TonyW Posted May 24, 2020 Share Posted May 24, 2020 Another entry from me. This time it's the old Airfix T34 76/85. A few period Russian Infantry will be coming along for the ride. The armour spark has been reignited by my taking part in the Blitzbuild GB with an Airfix Sherman tank kit. It really did take me back in time. I built just about all the AFV range as they came out, right up to the Panzer IV. I lost interest at that point and my modelling moved more towards cars. Here's the kit, in it's rather Plain Jane T6 box. The original bagged kit was far more violent. And here's the build that's got me all worked up about armour! I'll be following this kind of formula for the T34 build. A start will be made this evening... . 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterB Posted May 24, 2020 Share Posted May 24, 2020 (edited) Hi Tiny, The nice thing about the Airfix T-34 to my mind was that they gave you two complete turrets, so that it could be either a 76mm armed early one or an 85mm armed later one and the turrets could easily be interchanged - unlike the probably better Fujimi kits when you had to buy one of each! I have another pair of these in my stash, to add to the 6 or so I have already built. You just cannot have enough T-34's, particularly in the umpteen different variants depending on year and factory - the main extenal differences being the gun and the turret shape and style. My originals were painted in Testors US Olive Drab, but have since been repainted in what is claimed to be a more accurate Soviet shade of green. Cheers Pete Edited May 24, 2020 by PeterB 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TonyW Posted May 24, 2020 Author Share Posted May 24, 2020 The two turrets always had me torn between them Pete. The small, 76mm one looked so much sleeker to me, it followed the lines of the hull so well. A racing Tank if you like. The problem being, a great big 85mm gun was more useful when taking on my Airfix Tiger or Panther but it just looked a bit odd next to it's rakish smaller cousin. Progress has been rapid here. An hour or so of cutting and trimming, followed by a bit of glue soon had things Tank looking. That will do for now. It can all dry off and a bit of paint will make an appearance tomorrow. Tony. 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
modelling minion Posted May 25, 2020 Share Posted May 25, 2020 Another great choice Tony, the T-34 has always been one of my favourite tanks and I must say that of the two main types the 34/85 is the one I would chose, but then I like the post war use of them, and other WWII types. Your Sherman looks absolutely fantastic, can't believe you can do something that good so quickly. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevej60 Posted May 25, 2020 Share Posted May 25, 2020 Lovely choice Tony should be another cracker.I had all of the WW2 Airfix soldiers and a load of the polythene vehicles each set was kept in a plastic margarine tub scrounged off a neighbour as we only had blocks of butter! I think I must have built more of these Airfix T-34's than the Russians! 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hewy Posted May 25, 2020 Share Posted May 25, 2020 You did a great job of that sherman,this will be a good one too I've no doubt 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TonyW Posted May 25, 2020 Author Share Posted May 25, 2020 Thanks Chaps. More got done today. Various greens and olives and tans got mixed, scrubbed on, modified, done again and then yet again, chasing a worn, but not knackered look. I'm getting there. A base got built from greystock card with garden dirt added plus a bit of diluted acrylic paints here and there. Another picture frame, about postcard sized was used to bulk things out a bit. The tracks got stapled together, proper old school! They don't fit that well and need work. A bit of sag is needed. I'm modifying a few of the Airfix Infantry to use as tank riders and they should make their entrance tomorrow. And, although they are outside the scope of this GB, I'm also renovating some old built AFV models. Not built by me, but stripped down, repaired and repainted by me. I want them to display alongside my unbuilt examples. I really enjoy this sort of work. The Sherman slotted into the production line and building that one gave me a huge boost to get on with these long ignored models. Tony. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
modelling minion Posted May 25, 2020 Share Posted May 25, 2020 Turn your back for 5 minutes and he's nearly finished another one! Another great looking base and the use of the Arifix Russian soldiers is a great touch. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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