¹⁄48

Greetings from the Ultimate KV’s

Introduction

The KV-85 and SU-152 were both based on the KV tank chassis. The potential of the KV hull ended with these production versions. The designs would lead to the later JS series of tanks including the JS-1, JS-2, ISU-152, and ISU-122. My scene depicts these tanks outflanking and capturing a German 75mm AT gun. The Russian Battlefield website describes these tanks together in WWII Russian Front battles.

KIT DETAILS

• 1/48 Tamiya KV-1 tanks.
• Gasoline resin conversion upper hulls for the KV-85 and SU-152.
• Bandai 75mm AT gun.
• Gasoline tank riders.
• ICM officers.
• Art of War tank crew.
• Dartmoor tank crew.

CONSTRUCTION

I prefer Loctite brush-on superglue for use with resin and PE parts. I find it at Walmart. I scratched my own barrel for the Su-152 using brass rod and a brass pipe cutter for $5 from the Home Depot. Brass wire for grab rails. I borrowed the later style wheels from a Hobby Boss KV kit for the Su-152 although I’ve found photos where the earlier style wheels could be used too. The base was a piece of scrap wood with Kincali cobblestone cut out and glued in place. I use something called “Polymeric Sand” for my dirt/groundwork. I found this stuff at my local landscaping place and it is used to stop weed grow in sidewalks, bricks, etc. You simply spray water on it and over a few hours it will harden up. I’ve used it to build-up piles of rubble (see JS-2 diorama picture). The “magic sand” can be painted, but I prefer using a variety of pigments spread around haphazardly to ensure a dead-flat, natural finish. Silflor Grass was added on top. I should have added some other color grass for more variation.

PAINTING AND WEATHERING

Vallejo Acrylic Paints are my choice for base coats. Russian Green was used straight out of the bottle for the Su-152 and mix with White for the KV-85 lighter color. I’m a beginner but have been told the more variety & contrast you can create, the more interesting the final scene is to look at. I attempted some fading strokes on the sides of the Su-152 with enamels but I’m not happy with the results. Next build I’ll try the Mig 502 oil paints for fading strokes. Various Mig Pigments were used for dust washes on both vehicles (lighter colors on the outer surfaces, and dark over dry mud effects). The Su-152 track mud was created in a mixture of “Polymeric sand,” Plaster of Paris, acrylic gloss medium & varnish paste (from the art store - you can use Mig Acrylic resin too), and pigments for color. The mud is then wiped off the outer surfaces so Vallejo oily steel or rust can be dry brushed on exposed track parts.

CONCLUSION

I just started trying groundwork for my models and I find it very challenging but rewarding to the final look of the model. My motto is to try at least one new technique with each build. The folks on this site are very helpful and there’s loads of info to be found on this site. If you’re interested in 1/48 scale, I would also recommend Track48.com as they have the largest gallery of this scale. Thanks to Darren for the vote of confidence to write this.