Back to Basics

A d a m W i l d e r b u i l d s t h e n e w Ta m i y a k i t f ro m t h e b o x
Many modelers, including myself, write articles about incorporating methods such as the use of photo-etched brass, soldering, extensive scratch-building and varying painting techniques that allow us to produce the work covered in this magazine. That is great for the veteran modelers but some of us are better bankers, plumbers, business executives, athletes and waiters. Some of the subscribers to this and similar publications may feel that their own talents are in different areas, and they might not ever be able to produce armor models like the ones they read about every month. During this article, I am going to try and bring to your awareness some of the basic modeling techniques used by the masters that are often overlooked because they are wrongly assumed to be common 52 knowledge. Without these basic techniques, the experts would be unable to supply this publication with the nice work you view every two months. Everyone wanting to get into the hobby of modeling must know these techniques. I also hope to demonstrate that if you choose your subjects properly, you can make a beautiful model with minimal after-market parts and the years of experience needed to properly apply them. model is superbly detailed and molded, assembles with minimal effort, and gives you one of the most numerously deployed aesthetically-pleasing armored fighting vehicles ever manufactured.

Getting started
The kit provides you with the opportunity to make a number of different T-55 variants for some of the many countries in which it was deployed and manufactured. I chose the

Choosing the Subject

With careful research, you will find there are a number of models on the market that you can build out of the box with minimal effort to get a beautiful scale armor model. If you are looking to get into this hobby I would recommend the new Tamiya T-55. As I will show you with the aid of photos, this armor

option to build one of the T-55s used by the Russian army with the mounted anti-aircraft machine gun.

Photos 1 & 2 Upon choosing the specific T-55 you would like to construct, I would recommend going through the instructions and highlighting

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each of the directions that apply to your model to eliminate possible confusion. at once because similar ones can be easily confused.

Photo two provides a view of the models major components.

Photos 8 & 9 Make sure you align and glue part D12 before adding parts A4. I like to use the very

Assembling the Hull

Photos 3 to 5 When starting the construction of a model, I first cut and prepare all of the major parts for assembly. Xuron cutters such as the ones shown in photo four allow you to make a flush cut in those difficult to reach areas between the sprues. Xuron snips and the other tools shown throughout this article can be purchased at most stores Leave a bit of the sprue on the part when you cut it to minimize any possible damage to the part, and remove this carefully with the aid of a sharp hobby knife. If you damage the part while cleaning it you can fill in the unwanted hole or divot with fast drying putty.

dense Testors liquid glue to assemble the larger parts. It sets slowly allowing you to properly position the parts.

Photo 10 Parts D27 and D31 appear to be part of the top plate. These parts need to be filled with putty and sanded smooth on the front ends where the seam will not be hidden by the turret.

Photos 11 to 12 Many of the toolboxes and the rear cylindrical fuel tanks need to be assembled. When assembling the toolboxes, first glue one of the sides with the top. If you center the side properly with the top, the other sides should assemble properly in place.

Photos 6 & 7 The seams on the parts caused by the molding process need to be removed. You can remove these seams with the back of your hobby knife. Always keep plenty of new blades for your hobby knife on hand. A dull blade will only damage delicate parts such as the ones I am cleaning in photo 6. Be careful not to cut off too many parts to clean Photos 13 & 14 Testors liquid glue seen in photo 14 is a little denser and not as clean as the Tenax 7R seen throughout the other photos. However, it's great for thinning Tamiya brand putty, which allows you to brush on the minimal amounts needed to fill the small but unwanted seams on parts C33 and C35 53

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that make up part of the light assembly. Let the putty set for a few hours before sanding. Photo 14 shows the completed light assembly next to another small part I am attaching with the aid of tweezers.

its weight do the cutting. Again, glue the screening in place on the inside of the parts where the bond will be out of sight on the completed model.

parts are in place, they can be used to properly align the rest of the torsion bars with a straightedge.

Photo 21 Photos 17 to 20 Often the larger parts of a model can be slightly warped, requiring you to hold them together for long periods of time while the glue sets. When assembling large parts such as the upper and lower hull, first use small amounts of super glue in required areas to quickly attach the parts together. After the quicker drying super glue sets you

Photos 15 & 16 The nylon screening provided with the kit needs to be cut to size. Use a straight edge, a rigid surface and a sharp hobby knife to cut the soft material. Do not press the knife or you might tear the screening. Instead, make numerous passes with the knife letting 54

When cleaning parts such as the torsion bars, only remove the seams that you think will be visible on the finished model. After cleaning, glue the torsion bars in place from the inside using a dense, slow drying glue to achieve a better bond. First glue a torsion bar in each of the four corners. After these

can reinforce the bond with regular liquid plastic cement.

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Photos 22 & 23 The only problem I encountered with this kit were large grooves on the rear of the fenders and turret for the placement of parts. These grooves should be filled with putty and sanded smooth. After filling the grooves, the areas on parts D10 and D11 need to be filed smooth as shown in photo 23 before gluing them in place. Photo 24 shows the filled groove and reworked support. The support on the rear toolbox also needs to be shortened.

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Photos 24 & 25 The seams on the running gear need to be removed. Use coarse sandpaper to remove the seams, then buff the sanded areas with finer sandpaper. Photo 25 shows both the parts needed to assemble the drive and idler wheels. The hubs fit much more snugly into the wheels eliminating the slope encountered on the older Tamiya kits. The tight fit of these hubs is much more suitable for accommodating the heavier after-market tracks that are available.
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The Turret
Photos 26 & 27 Before assembling the bottom and top parts of the turret, holes need to be drilled to accommodate specific parts for the T-55 variant you are building. Photo 26 shows the turret and various parts included to build the various cupolas for the different variants.

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Photos 28 & 29 I glued the covering for the mantlet to the turret before assembling parts B13 and B14. These two parts do not fit snugly against the covering like they should. Just superglue one side of the part and hold it in place for a second. After the first side is glued firmly, add a little super glue to the other side then push the part into place while the super glue sets. After the super glue sets, add a little liquid plastic glue to straighten the joint. Photos 32 & 33 The injection-molded tie-downs are close to Photos 30 & 31 Parts such as the grab-handles are very delicate and can easily be broken as you clean them. Sand off as much of the seams as you can before removing them from the sprues. Divots will still be visible around the scale but are a bit tedious to assemble. Like the fender supports on the rear of the hull displayed in photo 23, a divot will be present between part C52 and the turret after assembly. This will need to be filled and the putty blended with the texture of the turret. grab-handles after they are glued into place. These flaws can be fixed by adding a little thinned putty then blending it with the texture of the turret. Photos 34 to 36 By this time I am sure there are a number good quality turned brass and aluminum gun barrels on the market for this modelhowever, the gun provided with the kit will do fine. The muzzle must be properly aligned and glued together first, I use a Flex-I-File to clean the puttied seams on the gun and other cylindrical parts while keeping their proper contours. I accidentally ruined some weld detail on the end of the gun barrel while sanding the putty smooth. I recreated these using stretched sprue. 55

Photos 37 to 40 Part C39 was reworked to accommodate a piano wire antenna. Photo 38 is a close-up of the assembled DShK anti-aircraft machine gun. Tamiya might want to consider selling this little gem separately. The only after-market item used on this model was a set of Friulmodel track links. Although the vinyl tracks provided with the kit are very good, they still cannot compare to the look of realism obtained when using these workable metal links. Friulmodel tracks are fairly easy to assemble and are definitely

worth the extra cost. These tracks were also needed to accommodate the weathering steps, as you will see.

construction photos. With the model constructed and cleaned, I moved into the painting steps.

Painting
Before painting the assembled model it was washed thoroughly using an old toothbrush with soap and hot water. Washing the assembled model removes any oils and dust leftover from handling and construction. I took the photos of the assembled unpainted model to show some more details that might have been missed in the Photos 1 to 3 I first painted the model with a base coat of acrylics. Tamiya paints are very user-friendly and adhere well to the plastic. Vallejo-Air acrylics are more difficult to spray but give a wonderful finish. I use both Vallejo dilutant and tap water to thin the Vallejo-Air colors. I airbrushed over the base-coat of Tamiya

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colors with lighter colors of green focusing

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the lightest hues on the upper hull and turret top. Shading the model in this fashion will add a false shadow to your model, giving it depth. You will need a good quality airbrush to perform this step. After applying the lighter hues of green, I airbrushed a coat of acrylic gloss over the entire model and running gear. The gloss will protect the base-coat and work with the following weathering steps to give a look of painted steel to the completed model. After letting the gloss set

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for an hour, I started adding fusions to the model. This is the first weathering step that slightly reduces the gloss while enhancing the green tones of your model. Using artist oils, I mixed more green and yellow colors, placed them onto the model in small amounts as shown, then blended them using a brush dampened with turpentine. Make sure you use vertical downward strokes on the models sides to represent washing from the rain.

Photo 4 I decided to use the decals provided with the kit. Modelers often try to avoid decals because of the glossy look they can produce. If your model is a recent release from a high end manufacturer, you can frequently get away with using decals as I will demonstrate. After cutting the required decals from the model and letting them soak in tap water, place them onto the model with the aid of tweezers. Have a brush handy to remove any air and water that might get trapped under the decal. You will need a decal setting solution such as Solvaset to help your decals conform to the cast texture of the turret. Again, just simply follow the directions on the label of the bottle.

Photos 5 & 6 With the base-coat and decals applied, I started painting the winter camouflage onto the T-55. Using acrylics, I airbrushed the base of the winter camouflage onto the model. You will need to view photos of vehicles with winter finishes to see the areas where the white was wiped away as a result of usage by the crew. Leave green the areas around the hatches as well as other places were the operators might stand. After spraying the base white, green chips and scratches were added.

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Photos 7 to 9 After adding the green chips I brushed on and blended an enamel matt off-white color. You want your brush to be damp while blending the enamels. If your brush is soaked, you will get a thick wash instead of the blended look you see in photo seven. Brush over the green chips as though they are not there. After this step you can see how the winter camouflage looks faded as though it has been outside in the field. The matt off-white also gives depth to the camouflage while contrasting with the glossy 58

finish of the green. As mentioned, the winter camouflage will quickly wash away collecting in and around seams and details. Using a fine brush, I added a heavy wash to all of the seams and around the details using the same off-white enamel as in the previous step.

white randomly over the model. These spots might have been splashed on while the winter camouflage was being applied to the vehicle. They might also be remaining areas left over from where the rest of the camouflage washed away. These runs and spots are important because they help contribute to the muddled appearance of a

Photos 10 & 11 I simulated runs in the winter wash using Vallejo-air. Vallejo colors have some of the best brushing capabilities I have seen. During this time I also added small areas of

faded winter wash.

Photos 12 & 13 I added a number of washes to the model using a mixture of artist oils and enamel

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paints. Washes help to further highlight details while also contributing to the false shadow obtained when spraying the lighter hues of green onto the base-coat. You can add large washes over entire details as seen in photo no. 12. You can also use a fine brush to keep the washes more precise without altering the base color as demonstrated in photo no. 13. Over time you will decide which types of washes you prefer and when to use them.

random chips in the winter camouflage. You want to perform this step to all of the corners and small details that are covered with the winter camouflage. You can use this step to further fade the white areas as shown in photo 14.

tanks. This is also a way of adding more interest to the models finish.

Photo 18 With both the winter wash and chipped paint finished and dry, I added a filter using enamels over the entire model to subtly

Photos 15 to 17 During this time I started adding the areas of chipped paint. I add my chips in a two-step process starting with a green that is lighter then the base-coat. Focus mostly on the

blend all of the different colors giving an oxidized hue to the areas of white. Adding a filter such as this will also help to blend the decals with the rest of the model. Note how I blend the colors on top of the pallet to get an idea of the filters shade before applying it to the model.

Photo 14 For the next step you will want to find a brush with semi-rigid bristles and cut them flat with a pair of scissors. Mix a green color resembling your base using acrylics. Dip your flat brush into the green and wipe off the excess paint onto a lint-free napkin as shown in the photo. When you have removed all of the excess paint from the brush start gently tapping the white areas with a vertical motion to simulate more

corners and sheet metal parts such as the fenders. You do not need to cover the entire model with chips. Next, I added rust over the green chips again using a mixture of artist oils and enamels. Pigments were also added to the mixture of rust to give it more of a matte oxidized appearance. Do not cover the lighter green areas entirely with the rust. Note in photo 17 that one fuel tank is white while the other is green. Sometimes these fuel tanks were swapped between

Photos 19 to 21 I then started working on the details such as the anti-aircraft gun and wheels. I painted the anti-aircraft gun a steel color using a mixture of acrylics. Next, I gave the gun a heavy wash of artist oils. After the oils dried I rubbed graphite over the gun using my fingers. The rubber around the road wheels 59

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Photos 22 to 24 The log included with the model was painted with a base of acrylics then given a wash of enamels. I then attached the log to the model where I finished it's detailing. Lighter wood chips were added, then areas of brown were applied simulating its grain structure. I painted the tow cables in the same manner as I did the model.

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Photo 25 Adding graphite to simulate wear was the final step needed before adding the earth colors. I placed the graphite around all of the hatches, corners of the fenders and any other place that I felt would be constantly polished by the crew and the usage of the vehicle.

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Mud Although the times are changing, many modelers still feel that one uses mud and snow to simply cover mistakes. Mud and snow is a vital part of the mix when building realistic looking armor. Mud collects on vehicles in different ways. Like the winter camouflage, it is very important that you first study photos of armor to get an idea of the result you are looking for on your model. There are many colored photos of T-55s available. You need to find a picture of one of these vehicles (or a similar vehicle ) that is in the same terrain as the one you are modeling. Lets start with the mud.

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Photos 26 to 29 I was able to find good close-up photos of some Norwegian armor on manoeuvers in the snow. On these tanks I observed that the limited mud was dark and damp in appearance. With this in mind I first airbrushed a coat of dark earth to the lower hull, under the chassis, to the tracks and lightly over the running gear. Pigments were then brushed over all of the areas of the dark earth base and randomly to the upper hull and turret. The pigments were then brushed with enamel thinner to help them settle into the cracks and around the details where mud usually collects. Like the winter camouflage and chipped paint, mud collects randomly leaving some areas of the model dirty while others remain clean. There are many articles available about adding winter camouflages to models. I wanted to take this article a step further giving an added sense of environment to the model. This past winter in my home state of Maine, located in the northeastern part of the United States, was extremely cold. The cold was broken up by a couple spells of warm weather quickly melting the snow, which lasted about a day each. I would awake the mornings after the cold weather I knew that I wanted to simulate this effect on my T-55 but at the time did not know how. I knew the icicles would be easy but it was making realistic looking frozen slush and snow that had me baffled. I kept this thought in my mind while I continued to assemble and paint the model. When the time arrived I felt that I had come up with a solution. A company from New Berlin New York called 61

Slush, Snow and Ice

had returned to notice lots of frozen slush, snow and long icicles hanging from the cars and trucks around my city.

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Golden Artist Colors Inc. manufactures a number of different artist mediums to enhance, or use in conjunction with, their paints. One of the mediums they provide, called Extra Heavy Gel (Gloss), is used to add texture to acrylic paints. It looks milky in appearance when you first take it of the container but solidifies to an absolutely clear glossy hard substance with just a bit of elasticity.

Photos 30 to 32 I mixed the gel with a product called snow manufactured by Hudson & Allen Studio to get the frozen slushy snow look I wanted. Other modellers have told me they use silica to represent snow and I imagine this would work well in place of the Hudson & Allen Studio product. I applied the snow mixture sparingly under the chassis using an old brush as shown in photo 31. The snow mixture was also placed on the upper hull in places were it might collect. I finished painting and assembling the running gear while the snow dried. I observed on both cars and trucks that areas of snow will get dirty while other areas remain clean. Earthcolored pigments dampened with enamel thinner was brushed randomly onto the snow to duplicate this effect.

Photos 33 to 36 After painting the tracks with a base coat of Tamiya Dark Earth I added another coat of dark wet mud. All of the ingredients used to make the mud are displayed in photo 32 except the Humbrol chocolate paint (which I forgot to place in the picture). You will need to experiment with the amounts of each ingredient to get the density of mud that works best for you. The inside of the track was then marked with an artist pencil and blended further with a piece of dinner napkin. The areas of worn steel on the drive and idler wheels was painted with a mixture of steel colored enamel paints then rubbed with graphite using my finger. More slushy snow was added to the outside of the tracks. After letting the snow dry for about 15 minutes, I rubbed the outside of the track with sandpaper to simulate wear on the cleats. It is important that you place the wheels and track onto the model at this time before the snow solidifies making the track too rigid to place on the model. Photos 37 to 39 With the track and running gear in place, I could add the final details. The icicles were made from the transparent sprue that was heated over a candle and stretched. The stretched sprue was then cut into random lengths and glued into place with super glue. If you view the completed model you will notice that I placed the icicles on the model only under the patches of snow. Stretched sprue is transparent but not glossy enough and too straight. Icicles vary in thickness and are extremely glossy in appearance. This problem can be easily solved by brushing the sprue icicles with the Golden gel straight from the container. Try to make the icicles thicker at their foundation where they attach to the vehicle.

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