The 1/72 Build Log

Hey folks! I finished Trumpeters 1/72 IS-7 yesterday! Now I´ll let you enjoy some pictures of the painting process as well as some pictures of the fininshed model. Let´s get started! First off all I sprayed the parts shown in my Built-Review with Vallejo´s Grey Primer so the paint would stick in a proper even layer. For the base-color I used Vallejo ModelAir Olive Green mixed with ModelAir Light Grey and Light Brown to achieve a somewhat worn Russian standard paint. As you may be able to see, I varied the mixture around the areas to create shades and more worn-effects on the exposed areas of the vehicle. Tracks are left off for separate painting. Speaking off which... that´s what I did next. For a dark metallic look as seen on the original vehicle at the Kubinka Tank Museum, I took Vallejo ModelColor Dunkegrau as it seemed to fit nicely into the overall base-paint. The exhausts were then painted with Humbrol Rust. For the tools on the sides I mixed myself some woody-lookin...

Greetings, frieds and fans of braille-scale modelling! Today´s the tine for another review of a 1/72 Russian tank. This time it is the largest tank to be built in the Soviet Union - the mighty IS-7. Let´s get into it! The vehicle: Starting in 1945, engineers of the factory No.100 began the development of the Object 260 - the result from an initiative for a new modern heavy tank that stated in late 1944. In 1946-1947 the 65-68ton tank underwent some changes until the first prototypes were built in 1947. The tank had an impressive 130mm armament and a extremly good top speed for its size (60kp/h). Trial were conducted in 1948, but at the end the vehicle was deemed obvious due to the large size and weight. The following tank, labeled the IS-8 or T-10 was the last serial produced heavy tank of the Soviet Union. I also worte an in-depth article about this vehicle. Check it out here The kit: Released earlier this year, the Trumpeter plastic-injection kit first offered an alternative...

Welcome to another first-time for my on this blog. Todays subject is talking about one of our modelling subjects with an interesting story - the IS-7. Wether you´re familiar with this Russian tank or you´re asking "Waht the heck is an IS-7?", this should be quiet an interesting read. I´ll generally try to cover a subject as well history- and performance-wise as well as in modelling terms. The resulting articles will likely not be able to keep up with expert literature, but should give you a nice overview of our modelling subjects, in this case the IS-7. Let´s begin! Object 260 - the IS-7 The final form of the IS-7, photo taken in 1948. Source: Wikimedia  History: Sometimes going big is the only way to prevent going down - this definetly was the case for the Soviet Army´s heavy tanks when they faced German powerful anti-tank guns in the closing years of the war. Building heavy tanks for breaktrough role in response was a logical step concerning those challenge...

Helo again, fellow fans of small scale armor! Unfortunately, I missed to save the shots I´ve taken during the painting process of Modelcollect´s T-80UM1... but as I have some photo-material of the finished vehicle, I´ll give you a gallery-type article this time. I decided to spray some fictional deesert camoflage on the tank, including a dark red/brown color on top of a yellow-ish basecoat. It is intended to represent some kind of show/export vehicle for Middle East customers and/or Cyprus, to which the upgraded T-80s were offered. I wanted to have some contours on the vehicle for which I used a black AK-Interactive wash, but apart from that, I kept weathering moderate as I didn´t want to represent a full-service vehicle. And by the way... Revell´s masking fluid may be good for aircraft cockpits, but it doesn´t work well for masking camoflages 😑 After all it looks quite neat... I´m positively suprised about the outcome. Next project is again going to be an infamous...

You want something modern, that is badass but not an Abrams or a T-90? Export customers have been offered with an alternative for both in the early 2000s in form of the T-80UM1. This isn´t a really popular vehicle, so I was really pleased that we´re now able to build it in 1/72 scale from the kit I´ll review today. Let´s get started! The vehicle: While the T-72 series of tanks were (and still are) a huge sucess on the export-market, the most advanched tank the USSR fielded in larger numbers - the turbine-powered T-80 - wasn´t really used outside Russia. Engineers wanted to chage that in the 90s following the collapse of the Soviet Union. Now they wanted to export their high-tech vehicle and maybe even secure contracts for modernisazions of Russia´s remaining vehicles. Their product - called the T-80UM1 - was based on the then most advanched T-80 models in use, namely the T-80U and T-80UK. Having taken a look at recent conflicts around the world, they added advanched features to make...

It´s done! Yesterday I finished Italeri´s Autoblinda AB 41 which I presented here before and now I want to show you the painting progress as well as the final results. The Painting: The kit included several variants of the vehicle in German and Italian hands. I decided to represent a vehicle used in Tunisia in 1941. As I wanted to try some dessert effects (worn paint etc.) on it the low number of decals came in handy, because they would not ubscure the effects then. I started spraying different mixtures of Vallejo Model Air Dunkelgelb and Model Air White to represent worn paint on the exposed areas and add a little shadow to those that are... well... darker (what shadows commonly are...). I don´t know if this shade is completly correct (I think not 😐), but it looked well in this scale and came close to the original. Wheels and tools were sprayed seperately and then detailed using Vallejo Model Air Brown and Burnt Umber foor the tool handles and Humbrol Tire Black for the Tir...