Stalin IS-3 background research

I've been looking around to see how others have coped with the 'classic' (50 year old) 1/76 Airfix Stalin IS-3. It has it's problems, so I thought if I could find a picture of one in a finished state I could assess how much work I actually have to do on mine. Well I found an example over at the Airfix Tribute Forum...

Above: With just some subtle weathering this example highlights what can be done with the Airfix IS-3 out of the box. This was produced by ATF member 'Real Thing' and I think he has done a wonderful job considering the age of this kit.

You can follow the complete build review of the above model here: Airfix 1:76 Joseph Stalin JS-3 Tank (A01307) Build Review

The builder lists the problems with this kit in detail, but I think you can tell from this photo that a good amount of simplification has gone on and the overall felling is one of an absence of character (I always think it is the small fiddly bits that add realism to a model). If I had to describe the finish effect in one word it might be - bland (no offence intended to the model maker, he has obviously done a very good job with what he had).

So what could a good braille scale IS-3 look like? Well I featured a model done by Barış earlier in the week, but I didn't show his finished model. Well here it is for comparison...

A bit of a difference eh? You can see more shots of his finished IS-3 here: Roden IS-3 Stalin **completed** (by Barış Bayar)

I can immediately tell the sort of small detail I would like to add to the Airfix model to give it a bit more realism - the turret grip rails stand out as does the AA gun and accompanying ring. My main worry at the moment is what to do about the Airfix's thick vinyl tracks. Hmmm.

Further example: Dyzio - 1/72 JS-3 (IS-3) Polish Army - Trumpeter

Featured work - Barış's superb IS-3 Stalin

I Like the IS-3, it's maybe the menacing look or because I enjoyed playing it in the online tank game 'World of Tanks', but in any case I bought the much maligned Airfix IS-3 and squirreled it away in my stash box for a rainy day. Well, it's raining and with the Christmas holiday coming up this bit of inspiration from Barış over at the MiniAFV blog has really made me want to get the Stalin tank out and start building...

Now you may look at this picture and wonder what's going on, but this part of Barış's technique for rusting really caught my eye. He spots the out the rusty areas and areas for an extra highlight with red and white oils and then blends them in using a brush wettened with white spirit.

I definitely want to give this idea a try with my Airfix monster as the end result - check out his blog - is fantastic.

Link: Roden IS-3 Stalin **first page** (by Barış Bayar)

Now aside from the paining technique the Airfix kit will demand a bit of love and attention and upgrades as it has two very well known weaknesses - the inaccurate shape of the turret and the awful plastic tracks. You can read more about the Airfix IS-3's failings over at Matador Models (including suggestions on how to improve the kit).