I've ben working on Alanger's T-35, and for the first time, I tried the colour modulation technique - a daunting vehicle to do this style on, made even more so by the fact that this is my second vehicle I've airbrushed! I also tried out using oil paints to weather the vehicle. I plan to put it in a dio with the crew of the tank and the crew of a nearby AT gun - Miniart's Zis-2 - and maybe Mig's old Russian lady looking on - talking to a passing Cossack in the defence of Moscow. Here are some pics. The tracks do still need some work, I know, and they are not quite that orangey - they are a Raw Sienna colour. All comments, constructive criticisms, are welcome.

































And now the Zis gun.



Again, all comments welcome!

SCOTT

*o* -emoticon fun...

nice job. like your oil dot method. very good job with the figures to.

Hi Scott, to me - I not a experten - looks good, but 2 comments.

1) the paint work and weathering, to me looks all around the same, I means, maybe you need to dull or "bright" more some areas, as the turret top.

2) the figures, to me - TO ME - don't look natural, the faces aren't good to me, not your paint job, the sculpt. But, please, I don't like figures anyway, so my comment maybe its a bit caustic, and isn't personnel.

I like the subject, to me appears as a Marat with chains!.

Thanks for share it.
Alvaro

Preston, thanks I'm glad you like it.

Alvaro - you are absolutely right about the figures. They stand about 45 mm tall so when I put them next to the MIniart gun crew, they look like midgets! I did the best with what I had. The set was only about $6, so I guess for the price, you get what you pay for? Some nice equipment and crappy figures?

I would agree that my CM is not quite Adam Wilder , but the result is better than what I have been able to achieve before. I'll work on it.

The subject appealss to me as well! Five turrets - I'll take it!


SCOTT

I agree with you, five turrets !

Don't worry about the CM, if you don't reach Adam level, anyway you do a good work!, and you're improving

Well, as the proverb said : dying and learning.

Thanks again, Alvaro. All that really matters is that you improve each build, and that's enpugh to keep me happy. "Dying and learning" - love it!

OMG thery looks draft
Although Nice work on them

Julien

Thanks Julien.

Five stars for a seldom seen tank model! It must be a trend- this is the second unusual subject in as many week! You did a fine job with it!

Thanks Jim! I had to take it - it had been on my wish list for a while, but the kit was OOP! When it was marked down at the LHS, I had to take it!

i love this beast, the idea of a early war leviathan really appeals to me, my only qualm is the super rusty tracks,
you say they are more of a raw sienna colour, i myself know that the camera can be a Big liar when it comes to colour, so ill take that back lol!!!
do you know its top speed?

Thanks James! The tracks are no longer look that rusty, because I have rubbed some graphite powder on them. The T-35's top speed was 30kph, and it was terribly unreliable partially becase of its weight of 45 tons. However, those 45 tons only gave it about 1-3 cm of armour protection, so it is a bit of a paper tiger!


SCOTT

This tank has been tearing me up since I saw it! After a bit of a search I managed to find one. I can't wait to get it!

Thanks again for posting this!

I've got that beast in my stash but don't know when I'll start building it.

Scott, do you have any suggestions, tips or hint for building?

Unusual or early war tanks, not experimentals or one-offs, may make an interesting campaign if it's selective enough to include only truly odd or old tanks, post WWI, pre or very early WWII (1940, say).

Just a thought!

Seems the company that makes most of the oddball and old stuff is RPM. Some of the kits by them I have are OK but some are, well, not so OK.

Jim, I hope you enjoy your build whenever you get your hands on it! It was my pleasure to post it. As for the campaign, that would be great - it just came too late for me!

Michal - I do have some hints - Here's some reference links that I used to start - Google translate was really great!

http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=auto&tl=en&u=http://members.at.infoseek.co.jp/buk_2m/t35/t35_01.html&prev=hp&rurl=translate.google.ca
http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=auto&tl=en&u=http://yrq.livejournal.com/tag/%255B%25D0%25A2-35%255D&prev=hp&rurl=translate.google.ca
http://translate.google.ca/translate?prev=hp&hl=en&js=n&u=http%3A%2F%2Fgrayknight.narod.ru%2FT-35%2FT-35.htm&sl=auto&tl=en&history_state0=
http://ru.armorama.com/forums/122098&page=1&ord=0
http://legion-afv.narod.ru/T-35_Kubinka.html

There are many errors in this kit - there is no mg on the rear of the main turret, the turrets have pistol doors and vision doors instead of plugs and glass, there is no holder on the tracks on the rear fender. The Tracks are actually t-55 tracks and the only replacements are friuls! Out of my budget. The list goes on. Accuracy though, I'll let you worry about that yourself - I didn't worry too much about it! The main parts such as the hull and turret parts are terribly warped. The suspension parts don't fit too well. The 45 mm gun barrels need to be drilled out. There are sink marks on many parts, especially if they will be difficult to deal with! Breaking the fragile machine guns is all too easy! The kit includes an interior for the main turret and drivers position, and an engine. The interior is pretty much imagineered - although I am unsure about the engine. It does, seem, however, a little chunky. In short, you'll have an impressive, if slightly inaccurate tank when you are done (if OOB), but it will be impressive!

SCOTT

I built this kit a few years ago and, aside from the poor tracks (which I also used since I didn't want to spend the money on friuls) and the MG, I found it to be quite accurate. I looked pretty hard for details to add and didn't find many. Sure, a PE set does some good, but what kit doesn't benefit from some PE ?

Since you used the twin-stripe marking of the 67th Tank Regiment on your tank, you may want to add red stars to the side skirts. Most of the 67th Tank Reg't tanks I've seen had this in June 1941.

That thing(what is it?) to the left of the engine hatch is missing - probably the most noticeable error, and the ru.armorama.com thread linked above shows many others. It is mainly nitpicking - such as the wrong locations of the reinforcement strips on the turret roof, the lack of rivets and vision ports on the rear of the mid size turrets, the handles to protect the engine cowling from the rear turrets, its all pretty small stuff. I used manly scratching - such as the commander's hatch spring - to bring the kit's detail level up, but I didn't do too much, as I don't have the tools or data or skills to do much of this!

As for the red stars, I have yet to add the side skirts, because of weathering accessibility later. They do have red stars on them.

SCOTT

Scott- one of the sellers advertising here has an outstanding every day price on Fruils.

Hi Scott,

the "thing" left to the engine hatch simply is the exhaust with cover. It is not missing in the kit, but the kit depicts another variant (according to militaria's book: the early one). It may be a little simplified, of course.

Building the T-35 may turn out tricky sometimes: There were only a few of them and many differences occur. This http://grayknight.narod.ru/T-35/T-35.htm may be of some help.

Greets

Volker

I am somewhat unsure of what you mean. I am referring to this thing, that is right below the end of the 45 mm gun.


...........................^
.........................Here

This picture has the 'thing' above and slightly to the viewer's right of the left soldier's head. This vehicle also has the same markings as my model.


In the model you can see that its' not there


Was this not in this variant of the vehicle. I am still unsure.

Jim, stupid question - which seller? tank rats, Red frog, and JB model eu have them for about the same price - and I know which one its not.

Hi Scott,

we're referring the same "thing"! The tank you posted here has the "simplified" type of exhaust, two pipes stucking high and smaller(but higher) box-type cover. It's seen on the Kubinka's T-35 and on almost all later ones. (depicted well on tank #36 in the above mentioned link)
The kits exhaust has the wider barrel-type exhaust, much wider, but not as high. Youl'll figure this one out at the tanks #25 and 29 in the link.

So ICM isn't all wrong. (Maybe a little oversimplified) As I said, there are a lot of differences in tool arangement, drivers hatch, engine access doors and main turret post between several vehicles. Remember, this isn't like modelling one of thousends of T-34. But one of a few more than 60 ones build between 1932 and 1939!

Greets

Volker

Thanks Volker. It all makes sense now!

SCOTT

Hi Scott! I got my kit last week!



Not to hijack your thread, but to respond to the warped parts that were mentioned, I can understand why. The kit was pretty heavy! The box was crammed full, but little thought seemed to have been put into bagging the sprues. One bag has the turret halves which are molded verticle in relation to their sprues rather than sideways packed in the middle of the bag. With the turret halves facing up like that, the potential for bending them out of shape is large. That sprue being sandwiched in the middle of its bag with 3 or 4 more sprues above and below it doesn't help matters. The sprues above the turret sections have bowed over them quite dramatically. It doesn't appear any other parts are affected, but I haven't removed them yet for closer inspection.

The armor side skirts that cover the tracks were bagged atop smaller part frames and they bowed because they overhung on both ends. Fortunately, they are thin enough that I think they'll flatten on their own. Even if they don't, gluing them would flatten them back out if they don't do it on their own.



The worst of the warpage was the upper deck. Here it is in its bag. It was packed with the raised platform for the main turret against the bottom of the box so the weight of the other bags of parts and part frames in the bag with it were on top of it.



This is the result. The corner isn't resting on the blade of the square. It is warped that much! It bows up towards the rear, too, but its so long that the length adds enough weight that it bends back almost flat on its own.



This will take some lengthy, gentle straigntening! Did you find anything remotely similar?

I found a couple books on Amazon about the T-35. I'd like to have one of the titles, but... Look for yourself:

http://www.amazon.com/Tiazhelyi-Sukhoputnyi-drednout-Krasnoi-Armii/dp/5699199861/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1254608908&sr=1-2

http://www.amazon.com/Land-Battleship-Russian-T-35-Heavy/dp/095387771X/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1254608908&sr=1-3

Remember- there are no stupid questions; only stupid answers!

No, the seller was California Hobby Shop or something like that. Their ad flashed the Fruils were $29 or it may have been less (I think) every day priced. I have to be selective about what I choose to remember! My brain is full so every new thing that goes in pushes something else out. I'll learn the definition of a new word and then forget where I put my car keys!
Sorry I didn't answer this sooner. I just caught it as I re-read the thread.