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"THE ROAD TO BERLIN" T-34 85 1/35 EASTERN EXPRESS


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Hi Pals,

 

A new model that comes off the bench (and the stash ... sigh of relief), again a piece of Soviet armor, in this case one of the most iconic subjects of the red arsenal, a T34.

The kit is from a brand unknown to me, Eastern Express, a priori, a brand of interesting models but of inferior quality and cheap price ...

I decided to try one of his kits, because the price was really ridiculous, and on paper, it included interesting things in exchange for a few "bucks" ... lol
In addition, it was brought directly by a good friend who went to Ukraine to see her relatives, so I think I spent little more than 10 euros ...

When you open the box, you can see that it comes well packed and with many parts, the grilles for the motor are mesh, but with very large holes, so it is unusable ...
It includes links to link tracks, a good point, and they are pretty decent too IMHO ....

 

The detail of the cast in the tower is also present, very nice, although I have added something else, and PE welding lines in some points ...

 

Then, on the negative side, the instructions are pathetic, some photocopied loose sheets, which must be numbered, and also very confusing in some points ...

And the worst thing is the rear of the engine, the fit is very bad, it is not possible to adjust it conveniently, so you have to sand a lot and even cut a piece, and then putty.
This will undoubtedly not please the most demanding with the precision of the kit, and with good reason, of course.

 

Despite everything, for just over 10 euros, it is worth trying, either as a guinea pig or to rule out future purchases (in my case, no more EE) ...

 

The assembly is not very complicated if you have some experience and skill, because the instructions are hilarious ... lol, and some points are "hard to peel", like the upper rear part of the engine ... what I thought was going to be a quiet and fast assembly ... it got stuck and a lot there.

 

Then the tracks, link by link, were not bad at all, although I had to adjust where the teeth were in some places, so that they did not overlap ... once again, some experience and skill solved a problem with the kit.

 

The grille of the engines was replaced by a finer replacement, fixed.

 

The barrel was changed for another metal one that had a spare, although the plastic one seemed ok ...

 

I added copper trailing cables from Eureka that I had for the occasion (includes some very bad wire ...)

 

I added some spare parts equipment that I had, and they could serve me, buckles for the spare tracks, antenna, and wire for the handles of the model.

As for the paint, first a layer of black to prime, and then I tried another shade of green, lighter, modulating the intensity at various points.
Then, as always, the weathering process began, with washes with oils and pastels, chips and scratches, until I was satisfied with its appearance.

I added pigments to the bottom and sides to simulate dry mud, along with dry vegetation at certain points.

Finally, a layer of satin varnish to seal all the work.

 

I think the end result IMHO looks a lot like a T-34 85 ... lol

 

I hope you like it, thanks for watching and comments as always
Cheers and TC
Francis.👍
 

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Edited by FrancisGL
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Francis, you have excelled yourself with  this one. The 34/85 is my favourite WW2 Soviet tank, and you've done a great job on it. The painting and weathering are superb. Nice one.

 

John.

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On 03/04/2021 at 16:42, sardaukar said:

Nice weathering, Russian green and rust just go together. I think I need to try my hand at a 1/35 scale kit.

Hi sardaukar,

Many thanks for your like and kind words, i'm glad you like it.

I think you would get very good results with 1/35 if you have never done one before, although I think you would see some changes in the techniques.
Cheers and TC
Francis.👍

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Hi Francis. I hope you are keeping well. Absolutely superb T-34 85! Your painting and weathering are clearly up to your usual very high standards! Very well done! :worthy:

Kind regards,

Stix

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Wow Francis, it takes some cojonas to choose a model of (in your words) "inferior quality" and raise it to this level. I love the painting and weathering. 👍

Cheers,

Ernst.

Edited by Ernst
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On 03/04/2021 at 17:14, Bullbasket said:

Francis, you have excelled yourself with  this one. The 34/85 is my favourite WW2 Soviet tank, and you've done a great job on it. The painting and weathering are superb. Nice one.

 

John.

Hi John,

Many thanks for your lile and kind words, i'm glad you like it. 

And that this is your favorite Soviet tank from WW2, I did not know ... lol, the truth is that it is a beautiful vehicle, very well balanced in its lines.
It is a pity that the kit was so basic, it is not that I am a master of detail like you, but at least, if I like that the fit is perfect or almost ...
I have a Tamiya T34-76 40 that although it will be basic in detail, I imagine that the quality of the kit will be according to the brand, that is, magnificent.
This kit has helped me to practice what I like to see in the finished models, and the photos help me to see their final appearance very well.
Cheers and TC
Francis.👍

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On 03/04/2021 at 17:23, Milan Mynar said:

Great work, it looks like real war weary tank on the road to Berlin. Some photo of the T-34 tank, taken during one comemoretive event.

 

 

Hi Milan,

Many thanks for your kind words, i'm glad you like it.

Well, yes, that was the idea, trying to represent a used vehicle and surviving a few battles, under intense pressure, "walk or burst" ...
The photo you include is very beautiful, were you present there? ...
Cheers and TC
Francis.👍

 

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On 05/04/2021 at 19:17, PlaStix said:

Hi Francis. I hope you are keeping well. Absolutely superb T-34 85! Your painting and weathering are clearly up to your usual very high standards! Very well done! :worthy:

Kind regards,

Stix

Hi Stix,

 

Many thanks for your like, follow and kinf words, i'm glad you like it.

 

Yes, I have been worse, but I am not complaining (too much ...), and I also hope that everything goes reasonably well there.
It seems that I am improving something in my technique, always looking for the model to be as complete and real as possible in terms of its finish.
I really like working with green, and I get very close to what I want to show, it should be the same for other unique colors, but both gray and sand are very different, and I have to practice more ...

Cheers and TC
Francis.👍

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Hi Francis, me old mucker!

 

Sorry I didn't comment earlier, but I was glad to see you were still about and have your mojo back! I have been busy messing about with my scratch-bulding building trying to get the damned thing finished lol, but have a few moments to comment now.

 

Were you carted away by aliens, to be replaced by an even more skillful clone of yourself? Your weathering was always excellent, and always improving, but you've improved even more lol Great work.

 

I am now going to do that 'Badder thing' and nit-pick, purely cos I'd want you to do the same to me.............. Your skills are top notch, so get rid of that kit canvas roll and make your own! It's not bad, but it could be a lot better. That's it. I can't find anything else to 'nit-pick' about lol

 

Loving your new autographed photos too.

 

TC

Rearguards,

Badder

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On 05/04/2021 at 21:09, Nenad Ilijic said:

Great job Francis!

 

You did a great job with Eastern Express kit. I once tried their KV-1 kit, and well, it justifies the price. I spent more on putty and sandpaper than on a kit itself :)

 

Cheers,

Nenad

 

 

Hi Nenad,

 

Many thanks for your like and kind words, i'm glad you like it.

It really is a brand to avoid if you want to get something that is easy to fit, because in some crucial and very large points, the work to be done is improper, and what is worse it will never remain as if it had been a good mold in origin, In addition, the fun is lost in free complications in a kit, beyond what is necessary to advance in its natural process ...
I bought a "Katyusha" from EE, the version with an older truck, since I didn't see any of another brand, all with a more modern truck ...
It seemed very interesting, with everything I needed, including the engine, but when I tried to join the cabin to the chassis ... it didn't fit, because it was longer, or something like that ... I had to cut parts, and join, and after much trying , I gave up, because I saw no way for everything to stay in place ...
I read around, however, that the firing platform was magnificent, that it worked on the move and was easy to assemble ...
In the end, I have it in the spare box ... just in case.
Cheers and TC
Francis.👍

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On 06/04/2021 at 09:14, Ernst said:

Wow Francis, it takes some cojonas to choose a model of (in your words) "inferior quality" and raise it to this level. I love the painting and weathering. 👍

Cheers,

Ernst.

Hi Ernst, 

Many thanks for your like and most kind words, i'm glad you like it.

I love your expression: "Cojonas" ... lol.
I'm not trying to correct you at all, my friend, but let me point out that the one we use around here is "Cojones aka Eggs" (my mother ... what a shame 😳 lol), but it is totally justified, it is true that when I saw the instructions (photocopies with already spent toner ... unnumbered ...), and I got to the engine part and the gun mantlet ... what was to be a military parade, it became "El Alamo "... it only remained to choose between the bin / spare parts box ... or" throw Co ---- s "and get something worthy ... there was no middle ground ...

I'm getting the point from green, I have to get it with gray and sand ... I still have some Soviet armor to publish ...
Cheers and TC
Francis.👍

 

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Hi Francis,

I'll be very interested when you finish the Katyusha you mentioned Wednesday. The tamiya t34/76 that you spoke of earlier in the thread is one that I've build twice, it was the '42 version. An older kit with (I believe) some minor dimensional inaccuracies but fun to build (always with tamiya) but the vinyl tracks were a bit of a let down. For American tanks vinyl is ok but for t-34 you'd rather have indie links.

 

The Eastern express t-34 is I believe a rebadged one of the brand Maquette. That brand had quite some aftermarket stuff such as wheels, engines, tracks, turrets at reasonable prices and a very extended range of t-34 included the very early models. Nowadays there is much competition from various brands and maquette stocks appear to be depleted. So you have completed a rare t-34, great work.

 

Currently I'm painting  zvezda's new t-34 (great kit) and working on a t-72 and tonight I'll pick up a t-80 that I've bought just two hours ago (a bargain). It's the same one that I did last year but  in a dragon box instead of zvezda. Soviet Russia will be proud.

Cheers,

Ernst.

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35 minutes ago, Ernst said:

Hi Francis,

I'll be very interested when you finish the Katyusha you mentioned Wednesday. The tamiya t34/76 that you spoke of earlier in the thread is one that I've build twice, it was the '42 version. An older kit with (I believe) some minor dimensional inaccuracies but fun to build (always with tamiya) but the vinyl tracks were a bit of a let down. For American tanks vinyl is ok but for t-34 you'd rather have indie links.

 

The Eastern express t-34 is I believe a rebadged one of the brand Maquette. That brand had quite some aftermarket stuff such as wheels, engines, tracks, turrets at reasonable prices and a very extended range of t-34 included the very early models. Nowadays there is much competition from various brands and maquette stocks appear to be depleted. So you have completed a rare t-34, great work.

 

Currently I'm painting  zvezda's new t-34 (great kit) and working on a t-72 and tonight I'll pick up a t-80 that I've bought just two hours ago (a bargain). It's the same one that I did last year but  in a dragon box instead of zvezda. Soviet Russia will be proud.

Cheers,

Ernst.

Hi Ernst,

I am sorry to say that the "Stalin Orgel" was left in the box, started, but not continued, since the chassis fit with the cabin and the engine, it is ... impossible, at least for me, after much measuring, cutting, fill in ... I couldn't make it stay in place ... it bothered me a lot, because I would like to have one ... there are more modern versions with the truck, but I don't like them too much, and this was the only kit that fit ( in my idea..clear ... lol, because of fit ...).

You're right, the brand MAQUETTE, it seems to be "the same", because I've seen things on the internet that are very similar to EE, or the same ...
This kit was brought to me directly by a good friend from Ukraine, who went to visit some relatives, and I already took advantage and brought me this and a T72 B1 from Meng, at a very, very reasonable price ...
Wow, from what you say, my T34-EE is a "rare bird", it still has some added value ... lol.

Well now that you mention it, the Tamiya T34 that you mention, I think it's mine. the one from 1942, ITEM 35049. I have not found any similar model (yes many 1943 and 85s), at a reasonable price, the ones that exist are very expensive, and do not include anything special (but if vinyl tracks for example) ...
This, when you decide to do it, the idea is to make it white, but ... we'll see how it happens ...
At least the tracks that it includes have a drawing on the top, not the oldie Zvezda that I made a few years ago (and later changed to an AFV LtoL).

I also have a Trumpeter T80 in my stash, which tempts me ...
Anyway, the Soviet armor seems to have something special ...
I would like to see how your work progresses.
Cheers and TC
Francis.👍

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On 06/04/2021 at 22:48, Buzby061 said:

Lovely work & some very nice touches, the dings on the fuel tanks for instance.

 

What Russian green did you use, I always struggle to find the right match.

 

Pete

Hi Pete,

Many thanks for your kind comments, i'm glad you like it. 

The same thing happens to me, after trying several shades, the one I liked the most was the 71006 LIGHT GREEN CHRM from Vallejo Model Air, logically, once modulated and with subsequent weathering, the final result will look different.
Cheers and TC
Francis.👍

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