Winter SU122 Tank Destroyer - Tamiya 1/48

[PlaStix]

Hi all. I was intending to make something in 1/35 for this STGB but there are so many GBs I want to take part in over the next few months, that I have opted to do something in 1/48 instead. Luckily this kit arrived in the post last week. I have made one of these SU122s before and thoroughly enjoyed making it. Last time I did it in plain Russian green - this time I'm going to try doing a winter white-wash version - over Russian Green. I'm also going to try doing my first winter scene on the base. I've bought a variety of winter based scenery products over the years but haven't used them yet - well apart from the Vellejo  snow product which I used on my Winter Pz.IV a couple of years back.

 

So this is my collection so far for this project:

 

I may add a few other bits and pieces as I go on. I have a GB starting in a month that I want to take part in as well, so I may end up with two GB projects running at the same time.

 

I'm looking forward to getting started next weekend.

 

Kind regards,

 

Stix

[modelling minion]

I have absolutely no doubt that this will turn into another of your epic builds and dioramas Stix.

It looks like you have all the ingredients you need for a very realistic scene. I'm very interested to see how the snow product that you have works as I have a need for some for a possible build for the MTO GB later in the year.

[Robert Stuart]

Looks like this will be interesting - as is usual with your builds 'Stix

[SleeperService]

On 6/7/2020 at 10:06 PM, modelling minion said:

I'm very interested to see how the snow product that you have works as I have a need for some for a possible build for the MTO GB later in the year.

That sounds like an interesting build.

 

Good call PlaStix a pretty nice kit hopefully yours won't be as brittle as mine was especially around the gun mount

[modelling minion]

1 hour ago, SleeperService said:

That sounds like an interesting build.

Hopefully! I've ordered the kit and decals I will need for it.

[SleeperService]

51 minutes ago, modelling minion said:

Hopefully! I've ordered the kit and decals I will need for it.

Well Done that man!

[PlaStix]

On 07/06/2020 at 22:06, modelling minion said:

I have absolutely no doubt that this will turn into another of your epic builds and dioramas Stix.

It looks like you have all the ingredients you need for a very realistic scene. I'm very interested to see how the snow product that you have works as I have a need for some for a possible build for the MTO GB later in the year.

Hi Craig. Thank you for your interest. Any chance you'll have time to squeeze a T-34 build into your busy build schedule?

I'm not sure about the Noch stuff - it looks okay in the bag but it's difficult to tell what it'll look like once glued down. It has mixed reviews. Some think it's okay others don't like the effect. I'll give it a go and see what happens.

 

On 09/06/2020 at 16:53, Robert Stuart said:

Looks like this will be interesting - as is usual with your builds 'Stix

Thank you for stopping by Robert.

 

On 11/06/2020 at 13:14, SleeperService said:

Good call PlaStix a pretty nice kit hopefully yours won't be as brittle as mine was especially around the gun mount

Thank you SleeperService. I have built one of these before but don't remember problems with it:

It was actually a most enjoyable project - I'm hoping for the same again this time.....but with snow!!

 

So tomorrow is when we can start so I thought I ought to post some photos of the contents of the box from when I got the sprues washed in warm soapy water earlier.

 

All the contents apart from the instructions:

 

The metal hull tub:

 

Closer views of the sprues:

 

 

x 2

 

Decals and other bits and pieces:

 

Sample of the instructions:

 

This is the one I'm planning on making:

 

Can't wait to get started tomorrow.

 

Comments and suggestions welcome.

 

Kind regards,

 

Stix

[modelling minion]

4 minutes ago, PlaStix said:

Any chance you'll have time to squeeze a T-34 build into your busy build schedule?

I would love to Stix but I am up to my neck with co-hosting the "kit you built as a kid" and Corsair GB's so don't think I will have the time, a lack of a T-34 kit isn't helping either. I'm not happy about the situation as I signed up for this one and the T-34 is one of my favourite tanks, I'll see what I can do but no promises.

[SleeperService]

2 minutes ago, modelling minion said:

I would love to Stix but I am up to my neck with co-hosting the "kit you built as a kid" and Corsair GB's so don't think I will have the time, a lack of a T-34 kit isn't helping either. I'm not happy about the situation as I signed up for this one and the T-34 is one of my favourite tanks, I'll see what I can do but no promises.

If you can great, if not then also great.

 

Stix, your kit sprue E seems to be the same colour as the others. In my horrible one it was a noticeably lighter shade. I think a human sacrifice to make sure would be good but I can't decide which politician to invite

[modelling minion]

20 minutes ago, SleeperService said:

I can't decide which politician to invite

All of them!!

[PlaStix]

On 12/06/2020 at 17:19, modelling minion said:

I would love to Stix but I am up to my neck with co-hosting the "kit you built as a kid" and Corsair GB's so don't think I will have the time, a lack of a T-34 kit isn't helping either. I'm not happy about the situation as I signed up for this one and the T-34 is one of my favourite tanks, I'll see what I can do but no promises.

Totally understandable - you are a very busy modeller.....as always!

Take care and stay well.

 

On 12/06/2020 at 17:24, SleeperService said:

Stix, your kit sprue E seems to be the same colour as the others. In my horrible one it was a noticeably lighter shade. I think a human sacrifice to make sure would be good but I can't decide which politician to invite

That's good to hear - thank you and yes, I agree with Craig - why stop at only one of them!

 

I made a start yesterday but there's not much to show for it. I first glued the few plastic bits, that needed gluing to the rear of the metal hull, with CA glue:

 

Next, after some clean-up, I got the wheels, idlers and drive sprocket parts painted with Humbrol 102 - applied thinned, with water, by a medium flat brush:

For some reason the paint doesn't appear as green in the photo as it actually does.

 

You can see the colour better in this photo of the hull tub which I painted with the same paint with a wider flat brush:

 

Getting washes and dry-brushing done on these will be next.

 

Comments and suggestions welcome.

 

Kind regards,

 

Stix

 

 

[modelling minion]

Off to your usual good start I see Stix, still amazes me how you get such great results with a brush.

[SleeperService]

3 hours ago, PlaStix said:

Next, after some clean-up, I got the wheels, idlers and drive sprocket parts painted with Humbrol 102 - applied thinned, with water, by a medium flat brush:

For some reason the paint doesn't appear as green in the photo as it actually does.

 

For me that's a great thing to have happened, I've been trying to decide what colour to go with on my build. Your green on my screen matches the grotty picture as my reference. 102 it is.

1 hour ago, modelling minion said:

still amazes me how you get such great results with a brush.

You're not the only one. He is pretty handy with a brush.

[badger]

Excellent project and I'm really looking forward to seeing it with the figures on.

 

Great start too.

 

All the best 

Ben

[Hewy]

Lovley ,Looks like your covered for all of  the  extras stix

[Troy Smith]

On 12/06/2020 at 17:11, PlaStix said:

and suggestions welcome.

 

I was doing some inquiring about camouflaged T-34's and related,  I was linked these

 

 

This last shot is in Leningrad, there is a profile which is similar, which has a red marking on top(star?) and the one above the open hatch is very dark.   This looks like proper white paint, not a washable distemper.   Note the above appears to have a small red star on the side, again like the profile, and also on either side of the front glacis.   Enlarging the pic, the number looks to be 802,  but the 2 is quite stylised.  It maybe a cyrillic letter but a quick doesn't show any likely candidates.

 

good one for a distemper finish

 

 

 

the last 3 from here

https://www.worldwarphotos.info/gallery/ussr/spg/su-122/

 

which may give you a few other ideas.

 

On a stash dig/reorder, (looking for T-34's) I found I have the same kit, plus a metal barrel, and the Eduard etch set as well... 

 

[Foxbat]

That Leningrad one is the box art on the new Zvezda kit, but they have the number as 908. The 'branches' are provided as decals too.

 

[Edit]. Just had another look at the photo. It's the same vehicle as the profile just below, but the photo has been flipped - look for the driver's hatch on the glacis 😊

 

Andy

Edited June 22, 2020 by Foxbat

[Troy Smith]

9 hours ago, Foxbat said:

Just had another look at the photo. It's the same vehicle as the profile just below, but the photo is reversed - look for the driver's hatch on the glacis

Of course, how did i not spot this!

908.

su-122 809 crop flip by losethekibble, on Flickr

does also show the detail of the  hatch better. red circle? 

[Foxbat]

This is the back of the new Zvezda box. Picture bottom right shows a red circle, yes. It's not so obvious on the general view with so much clutter on the roof 

 

Andy

Edited June 22, 2020 by Foxbat

[Robert Stuart]

Or ... you could check out MiniArt's Early Production Su-122

They have .pdf copies of their instructions on the web-page ( https://miniart-models.com/products/35181/ ) - 909 is shown on page 16.
(Miniart suggest a red circle, not a star, for the recognition mark),


P.S. Don't think MiniArt have that tube on the RHS ... but then their vehicle number is supposed to be 909, not 908 as in Troy's photo

 

pps. Suspect image of the parade front of the Narva Triumphal Arch is reversed (look at the periscopes).

 

[Robert Stuart]

Ppps - decided that 'tube' is a log, maybe paired with one on the other side?

 

No, the other side is the head lamp

[Troy Smith]

4 hours ago, Robert Stuart said:

Don't think MiniArt have that tube on the RHS

it's a log, commonly seen, used for unditching beam.

 

4 hours ago, Robert Stuart said:

Suspect image of the parade front of the Narva Triumphal Arch is reversed

just to be clear, yes, as pointed out by @Foxbat The one in front of the arch is reversed. 

 

I took that image, flipped it and then cropped it, to show just the detail of 908 better.  

[SleeperService]

On 6/22/2020 at 12:58 PM, Troy Smith said:

does also show the detail of the  hatch better. red circle? 

The roof marking should be a white triangle base to rear with a solid red circle in it nearly touching the triangle sides. 

On 6/23/2020 at 11:11 AM, Robert Stuart said:

 

pps. Suspect image of the parade front of the Narva Triumphal Arch is reversed (look at the periscopes).

A lot of images get flipped by editors for Heaven alone knows what reason. We're fortunate as the driver's hatch is a give away from the front. Nobody can spot everything @Troy Smith not even you

[PlaStix]

Hi @modelling minion, @Troy Smith, @Foxbat, @Hewy, @badger and @SleeperService and thank you very much for all you thoughts, comments, images and suggestions.

I am sorry I haven't been keeping up wth this GB as much as I'd like. I have managed bits of time here and there to make some progress on my kit but not as much as some of you have been able to achieve.

 

First thing I did after the post above was to get a very thinned Revell Gunship Grey wash applied all over the running gear followed by a thinned wash of Revell's Anthracite applied with a fine pointed brush in and around the detail:

 

I then dry-brushed a lightened version of Humbrol Army Green (102) - using some Matt White - with a touch of Revell's Matt Yellow added to the mix - over all the running gear parts:

 

Closer view:

 

Same processes as above on the hull tub:

 

 

Then I painted the rubber tire areas with thinned Revell's Anthracite applied with a small pointed brush:

 

Then I decided to add the sponsons that Tamiya omitted:

Just done with some Plasticard.

 

At this point I felt I wanted to glue some plastic together so:

 

If you have seen any of my tank builds before you'll know my build and painting/weathering order is a little different to most tank builders - who seem to construct the whole tank and then paint and weather it. Partly due to me brush painting - I tend to build in sections and paint and weather as I go. So, before I add the wheels and tracks, I get the sides of the lower hull sides weathered.

 

First job was to get some very thinned washes on - Humbrol Dark Earth and Desert Yellow - these were applied very thinned using a small stippling brush. I also added some steaks/runs of Anthracite, Light Grey and Citadel Nuln Oil:

 

 

Next up I added some Vallejo Thick European Mud - applied sparingly using a cocktail stick:

 

Once the mud product had dried I added a bit more stippled on Dark Earth and Desert Yellow.

 

As I'm making this as as a winter version I got some Vallejo Snow on using a cocktail stick:

 

 

Wheels next.

 

Comments and suggestions welcome.

 

Kind regards,

 

Stix

[Corsairfoxfouruncle]

Nice looking mud Stix, up to your good work as usual.