Heya, Folks,

I've got the old Dragon IS-2/JS-II kit and I was hoping to show it knocked out by bigger, nastier German technology... Chances are, we are just going to see the remains of the turret on the ground.

I'm looking for suggestions for making it look as if the IS-Ii was modified (slightly futurized) but was still knocked out... My initial thought was to add some sort of spaced armor -- most likely with big honking bolts on it --- to the turret and maybe modify the barrel and/or muzzle brake somehow...

Also, while I am asking, any suggestions as to what sort of damage would be appropos for an unlucky up-gunned IS-II lurking in Berlin in 1946? I was considering slicing the turret in half as if some sort of heat ray got to it, but that would entail adding an interior and I just don't have the time to get that crazy...

As such, suggestions are indeed welcome!

Thanks, folks!

Regards and Aloha,

Johnny B.

Johnny B.;

Wow!

Well.... from where at least I sit, your options are, to say the least, pretty broad!

But: It really all boils down to whether you are speaking "Panzer '46" what-if scenarios, or something far different- sci-fi - different.

IF the "Panzer '46" world- that "next-gen" Nazi tech would really have been incremental expansions of conventional guns and explosives - and I would be thinking along the lines of pretty much "conventional" damage- blown-off turrets, etc.

In this scenario, turret-shells could be split or cracked or holed (the JS being a casting). A tank could well be "dismantled" by internal sympathetic explosion - and that is actually pretty dramatic (also challenging to model!)! Hatches might fly off, guns dismount, etc.

I would imagine that a JS caught by one of those "Pz. 100" - type "Panzer '46" could be so dismantled- you're talking perhaps a 12.8cm AT round(s). But, heck, think of what that target tank might look like were it to be struck by a 1-ton iron bomb!

As to the "sci-fi" "super weaponry" vision.... to me that would be a quite surrealistic leap in technology for '46 (heck, for 2010)- and all we can do is freely speculate. Still, it's interesting! You have some general choices of what such a weapon does... some sort of concussive blast or shock weapon (results in about the same damages as conventional explosions and blows do), or some sort of "beam energy weapon - or maybe an huge electrical discharge (lightening bolt!) or maybe a heat ray - probably cause internal "cook-off" explosion resulting again in conventional damage.

It seems to me that the effects of most "new weapons" will be pretty much to cause conventional damage! Maybe you could model the initial effect coupled with the follow-up "conventional explosion or fire" effects?

A laser weapon might be a good thing- but likely used as a "rifle" and not as a "sword"- so a hole burned thru, not a slashing cut? Again, the target might well explode after being struck- the initial would be the burn-thru. All other damage would be conventional.

I'm also supposing that the super-gunners would rather simply pop as many Russian targets as they could - shoot-bang-move on to the next - than spend time dicing-up a killed target- .

And what would those Russians have been doing about it? THAT could be pretty INTERESTING to model!

IF the "new weapon" is conventional - but - bigger (new big gun, different shell, AT missile), then you are in that "arms race" of applying more armor, spaced armor, etc. calculated to address those types of threats.

Now, an idea occurs to me that you could model the Russians exploring ERA ...? Or yes, they could have applied some huge add-on armor pieces.... or even, they might not have actually "reacted" in terms of equipment mods at all! If it were 1946 in Berlin, chances would be that a new Nazi super-tank with a new weapon would actually be engaging the "same-oh same-oh" pre - '46 Russian tanks... all armies encounter foes using "last year's" weapons (to effect, too).

Or... hey! Imagine how one MIGHT be able to defeat a laser... maybe create a highly-reflective light-weight applique "spaced armor" - This could be cool if you could modernize the Russian and maybe show a couple of "mirror panels" with scorch marks and partial melting, with a burn hole thru in a gap between them? There would certes be all sorts of "chinques in the armor" on these mods - as always there are anyway!

Of course- the big challenge for having reflective mirrors on tanks would be - how perverse and paradoxical is this?- conventional arms! A bullet hole or a biggish scratch in the mirror would make it vulnerable to a laser!

WoW! There's a thought! A Panzer '46 with a big laser for the main gun, and something like a 2cm cannon for "dinging" mirrored targets in prep for a nice laser sizzling! And a mirror-equipped target could "sport" several smallish holes and dents (metal mirrors, methinks) with a laser burn-thru!

The trick in all of this, to me, is to match in your build or dio the putative new weapon and its more - reasonable effects on a target. It's that, or create total suspension-of-disbelief!

Just a couple of ideas and lots of opinion!

Sounds pretty neat and muy challenging as a build project! What fun! Go for it!

Cheers! Bob

Heya, Bob,

Thanks for the awesome reply! The diorama will skew towards sci-fi as the main player is a Dust Models Gunther walker, which is based loosely on an Sdkfz 222 with some massive flakveirling cannons...

link: http://dustgame.com/products_d.php?nid=2&id=2

I like the idea of the IS-II being cut open like a can opener with a laser weapon! I do want to upgrade the main weapon on the dead IS-II, though...and adding a semi-futuristic but very Russian (no-frills) armament does sound cool!

I'll have to take some photos of the walker and let you know what I come up with from the spares box and Evergreen with the IS-2

Many thanks for the input, Bob!!!!!!

Regards and Aloha,

Johnny B.

Hi Johnny,

I think that you should build something more realistic, but also crazy stuff from wermaht 1946, look at his page...

http://www.german-master-kit.com/Shop/main_bigware_29.php?bigPfad=23&bigwareCsid=f8e31f604aa483f18f9287b53eb1f33f

I think that 12,8 Flakzwilling will be enough to knock down any Russian tank,
but I think also that in Berlin 1946 IS-2 might be obsolete... what about IS-3M ??

Cheers

Wojtek

im my geek days of playing games with 12 sided dice. these days are behind me but not too far behind me
some of the guys would buy tank kits t34's, Js2's , and modify them for a space like scenarios, or if wwII became like the french 100 years war.
there was a js2 that had a 20mm mounted in a commanders copula and turret. it looked some what like the gunner turret on modern Humvee but with a german oelerkon ( spelling?) popping out of it.
the turret also had the hill billy armor plates kind of like a Yugo civil wars t55. his armor plate was attached to the front to beef up armor protection from the front.
for the hull there was crude, nonuniform, unpainted hilly billy plate armor added. triangles square and just about any shape you could find in a scrap yard. the big bolts and crude welds attaching the improvised armor. he did a cool rust effect on the plates just added to the space effect.there was chain link fence material that was used to cover the road wheels, kind of like the birdcage armor the strykers use.
also there was graffiti on it, a few japanese characters (his team was the space russians though) and some swear words in english that had a letter worn off here and there. the graffiti was in neon colors. there was some burned paint as well.
there were extra handles welded to the hull, where ever some one could hang on and sit down. more so than the real JS2.
there was one gas tank remain on his. the places where the gas tanks were, there were improvised jump seats ( not like this is relevant here but it gave his JS2 a troop carrying capacity in the game, on top of the tank riders.)
if i recall correctly the seats were out of a airplane ejection seats. there were also american, russian maxim, german ammo cans strapped every where. and no tools except a german or american pick Axe.
the camouflage was just russian OD but with lime green stripes in random directions that made it look like electric eels were dancing. he did this with an airbrush but made it look really hastily applied. that with the neon graffiti and the rusting steel plates made it look mean. i don't have a picture other wise i post it.
but just for reference, watch blade runner and watch the street scenes. the way they modified the cars and other things in that movie it what my friends and i were going for... we built a 1/35 scale Alamo and had the space Alamo battle....yeah we were nerds, and we ruled!
hope this helps in some way

Johnny,
The JS II turret is pretty sci fi as is, but if you want to "Johnny-ize" it, I would add IR stuff, maybe rocket launchers, and or a DSHKM kinda thing. Of course you can't go wrong flex-i-straws

i second that,flexistraws that are filled with some thing (plaster, resin or any thing.) make excellent exhaust ducts or coolant hoses, those plasma engines get hot.
i know theres not much room on the kit, but if you changed the suspension a bit and added mean looking tires, like off a BTR or some thing and modified the treads to work with them. the mud tires with or with out the treads add a level of bad a --.

Thanks for the awesome help and input, folks!

I've started in on it --- bendy straws close-by, Matt! --- and will post pics when I get a little more done. Trying hard to keep it semi-grounded in "reality" and not too sci fi...we'll see how long that lasts!!

Wojtek, the IS-II was purely a financial decision for me, amigo! I had one in the kit stash and did not want to pay for a new kit to trash in this manner.

Right now, concentrating on getting the turret --- which is all I plan to do --- fitted out with the futured-up details... When that's done, I'll figure out the damage.

Thanks again, Folks!

Regards and Aloha,

Johnny B.