Removed molded on tie downs and glued on some new ones, location holes removed and holes drilled for brass rod grab handles. The molded on mesh from the rear cover cut out and prepped for an Alliance model works PE.
Would have done more but for the last couple of days, everyday was track day:
Thank goodness for magic tracks! Dealt with a few sets of track off of sprues, and it was not fun… The side of my pointer finger still feels tender to the touch where the guide horns kept pressing into my skin.
And I’m actually building up on my recent motivation to build, so I think I’ll be finishing up this bad boy:
calling the T-34/D30 interior done with the final 4 crew seats… not brilliant and will likely fall out when painted but they add a little to the space…
The tan plastic of the RFM just made me think it would show through, the green of the Academy kit not so much but if the airbrush is loaded up why not. Did use the hull red to mute down the engine bay. I go back and forth about adding details to this interior similar to but probably not as well as Rob did. I have another RFM 85 showing up today so I could add the detail to that one in the future.
Anyone know if the Academy kit is correct kit for the Hungarian upraising in 1956? Which cupola is used? Have the Star decals set but I am not 100% sure. TIA.
I have a couple of those along with the similar SU-100. The tracks, even thought they’re individual, are horribly misrepresented. guide teeth should be as wide as the widest part of the link, but instead they are only as wide as the narrow part, making them look far too small, which they are.
The drive sprocket is missing the drive nubs between the wheels - instead they put them on the idler! The drive sprocket also need to have a raised lip around each hole - easy enough to do with slices of styrene tubing, but time consuming.
There is cast texture where there should be none - on the fenders for instance.
The final drive housings are too small. I used sections of 1/25 truck fuel tanks to remedy this.
All of the mesh and grills need to be opened over the engine/transmission deck. This is actually easier because the kit is so large.
They turret isn’t too bad - it has the twin air vents, and it’s missing (or doesn’t need) the bulge for the turret drive. Maybe that’s a specific version. It’s been 25 years…
When I visited the Tamiya compound - several buildings through Shizuoka City actually - they told me I could have any kits I wanted, and I chose two of these. They thought I was crazy, but that’s what I wanted.
There’ was a guy on the old forum - Peter Panzer or something like that, who made some nice aftermarket for these kits. Tracks for sure, and I can’t remember what else as I never purchased any of them.
Back in the day I did remove the rubber off of some of the wheels with a lathe, and I made two spider web wheels for one of the kits. I wish I had made molds of them. The kits only have the solid type wheels.
So there’s your hip pocket review. If you can find the kit on eBay, or its NEW STAR copy for $35.00 or so, I’d say it’s well worth it if you don’t mind putting in a little work.
Thank you for sharing the details and thoughts on the kit! I couldn’t quite place what was screwy with the tracks but that’s definitely it.
A set of spider wheels is exactly what’s needed for the kit. My first round of searching didn’t turn up any aftermarket items other than a 1/25 wooden gun barrel.
I need to build a couple of 1/35 T-34’s again before stepping up trying to tackle the Tamiya 1/25 T-34-85. I really want to find some aftermarket maybe 3D printed upgrades for it.
Maybe I’ll cobble together another for casting,. My scratch building abilities may not be what they used to be but my casting abilities have gotten much better at least. If I do, it would only be an outer wheel - then you drill through the holes in it to make hole in the plastic rear. Close enough.
It will be built into an Egyptian army vehicle in the early sixties with Star decals and I will use all the nice details from the dragon kit like photoetch straps and hinges on this one. Also Academy does not provide the smoke drums at the back but something lile fuel tanks, which is not correct.
I should replace the wheels with the late type ones but getting miniart stuff here is pretty difficult, so I will add the bolt head on the hubs and leave the pattern on the rubber sides as is. I will use the large hatch cupola and the fuel pump box included in the kit. Further details will be photoetch straps for the fuel tanks from the dml kit and smoke drums from the left overs of the Tiran 4 from miniart.
If I find enough reference I might add the mg mount on the cupola.
They had both. Finding photos of soviet made vehicles is difficult but I have found some. It is easier to find photos if T-34/100 vehicles on soviet made hulls. Syria also had both make of vehicles.
