Skarach's world

• Friulmodel Sherman T51 tracks (ATL-47) were linked with Albion Alloys’ 0.5 mm brass rod. I am sure that when I did these before they came in two parts, which you had to glue together before linking up. This latest set had the track (predominately rubber tread) in one piece, which I applaud, but I found that it was not drilled all the way through for the brass pin. So, these were linked together with about 4 mm pieces of rod on each end. In reality I didn’t cut a bunch of these to size, just pushing in larger pieces of the rod in each end, dabbed at the inserting end with superglue and cutting and filing them down in place.
• Treated with UMP “Ultimate Burnishing Liquid”.
• The rubber treads were painted with LifeColor “Tyre Black” (UA733).
• The entire tracks were sprayed with Citadel “Purity Seal”, to protect the paint on subsequent steps.
• A dilute mixture of Winsor & Newton “Burnt Umber” oil paint in enamel thinners was was added to the metal parts of the tracks and allowed to collect in the recesses.
• A mixture of AMMO “Dark Earth” and “Europe Earth” pigments were dropped onto the tracks and fixed with a 1:1 mixture of AMMO “Pigment Fixer” (A.MIG-3000) and enamel thinners, added by brush.
• I will be doing some final weathering steps on these after they are on the vehicle.

• The following oil paints were added as dots to the various surfaces (the lighter colours higher up the vehicle than the darker): AMMO Oilbrusher “Black”, “White”, “Dark Brown”, “Medium Grey”, “Olive Green”, “Yellow” and Winsor & Newton “Payne’s Grey” and “Permanent Magenta”. They were then drawn down the vertical sides with a flat brush or worked into the horizontal surfaces in a circular motion. This was to attempt an effect of paint fading and streaking.
• To simulate dirt and dust, the horizontal sides of the hull and turret were dampened with enamel thinner and then dots of AMMO Oilbrusher “Dusty Earth”, “Dark Mud” and “Starship Filth” were added. Then, using a round brush, the oil paints were blended.
• To simulate dirt streaks, the vertical and sloping sides of the hull and turret were dampened with enamel thinner and then dots of AMMO Oilbrusher “Dusty Earth” and “Medium Soil” were added. Then, using a flat brush, the oil paint was drawn down the side to simulate streaks. After drying, this process was repeated multiple times.

This is a pretty small model by my standards but it fitted together well. It is quite delicate, though, and I will have to attach the wheels once painted.

I got this in the shop at the Museum of the Great Patriotic War in Moscow, last September (pretty much the only kit I could fit in my luggage for the journey home), so it’s about time I finished it.

The vehicle

“The M-72 was a motorcycle built by the Soviet Union. Conceived as a replacement for the two heavy motorcycles used by the Red Army … the replacement chosen was the BMW R 71. As a result of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact the necessary legal, political and economic procedures were in place for BMW to provide the design, tooling and training for the manufacture of the motorcycle and military sidecar.” [1]

The kit

Zvezda 1/35 kit [3].

References

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dnepr_M-72
2. https://www.net-maquettes.com/pictures/dnepr-m-72-walk/
3. http://www.armorama.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=Reviews&file=index&req=showcontent&id=7588

The vehicle

“The GAZ–MM is a truck with a maximum usable weight of 1.5 tons and was produced at the end of the 1930s and at the first part of the 1940s by GAZ in the Soviet Union. It is a simplified version of Ford Model AA’s Soviet licence version. At the beginning of World War II more than 150,000 were in use with the Red Army.” [1]

The kit

Zvezda 1/35 kit [2].

The build

I built this years ago and for most of the intervening time it has remained stored in a box in a cupboard. But, I fetched it out the other day and decided that, with a little work, I could display it now. I remember it being a basic kit – probably missing some details – but not bad to put together. I suppose that if I ever do another of this era it would be one of the Miniart ones. Anyway, I don’t exactly have many soft-skinned vehicles so this should be a good addition until I do more. I reckon that back then I would have painted it with Vallejo Model Air and Model Color paints, but, apart from drybrushing the high points, I pretty much stopped at that. Today, I did some minor weathering with pigments and oil paints, mainly on the wheels and underside.

References

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GAZ-MM
2. http://modelingmadness.com/scott/misc/military/previews/zvezda/3574.htm