January 2017

Two new
gifts inside

FV.214 Conqueror Mk.I

British Massive post war tank
by Amusing Hobby

Flakpanzer I
Wehrmacht tiny AA SPG

Morris C8

1/35 Quad by Mirror Models

T55AMV

Still ghting in Siria

Whippet

The fastest WWI tank

1/35 scale by Meng

ZSU-57-2

Soviet AA SPG in Croatia

Trumpeter 1/35

Sponsored by

Is published by Coronel Caramel S.l.

CIF B54483052
Editorial oce & administration
Club de ftbol Hercules 6
03008 Alicante
Spain
Te: 965112833
Email: fcmodeltips@gmail.com
Director: Federico Collada
Editor: Federico Collada
Design: Federico Collada
Graphics: Federico Collada
Models and photographs: Federico Collada

Editorial
Happy 2017!
A new year begins and it brings good news; the rst is that Blitzscales has a new
sponsor, the renowned paints brand Vallejo will support the magazine from now on to
help it remaining free for all modellers everywhere. As you may have noticed along
these years, Vallejo is my favourite paints brand for its wide colours range and quality,
so I welcome Vallejo and thank them for their faith in this project.
Another good new, that has to do with the previous one, is that sponsoring will allow
me to make special issues during the year focused on special subjects that they will
include many gifts closely related with the articles.
This year I will also diversify a bit the kind of articles included in the magazine making
space for the professional fairs and its news, some of the most important modelling
shows and contests and I will try to add something really interactive with the readers
so they can enjoy special contents and prizes.
So happy new year for everyone!
Federico Collada

Index

Page 6

Page 22

Page 38

Page 43

6 - Keep calm & enjoy modelling base

8 - Next target, the Blitzscales modelling news
22 - Fv-214 Conqueror Mk.I
21 - FV-214 Conqueror Mk.II walkaround
38 - Flakpanzer I
43 - Morris C8
48 - Labels
50 - T-55AMV
57 - Whippet
63 - Buildable base
64 - ZSU-57-2
4

Page 50

Page 48
Page 57

Page 64

Page 63

Cut & paste

Keep calm
&
Enjoy
modelling
base

VBL Milan

Tiger Models code 4618

1/35 Scale
The VBL is a multi role armoured Vehicle
developed by Panhard that is in service with
the Franch army since the nineties, it has
been deployed in war conicts like the Former
Yugoslavia, Lebanon, Somalia and Afghanistan.
The new Tiger Model kit comes in a box that
includes many beige coloured plastic panels and
another transparent containing the parts to build
the vehicle including the cabin interior. There is
also a photoetched metal fret, a metal towing
cable, two kind of vinyl tires and the decals sheet.
The parts are very well designed, without any
kind of aws and they t smoothly, the instructions
are easy to follow to ensure an amusing building
process.
The colour sheet provided shows a unique
decoration possible for which the decals are
provided, belonging to the 4 squadron, 3
regiment of the French-German Hussars.

Eiritrean battalions of the italian

Colonial Army (1939-1940)
ICM code 35567
1/35 Scale
The Askari were some troops recruited among
the North African colonial countries to serve in
their armies since the last decades of the XIX
century. The Eritrean Askari served in the Italian
Rejio Corpo di truppe coloniali between 1889 and
1941, their high combat skills deserved them an
important role in the North African battles during
WWII.
The new ICM kit include 4 Eritrean Askari gures
with the uniform and personal equipment they
wore at the beginning of the WWII. The parts are
made of a good quality beige coloured plastic
with a very good detail level that is clearly seen
in the faces expressions, hands and the most
delicate elements of the accessories.
ICM is constantly surprising us with new and
unseen subjects for their gures kits, something
admirable and highly welcome as they provide
gures that anyone else does.

Japan infantry 1942-1945

ICM code 35568
1/35 Scale
A new Japanese army gures set is not often
seen, thats why they are alway welcome, and
more even when the provider is an expert gures
kits brand like ICM.
This new gures box resembles that ancient
Tamiyas one back form the seventies, the ocer
and soldiers charging attitude seems inspired in
those ones from the Japanese brand, but this
is the only similitude as this new set is highly
superior.
The parts layout is rather standard with torso,
head, legs and arms as separate pieces. The
expression is very well achieved and the clothes
folds look natural. The general detail level is very
high with some really subtle parts like the caps
neck aps, the Katana, etc.
All the parts are provided in a single pannel and
the painting istructions are printed in the box
back side including references for various paints
producers.

German Infantry (1939-1945)

ICM code 35639
1/35 Scale

This is a classic, every military model kits

producer has one in the catalogue. A group of
Wehrmacht soldiers, including an ocer, all
dressed with the rst part of the war uniform
and personal equipment. The advantages of the
ICM kit are its high quality level and the fact that
includes an extra parts panel that has been sold
separately previously containing all the gures
gear and weapons.
So if you still dont have a German army gures
to set with your panzers this may be the best
option as you actually get two kits for one.
The parts layout and detail nesse is the
standard in ICM kits, if you have acquired any of
them recently you wont be disappointed.

Eduard
36349 M-10 Mid production
1/35 Scale for Tamiya kit

Photoetched fret containing many of

the necessary details to upgrade the
new Tamiya kit including periscopes,
belts, hinges, handles, front light
protections, machine gun ammunition,
clasps, chains, etc. All those subtle
details that the Japanese producer
always tend to simplify.

36350 M4A3E8
1/35 Scale for Italeri kit

The new Italeri kit will benet from

these photoetched details to replace
the most subtle parts that are
impossible to replicate in plastic.
Lights and periscopes guards,
hinges, attachments, tools fasteners,
ammunition boxes, clamps, chains
and all you need to upgrade your
Sherman one level.

10

36347 MIM 104F PAC-3

1/35 scale for Dragon kit
Two photoetched frets
designed to be used with the
Patriot AA missiles Dragon kit.
The assemblage will require
some skills but the result is
worth the eort and the kit
will surely welcome the detail
accuracy.

Eduard PE and kits can be

purchased at their own website
www.eduard.cz

11

Italian carabinieri
ICM code 16003
1/16 scale
ICM keeps adding gures to their new 1/16 scale
gures range dedicated to the most famous
guards corps.
This new gure represents an Italian carabinieri
in parade uniform designed by Valentino.
The kit is made of grey plastic parts with a high
quality detail nish that reproduce with accuracy
the many ornaments in the uniform, the layout
of the parts is also designed with this in mind
to the point that even the head is made of four
separated pieces.
As with the former gures of this collection, the
box includes a black plastic base with optional
parts.

12

35661 Model T1917 Ambulance

ICM code 35661
1/35 Scale
ICM has specialized in soft skins models 1/35
scale and their catalogue is full of vehicles that
havent been previously available or in some
cases, models that existed for decades but with
low quality. And just in a few occasions, ICM
has chosen to make their own version of classic
vehicles that are a must in every military model
kits producer like the T-34 or the King Tiger. This
time ICM has been faithful to their policy and
they present us a very original soft king back
from WWI, the Ford model 1917 in its ambulance
conguration, the same one that Ernest
Hemmingway drove in the war.
The box contains 2 grey plastic parts panels
and another of transparent ones. The detail
level is very god and the pieces has been
designed carefully to ensure an easy building
as there are no extreme delicate ones and all
of them seems easy to handle. Having started
the building process already I can tell is really
fast and amusing. The kit includes both engine,
transmission and the interior of the ambulance
cabin where a couple of seats and stretchers can
be placed folded or unfolded.
In my opinion this can be a good choice for
novel modellers that will surely enjoy a short
time project, enthusiasts of WWI vehicles wont
miss the opportunity of adding an elegant vehicle
to their collection that hasnt been released
previously in plastic with the exception of some
versions produced by RPM some decades ago
that were rather basic.
I hope this will be the rst kit of a line dedicated
to the Ford T in military service as the basic parts

are all there and their quality is very good. Having

seen that their larger partners in 1/24 scale from
the same company has 3 dierent models now
it wouldnt surprise me if we see some other
versions during this year, maybe a machine gun
carrier or the Polish armoured car FTB.
The decals sheet contains the necessary for 4
dierent vehicles that are shown in the last colour
pages of the instructions manual belonging 3 of
them to the US army used in Europe in 1917 and
1918 and French one used in 1918.

13

BMP T-72 terminator II

Tiger Models code 4611
1/35 Scale
The BMPT Terminator is an armoured ghting
vehicle designed for supporting tanks and other
AFVs in urban areas. It is armed with four 9M120
Ataka missile launchers, two 30 mm 2A42
autocannons, two AG-17D grenade launchers,
and one coaxial 7.62 mm PKTM machine gun.
The BMPT is built on the chassis of the T-72
main battle tank which is used in large numbers
by the Russian Army. The BMPT was designed
based on combat experience gained during the
Soviet war in Afghanistan and the First Chechen
War. The Object 199 Ramka was the prototype
later to be known as the modern BMPT with
the ocial producer being Uralvagonzavod. In
September 2013 they presented an upgraded
version named Terminator conceived for the
export market as the Russian army already
declined the use of this Vehicle in favour of the
T-15 Armata.

14

The main advantage of the terminator II is that is

conversion process of the obsolete T-72 vehicles
can be undertaken at the customer facilities
without much preparation to equip their armies
with a modern combat vehicle at minimum cost.
The new Tiger Model kit represents the
Terminator II as shown in the Russian Arms Expo
2013 exhibition in Nizhny Tagil. The box is a bit
heavy as it is absolutely full of parts to the point
that if you take them out you will have trouble to
put them inside again and try to close it.
All of the parts, plastic ones, photoetched, turned
metal, etc are very good quality with nice detail
and no defaults of any kind.
Assemblage is very easy as the pieces t
perfectly and require little or no preparation. This
is something important in a model like this that
involves quite a lot of parts.
The instructions are easy to follow so building the
model is an amusing job that will lead you to the
painting stage rather fast. There you will have to
decide between the 4 decorations suggested for
which the decals are provided in a little sheet.
The suspension is workable and the tracks are
made of articulated links so you will be able to
adjust both tracks and wheels to any irregular
surface.
Some alternative parts can be used to represent
the more modern version presented in 2015.

T-90MS
Tiger Models code 4612
1/35 Scale
The T-90MS is the upgraded version of the T-90S
developed for the export market, based on the
old T-72; it includes all kind of high tech systems
that puts it at the same level as other more recent
tanks.
The Tiger Model kit is a replica of the model
exhibited during the defence exhibition Russian
Expo arms in September 2011. The box share
with the Terminator II kit most of the parts as both
vehicles share the same chassis. The turret parts
are provided in some specic panels among with

new photoetched and turned metal elements.

The general quality is very good and the kit
is easy building although some patience will
be required to build the tracks composed by
separate links that must be assembled with
independent teeth and end connectors. The work
is worth the eort as both tracks and suspension
are full workable.
The small decals sheet provides the decoration
for two exhibition tanks shown in 2011 and 2013
respectively.
Once nished the kit turns into a very impressive
tank with a little sci- look that surely will delight
the modern armor fans.

15

IDF Nagmachon APC

Tiger Models code 4615
1/35 Scale
Another new kit form the Chinese manufacturer,
the Nagmachon is an Israeli armoured personal
carrier based on the British centurion chassis
which was in service in the IDF many decades
ago. The release coincides with the same model
proposed by Trumpeter but I cant compare them
as I havent seen the other one.
The model is provided in a big box full of
plastic, photoetched, metal and vinyl parts, and
separated links for the tracks and alternative
translucent green and pink or transparent plastic
parts for the bullet proof screens.
The only handicap I can see in this model is that
neither suspension nor the tracks are workable

16

and that many details have been grouped in

larger pieces for an easier building experience,
this is noticeable in the machine guns provided
all together with their support masts, etc.
Another element I dont like very much are the
vinyl outer rims for the wheels, vinyl is a material
I dislike as its not easy to sand or paint but the
parts themselves are Ok and this is only a matter
of preferences.
Aside this, the general quality level is very nice
and the building seems to be an amusing job
as the parts are easy manipulating and the
instructions very clear.
Many of the outside elements in the Nagmachon
are common to other IDF vehicles and here are
provided in separate panels so I guess that they
will be used in further models too.
The box also includes a colourful sheet
illustrating one unique vehicle for which the
decals are provided.

17

New diorama eect products:

Provided in 200ml can ready to use.
These products have an acrylic base
and they reproduce the natural textures.
They are water soluble and they dont
reduce or change colour once dry.
Aside of their suggested use they are
very versatile for other purposes as we
will see in further techniques tutorials.

18

The new pigment and diorama eect sets provide logical combination of colour to achieve eects
of dust and dirt, mud and sand, etc. this is an always useful resource for weathering models that
can be used in many dierent ways.

19

AK news
The Spanish company AK has released an
amazing book written by the master modeller
Rubn Gonzlez, a complete guide for building
dioramas, vignettes and environments. 560 full
colour pages dedicated to describe the latest
techniques and materials used for diorama
creating as well as many inspiriting ideas and
tutorials on creating elements form scratch.
The book is available at the AK website or at
mayor hobby stores.
New diorama products range
Dierent ground, water, mud, etc textures
provided in 200ml cans ready for using to make
your diorama base and eects the easy way.
The new range includes; Atlantic blue water gel,
concrete terrains, dark earth terrains, desert
sand, snow and wet crackle eect, very useful for
vignettes fans.

20

21

The FV 214 Conqueror was a British heavy tank

of the post-war era developed as a response to
the Soviet Joseph Stalin IS-3 heavy tanks, armed
with a larger main gun than its counterpart the
Centurion. The Conquerors role was to provide
long range anti-tank support for the lighter tanks.
The massive size and weight of the Conqueror
was inadequate for the European theatre of war
where it would be deployed and after 3 years and
185 units produced, the project was cancelled in
favour of the centurion model which proved to be
successful in all its aspects and suitable for the
own Conqueror requirements.

22

20 tanks of the rst batch were produced in 1955

before an upgrading program switched to the
second version of which another 165 tanks were
served to the army. Many of the Conquerors were
deployed in Germany with the British Army of the
Rhine until they were completely withdrawn in
1966.
The conqueror was armed with the same US
120mm gun used in the M103 tank that used
separated charge and projectile of which they
carried just 35 rounds.
The armour was very thick for its time, 178mm at
the front but this aspect, together with its massive

turret made it too heavy, slow and impossible to

cross through most of the existing bridges of that
time.
One of the most advanced
elements in the tank was the
commanders rotating
cupola that allowed

him to
target any
objective
independently of
the turret using its coincidence rangender.

1
2

The Amusing hobby massive kit

The Japanese company Amusing Hobby has
specialized in producing paper tanks or short
running produced military vehicles form all eras
and countries. A few months ago announced
their most recent kits, a FV.214 Conqueror Mk.I
and the SPG based on the same chassis, the
FV215B of which none were produced. As soon
as they were delivered to the hobby shops I
received the samples of both kits and decided
to start building the Conqueror immediately.
Although I already had the Dragon kit in the
reserve I opted to use this one as I previously
had very good experience with Amusing Hobby
models.
The building process was quite easy and trouble
free until I reached the stage where the tracks
are to be built, made of separated links with
two pieces each, as soon as I tried to x the
parts involved I realized that they wouldnt align
correctly and, of course, they wouldnt articulate
as they should. After some severe sanding and
cutting parts I tried again to build them but they
didnt x as I expected and made a strange and
exaggerated curve instead. (picture 5) Accepting

23

this drawback I rst thought ordering a metal

tracks set, but they wouldnt arrive in time to
nish the article so I decided to make some
surgery and thus eliminated all the
superior
that
part of the link pins
should connect with
the other
piece and this
way I could align
them correctly,
but without those
pins the links

wouldnt articulate so I glued them all making

sections ready to paint.
This was the only trouble I had with the kit, the
rest of the building process was quite easy, but
there was something else that bothered me,
many parts of the real tank were casted and thus
presented that rough surface look that wasnt
reproduced in the model. This was something
really easy to solve using a Vallejo
primer paint mixed with some
talcum that I stencilled with an
old brush where required.
(picture 6,7 and 8)
Aside of this,
the only
after market
upgrade I
used

4
5

24

was the Aber turned metal gun, an excellent

quality element that I needed to represent an
upgraded Mk.I model.

Painting king size

Painting the model was also a
very straight forward process
that involved many standard
weathering techniques and
some home made
paints.
I started
by

priming the whole tank using Vallejo UK Bronze

green supplied in their specic paints set to
modulate this colour. (picture 9) Then I used
the rest of the colour suggested in the
backside of the paints box to highlight
the tank, I used the rst
lighter colour as a
lter, diluted at
40% with
the same
brand

10

11

25

12

13

thinner and airbrushing at the centre of the bigger

surfaces and raised details. (picture 10) Next I
used the following lighter shade of green diluted
at 85% and airbrushing from a cenithal position to
replicate this kind of illumination. (picture 11)
Next I used the Vallejo washes Olive green and
Dark Yellow to make subtle colour variations on
the surface by airbrushing them here and there.
A coat of polyurethane clear varnish served to
protect the job and
prepare
the surface for the
decal placing.
(picture 12)
After
placing
the

14

15

decals
with
the aid of
the adequate
products to soften
and adapt them I
varnished again and let
the model rest for 24 hours.
(picture 13)
Next day I made the rst
shadowing using black and brown
oils mixed and diluted with turpentine
drawing lines at the recessed lines
between the larger panels, once dry I retired
the excess with white spirit and a sponge.
(picture14)
At this stage I started painting the details such
as tools, light, machine gun, etc. For this I used
the new Vallejo metallic colours, (picture 15) they
cover perfectly and smooth and they dont leave
any brush marks. A few hours later I made a lter

with a black wash to enhance the details and

shut down the metallic brightness a little. (picture
16)
I painted the re extinguishers using a mix of
gold and brass colours, and dark steel for the
tools. Later I applied a dark wash as I previously
did with the machine gun. (picture 17)
To paint the tracks I used another new Vallejo
paint, the rust eect is a great product, with a
very good looking colour and a texture element
added to reproduce the aged rusted rough
look. This texture grain in the paint makes
it not suitable for airbrushing as it would
obstruct it, be advised. (picture 18)
With the tank painted the right colour
the next thing to do was starting the
weathering. I didnt want to represent
an aged or battered vehicle but
an operative one, and I
wanted to represent
it as in some
maneuvers
so I

16

17

18

would
just add
some dirt
and mud.
With this idea
in mind I made a
general wash using a
home made mix I have
prepared some time ago using
an aged Humbrol earth tone
paint and thinner. I spread this wash
using a big brush and waited for the
pigment to settle, then I removed

19

27

20

21

22

23

28

the excess with white spirit using a brush to

sweep it downwards creating this way the rst
dirt stains. (picture 19 and 20)
Next I used a mechanical spray to pour a very
thin wash of a light earth acrylic paint diluted in
water at 90%, the spray create a very little dots
cloud that is a fast way to cover the whole model
with tiny and subtle stains. (picture 21)
Another home made wash, similar to the
previous one but made with very dark brown oil
served to outline some detail, again, the excess
was removed using turpentine and a small at
brush. (picture 22)
To increase more even the stained and dirty
look of the tank I used many acrylic washes
splattering them with a toothbrush one colour
after another without waiting for the previous
one to dry, this way the stains edges remained
blurred, even melting colours randomly. (picture
23)
I created some dust accumulations
between the fender boxes
and angles using dry
pigments that I later
xed moistening with
turpentine, I repeated

this another two times using dierent earth tones

until I satised with the look. (picture 24)
For the lower part of the hull, wheels and tracks I
opted to test the new Vallejo thick mud products,
having a wide colour selection to choose from
I decided to use the European tone. I simply
stencilled it with an old brush and sprinkled some
dry pigment over part of it to represent dry mud
crusts. (picture 25 and 26)
At the tracks I used a special mud eect can
labelled mud with grass that certainly resembles
the crushed grass mixed with mud so it made the
tank look as if it had rolled over a grassy terrain.
(picture 27)

24
25

Final thoughts
Although I had some trouble with the
tracks Im willing to build the other
vehicle based in the Conqueror
chassis, the FC 215b is
even larger and
with its 183mm
gun

26

looks
absolutely
impressive, I
hope I can show
it to you soon in the
magazine.

27

29

FV.214
Conqueror
Mk.I
Royal Museum of
the Armed Forces
and Military History
Brussels, Belgium

30

31

32

33

35

36

www.fcmodeltrend.com

37

Model: Tristar
Scale: 1/35
The Flakpanzer I was the rst attempt to provide the Wehrmacht with an armoured AA SPG as the
motorised Flak vehicles were insuciently protected.
For this the obsolete but still available Panzer Ia chassis was selected making some modications to
provide a at surface where to place the 20mm ak 38 gun. A couple of side aps made of steel were
attached to the superstructure to expand the standing platform when folded down and the radio was
removed to gain more ammunition space.
Only 24 Flakpanzer I were converted and all o them were supplied to the Fla.-Btl.(mot) 614
(Motorized Flak Battalion 614) and served in Romania until they moved to the southern part of the
eastern front.
The insucient protection for the crew lead the akpanzers to be reassigned
to other units operating in more quiet zones until the whole battalion was
decimated in 1943.

38

I used Vallejo primer

73603 dunkelgrau as a
base for the whole kit

The Tristar kit

I had this kit more or less since Tristar released
it a decade ago but as many times happens
it was kept in stand-by while I attended more
urgent projects. In fact it was not a very
interesting subject for me but in that moment
I thought that it was an inexpensive kit that I
could use in the future.
Finally, last month I saw a new kit that made
me think in a scene where this and another
kit I already had could x very well so I put my
hands in the tiny AA SPG and started building it.
The process is quite easy and trouble free as
all the parts x very well, I didnt use any after
market upgrades so I nished building it in a
couple of days, then I started painting which
was a standard process too.
In the end I made some stowage using a vinyl
glove and parts form the spares box.

Once highlightened
I applied a coat of gloss
varnish to place the decals

For a better adherence i used the

Vallejo special products that ensures a
smooth adaptation

Once the decals were dry I varnished

again and after 24 hours I applied a black
oil wash using the airbrush.
The Sonderanhnger 51 trailer was added, with
additional ammunition and replacement barrels

39

I used the
Magnesium
metal colour to
paint the barrel,
later I applied a
black wash to
shut down the
shine.
I moistened the surface with turpentine

And then applied an earth tone home

made wash with a big brush

I applied pigments mixed with water to

imitate some rust and dirt stains.

And used the wind chamber to dust the whole

vehicle and trailer homogeneously. Ixed the pigment
with white spirit and eliminated any excess with a dry
brush.

The Vallejo rust eect paint can be

applied both as a standard paint or as a
wash if you liute it with some water.

The gloves vinyl

can be painted
as the rest of the
kit, you can use
primer, standard
paints and washes,
and you can pint
it before wrapping
it to create the
backpacks.

I splatterd some
dust colour wash
lter and pigments
to dirty the vinyl
tarpaulin.

The engine stains and graphit

pigment were the last touches to
nish the model.
The other sotwage
parts were painted the
same way as the rest
of the model.

41

42

The Morris Commercial C8 FAT (eld artillery

tractor) was an artillery tractor used by the British
and Commonwealth forces during the Second
World War to tow eld artillery pieces, such as
the 25-pounder gun-howitzer, and anti-tank guns,
such as the 17-pounder.
The C8 Quad was produced from 1939 until
1945 and it was rst used in France in 1940
towing the 18 and 25 pounder, and 4.5 inch
howitzers.
The British and Commonwealth army used it
all throughout the war despite of its insucient
power that caused problems when towing the
heavier guns while fully loaded.
Serving as Fat in the Field Artillery regiments

they towed both limber and gun or two limbers.

After the war the C8 Quad remained in service in
many countries and was extensively used during
the Korean war.

43

The recent Mirror Models C8 has been welcome

by allied models fans as its a huge step forward
when compared to the ancient Tamiya and Italeri
similar kits. In the box you can nd some sprues
common to all the former kits of the company
dedicated to this vehicles family and some new
ones with the parts for this specic Quad. The kit
provides also vinyl tires, photoetched parts and
a decals sheet. The general
quality of the
kit is very good and the parts
t very
well son building doesnt
require any special skills,
anyway some parts of the
instructions doesnt show
the alignment
of some parts
quite clearly so
a study prior
to gluing
the parts is
advisable.
I used the LZ
models resin
wheels as I prefer
them to the vinyl
material,

44

these wheels are designed specically for this kit

so they x perfectly.
The construction was straightforward beginning
with the chassis frame, suspension and vehicle
oor, then all the inside elements and in this step
I
begun painting before closing the cab. For
this I used the Vallejo UK Bronze
green set that
includes
the

basic

colour as a primer and some lighter green tones

for lightening eects.
With the interior painted I closed the tractor
and placed the rest of the pieces, masked the
windows and started painting the exterior.
The kit provides decals for 4 dierent
vehicles which painting schemes
are shown in a colour sheet;
one of them belongs
to the 50th Infantry
Division operating in
Normandy in 1944
and painted with the
Mickey Mouse ears
camouage, this is
the one I decided to
represent so I begun
painting the dark
green base with the
same paints assortment
I used in the interior.
Once I painted the green
base I masked with adhesive paper tape and
airbrushed 71116 Bluegrey and later highlighted
using a lter made with neutral grey diluted at
85%. Then I applied a coat of gloss varnish to
place the decals, waited a couple of hours and
used the decal softener for a perfect adherence
to the surface. Once the decals were dry I
airbrushed the whole model again, this time with
satin varnish.
I used the Vallejo acrylic washes to splatter
stains over the already wetted with thinner
surface using an old toothbrush, when this lter
was dry I proceeded to apply a general wash with
my home made Humbrol/oil dark earth mix.
After that I used the sponge to make some
subtle chipping using the rust eect paint.
I used standard acrylic paints of dust and earth

45

tones range to make some stains blurring the little

dots on the surface with a at brush wetted in
the specic thinner, this is the same process you
do with oils or enamels, the technique doesnt
change, just the paints.
I painted the details like lights, mirrors, etc.
and then I used a graphite pencil to imitate the
exposed metal at handles, edges and steps. The
last touch was to give the model a pigment wash
for a duct accumulation. I swept the excess with
a dry brush and then xed the remaining pigment
with a white spirit wash.

46

I always have liked

this vehicle a lot, I built
the Tamiya version (slightly
dierent form this one as it depicts
the Canadian Ford built version) many years
ago but I remember it as a rather simple kit
nothing to do with this one, I liked very much
the photoetched parts that really makes the kit
look accurate and all the parts engineering that
multiply the little parts improving the details.

I enjoyed this kit a lot and I dont think it will take

too long before I build the Mk.III version.

47

Do you have any of the models in this magazine

articles? If so here you have some labels for your bases.

48

49

Takom 2042
1/35 Scale

The turret has some evident xing points,

impossible to place the ERA bricks wrongly.

The lower hull piece, full of details and a

solid base for the tank.

50

The T-55 is the tank produced inlarger Lumber

and also the one that has served for the longest
time, the rst prototype of the T54 was put into
production in 1947 and changed its denomination
to T-55 in 1955, and is still in service, this is
nearly 70 years!
Along the decades the basic T-55 has been
upgraded several times in both the Soviet Union
and the rest of countries in which it served. One
of the main drawbacks has been its armour,
insucient since the seventies when the occident
tanks started using new and more powerful
guns. Thus the main upgrading programs for
the T-55 have always concerned on this subject
and in 1983 a passive appliqu armour package
was added to both hull and turret augmenting
its protection against APFSDS and HEAT
ammunition.
This version was named AMV and included a
new Volna re control system being the rst time
that the T-55 included a ballistic computer, which
together with the KTD-2 laser rangender, the

The tracks links are provided separately

and ready to be glued and painted.

Fixing the many armour bricks is a bit

tedious but the result is worth the eort.
gunner TShSM-32PB sight and the Tsiklon M1
gun stabilization system put the tank almost at
the same technological level as their adversaries.
In addition, the T-55AMV could also re the
9K116 Bastion 100mm guided missile as a
conventional round.
One of the countries that still operate the T-55
is Syria, the Arab army garrisoned a large
number together with some T-62 and T-72. It is
believed that at the start of the civil war the army
had some 1200 T-55, 500 T-62 and 700 T-72.

The periscopes and lights lenses are

provided in a transparent plastic sprue.

Once the turret has all the details

placed it looks really impressive.
More than half of these tanks may have been
destroyed since 2011. The Syrian army manages
4 types of T-55s; T-55A, North Korean upgraded
T-55, T-55Am and T-55MV/AMV

The kit
Some years ago the only T-55 available in plastic
in 1/35 scale were those of Esci, Lindberg,

51

SKIF or the rst Trumpeters, all of them poor

renditions of the real tank, some of them
were hard to build and some were
too simplied. It wasnt until the
rst decade of this century
that we got some
better models from
Tamiya, and now
the Takom range,
and we got the Miniart
full interior one at the
doors promising to be the
best available.
I got this
Takom
kit as soon as it
was released some months
ago and I had a very good impression
when I opened the box, very well detailed
parts, good tting and PE parts for the more
subtle elements. The only thing I disliked was the
attachment point in the turret for the ERA blocks,
too noticeable if you wanted to do without some
of them as we can see in some tanks. The
other weak point was the emptied fender
block that you have to cover with PE parts,
unnecessary in my opinion, solid bricks or plastic
backs would have been easier to use. Aside of

The kit is ready to be painted, I decided

not to use the extra fuel drums and a
couple of ammo boxes.

Then I airbrushed the rst highlighting lter

using 71093 Field green diluted at 75%.

52

I started as always, priming the model with

Vallejo 4B0, using a circles ruller as a mask
for the wheels which i previously painted
black.

The next highlighting lter, with

71094 green zinc and diluted at 85%.

I painted the machine gun using the new

metallic paints and then a black wash.

Then I spoiled them using a at brush

and an alcohol and water mix.

Next I dirtied the tank with my

homemade Humbrol/oil wash.
And used the rust paints set and a
sponge for the chipping.

A coat of polyurethane gloss varnish

prepared the surface for the weathering and
the further paint chipping.

I airbrushed the two camouage colours

and let it dry for an hour.

With this the tank already

looked rather worn out.

A splattered lter using acrylic

washes enhanced the chromatic variety.

53

I airbrushed a couple of earth tones washes

at the lower hull and wheels for a dirtier look.

The dust accumulation were made with

dry pigments mixed with some talcum.
this, the model builds easily and turns into a very
impressive machine that you can paint with many
schemes as there a lot of countries that
have been using it. The box include
a small decals set with the
necessary for no
less than
12
dierent tanks of
which 6 belong to the
Syrian Arab Army. One of them
was the one I selected for my
model.

Simplifying
the lacquer
technique
I choose this
camouage
scheme as
I saw in many
pictures of the real
tank the worn look of the
sprayed colours, something
very common on frontline
painting, this would give me the
opportunity to test something I started

And xed with the Vallejo pigment

binder applied directly with a brush.

The SKP traslucent resin lenses are

a nice touch for the tank.

to try some
months ago, the
idea is that you dont
need any special product
or paint to wash away or scratch
part of it, all paints are washable
if you use the right solvent
at
the right moment. If you are
using
enamels, you will need
some
turpentine or white spirit, and
if you use
acrylics you will need the
same brand
thinner or just some alcohol
mixed with
30% of water. In each case
you should
protect the former layer
with the other
paint, I mean, if youre
to use acrylics
rst protect the base
with an enamel
varnish and the other
way round. Once
you airbrushed the
camouage colours
you can erase,
scratch, etc. part
of it with a brush as long as the paint has not
cured completely, this can vary from one paint to
another but I suggest you act during the next 5
hours.
I folded a Syrian ag decal on the
side using a vinyl piece as a base.

As
with
every
painting
technique,
controlling
this one
can take some
practise so
better make
some tests with a toy or an old model rst.
The
rest of the painting process was more
or
less the standard as you can see in
the photographs.
I have built several Takom kits by now and I
have enjoyed all of them, they are continuously
releasing very interesting models so I guess I
will be building another very soon.
The worn out look of the
camouage was easily achieved
using standard paints and no lacquer
or chpping product of any kind, just
thinner.

Meng TS-021
Scale 1/35

Mark A

After the experience gained with both Little

Willie and Big Willie Mk.I tanks, the British army
received a new tank design form William Tritton
who had already participated in the production
of the former test vehicles. On November 1916
the designed was approved and two months
later the prototype was ready. In the beginning,
the Whippet was provided a turret at the rear
but for simplicity it was later deleted in favour of
the polygonal superstructure. The two engines
connected each one to a track and were
controlled by a single driver that used a steering
wheel to lower the speed of any of them to make
the tank turn.
The rst demonstration in March 1917
impressed the army very much as the vehicle
reached 11,5KM/h double the speed of the Mk.I
and costing production was lower too so a rst
order of 200 vehicles was placed on the next
day hoping they could be ready before June.
Due to the factory limited production capacity the

I changed the kit machine guns for

the Aber turned metal ones, far better.

57

The kits builds easy and fastly and the

Aber turned metal MGs t perfectly.

vehicles were not ready until October and they

reached France at mid December.
During the war, the whippet, armed with four
Hotchkiss machine guns demonstrated its value
decimating the German infantry battalions or
engaging other military vehicles.
During the Russian civil war 17 Whippets were
sent to support the White Russians against the
Soviets and another 6 tanks were bought by

Japan to form its rst Tank unit.

A more inexpensive tank

In 2015 both Takom and Meng released their
own version of the Mk.A Whippet in 1/35 scale,
as the Meng kit was a bit delayed they started
oering half the price of the competitor as soon
as the Takom one was in the hobby stores so
This putty is inexpensive
and can be applied with a brush
and softened with alcohol.

I sealed the joints with a home made

putty made with talcum and a primer paint.

Just apply it where the

holes are and let it lter.

many modellers waited some months or reserved

the Meng kit to save some money. In the end it
turned that it was worth the waiting as the Meng
model was up to the expectations and modellers
could have their Whippets for very little money.
I always have liked the Whippet very much; I
even made a scratch one many years ago, so I
bought the Meng kit as soon as it was available.
The kit is very nicely detailed and easy to build
as its composed of not too many parts and all of
them are easy handling, the click together tracks
links allows you to build them in a few minutes so
The 70611 Earth green colour
matches the WWI Khaki.

Once dry you can clean the

excess with a cloth and alcohol.

you can nish the model in a weekend, a perfect

short time project for novel modellers or for any
WWI enthusiast. The decals sheet provided
include the necessary for the two British tank
painting schemes suggested in the instructions
but also for a German and a Russian tank.

Muddy Whippet
I started painting the whole tank with Vallejo
70611 Earth green primer and then highlighted
with a 71025 Dark yellow lter diluted at 75% and
First highlight with 71025
Dark yellow.

59

airbrushed at the centre of the larger panels

and raised details. Another lter with 71107 US
interior yellow diluted at 85% and airbrushed
from a zenithal direction and a larger distance
enhanced the details and illuminated the upper
part of the tank.
After painting the white and red ags at the
front and sides I used the 70611 colour again to
make some chipping over them with a piece of
sponge. Next I repeated the sponging but this
time using the rust eect paint.
I applied a coat of polyurethane gloss varnish
to prepare the model for the decals and once
dry I placed them with the aid of the decal
softener and medium.
I prepared a mix of earth
tones paints, both
acrylic and
synthetic and
diluted them
together with
water at
95%
and

poured
it all over
the model,
water impeded
the enamel to dilute
correctly so it spread
beneath the acrylic colour as
very little dots creating irregular dirt
coverage. Later I used Vallejo thinner to
blur down part of this dirt layer and repeated
with turpentine for the little enamel stains.
To make the many rivets stand out I used
an enamel wash of a dark brown colour,
painting the rivets lines with a small brush and
eliminating later the excess with a at one and
turpentine.
To imitate the rust at the exhausts and tracks
I used real iron dust that I applied mixed with
some varnish dots and water, one dry I poured
the rusting agent over it several times until I got

60

The sponge is a very useful

technique to imitate the chipped paint.

Decals adhere better if

helped with a softener.

The mixed enamel/acrylic wash is

something Ive been testing lately.

Shadowing the rivets and other

details with a dark brown wash.

And real iron for the rust eects

at both exhaust and tracks.

The rusting agent can work through

the soft varnish coat but you will need
to make more than one application.

satised
with the
look.
Next I dusted
the lower part of
the hull and tracks
with dry pigments
alternating a light
sienna and light slate grey
tone, to x the pigments at the
exhaust
I used a rust colour acrylic wash
diluted at 75% with water, for the rest of the tank
I used diluted pigment binder. I used black dry
pigment for the burnt zones of the exhaust pipe
and surroundings and the new petrol and fuel
eect paints for the many stains here and there,
sometimes diluted with water and others mixed
with some pigments.
The last touch was the mud, I decided to test
the new Vallejo splash mud to imitate fresh mud,
I painted some lines on the upper part of the
running gear and faded down with a dry brush
while still fresh. I repeated the process at the
inner panels where the tracks mud falls sprinkling
some pigment at some zones to create mud
crusts.

The rust eect is as real as possible.

61

A light rust colour wash

can enhance the eect.

I applied the mud

as a standard paint
with a small brush.

The black pigment can

be applied with other paints
to achieve dierent eects.

And made the mud blur

dwon with a dry brush.

Do you have a Flakpanzer I too?

Well here is a base you can use for your model.

1-Print on a paper
2-Glue on a cardboard, a wood or MD board
3-Bend the sides and glue the aps inside

63

Model: Trumpeter
Scale 1/35

At the end of WWII the ZSU-37 based on the

T-60 tank had become obsolete, and the only
SPAAG in the Soviet army was the BTR-152A
and BTR-40A armed with 2 or 4 14,5mm machine
guns. The needed for a tracked AA gun to
counterpart the new occident enemies and their
qualied air forces was obvious and in 1946 the
Design Bureau of Works No. 174 in Omsk and
the Research Institute No. 58 in Kaliningrad,
Moscow Oblast submitted a joint project for a
SPAAG based on the T-34 tank chassis, this
project was rejected as the army wanted to use
the newest tank chassis available.
In 1948 a new project was presented to use the
new T-54 chassis as a base to mount two new
S-68 37mm guns and two years later the rst
2 prototypes were built and tested. After some
waiting for the new S-68A guns to be available
and some improvements on the vehicle, it nally
entered in service in 1955.
The new ZSU-57-2 used the T-54 chassis, with
only 4 wheels per side and reduced armour, it
was armed with twin 57mm S-68 autocannon in a
large rotating turret carrying 300 rounds.
Although the ZSU-57-2 was declared obsolete

64

a few years after being deployed with the Soviet

army, it could still be found operating in other
Warsaw pact countries like Croatia, Finland, Iran,
etc. at the beginning of the new century.

A long awaited kit, twice.

Being oered the same kit by dierent producers
at the same time is something that modellers
have accustomed lately. They may exist various
reasons for this but the result is always the
same, the competition, something that is very
good for us consumers as the manufacturers

65

The trumpeter kit is made of 12 grey plastic

panels and 6 brown ones with the track links,
it also includes photoetched and a decals
sheet with markings for 4 dierent vehicles.
Unfortunately none of them belonged to the
Croatian army that is the one I wanted to make,
lucky enough Star decals just released a couple
of sets dedicated to this SPAAG including this
one.
Other upgrades I used for the model were the

are compelled to oer the best quality and price

possible.
In this case Im quite happy as I always wanted
to have a ZSU-57-2 and up to now the only 1/35
existing kit was a rather expensive resin one.
Now there are two plastic kits to choose form,
being the Trumpeter a bit more aordable its the
one I acquired as I expected both to be the same
quality.

66

Aber turned metal guns, far superior to the plastic

kit ones, and the Modelkasten tracks, workable
and with better detail.
Building the kit was straightforward and started
to paint before closing the turret. I used the
Vallejo 4B0 Soviet green primer as a base and
then 71093 Field green and later 71009 Eau
de nil as lters for highlighting. The interior was
primed white and dirtied using many eect paints
of the new Vallejo range.
Painting the many ammunition magazines was
something really boring and little of them can
be seen once the turret is assembled due to the
many elements cramping.
Once I nished painting and weathering all the
interior parts I closed the turret and primed the
rest of the model.
After applying the highlights I painted the typical
ZNG (Zbor narodne garde- Croatian National
Guard) sprayed camouage using colours 7114
US Blue grey, 70604 German dark yellow and
73602 black.
With the camouage nished I protected with a
coat of polyurethane gloss varnish and waited
for it to be completely dry, then I placed the
decals with the aid of the softener and adherence
improving products. Later I applied another
varnish layer, this time satin.
With the varnish completely dry I used a dark
rust paint and a piece of sponge to make

67

some chipping here and there, I didnt want

to the vehicle to look too battered but in 1991
they surely had been through a lot so some
scars should be seen. For this same reason I
disregarded both back mudguards and one at the
front.
Then I used a couple of my home made enamel
washes to dirty all the surface using a big soft
brush, when the wash was dry I blurred down
part of it creating the rst faded stains.
A dark brown and green acrylic wash served to
enhance the recessed lines and raised details
making a pinwash.
I applied a generous pigment layer at the hull

68

bottom and wheels xing it with the Vallejo

pigment binder.
After assembling the Modelkasten tracks I
painted them with a black brown colour as a base
and later a dark rust wash, I didnt insist in the
painting too much as I wanted them to look old
and dirty so I applied a thick enamel wash of an
earth tone and once dry I drybrushed the edges
with a steel paint. After placing them at the tank
I gave them another thick wash, this time with
brown pigments.
I poured a subtle pigment wash all over the tank

with a mechanical sprayer and when dry I painted

some oil and fuel spills using acrylic eects
paints. As a nal touch I rubbed some zones like
hinges, handles, etc. with metallic pigment using
a small cloth.
Adding a ZSU-57-2 to my collection has always
been a thorn in my side and nally this year I
have fullled this long awaited project. There are
many other unusual military vehicles that havent
been produced yet but with the new producers
news rate Im sure I wont have to wait too long to
see them in the stores.

69