1/100 KV-1 Tanks Primed

 Yes, it really has taken me this long to get this job done - a whole month. There again a lot has been going on in my life this month, including a week in hospital! (All sorted now though.)

Anyway, my KV-1 tanks have progressed and I've finally got them primed. As usual I did this with a coat of Humbrol's Light Olive acrylic spray - my go to quick-prep for my 1/100 green tanks.

I've mentioned it before but it's worth repeating, I love this product. Not only does it go on very smoothly - giving a fine base coat - but it's an excellent jumping off green which you can then modulate into any of the greens used by the major armies in WW2; British Bronze Green, American Olive Drab or Soviet Russian Green.

As you can see I am now have KV tanks suitable for early WW2 or mid-war, just by switching out the turrets. It is - in reality - a bit of a fudge as the chassis of these models of KV did actually differ slightly. But for 1/100 war gaming I think I can get away with it!

Now to plan the next stage - adding the decals.

1/100 Kursk Project - Scenery Pt. 3

I finished off the 'Rusgorov' paper-craft hamlet models yesterday, and I have to admit that I am quite pleased with them. I was a bit unsure about them at first because they seem to lean towards the fantasy rather than historical end of the hobby, being a little on the stylised and colourful side.

But, in the end, I don't think they look too outlandish or unrealistic...

Building these paper and card models was very enjoyable and I look forward to making some more when the opportunity presents itself. (Predictably, I already have an idea for another project in the back of my mind.) 😊

The purpose of these little buildings are to provide some scenery and tactical cover for my planned Battle of Kursk war-game. GF9 TANKS! is intrinsically a 'line of sight' game and therefore having scenery and objects that can obstruct a direct view between a tank and it's target can help to make the game more interesting and challenging. Well, at least this is what I have come to believe from the games I have played so far and this is why I wanted to include a little Russian hamlet as a key objective in my Kursk themed game.

Well, what else will I include on my game table? I can't just have a village in the middle of nowhere.

I've had a good look at a lot of photographs of the landscape on which the Battle of Kursk took place in 1943 and what strikes you most of all is how well suited the countryside was to 'The Biggest Tank Battle in History'! I suppose that's probably putting the cart before the horse as it was as likely as it was the flat and open nature of the region that made it a obvious choice for a set-piece tank battle.

Obviously, I don't think I'll add rolling hills, dense forests or lakes to my battlefield, rather I'll be constructing a pretty flat board with large grass plains interspersed with the occasional hovel and field. Therefore, any obstructions to line of sight will have to be artificial.

Natural landscape 'To do' list:

- How to make 1/100 scale fields.

- How to make some small dirt roads.

What these obstructions ill be will be the next challenge.

Trains Are Big... VERY BIG!

OK, I had this idea that I would like to add a locomotive to my next GF9 TANKS! game as a bit of battlefield bling. A sort of set-piece that would also act as cover for the moment of tanks, I thought this would be quite novel and look cool.

Long story short - I eventually managed to source a 1/100 scale locomotive model (ready built display ornament) and it arrived the other day. It looked great BUT it also looked really BIG!

The eBay listing definitely said '1/100' scale but when I saw the model it looked like enormous and I thought I might of bought the wrong scale (perhaps HO). 😟

Before getting too upset (the model was only £2.50 so I hadn't wasted too much) I thought I would check online to see if I could find out what size actual locomotives were compared to a WW2 tank. It took a bit of Googling but eventually I found a photo that seemed to answer my question...

Wow! Locomotives are BIG! I never realised...

Now, just to be sure I decided to take a comparative photo. I have a M4 Sherman in my 1/100 collection so set them up side by side like they are in the above picture. Let's see if this engine is the right scale as my tanks...

What do you think?

It looks like it's right - I think - and maybe it's just that I'm not used to seeing steam locomotives that has me surprised at their sheer size? OR, maybe I had in mind a smaller tank engine (like Thomas the Tank Engine, LOL) which might not have dwarfed my Sherman quite as much?

Incidentally, the train is exactly the sort I want for a WW2 diorama. It's a German P8 class which was active throughout the Second World War, so that was a piece of luck.

It will be a big piece on the game table (which will be either 3 foot x 3 foot or 4x4), but will definitely be eye catching! I will, however, scratch build my own rolling stock - a few flat-bed transport trucks with some cargo aboard. And to justify why a train would be in the middle of battlefield I will model the train as being derailed, which a section of blown up track.

Lots still to think about.

1/100 KV-1S Conversion Pt.2

I'm very slowly getting back into modelling, but I'm finding it tricky. I am suffering from a bit of anxiety about getting down to it because - I think - after such a long break any modelling I do now may not be up to the standard that I managed to get to three years ago. It's frustrating and is causing me to procrastinate about putting craft knife or file to plastic.

However, today (finally) I took some baby steps towards actually doing something!

Having spent some time trimming the excess flash and support filaments from the turrets I got them in a state where I could look at them properly and decide what they needed doing to them ...

As you can see from the accompanying picture the 3D printed turrets are a little rough with the stepping effect of the 3D printing pretty obvious. I will have to do something about that, but - first of all - I really wanted to tackle the overly thin and fragile main guns.

I managed to find a piece of copper tubing that was approximately the right size for use as a replacement barrel. I checked these dimensions against one of the T-34/76 models I had already done as both the T-34 and the KV-1S were equipped with the same 76.2mm ZIS-5 gun.

I had to do a little bit of sanding and filing of the soft copper to get it close to the right diameter and then I trimmed the 3D printed gun off the turret. The new barrel needed socket to fit into so I drilled a hole in the mantlet to accommodate it...

Excuse the filthy hands but sanding and filing copper is a messy business!

I got a bit of a surprise when I drilled into the turret as I discovered that the 3D printing process produced a hollow part. I didn't know that - This is my first 3D model!

Anyway, I super glued the tube into place and checked it off against my T-34 model. It is still a tiny bit thicker but I reckon at 1/100 and it being a tabletop gaming piece nobody will complain too much!

I'm much happier with a metal barrel as - being game pieces - these models will be handled quite a lot and they will have to be sturdy enough to put up with use.

Next: Now onto smoothing out the turret and cleaning up the fine detail...
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Link to this project series - 1/100 KV-1S Conversion

1/100 KV-1S Turret Conversion

Following up my mention of a purchase (link here) of  couple of 3D printed model conversion parts (something new to me), I got a nice surprise in the post this morning...

After cleaning these parts up I will be mating these turrets to a couple of Zvezda KV-1 chassis. And voile! Two KV-1S tanks...

These 'heavy' Soviet tank models - as I pointed out in my original post - will not give me parity with the German Tiger 1 for my Kursk war-game. In fact, despite the fact that these were considered 'modernised' (at the time) versions of the original KV-1 tanks, the Russians had lightened the tank's armour to improve mobility, thus negating one of the few major advantages of the KV series.

Still, these monsters will look quite impressive on the game table and will provide a little variety in what might otherwise be a T-34 heavy force.

Next: I prep the 3D printed turrets and build the Zvezda plastic chassis.

1/100 'Battle of Kursk' Soviet 'Heavy'

Reading through my old bog posts about the various projects I had on the go two years ago made for some interesting reading (if I do say so myself). One of the projects that caught my eye and my curiosity was my idea for a GF9 TANKS! tabletop war-game based on the famous 'Battle of Kursk'.

Simply, the idea was that, as I had tried several games of GF9 Tanks but they were all small ones - at most involving three or four tanks on each side -I was keen to try out a BIG battle. I had in mind, it seems, something along the lines of at least six tanks on each side, perhaps involving a 'reinforcement' stage to slowly introduce the full compliment over the course of the battle.

Now, when it comes to BIG historic tank battles Kursk must come at the top of the list, so I had begun to assemble a collection of 1/100 models to represent the opposing German and Soviet armies.

Of course, this meant I had to read up a bit about the battle, specifically about the composition of the combating armour forces. But, as it turned out, the interweb let me down a bit here as a couple of the sites that purported to give you a factual account about exactly which tanks were involved were WRONG! (Bad interweb!)

A Soviet KV (I'm not say which model) knocked out with multiple penetrated
hits! Ouch. The KV series was showing it's weakness against the 'Big Cats'.

I had been led to believe that the Soviet forces had deployed the KV-85 as their heavy tank opposition to the German's Tigers and Panthers, but it seems that there was some confusion...

The KV-85 was an interim or transitional tank that came between the KV-1 series and the T34/85. The designation of '85' in either tank relates to the use of the Soviet's new 85mm gun which was developed to replace their 76mm gun which had been used in the T-34 and KV-1 tanks (but was beginning to be ineffective again the new heavy German designs).

What Soviet 'heavy' can I put up against the infamous Tiger?

In their desperation to field the new 85mm gun the Soviets needed a new turret design large enough to accommodate the bigger weapon and this was - initially - achieved by sticking a larger cast turret on their existing KV series chassis. It was something of an contingency plan, quite similar to how the British stuck their new 17 pounder gun in their Sherman Firefly, and was only intended as a stop-gap until a completely new purpose-built tank design could be produced.

In the case of the Soviets that 'purpose built' design for the 85mm turned out to be - ironically - another fudged design - the T-34/85...But that's another story...

Anyhoo...Back to my story...

Cutting to the chase... Yes the KV-85 was rushed into service specifically to tackle the powerful German 'Big Cats' BUT it only manged to reached the front in September 1943 - while the Battle of Kursk took place in July and August 1943! So, to squash the myth - there were NO KV-85s at Kursk!

In defence of some armchair interweb 'historians', what there was at Kursk was the KV-1S. This had the chassis of a KV-1 but a new cast turret design which still had the old 76mm gun mounted. It's my guess (and just a guess, mind you) that some people who were looking at old blurry photos of KV-1S tanks at Kursk misidentified them - because of the vaguely similar turret shape - as KV-85s... Maybe?

The KV-1s & KV-85 compared. The larger 85mm gun on the KV-85 is a bit
of a give away when trying to identify the two variants of 'KV'. But,  depending
on the turret orientation and quality of original photo reference you might be
forgiven for getting the two tanks mixed up..?

In terms of my GF9 scenario project what did this mean? Well, apparently, because of the inaccurate information I had read I had been desperately searching for a 1/100 KV-85 model to complete my Soviet tank force. And, from what I remember, in 2018 I just could not source a single one! So my project kinda stuttered to a halt and then I put my modelling on hold altogether.

As it turns out, I was actually on a bit of a wild goose chase! I didn't need a KV-85 model at all, what I needed for a Soviet 'heavy' was a KV-1s. And I think I remember there being a couple of resin models of this tank on the market at the time... Pah!

I even had a couple of Zvesda KV-1 models in my stash and these could have been converted into the KV-1S variant with a 'little' work...

However, fast forward to 2020 and I easily found - thanks to booming cottage 3D printing  industry - a KV-1S turret I can buy to convert my existing KV models. I've purchased a couple of these from Butler's Printed Models (UK) and they make them to order and they should arrive in a week or so. Problem solved hopefully.

BPM's 1/100 KV-1s model. It's 3D printed so quality is so-so, but it's cheap
enough, especially if you opt just to buy the turret (£1.65 each)

UPDATE 21/05/2020: Received an email from Butler's Models today saying my 3D printed KV-1S turrets are ready for dispatch! That's better than expected - that's just 3 DAYS from order to completion. (Remember, they make these 3D printed models to order!)

With relation to the KV-1s and it's place in my planned GF9 TANKS! game it definitely isn't an equal match for the German Tiger I if you compare the stats (which is why I am building two). And historically too, the KVs were no match for the Teutonic Cats and they were literally cannon fodder for the Germans.

So, what chance would my Soviet force have? Well, you have to remember what happened in the real historic battle - despite the Germans having - on paper - the technological advantage the general consensus is that history's biggest tank battle ever was not the decisive victory that Hitler predicted.

The German war machine did not break the Soviet's fortitude and, in balance, the victory is seen as belonging to the Red Army...But at a huge cost. Can I replicate this result in 1/100? 

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My planned 1/100 GF9 TANKS! Kursk line-up...

Note: This selection may change as I determine game point ceiling and the stats of the various vehicles. I think it's safe to say, though, that the Soviet force will always outnumber the German one as their tanks are (in game parlance) 'cheaper'.

GERMANY

- 1 x Panzerkampfwagen VI Tiger Ausf. H1
- 1 x Panzerkampfwagen V Panther
- 1 x Panzerjäger Tiger (P) Ferdinand ('Elefant') tank destroyer
- 1 x Sturmgeschütz III 'StuG' Ausf. G assault gun
- 2 x Panzerkampfwagen IV Ausf. F or G

SOVIET UNION

1 x SU-152
2 x KV-1S
2 x SU-122
4 x T-34/76

Skyrex 1/100 SU-122 - Part 3b

My 1/100 WW2 Soviet tank force has been on hold while I awaited the arrival of some additional decals that I ordered. I'm glad to say that they have now popped through my letterbox!

These 1/144 Red Army slogans are the same as the white versions that I used on my 1/100 T-34s...But red (in both senses of the word)!

I'm trying to get both my T-34s and SU-122s to the same point in their painting so that I can do the next couple of stages in their weathering together, hence the wait.

 I wasn't really satisfied with the red number decals that I had applied to this SU-122, I thought the tank looked a little mundane and needed a little something extra. So when I realised you could get the Red Army slogan decals in red I ordered them straight away (though, stupidly, I opted for second class postage which is why they took so long to come).

The decals are by 1/144 Direct in Glasgow. I just have to decide which slogan to add to my SU-122 (just below the numbers)...?

Next: Weathering my T-34s and SU-122s.

Skyrex 1/100 SU-122 - Part 3

Moving on from the priming, I've applied my now standard wash procedure for WW2 Soviet armour. A dark staining wash of Citadel Agrax Earthshade, followed by a light dry brushed highlighting of Vallejo Model Color Yellow Ochre.

It's a subtle process, but you might just be able to tell the difference if you study this photo. The unhighlighted SU-122 is on the left and the one with the yellow ochre dry brushing applied in on the right...

It just picks out the raised edges and corners and gives some small amount of 3-D tonal contrast on raised detail. At this stage it does look a little in your face (though I have seen some war-game modellers who like 'high contrast' stop at this point), so I prefer to take a step backwards - of sorts - and smooth out this contrasty highlighting with a overall modulating wash of diluted Vallejo Model Air Russian Green.

This - to me - ties together the underlying high contrast coats and flattens them out again with a rich semi-glaze (no it isn't actually a glaze, but the Russian Green is a rich colour that gives seem transparent jewel-like coating that tones down the contrasty undercoat). It's kinda hard to explain and - again - is subtle...But I am kinda liking the effect...

The underlying contrast of the shadow wash and highlighting dry brushing
is modulated by the overall wash of Russian Green. But, you still get the
faint mottling of the darker shades showing through.

In a way I am sort of a fan of the opposite of the airbrushed 'panel shading' effect that you see on a lot of models these days, where the modeller highlights areas of panels with lighter tones to give a '3-D effect'. I prefer to work the other way, with a darkening underlying effect as I never feel comfortable with military vehicles being too bright.

Decals - We Don't Need No Sticking Badges!
Being a Soviet tanks less is more regarding markings. As far as I can see, the SU-122s in particular - being something of a stop-gap - was one of those Red Army vehicles that only got the most    expedient of identifications...Principally a vehicle number.

Not exactly exciting markings but this seems to have been as complicated as it got for the
SU-122s around the time of the Battle of Kursk. Source: Tanks-Encyclopedia.com

I searched through my decal stash and found a couple of numbers that looked the right size (though they are not historically correct and are really meant for other Soviet vehicle types)...

My chosen decals - '106' went on nicely, but 'Red 3-24' had a very heavy film
and silvered despite my use of MicroSet. This particular decal was made by
ACE (for one of their kits) and they are generally of poor quality, sadly.

Because these are just for wargaming and indicate examples of types I don't think we have to be too fastidious when it come to markings (they are not intended to be models of specific vehicles from specific units at a specific time). So long as they look the part I'm happy.

Next: Tracks and Mud

Skyrex 1/100 SU-122 - Part 2

On with the prep work...This is the downside of white metal models and I find it a little tedious.

My main grumble about white-metal models is the inherent volatility of molten metal and it's propensity to distort and 'boil' (for want of a better word) during the moulding process. This effervescence of the molten metal during its transition into it's hardened state invariably results unpredictable flaws and blisters...And, sadly, such is the case with my SU-122.

I don't know why, but 'flash' always seems to form right at the most obvious point on a component, rather than at a point that is easily hidden or not seen...

This carbuncle of metal 'flash' had to form *right* on the front of the track!

Other blemishes on the model - and there are a few - I can deal with but the imperfections on the tracks and the engine deck are very, very frustrating. All I can do is smooth the flaws down with a bit of filing and hope for the best (rebuilding the detail again with something like Milliput might be possible, but whether it is worth it when this isn't a display model is debatable).

Simply removing the unsightly protuberances and neatening up may suffice for a war-game model...

Sadly, in filing down I have also lost some of the track pattern detail. :(

Though, the engine deck repair is a little more tricky and immediately noticeable (no hiding this)...

It's the same on both models and is very disappointing. As I said, I don't want to try and rebuild flaws like this using Milliput or styrene strips and filling down in preparation to rebuild might actually do more harm than good. Perhaps a bit of judicious painting might help camouflage the broken detail.

On piece of work I did have to do, though, was on of the commander's hatches which I lost to the infamous Carpet Monster! However, it was a very simple job to cut a new rectangular hatch from a piece of styrene sheet and then to glue a couple of thin hinges on...

My replacement commander's hatch.

All that's left now is to attach the external fuel tanks and any other stowage I fancy adding. I'd like to attach the unhitching logs to both tanks, but they look identical so I'll make a new 'log' myself...

Priming
Having got everything prepared (there was LOTS of labourious filing) I started to add the extras to the hull using superglue. I was a bit disappointed that the external fuel tanks had to be just glued directly to the surface of the hull - without any guide pins or holes - and the side mounted tool boxes did not fit at all (I had to make my own out of plastic). Also, it turned out that the metal unhitching logs were a bit oversized and looked a little odd so I ended up leaving them off completey.

You do have the option to leave off the fuel tanks (reference photos show the SU-122 with and without them) and if you do that there is enough space for adding an unhitching log. But I would still recommend that you make your own log out of thinner diameter plastic rod.

All that done, I primed with Humbrol's Light Olive acrylic spray, just as I have with the rest of my Soviet armour for this project...

Well, they don't look quite as bad as I had imagined that they might when I looked at these model in the raw metal. Hopefully, as I apply more painting effects they will look even better!

I do have to keep reminding myself as these models are intended to be seen at tabletop distance (say, at least two feet away - don't ask me what that is in centimeters). So, we shall see.

Next: Operation 'Disguise the shoddy detail with paint' begins!

Skyrex 1/100 SU-122 - Part 1

SU-122 in Kubinka Tank Museum. Source: Wikipedia.

While I wait for some decals I have ordered for my 1/100 T-34s to arrive, I thought that this would be a good opportunity to get started on the last of my mid-war Soviet tank force. While the Skyrex white-metal wargaming models don't require a lot of putting together, they do need some extra prep work to get them ready for painting.

The SU-122 was the Red Army's answer to the highly successful German Stug III assault gun/tank destroyer. This design of fixed gun housing on a medium tank chassis suited the Soviet's need for large numbers of quick to build and cheap fighting vehicles. The chief advantage of this design was that you could shoe-horn a larger gun into the housing than you could get in the equivalent vehicle with a rotating turret, thus - while normal T-34 designs were mounting a 76mm main gun - this gun carriage could mount a hefty 122mm howitzer!

The Skyrex Model Overview
While I would have preferred to have stuck with plastic models for my 'Battle of Kursk' project, sadly none of the main 1/100 plastic kit manufacturers make a SU-122 (and I didn't fancy taking on a T-34 conversion project). So, as I only required two of these models, I dug deep and splashed out on a pair of Skyrex metal models (£6.50 each plus postage).

There are only four main parts (main hull, 2 x tracks and commander's hatch) plus four external fuel tanks, a tool box and a 'unditching log'. [Apologies for the lack of clarity of the photos, but bare metal is quite difficult to photograph.]

As usual, for a white-metal model, there is a little flash and a tiny bit of deformity so 'cleaning up' mainly involves smoothing out any pitting, bits of flash and scratches with some mild filing and shaving. Additionally, I've been told that it's good practise to give all surfaces a quick rub down with some 'wet and dry' paper to remove any of the moulding medium residue.

Detail wise, it's a mixed bag, but this is the compromise you make when having to resort to a low run metal moulding compared to a high volume plastic injection kit. The crispness of detail you get with plastic just isn't there, but - again - there isn't a plastic SU-122 model in this scale...So, be content! ;)

Because of the lack of definition with some of the detail (particularly the engine deck) I'm a bit worried about how the painting will pan out.

😬 <--- My worried face!

Well, I better get my file and 'wet and dry' out and get going...

Next: Priming, where I should get a better idea about how some of that detail might turn out.

1/100 Plastic T-34/76 Kits - Part 5

It's taking some getting used to working on several similar models at one and the same time. I'm really not sure how people manage to do whole 'regiments' of vehicles for large scale games like Flames of War, I'm finding the repetition tiring with just a troop of four T-34s!

Anyway, gripe aside, all the track sets (4 sets, so 8 parts) went fairly well...

The dry-brushed highlighting is somewhat exaggerated for effect (nearly yellow, in fact). But, I'm beginning to get into this whole war-gaming style of painting, though I guess it might be very easy to get carried away.

In this case, however, I shall be toning the high contrast down a bit when I add an additional shading wash. Once that is done and I have pin-washed the shadow areas in the wheels I'll start to think about how much - if any - mud and weathering to apply to the tracks.

Now, onto the hull(s)...

First job is to paint the base colours of all the stowage and gear. I tried out Vallejo's Model Color Cork Brown for the wooden storage crates, it gives a nice light wood tone. The tarpaulins are various shades of khaki-green and metal equipment is metallic-grey (silver mixed with panzer grey)...

I won't bore you by repeating photos that I've shown before as my 1/100 process is starting to become   pretty well 'set', so I'll just bullet-point the stages after priming and detail base painting:

• MODULATION WASH: A quick wash of Vallejo Model Air Russian Green (once I get my airbrush up and going again I will simply prime any Soviet vehicles with Vallejo's Russian Green Primer, thus eliminating a stage).

• HIGHLIGHTING: I've begun to highlight in two stages. First a general light dry brushing of a Russian Green/Ochre-Yellow mix to give some high-contrast highlights to raised detail and to give some lightening shade to the upper surfaces angels (tops of surfaces). This is followed by a more focused highlighting (near white) on the very most prominent edges and detail (I used a mix of Vallejo White and German Yellow [806] for this extreme highlighting).

• SHADOW SHADING/ PIN-WASHING: Application of Citadel's Agrax Earthshade (over-all wash) and Nuln Oil (focused pin-wash) shading tints to panel lines and any areas I want to deepen in tone.

• FINISHING WASH: This is something new I'm trying out. To *unify* all the previous wash effects I finish off with a wash of Citadel's Athenian Camoshade. Let me explain; using multiple layers of washes one onto of another - particularly dark washes - can get a little messy. You can end up with patches and streaks, and so - to smooth out and counter these unwanted blemishes - I apply an overall wash of Citadels darker green shade. It pulls everything together and adds a rich sheen to the Russian Green.

Lastly, some of these processes are repeated for effect. For example, I gently highlighted again after the shadow wash/finishing wash or, if a shadow in a panel is not deep enough, I might add an additional shadow wash to that specific area.

I know...This all sounds like a lot of work. But going down the route of multi-layer washes to build up effects seems to create a complicated tonal end product that suits me more than trying to subtly airbrush shading effects at this small scale. If you are more comfortable with airbrushing instead...Go for it! It's all down to personal taste. :)

Ready for Weathering
And here we are, all ready to start the weathering and advanced detailing/effects stage of painting...

Next: Weathering & Completion

Zvezda 1/100 SU-152 'Animal Killer' - Part 2

Well, this project isn't going to take long!

...So, moving along briskly, it's on with the painting. And, because I've a pretty well defined painting plan for these Soviet tanks 'briskly' is the operatively word...

[Note: I took the pictures as I went along with my mobile phone - for convenience sake - so, unfortunately, the colour reproduction varied wildly, depending on the lighting. My apologies.]

1. Priming - Humbrol Light Olive Green

2. Modulation - Vallejo 'Russian Green' Wash

3. Painting Tracks - Basics
First stage in my track painting (for these 1/100s) is to base coat the tracks with a mix of 70/30 Vallejo Model Color 'German C. Black Brown' [822] and Game Color 'Plata Silver' [052]. This just gives the tracks a vaguely rusty-metallic lustre...

This shot shows the very basic nature of the track detail (or rather, the lack
of track detail)!

Next I brush on a dark brown wash of Citadel Agrax Earthshade (slightly diluted). But, be careful, as this wash doesn't seem to like too much water added and will sometimes dry with a white residue. I've been told that to avoid this you should dampen the surface you are applying the wash to first.

Anyway, the wash gives nice definition to detail and gives the base colour a slightly dirty look...

Compare this to the picture above. Notice how the wash has picked out the
details of the road wheels in particular.

On top of this I dry-brush a highlighting colour of Vallejo's Model Color Yellow Ochre [913] (mixed with a little Vallejo Model Air Russian Green for effect). This is just to make the most prominent detail 'pop' out a bit.

And finally (prior to weathering anyway), I do some pin-washing using Citadel's Nuln Oil shade [wash]. This is to deepen some of the most shaded detail in the road wheels...

Yes, subtle I know, but believe me, some of the deeper detail is now better
defined and shaded. I may re-highlight a it, but otherwise onwards we go!

4. Highlighting (Dry Brushing) the Hull
These stages repeat the wash, highlighting and pin-wash processes described above. This stage is very subtle so I've skipped photographic it. BUT, it is worth doing as once the next stage of shading wash has been applied it gives some very subdued highlighting to raised edges and panel lines.

(As these are war-game models I've started experimenting with some high-contrast highlighting by using a little white. It's not very realistic per say  but it is a nice effect. I highlight with my yellow/green mix, then dry-brush a little whiter mix on top - just on the very most prominent features.)

5. Shadow Shading - Citadel Agrax Earthshade

6. Pin Wash - Citadel Nuln Oil
With the pin-washing done, this brings the hull and the tracks to the same stage of basic painting.

7. Decals
I'm not basing this tank on any specific historical vehicle, so the decals are just to add character to the model. I begin by a flicking through my collection of spare decals and found a set of - appropriately - large Cyrillic numbers ('14') that I thought would compliment such a big tank.

The model was prepped with a  light patch of Humbrol's 'Gloss Cote' on the hull where the decal would be placed. As usual, Microscope's Micro Set was used to help seat and set the decal in place...

Sometimes less is more with Red Army armour!

(Another light coat of Humbrol varnish would be applied on top of the decal to seal the transfer permanently.)

8. Chipping, Grime & Weathering
As this is a war-game model there will be plenty of character about it, and this includes a slightly exaggerated amount of weathering. This is definitely 'just for fun' and not strictly historical.

I'll start with chipping as, it seems to me that, grime and dust would naturally occur on top of chips and scratches (maybe). I use Vallejo's Panzer Aces Dark Rubber [306] and dot and dab it in minute patches and scratches on areas I think would see wear and tear...

It's debatable whether - at this scale - small detail effects like chipping are
needed. I shall decide when I see the finished model.

Aside from the grey ('flakey paint') chips I'll additionally add the occasional speck of silver to simulate chips that have gone down to bare steel (like chips on hinges and wheel rims, etc). I could add some touches of graphite pencil to get that metallic look to the surface (I shall try this out on the bottom of the hull first to see if I like it.)

And finally, I'll add a few grime, stain and oil streaks to the hull and slightly discolour the decals to get rid of that 'new' looking brightness.

9. Finishing Tracks - Weathering
As above, there will be a touch of chipping and silver flecks to imply scratches (I also did a little silver dry-brushing to give a metallic sheen to the steel tracks). But the main job will be to add dust and dirt (or mud if I want a very weathered look). This is the bit I always dread as it's so easy to get carried away. So, before the mud...

(Edit: I thought the tracks looked a bit flat - in tone - so I added a wash of Vallejo's Game Color Wash in Sepia Shade [200]. This added a nice tinge of rust to the bare steel of the track links.

And, after the mud...

I'm not happy with my 'mud' technique yet. I keep trying out new medium, in
this case it's Tamiya's Weathering Sticks. I think I prefer powders.

10. Finishing Up...
Well, I just can't resist tinkering and I did some more chipping and streaking. But that's normal with me - I just can't leave well enough alone!

I'm fairly pleased with this model, though a little disappointed with how the tracks turned out. It's perhaps half to do with how simplified the tracks were - offering scant detail - and half my poor 'mud' painting technique (I shall have to practise with some other medium).

But, let's not get too negative...This is a perfectly fine war-game piece for GF9 Tanks, and that's the main thing.

All that's left if to varnish the model. I'll probably go with several light coats as it's intended to be handled. Other than that, it's on with the next models in this project - my T-34s.