Kit Build/Review: Revell 1/76 T-34/76, 1940

This is my second 'panzer wreck' build, after the FoV 1/72 Pz III. Only this time it's a Russian tank. It's  also 1/76, for starters, so smaller than my other 1/72 T-34s. But as a battlefield wreck? And a thing in itself? Well... whatever! As they say these days.  

Sprues... inc. ol' Matchbox diorama base.

And the rest.

Vinyl tracks... eugh!

Lacking internal detailing, other than teeth.

Didn't document much of this build.

Gorilla gel superglue sorts vinyl tracks.

Felt pen 'print' template on plastic card, for inner turret hatch detailing.

Added the gun breech, so the open hatch view isn't utterly bare.*

I've built it to look it took a hit or two, conked out and was abandoned. So apart from the shell penetrations and minor wear and tear, it's not in too bad shape. The surviving crew baled out, hence the open hatches, and someone's taken a few bits - the hull m.g. and two fuel tanks are missing - but it's mostly in pretty good shape. 

* Doubtless extending too far into the turret space, but I think it'll look better than empty space.

Hull MG has been removed. Commander's hatch open.

Missing rear mudguard and both fuel barrels, port side.

I did it in this manner on account of the model leading me this way. I thought about having the rear engine access hatch and the engine grill covers open as well. But that presented too any tricky challenges. I'd like to build a real humdinger of a wreck, but, ironically perhaps, a better base/donor kit would make that easier. 

I have a third model on this particular pending pile (I have terrible piles!), that I'd considered either doing as a wreck, or maybe even as a tank being built, which is an Airfix 1/76 Panther. I have the Nürnberg Panther factory book, and quite fancy doing a diorama of a hull under construction in a workshop. But I might entirely scratch-build that, and use the Airfix kit for a battlefield casualty.

Anyroad, re the T-34... TBC...

Book Review: The Sniper Anthology, Various.

Subtitled Snipers of the Second World War, ten different authors contribute ten short biographies of snipers of WWII. This appears to be a paperback reissue of a hardback that first published by Pelican in 2012.

Many of us will be aware of Vassili Zeitsev and Lyudmilla Pavlichenko, from movies like Enemy at The Gates and Battle for Sevastopol, which portray the two aforementioned Soviet sharpshooters. The intro and back cover blurb of this book admit that snipers haven't traditionally been exactly celebrated, except at the time and by the countries, and even then chiefly the armies, of the countries that they served. This appears to be changing somewhat, perhaps especially thanks to movies such as those mentioned above, and others more contemporary movies like Clint Eastwood's American Sniper.

I have to confess that I don't like the whole idea of snipers. Older fashioned modes of fighting wars, even if in actual practice they might be as or more barbaric as any other form or era of combat, in theory at least often subscribed to a kind of warrior code; enemies would meet and fight face to face. I recall being troubled by many scenes in the films mentioned above, in particular one where German troops are picked off as they celebrate Christmas around a campfire.

In fact I have to lay my cards on the table, and state that, whils I understand that in war one it I shall wise to always seek surprise and the advantage, etc, the kind of killing typical in sniping is just much too close to serial murder for me. This I shall especially so because the 'prey' is human, as opposed to the hunting of game, with which it is often compared or equated, and from which - especially in the past - experiences many snipers derived their expertise. 

Simo Häyhä.

Still, as 'war is all hell', really (and to quote an ACW general whose name momentarily escapes me), I can't pretend that I'm not still interested in this rather more cold-blooded m.o. And admitting as much, let's move on to the book under review!

At the time of posting this review I've only read forty percent of the book, i.e.four of the ten chapters. The first in the book, and the first I read, tells of Simo Häyhä, the Finnish sniper said to have killed at least 500 Russians, perhaps as many as 800, in just 100 days. His career of killing was cut short by a gunshot wound to the face, that saw him invalided out of the war. Unlike the many young men he stealthily slaughtered, he lived to the ripe old age of 92, apparently losing no sleep over the impressively sanguine butcher's bill he dealt his Soviet adversaries. 

Next I read chapter eight, on German sniper, or Scharfschützen, Sepp Allerberger. This was interesting enough, although it left me wishing there was also a chapter on Matthäus Hetzenauer,  Alleberger's fellow German sniper, with the highest tally of the German armed forces. But I see that there's a whole book devoted to the latter, so I might read that at some point. I also read chapter two, on Lyudmilla Pavlichenko, aka 'The Most Dangerous Woman on Earth' as the chapter's subtitle has it.

Lyudmila Pavlichenko

Thus far the most recent chapter I've read was the final one - and this is definitely the sort of anthology one can dip into or cherry-pick as one pleases - on British sniper Harry Furness.  I found this both the most interesting and also the best written of all the chapter story I've read so far. It was also the one on a subject I knew the least about, making it more interesting and exciting.

My overall verdict on this book at this point - admittedly still in the process of reading it - is that it's certainly a useful addition to one's WWII library, perhaps of particular interest to gun-nuts like my pal Paul? It's not exactly exhaustive, or even that in-depth, despite some of the claims made to that effect in the promo blurb on the cover and elsewhere. The writing is of a variable quality, but all (so far) perfectly serviceable, if not always exciting or inspiring. All told, a solid introductory level primer on an interesting if perhaps rather specialist subject.

The only picture of Harry Furness I could find!*

* Pavlichenko, on the other hand? There are tons of pics of her.

Film Review: They Fought For Their Country (Они сражались за Родину), 1975

I became aware of this movie, starring and directed by Sergei Bondarchuk, of War And Peace and Waterloo fame, whilst researching a post on Road To Berlin. Folk at the Kinokultura website, a place specialising in modern Russian cinema, didn't like the latter, comparing it unfavourably with this. Hmm? Well, having watched both now, I still prefer Road To Berlin. Never take the experts at their word, I say. Always make your own mind up!

This said, it might simply be that the version I saw was fatally marred by certain things: firstly the subtitles were frequently very out of sync' with the film, and secondly, the soundtrack was appalling. It sounded as if it had been recorded entirely separately and in the studio, just as many dubbed films are. So, for example, the dubbed version of Stalingrad is, for me, unwatchable bad. Whilst the German OST transforms it into a masterpiece. 

Is there a version of this with a good/better soundtrack? If so, I'd like to see it. As it is, the disembodied ultra-flat soundscape of this version completely kills the film. Or it does for me at least. There are numerous other issues however, such as a large proportion of the key cast being 40 or 50 year olds. There may have been some old folks in the Russian army. But this gives the impression they were the backbone of the Soviet forces!

A rather nice montage, giving a flavour of the film.

And then there's the whole 'Russian Soul' thing [1]. On the one hand this is quite good, as it means much more dialogue and character based narrative than many a gung-ho action packed Hollywood style drama. And Hollywood this most definitely ain't. It's pure Russian/Kremlin. And in that latter remark I allude to a further problem, related to the leaden Russian Soul element, which is myth, or more properly in this context, propaganda.

The characterisations wobble between caricature and propaganda, only occasionally connecting with the intended humble reality of the ordinary fighting men this is clearly meant to be a homage/testimony to. This also leads to the Russians becoming like an army of philosopher saints, whilst the Germans are like Injuns in an old Western, automaton cannon fodder. From my reasonably wide reading on the Ostfront Russia was more profligate with their troops' lives than the Germans.

The action unfolds on the Don Front, which, if it's anything like it's depicted here, was a very dusty, sandy, rocky region, and takes place in 1942. The Russians are retreating, and the troops we follow are acting as a rearguard, whilst the main Russian armies retreat across the Don to regroup. The film is pretty epic in scale, something of a speciality with many Bondarchuk productions. Indeed, it's so big and long it's split into two films!

Battle scenes are pretty impressive.

Towards the end of the first film Bondarchuk's character appears to die as the German's overwhelm the Russian line, in a very implausible scene. But no, he's rescued by a female child nurse, who drags him back to the lines. An interminable hospital scene comes over almost comically, as he raves endlessly on, in long indulgent hammy monologues. If I'd been the surgeon I've either sedated the windbag or cut an artery. Anything to shut him up!

It does have some good points, however. I do like films that take their time. And this certainly does. For a war film it's very slow paced, with more character based interaction than battle scenes. But there are battle scenes, and they're quite impressive in certain respects, such as sheer scale. Lots of planes are used, some apparently even bring crashed. And large numbers of T-34s or similar masquerade reasonably well as Pz IV type tanks. 

Also the whole troops at march or in camp side of things is pretty well done, and you really get a sense of place. Indeed, the landscape is almost treated as a protagonist, as befits a film in which the country/nation/land is part of the title and subject. So, all in all? Something if a mixed bag, perhaps on account of the dubbed soundtrack. Not great, as is. But certainly worth watching.

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Some more pictures:

Looks like the film was part of a 30th Anniversary commemoration.

Bondarchuk in battle.

The company's chef, post bombardment.

Vasily Shukshin as Piotr Lopakhin.

Suitably rugged and cool!

T-34 (+ others) Tank Factory, Update

Yesterday I managed to spray basecoats of green on to my T-34s, and a bunch of Allied materiel. Can't recall offhand what green I chose for the Russian armour. But I know I used Olive Drab for the Shermans, Jeeps, etc. Sadly the aerosol I was using for the T-34s - brand new, and therefore supposedly full - drained in one go. On bringing them all indoors, after spraying them in the garden, I discovered I'd missed one. Took it out and tried, but there just wasn't enough paint in the can. Think I'll do it with my airbrush, as I don't want to fork out for another full (hah!) can for just one vehicle.

I didn't want all the T-34s a uniform green. So when I airbrushed the unpainted tank, I also resprayed a couple, and with one - front and centre above - tried to get a blend of the two, to give a third shade of green. I also checked th colour of the lighter tanks, and found I'd used Humbrol Light Olive (86). Next up, I'll need to paint all the stowage, and other bits and bobs, before I seal it all under a glosscoat prior to adding decals and weathering, etc.

Buildings & Terrain: Painting my 6mm Russian Tower.

So, day three of my little 6mm Russian tower build, and I've finally finished the basic construction. I suppose I might add more, if things look too bare as I paint it up. But I hope not. As my first foray into buildings and terrain, I think I'll be content to keep it pretty basic.

Second and final grey undercoat. I'm pleased with it!

I've decided to use artist's acrylics, as you get a lot more paint for your pounds and pennies with them. Though they're still pretty dear, in my view. I mixed a pale brick colour from yellow ochre, white and cadmium red, and base-coated everything but the dome and 'spike'. I'm using the latter to handle the model at present.

 A pale terracotta type colour to start with.

As with my miniatures, I'm holding off basing at the mo', as I don't yet know how I'm going to base either my figures or my scenery. That's a conundrum for further down the road.

In the meantime I'm fortunate to have the leisure time to allow me to alternate painting sessions with lounging on the sofa, watching the snooker World Championships on ye olde BBC iPlayer. It's Gary Wilson vs Ali Carter, with the latter three one up (at the time of drafting this bit!). I think I'm rooting for ex-cabbie Wilson.

I'm a little chary of accelerating drying time with a hair-dryer, as much as I'd really like to, 'cause there's quite a bit of cardboard in this model, and I don't want that bending it all out of shape. I have to be patient, and pace myself. Not easy for an impetuous chap like me!

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Okay, back to work after a 'foot long' chicken sub-sandwich. A darker red-brown artists acrylic wash over the terracotta base-coat looks fab! I actually feel it'll be a shame to paint over any of it! But I have to, really.

Dark red-brown wash, over two layers of varnish.

For the roofing and stonework I went with Vallejo's Basalt Gray, a colour I really like. The roofing will be various colours, ultimately. Not sure exactly what colours yet. The columns, lintels, arches, etc, will be various shades of pale off-white. I'm not sure whether this will have a gilded onion-dome or not. And the roof of the second-floor might be oxidised (green) copper. Hmmm?

Vallejo Basalt Gray for roofing and stonework.

Anyway, I have to confess I'm really chuffed with how this maiden build is coming along.

Getting the columns and lintels painted.

Doors and windows block-coloured in.

Getting there... still a fair bit to do painting wise.

Getting into the colour painting is fun, if fiddly. I'm not a terrifically neat painter. So I'm constantly having to go back and touch up bits and bobs as I go along. I think I need to do a lighter grey on the upper faces of the roofing, gild the dome and do a tarnished copper roof on the second story.

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Dinner eaten, snooker on the telly, and my Russian tower more or less painted. I still want to do a wash or two, or some extra paintwork, e.g. to make the oxidised copper roof more defined, and get the whole building really 'popping'. But this will have to do for now. I've really enjoyed building this. And look forward to making more terrain.

Nearly there... copper roof and gilded dome painted.

I also glued a bit of cork to the base, so I could handle the model without using the spike atop the dome. Ok, it looks nothing like the building that inspired it (see previous post). But that's fine. That was just inspiration. And I'm very happy with how this has come out. Thanks to Tony Harwood and his title on Napoleonic buildings for the motivation.

One final thing I feel I should note: I think that reproducing building in 'true scale' doesn't really work. If we remember that each figure we have represents however many real soldiers, then we ought to realise that direct equivalence of individual figures to buildings will result in grossly oversized buildings. And yet we want the terrain to look right, in relation to our miniature troops. This is a tricky area! And in part why I named my blog 'a question of scale'!

Personally I like the approach this American dude whose name I forget uses. He wargames in 6mm, but using Heroics and Ros miniatures, which are smaller and less detailed than the Baccus and Adler I prefer. But his games always look stunning. His terrain being amongst the best looking I've ever seen. Taking a leaf from his book, my building are smaller than those commercially available from manufacturers like Timecast and Total Battle Miniatures.

This does present an issue: will I be able to use the models I bought from these guys? Will they work with mine? Or will I have to build all my building and terrain myself? I'm kind of thinking/expecting it'll be the latter. But I don't mind that. It's a challenge, for sure. But one I welcome.

Buildings & Terrain: 6mm Russian Napoleonic Tower

Having just read and reviewed Tony Harwood's new book on buildings for the Napoleonic era, I thought I should try my hand at making something. Most of my 6mm and 10mm Napoleonic armies were bought for recreating events of the 1812 Russian campaign, so I'm starting with a Russian building.

My inspiration for this project.

I picked a tower that appears to be part of an Orthodox church building complex. I'm keen in the long run to build lots of Russian buildings, including parts of Smolensk, and the town of Maloyaroslavets. I also want to make lots of ordinary buildings. Whenever I search for buildings of the era, I mainly find the most opulent and ornate Russian churches, or maybe a palace. It's quite hard to get good ref for more ordinary town or country architecture.

Started with plastic card an corrugated card in layers.

Added some paper and toothpick columns.

I also have a bunch of commercially produced buildings, which are mostly either log cabins or churches. That's partly why I've wound up starting on this particular building, as it's neither a log hut, nor a complete church. It also featured a number of things I thought might be fun to model: tiered or stepped levels, columns, porticos, ornament and doors/passages that can be looked through.

Tried my hand at using foam, a la Tony Harwood.

It bulks out quicker than card, but...

Scale wise, I've kind of busked it. I'm doing less levels/layers than the real building has, and simplifying what levels I do have. I'm also drastically squashing the vertical axis. If I built all the levels and stuck to true scale for this model it'd wind up massively tall and very spindly, and probably likely to topple over.

Bit of a jump to three storeys plus tower.

Approaching the 'onion' dome stage...

Already I've learned quite a lot about working with numerous materials. But I can see I still have an immense amount more to pick up. I've used card from bother back and front of old sketch-books, dense black foam from a circle template backer, plastic card, matchsticks, cocktail sticks, and numerous types of glue, including everything from PVA to super-glue. I've also used a Revell plastic putty filler, and DAS modelling clay.

All these each require different tools and skill sets, as well as China the mouse to use the right material or tool at the right moment. Certain materials, especially when working in thus tiny scale, like the foam and the corrugated card, can compress whilst cutting. The foam springs back. But the corrugated card won't necessarily do so.

There are aslo issues like knowing when to glue more detailed parts in place. I glued the matchstick and cocktail stick columns in place too soon. And without properly squaring off the internal corners, meaning that many of the columns lean rather drunkenly. Making the curved roof 'lights' (windows) on the uppermost roof (excepting of course the dome) was challenging. But I like how it's come out.

I had to stop at this point, not having anything to hand suitable for the dome. And then today I bought a few 10mm diameter wooden beads, sawing a small part off one, and passing a cocktail stick through. I reckon it looks ok!?

Wooden bead onion dome with toothpick spike.

At this point I sprayed the building in Halfords grey, so as to get a better sense of what I had so far. All the different colours, materials and textures were making it hard to really see the building clearly. I realised some time before this that I'd diverged from my inspiration/source ref in numerous ways. Which was fine. But one thing I wanted to preserve design wise, was the hermetically contained ground floor level.

Reworking the ground floor exterior.

More detailing on the top tower, etc.

I'm quite happy with how this is developing. Particularly as it's my first such build project since returning to the hobby. I think it'll make a decent addition to my Russia 1812 arsenal. It's great to get started on the scenery side of things. But I'll have to start working faster and more efficiently, given how much I want to build, e.g. a wargame-able reduction of the whole of Smolensk! I must be mad...

The tower at close of play today. Taking longer than planned!

Kit Build/Review: T-34 Factory

The last thing I needed to do prior to undercoating my ten T-34s was add some scratch-built handles to the inner sides of the turret hatches on the Revell kit. With this done I duly sprayed them all with Halfords grey primer. The latter seems to vary in consistency. Occasionally I get a can that's heavier and grainier, producing a rough surface. That's happened this time, and is a nuisance.

Also getting sprayed, the Fujimi BMW R-75 and Kubelwagen kit, and accompanying figures. These latter include a reasonably rare example of a German officer in 1/72 giving the 'Roman' or 'Heil Hitler' salute. 

And there they all are, my little Russian 'horde', in front of similarly large numbers of German armour. I'm really rather chuffed. And I'm particularly pleased that I bothered to detail them all somewhat, to improve them, and give a bit more variety and, hopefully, realism.