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...

Kit Build/Review: 1/72 Kfz. 305, Opel Blitz Ambulance, Pt II

Part II of the build of this model.

Ok, so here's a follow up to my recent archival report on an Opel Ambulance Build in 1/72. All of this second post still pertains to the original build, way back at the beginning of the year, during which I started detailing the interior of the ambulance body. In a third post, due soon, I'll be finishing the model with paint and decals.

I left off the last post having blocked in some colours for the interior of the cab. Having done quite a few similar builds I felt I was wasting time doing fairly detailed interiors, which wound up nigh on invisible. So I decided to keep this simple. Block colours, no shading, and very little detail.

Introducing a driver figure. Keeping it all very simple.

Starting to put the glazed cab together.

What's with the steering wheel moving 'twixt driver ...

... and dashboard?

Cab more or less completed, next thing was to fix it to the chassis. 

Cab assembled...

... er, that should be fixed to the chassis by now!?

At this stage I decided that, like the British ambulance I built a long while back, this should have opening rear doors and an interior with some detailing/interest. Finding contemporary wartime ref of original German vehicles where the interior was visible seemed nigh on impossible. The image below was the best I could do at the time.

The only view into the interior I could find; poor and limited.

So I wound up referring to this.

In the end I was forced to look at assembly or parts images from 1/35 models, such as the Dragon stuff shown above. More recently I got a load of modelling mags, one of which has a Maultier ambulance with detailed interior as a featured build. That'll be a great help when I get round to finishing the interior, in the third and hopefully final part of this extended build!

Started adding detail to the interior of the ambulance body.

I should've done this before putting the body together!

It's not going to be anything too great, I can see that. Especially since I decided to go down this rabbit-hole after putting the ambulance 'office' space together. Adding detail - and painting it, for that matter - would've been a lot easier whilst this whole assembly remained as separate parts. They say you learn from your mistakes. That's why I make so many... I'm keen to learn!

Kit Build/Review: 1/72 Kfz. 305, Opel Blitz Ambulance, Pt I

NB Another old post finally arrives. 'Tonight' was actually some time twixt Jan'-March!

Tonight I started a kit that's been in my stash for a couple of years at least. Somewhere along the line I seem to have discarded the box, save for a cut-out of the 'colour profiles' off the back of it. I think this is the Italeri kit, possibly formerly produced by Esci. 

Laying out the kit and tools, etc.

Step one, the chassis.

Step two, the cab (inc. glazing).

Blocking in interior colours.

At this point my photographic record, like the build itself, gets hazy. I know that I completed the cab, and started detailing the interior of the rear of the vehicle. Hopefully I'll locate the images, and come back with a second instalment on the build soon...

PS - In the interim, I've got hold of a modelling mag (Airfix Model World, Mar' 2016) in which a guy builds a 1/35 Maultier Ambulance. Although the chassis is rather different, the inner detailing of the ambulance should be a great help to me in completing the interior of my own much smaller model.