1/100 Plastic T-34/76 Kits - Part 6

Preface: I'm back! Yes, after a two year hiatus I seem to have rekindles my modelling mojo! And luckily enough - when I checked - I conveniently had the following post still awaiting publication (written in 2018). This sets out exactly where I was with my models when I 'downed tools'. Enjoy...More to come. Milgeek.

A column of T-34 Model 1943 Medium Tanks, with the hexagonal turret,
advancing through Poland. Source: Historyofwar.org

Phew! I'm probably making a real meal of doing what is - after all - a very simple kit. But, in my defence I am a slow modeller and I'm doing four vehicles at one time for the first time.

In any case, my little troop of T-34s trundles on (however ponderously) and I finally get around to adding the decals...

Now, to be fair, I had to order some of these especially for this project (which meant waiting for pay day, as I am now on a much reduced salary). It's one of the annoying aspects of modelling 1/100 war-game armour that - generally - the models do not come with decals, so you have to source your own if you want them.

Luckily there are a few companies out there that take advantage of this gap in the market. I make a lot of use of I-94 Enterprise's 1/100 decals (available from Minibits in the UK), but I also found a rather nice set of Soviet tank slogans on eBay by 1-144direct.com...

These decals are really 1/144 scale but can be used on 1/100 at a pinch. They
are available in red, black or white at £3.25.

The eBay seller's page for these - click here - comes with a key translation for the slogans so you are sure that they are not requests for soup! Although a little small (at 1/144) they do actually fit nicely onto my T-34 turret facets quite nicely...

Warning: These are APL printed decals and not the kit manufactures film transfers you may be used to. They need special care in using and the sellers webpage (provided above) gives full instructions in their use - THEY ARE QUITE DELICATE! (I ruined one set during application.)

I sealed these decals - and my tank numbers - using acrylic gloss varnish (you could also use Johnson's Klear, I guess, but test first). Don't use enamels, as spirit based stuff melts the APL decals, as I found out to my annoyance (read the instructions - du-oh)!

Anyway, I was very happy with these as they give my otherwise generic looking green machines a bit of individual character.