC ELEMENTS ON THE JACkET

RANk INSIgNIA

5th highlight Above + 323 Base 334 + 336

1st highlight Above + 336

6th highlight Above + 323

7th highlight Above + 344

Shadows Base + 333

2nd highlight Above + 313

Background 309 + 333

Gallons 332

zIPPER

8th light Above + 344

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318 + 333

Metal on the zipper 63

Highlight Above + 344

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FLESH TONES

Base 341

5th highlight Above + 342

1st highlight Above + 342

2nd highlight Above + 342

6th highlight 342

3rd highlight Above + 342

7th highlight Above + 313

4th highlight Above + 342

8th highlight Above + 313

9th highlight Above + 313 BINOCULARS

FLESH SHADOWS

Base 950

1st shadow Base + 343

Highlight base + 333

2nd shadow Above + 343

Chips 63

3rd shadow Above + 343

Strap 312

4th shadow 343

Highlight Base + 341

Paint veil on cheeks 908 + 343

Highlight on five o’clock shadow Above + 342

HELMET

Base 348+ 333

1st highlight Above + 348

2nd highlight Above + 323

Shadows Base + 333

Five o’clock shadow 342 + 333

Metal 63

3rd highlight Above + 323

Rust 302

EYES

Base 333

White area 342 + 313

Iris 309

Shade Above + 313

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Publishing Manager Rodrigo Hernández Cabos Editor in Chief Carlos de Diego Vaquerizo Translated by Ándres Sánchez González Have collaborated in this issue: Juan Luis Mercadal Pons Javier Redondo Jiménez Diego J. Jiménez Molina Joaquín García Gázquez Mario Gabás Ruiz Jesús Pérez Huélamo

editorial We often see how veteran hobbyists are faced with a recurring dilemma; the evolution of model kit production renders some kits that were formerly considered accurate and were built with tender loving care obsolete. What shall we do? Do we abandon old kits and embrace those presumably better novelties? That is the situation that Juan Luis Mercadal faced with his Panzer II. He decided to finish his old kit (“old kits never die”) and capped off the job with an outstanding paintjob to boot. When the kit of this late Staghound reconnaissance vehicle with a Crusader turret was made, Best Value Models created a kit that combined a resin turret with a styrene body that matched Bronco’s. Bronco has produced since the whole kit in styrene and can now be built straight out of the box. Javier Redondo also shows us his jagged background with a bunker recreating an attractive scene painted with the usual techniques. A vignette of such small dimensions can be quite successful when the background is so well made and combines the use of crew figures. As usual Joaquín García Gázquez, creates a superb composition with very few items as we can find out in this review with a Steyr 1500A as our star. Many hobbyists are still scared stiff when it comes to painting figures even if we know that in some cases this is just a matter of laziness because of the many reviews and specialized courses readily available. Diego J. Jiménez amply proves this with his work on this Soviet tank driver. When I first saw this venerable Pz. IV in a period picture hidden in a forest in Normandy, I felt curious: How did this unit survive until 1944? This is a most interesting piece because of the anachronism of the model and because of the splintered camouflage (out of use in this period). Perhaps the combination of all these factors and the exquisite charm of this piece by Mario Gabás all went into it. The evolution of the 1/72 scale has paralleled the bigger kits and this perhaps explains why more and more hobbyists decide to work in this scale. Joaquín García Gázquez demonstrates the quality level possible in this diminutive BT-5 with matching figures. We take an in depth plunge into figure painting to cast away all fears in a full review by Jesús Pérez Huélamo, who shows us a step by step method to paint with a very reasonable level of excellence a good figure. Following this process will definitely help us paint a good figure to accompany our vehicle kits.

Rodrigo Hernández Cabos 64

Photographers Rodrigo Hernández Cabos Fernando Cañellas Planchuelo Raúl Fernández Ruiz Illustrations Carlos de Diego Vaquerizo Lay Out Raúl Fernández Ruiz KOMMAD S.L. Printed by IBERGRAPHIC 2002 Scanning & Filmsetting ACCIÓN PRESS, S.A. J. David Hernández Chacón Raúl Fernández Ruiz Computer Graphics J.David Hernández Chacón Editorial and Technical Staff, Administration and Advertising ACCIÓN PRESS, S.A. c/Ezequiel Solana, 16 28017 Madrid Tel.: 913 675 708 914 086 135 Fax: 914 085 841 [email protected] Subscriptions North American Subscription6 MMD-Squadron 1115 Crowley Drive Carrollton, Texas 75011-5010 USA In Spain: Valentín García Báez Tel. +34 913 675 708 Published by ACCIÓN PRESS, S.A ISSN: 1886-4457 The reproduction of the images and texts is prohibited, using any current or future technical medium without written consent of the author. ACCION PRESS, S.A. does not necessarily support its collaborators’ opinions.