Time to start something new. On the plus side, I get three credit hours for it as well.
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OK, tell me about the credit time….Time in the fun zone?
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No, I already received two hours in military science for my undergraduate degree. (in about two minutes)
I should be able to get more now, as electives for my masters degree, based on leadership and all of those classes that go with it, such as Senior Leadership Course. (SLC) But the three hours I refer to are for a class called “Public History.” Six hours for interning in a museum - this semester is far less time consuming than the last one, and what I do spend time on is what I’d be doing anyway.
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Nothing crazy about this build as far as I’m concerned - just basic things you’d do to any AFV kit, starting with the wheels. I like to spin them on sandpaper not just for the mold seams, but to get rid of any drafting, which is very noticeable on some kits:
And the kit does come with PE mesh, but you still have to remove the cast on mesh. I’ll cut out the mesh leaving the outer strips - but they’ll need to be shaved off. This leaves en edge around the perimeter to glue the PE mesh onto:
In their infinite wisdom, Dragon chose to put the sprue attachment points right on the location spots for the vision slits. No matter - the whole part needs cast texture, which is very noticable:
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Progress is slow, but tortoise-like.
I opened the grill area and have glued in the first PE piece. The minor bends are something that happens in reality and don’t look as striking once painted:
The problem with doing this is - now you’re left with a gaping opening underneath. Dragon includes a bunch of PE in this kit, but nothing for the louvers. They’re easily made from brass shim:
Using the PE in for the side grills means blocking off those openings as well to avoid the ‘see through’ look:
I also added the cast texture to the commander’s cupola - ℧β:
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Great start and some nice detailing 
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Next problem is the fuel tanks - Dragon likes to bash them up way more than I’ve ever seen in any photos. And not realistically either. Tamiya’s are just as bad - and too short to boot. Even the resin ones by Royal model are too short - even shorter than Tamiya’s. It’s a shame because they have very nice weld seams on them. But there are many other options thankfully - Italeri - a curious front and rear half setup; Maquette, not bad either, or even Zvezda.
For this I chose to bogart the fuel tanks from the AFV Club T-35/85 with interior. They also have very nice seams, but unfortunately have sprue attachment points on them.
This photo shows Dragon, AFV Club, and Royal Model:
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so, where do the green beret figures come into this, Lang Vei or Kham Duc SF camp south vietnam?
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After building nearly a dozen Dragon T-34/85s (and its derivatives) over the years, I’m still trying to figure out what’s so magic about “magic track” other than the fact it comes in a bag. If they at least clicked together that would be a plus.
I’ll go with the FriulModel track instead.
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Interesting subject. I know nothing of this event. First i’ve heard of it.
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Great! I’ve been hankering to do one for years; an important day in the life of the Democratic Republic and a big wake-up call for Ulbricht.
Remembered today by the renaming of the Charlottenburger Chausee to Straße des 17. Juni (as it kicked off on that day (actually the 16th as well) back in 1953). Renamed by the Berlin Senate soon after the uprising.
There’s also some pics of JS-2s deployed as well, somewhere around. A reminder that the Soviet Bloc was always prepared to use force to consolidate its aims; Hungary would follow in 1956, discontent would trickle on in Poland, similarly crushed, culminating perhaps in the better known invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1968.
All good fare for Cold War modellers of course!
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Er, we’ve already seen the 2 top pics……
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Ooops, I didn’t notice it.
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Ignore me - just a nit-picking old pedant(!)
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Webmaster, please change this thread’s name to “1953 East Berlin uprising”. “Riots” was what the Soviets and their German communist government in the Soviet occupation zone / East Germany called it, whereas it was a workers’ protest against raised work quotas. Details can be found here:
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I rather like the title I chose.
If you want to build a diorama of the same event, name it however you like- revolt, uprising, riot, civil unrest - until Gino changes the title for you.
Soviets crush antigovernment riots in East Berlin | June 17, 1953 | HISTORY
1953 East Berlin Riots, Civil Unrest, 16mm
The 1953 revolt in East Germany: violence and betrayal | openDemocracy
Before The Berlin Wall - East Berlin Riots Of 1953 | Crooks and Liars
Workers’ riots in East Berlin (17 June 1953) - CVCE Website
Military Histories - The Revolt of 1953
This Day In History: Riots In East Berlin Are Crushed By Soviet Tanks (1953) - History Collection
Let’s not forgot, changing people’s words, altering photographs, and deleting people from history was in fact from the playbook of the very folks who drove tanks into Berlin.
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