I couldn't resist signing up for the FSM group build. I've got the T34/85 factory 174 to get started on now, I think I'll try and keep the messiness limited to the engine/transmission bays

As sgirty says, I'm sure they'll have some interesting additions/ideas but will be hard pushed to follow the armorama bunch's lead.

I'm not intending abandoning this thread so will be expecting to see lots of in-progress reports

And, of course, I'll start a new album so you can all monitor my progress and please, please offer sage words of advice

Cheers all

This morning I put the tracks on my ´42 - I still have a lot to do on the interior and weathering of the hull.

I´m amazed how well it "runs", I think it will be a great runner if it ever comes in a RC-version.

I´m still collecting backgrund info on a SU85 conversion, so far the gunmount and interior in the right side of the fighting compartment will be the biggest "problem" - apart from the wife having her say on the purcase of another kit

Oh well, nobody said married life would be easy all the way ...

Got my T-34 a couple of days ago, and can't wait to get it started.

Only thing is that after looking at all the pictures here I'm not sure if I want to start it... because I know I won't make mine look as good...

Hey MrMox,

I looked around the net some more for you, but there's little to report. However, I did find a good interior shot of a SU-122. It might be a stretch, but check this out...


Here's the page it came from:
http://armor.kiev.ua/Tanks/WWII/isu152/

Did you catch my previous message with the view down the hatch of a SU-100?...(click on image)...


...and the interior of a ratty SU-100...(ditto the image)...


Anyway, if you missed that message, it's a couple pages back and has other links for the exterior.

Good luck with it.

Hi Colo A,

great work, i´ll file the pics and links for the project - but be warned, you won´t see any SU85 for some time , its a big project and i want to finish my ´42 first.

Anyway, this is the current state of my ´42 - lots to do ...

Lookin' good. Is that a German figure with it? A captured version would certainly make it easier to put some people with it.

I found a Russian tank crew, but they'd all be under 3' tall since they're 1/35 scale, but at least it gives me an idea of what the clothing should look like...

from Tristar...
http://www.tristarmodel.com/shop/index.html

Maybe if we all drop them a note, they'll produce some big brothers and sisters for these. So, what is the woman holding behind her back anyway?

Well, I believe I've hit the mama-lode of technical information and drawings for the T-34-85. How does this grab ya?



It's from a book by Russian Motor Books called "Tanks in Russia, Silver Collection, T-34-85 Medium Tank." It has 52 pages and 150 images. Unfortunately it is in Russian, but all of the image captions have been translated into English.

I found it at ArmyBook.com. Here's their description:
"Specially created edition on the basis of the several old original repair manuals and operation of engineering for the founders of models and restorers. English summury (translated 20% books)."

...and the link...
http://www.armybook.com/summary.html?code=0103020ci5

So, what do you think something like that would cost? How about $2.95? You don't even have to pay postage because it's an electronic book (in PDF format). It takes a couple of days for the online order to clear, but then an email is sent for the download location. It's kinda big, around 13MB, but the images are very high quality.

Here are some more samples...(click on the images)...








Take care...Karl

hi,

I´m intrested in if somebody of you use the metal tracks from afv-model.com ??


regards

axel

Colo-A - great!!!, you are hereby appointed "golddiggerofthewebmaster" :-)

Can´t wait to get home and order it!.

Whooah: http://www.armybook.com/summary.html?code=0103003074

Axel, I have seen the tracks on the homepage, but I think - at that price - its more interesting if you are about to make a RC-version, and even then, I would guess that the original tracks are strong enough.

The extra weight would allso put extra pressure on the somewhat flimsy suspension.

For a static version it will be overkill in my opinion - on the other hand, I´m not a rivetcounter by nature

HI, colo_artist: have to agree with MrMox here, you are the golddigger of the Web. Keep up the good work there. It's crossed my mind that it would be really and interesting idea to mount the flame thrower device, with it's fuel storage tanks, inside the /42, just for that 'something different' on this model. But so far I have yet to find anything even remotely showing what this unit looked like. It would really be interesting to add this feature to the /42 just for that something 'different' look on the inside. If you happen to run across anything connected to this in your searches I would be most pleased if you would let us know. But it may be a case of Shep Paine's good old 'gizmology' at work here in the end. Still looking around on the Net myself here.

Have been working on filling in the rear of the internal fuel tanks on the /42. It's coming along a lot easier than I originally thought it would, just using sheet plastic and some plastic spure for reinforcements here and there. Of course liberal amounts of Squadron's Green Stuff as well.

The latest Russian Web page is really nice. Thanks.

Take care, Larry

Larry,
You have read my mind! :-)
I have also thought about the flamethrower and gas tanks, but also cannot find a thing on these anywhere!

I thought it may be an easy replacement for the radio gear and wiring, as I am not looking forward to doing all that again!

Carl

If you're going to order the eBook from ArmyBooks...
http://www.armybook.com/summary.html?code=0103003074

...there's another one you might be interested in. It's 66 pages with 55 images, and is more of a repair guide, great if you want to rebuild the clutch, or get the lobes on the camshafts just right, but maybe not for everyone. However, it does have a very interesting diagram of the hoist used to pull the engine. The description at ArmyBooks has some sample pages including the hoist...
http://www.armybook.com/summary.html?code=0103020cm7

Oh man, while grabbing that link, I noticed a link for more armor related eBooks...
http://www.armybook.com/show.html?code=0103020

While some of these may not be that useful for building the model, they certainly look interesting. One reason I build models is to learn how something was designed and how it works. With tanks there's also the role they played in history. Anyway I also ordered:
E-BOOK 0048 Bastion 8. Soviet and Russian Self Propelled Guns and Air Defence Vehicles. 88 pages. More 200 illustr. (I'm hoping there will be something in there for you MrMox...I'll let you know)
E-BOOK 0115 Manual on a tank machine gun DT. Moscow 1943. 70 pages.
E-BOOK 0118 The instruction tankman on struggle of the Soviet tanks with german tanks. Moscow 1942, 16 pages.
E-BOOK 0119 Features of action armored and mechanized troops/forces in the winter. Moscow 1944, 70 pages
E-BOOK 0120 Tanks landing. Moscow 1944, 40 pages.
E-BOOK 0129 The instruction on evacuation of tanks in winter conditions. Moscow 1942, 28 pages.
E-BOOK 0139 Manual on evacuation of the got stuck tanks from a field of fight. Moscow 1942, 38 pages.
E-BOOK 0141 Vulnerable places of the german self-propelled Ferdinand and methods of struggle with it. Moscow 1943, 10 pages.
E-BOOK 0143 The instruction to crew on use of the trophy german average tank T-III. Moscow 1943, 54 pages.
E-BOOK 0144 Tanks and armored car of Red army. The determinant. Moscow 1942, 6 pages.

All for under $20...not bad.

I'll keep my eye out for the OT-34 Flamethrower workings. I didn't see anything in the two eBooks I have.

Some day I'll get my workroom set up in the new house and actually be able to put some ideas into real live plastic.

Hi colo_artist: Yes this site looks really good. And a lot of good prices too. Do you know anybody who has has any dealings with this site and how good it is?

Yes the tank(s) inside replaced the radio and the gunner's seat, and it held 100 liters, at least in the earlier model. So the trank(s) had to be pretty good sized and I would imagine be sort of 'form-fitting' to this area inside the vehicle, so this wouldn't be all that hard to build up out of sheet plastic and rod, but the trigger and dispensing part of it is a different thing. Plus wiring to trigger too I imagine, what with it being Russian and all, it wouldn't be a complicated mechanism, most likely looks something like a flame thrower unit used by the infantryman. I'd guess. Most likely triggered by the driver, or electrically by the commander. But I'm just guessing here.

Take care, Larry

Testing :-)

Cool...For the Nativeland...right? After researching some of these slogans, I'm getting so I can recognize a few.

I found some more translated slogans. These are on a decal sheet (unfortunately not 1/16 scale)...
http://www.decalcomaniacs.net/DM-010.html

The first slogan on their sheet is, what I beleive to be, a better written example of what is on the T-34-76 1943 decal. The Trumpeter decal definately is missing the bar connecting the | and O at the end of the second word (Soviet). The last word on the Trumpeter decal was meaningless. This sheet shows it to be Moldavia.

Humm...looking at these makes me think your slogan is right for "3A" to be "For", but I think the "A" Nativeland could be more squared off, making it a "d". Like the fourth slogan in this...


Anyhow...your 34 is looking good. Oh man, I've got a lot of catching up to do...

Hi, MrMox: just a note to say how very nice your lettering on the side of your vehicle looks. How did you get it to come out this way? It kind of looks like you took a small round brush and 'stabbed' it on, which if so, is very effectively done. Gives it a rough finish which goes so well with these vehicles. I can see that really any lettering put on this big vehicle looks so much better if done by hand rather than with decals. So much more effective I think.

Very nice, Take care, Larry

Hi Larry,

The secret lies in having small girls in the house - I "borrowed" my oldest kids facepaint ? I think its called :-)

It can be removed with water i you are not satisfied with the result - I plan on covering it with a solid coat of dullcoat..

Good work MrMox, but the third letter of the slogan should read Д, not А these two look very similar but the bottom part is different. Take a look at the 3rd letter of the 2nd word here:

Hi guys,
Have made a start on the T34/85, not too much to show as yet, but here you go:

http://uk.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/mahoon@btinternet.com/album?.dir=b326&.src=ph&store=&prodid=&.done=http%3a//uk.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/mahoon@btinternet.com/my_photos

Hi, Super nice job there mahoon, I really like your weathering in the engine bay, It looks almost real! Nice soft shades of the various colors all blending together. Super job!

Take care, Larry

Hi. Just posted some pictures to my gallery of my /42 turret as it sits now. It does look a little naked what without any weathering on it. Sort of lacks any type of 'personality' to it. Ha! But I'll wait till I get the whole model together before adding anything like that. Plus I haven't decided if I'm going to add any hand-painted numbers or a simple slogan to it yet or not.

Anyway there it is so far.

Thanks and take care, Larry

Hi Larry,
on the welding, you made a great job of it

Carl

Hi, Thanks majorproblem. The welds didn't come out too bad, as long as you don't look too close. Ha, ha! Had some time today to do some work on the kit today and it was one of those days where you take a step forward and 2 backward. Can't seem to get the upper body to sit flat on the lower section after dry-fitting the two rear side sections (with the gas tanks) and the bulkhead that holds the air cleaners on it. I can put the bulkhead and one or the other side in and it's okay, but all three parts doesn't quite work right together. So I started sanding down the added-on 'backs' of those gas tanks in hopes that this was the problem. Anyway I sanded so much of this added-on sheet plastic that I eventually went right through them and ended up removing the two rear add-ons altogether. Still didn't solve anything.

Almost decided to just glue the whole thing together, but don't think I'll do that. Have already roughed in one of the gas tank backs tonight and intend to do the same on the other side later on. Then just sit back and let the old brain box cook on the problem for a while.

As the Indian in the movie 'Josie Wales' said: "We shall endeavor to persevere."

Take care, Larry

21 pages of replies- wow

What are the dimensions of the 1/126 T-34?


Peter

Looking good Larry, nice conversion