Modeling & detailing German armor PDF
Preview Modeling & detailing German armor
The essential guide for the serious modeler G US ARMOR o LD WAR 2 STEVEN JZAlOGA A complete guide to building and finishing _ Hundreds of color photos _ Step-by-step instructions Techniques for the expert _ Ideas for more creative modeling _ Create realistic & eye-catching models • I • OSPREY MASTERCLASS Modeling US Armor of World War 2 I• I I• I Steven J. Zaloga I• I Series editors Marcus Cowper & Nikolai Bogdanovic I ' • I I I CONTENTS Firstpublished in 2009 byOspreyPublishing Author'snote Midland House,WestWay, Botley, Oxford OX2OPH, UK Manythanksgotothe"usualsuspects" atmylocal 443 ParkAvenue South, NewYork, NY10016, USA hobbyclub, AMPSGroundZero inAberdeen, Maryland. E-mail: [email protected] Introduction 4 • ©2009OspreyPublishing Limited Chapter 1 Construction tips and tricks 13 • All rights reserved. Apartfrom anyfairdealingforthe purposeofprivatestudy, research, criticism orreview, as Chapter 2 Painting techniques 43 permitted undertheCopyright, Designsand PatentsAct, 1988, nopartofthispublication maybereproduced, stored Chapter 3 Battle bits: stowage and tools 90 inaretrieval system, ortransmitted in anyform orbyany • means, electronic,electrical, chemical, mechanical, optical, photocopying, recording orotherwise, withouttheprior Chapter 4 The human factor 124 written permissionofthecopyrightowner. Enquiriesshould • beaddressed tothePublishers. Chapter 5 Setting the scene 144 • ISBN 978 184603 3988 E-bookISBN: 978 184603 7726 Chapter 6 Photography 174 • Editorial bylliosPublishing Ltd, Oxford, UK Chapter 7 Further reading 186 (www.iliospublishing.com) Pagelayoutby: KenVailGraphic Design (www.kvgd.com) Index 188 Index byPeterFinn Originated byPPSGrasmere, Leeds, UK 910111213 10987654321 ACIPcatalog record forthis bookisavailablefrom the British Library. FORACATALOGOFALLBOOKSPUBLISHEDBYOSPREYMILITARY ANDAVIATIONPLEASECONTACT: OspreyDirect,c/oRandomHouseDistributionCenter, 400HahnRoad,Westminster,MD21157 Email:[email protected] OspreyDirect,TheBookServiceLtd,DistributionCentre, ColchesterRoad,FratingGreen,Colchester,Essex,C077DW E-mail:[email protected] www.ospreypublishing.com 4 5 z o INTRODUCTION I wantroemphasizethe phrase u,erewillbeenoughtechniques fi-om f TOP Youonlyimproveyourmodeling U I'vewrittenseveralbooksand "mytechniques."This bookdoes the basicthrough advanced levels to skillsbyexperimentationand ::J o o hundredsofarticlesonarmor notcovereverypossible paintingor appealroabroad rangeofmodelers. experience.Thisisoneofmyearliest scratch-buildattemptsinthemid '" modeling,andIdecided totakea constructionmethod as theresimply I am a fairly impatientmodeler f- 1960s,an M5A1lighttankcobbled Z differentapproachinthisbook.Instead isn'tthespace ro doso.Itisabout andI would rather build ten prctty togetherfrom balsawood, indexcard ofdescribingsomespecificmodeling the methods thatI use.I do not good models ayear rather than onc andthesuspensionfrom an HO-scale projects,I'vesteppedbackandttiedto clam,thattheyare the best single super-duper-spectacular. RocoM4 high-speedtractor. It'spretty crudebytoday'sstandards, butI provideabroadoverviewofmy redmiques, buetheyare techniques thoughtitwaswonderfulwhen Ifirst modelingtechniques.I'vedonethisso thatI have found effectivefor my builtit. Mymodeling thesedaysinvolvesmore thatI canspendmoretimeoneacl,of ownstyleofbuilding.This book thanjustbuildingatankmodel. Ialso MIDDLE Thisisoneofmyearliest thesemodelingspecialties.When isintended tobeabitofa liketodisplaythemodel onascenic attemptsatscratch-buildingin plastic, writingaboutmylatestmodel,I've smorgasbord.Mymodelingstyle baseand includeoneormorefigures an M8 75mm HMCwhich Ibuilt togivethemodelasenseoftimeand oftenfound thatIfalJ backinro encompassesnotonlyatank model, around 1970. place.Thefinal stageisphotography roboticmodewhenu'yingto butassociated figures, srowage,scenic bothasatool toexplain mymodeling BonOM Thisisoneofmyconversions summarizemypaintingorweathering displayand phorography.I don't inarticlesand books, butalso tohelp from theearly1970s,an M31 tank ted1l1iqueforthe400thtime.Sothis expectreaders ro beinterested in torecreatethehistoricalsettingofthe recoveryvehiclebasedon theoldAirfix model, asin this photomontagedon in formatprovidesmewithabitmore all thesubjects,andI don'texpect 1/76Grantkit. Adobe PhotoshopofmyAcademyM3 spacethanusualtodescribemy readers to be interested in all the medium tankofthe2/13thArmored tedmiques. various techniques. It's my hope that RegimentinTunisiain December1942. 6 7 z o Afteramonth or two, my patience fromTunisia, Italyand the Pacific, while tanks are complex, full f U has worn thin with any project.So but the vast majoritydepicts ofsmalldetail and easierto ::J o o alotofthe techniques here are vehicles from the battles in France, individualizewith crewand c:r: aimed ata happy medium for very Belgium and Germany in stowage. I was first inspired by the f Z good results withoutconsuming 1944--45. I'vealso thrown in the new American magazineMilitary vastamountsoftime. More occasional Allied vehicle such as Modeler.The first issueI found on fastidious modelers may want to the LocustandStaghound that ourlocal newsstand had areally use moreelaborare techniques to were manufactured in the US even excitingarticleabout recreating Oneofmyfavoritesmall-scale obtain amore preciseresult. Other though used by other Allied forces. the battleofKursk with Roco conversionsfrom theearly1970s wasthisM15A1basedonthe1/76 modelers with less time orless I've been modelingsinceI was a I/87-sca1e mini-tanks. For scaleMatchbox kit.Therewerevery ambition might want to take kid back in the mid-I950s. From authenticity, theysetafew ofthe fewpartsfrom theoriginalkitbythe shortcuts.That's the nice thing the dim fog of memory my first kit models on fire!Theyalso had the timeIwasfinished! about this hobby.You can spend 10 was a Lindbergh "Spiritof first articles I had everseen on hours on amodel or 1,000 hours. St. Louis"in 1956. Until my convertingmodels intodifferent The contentofthis book is teenage years, I builtmostly variants.This was eye-openingstuff heavilyslanted towards the US aircraft. I eventually became more in the I960s even if it's appallingly Army in the EuropeanTheaterof interested in armormodeling amateurish by today's standards. Operations(ETO) in 1944--45 as becauseI had the mostfun with Formany years, I built mainly that is the period that interests me small-detail work. Airplanes tend small-scale AFVs in 1/76scale. the most.There are afew models to be smooth, simple and boring The hobby back in the late 1960 This KoreanWardioramashowinga Marinepatrolwalking pastadestroyed Thisisoneofmybettersmall-scale 1/76-scaleT-34-85 isoneofmy scratch-buildingeffortsintheearly better-knownearlyprojectsasphotos 1970swhileincollege,a1/76-scale ofitappeared inoneoftheoriginal T26E3 Pershing.Themudwasmade ShepPainemodelingbooks. from Testors'puttymixedwith enamel paint,anearlyandsomewhat and early I970s was very different time, but the earlyTamiya kits were I slipped outofthe hobby in the crudeweatheringtechnique. than it is today.There was little in much more toylike than today's I980s because the daily commute the way ofaftermarket products, superb offerings. As a result ofthe to work in NewYork ate up most and no photo-etch. Resin kits were thin offerings available at the local of my free time, and I devoted my apt to be simple, and the resin shops, alarge fraction of my spare time to my military history back then was nasty and brittle models were substantial writing and book illustrating with asticky surface like adamp conversions orscratch-builds. I instead. I was lured back into the candied-apple. Kit releases were began experimenting with resin hobby in the mid-I990s after I had few and far between. Small-scale casting, and I did a few of the switched jobs and no longer had modelers were lucky to get one earliest photo-etch sets. At this three hours ofcommutingeach day. new Airfix kit each year, and there time, I was very interested in model With more leisure time on my was jubilation when other competitions, and I did quite well hands, I noticed the abundance of companies like Fujimi and at International Plastic Modellers' excellentnew armor kits, the Matchbox entered the market. I Society(IPMS) regional and flourishing aftermarketsupplies builtafew I/35-scale kits at the national shows. and thegeneral renaissance of 8 9 z o Therearealsoanincreasingvarietyof I plastickitsin1/72-scale,suchasthis U :::J MirageM3A3seen hereinthemarkings o o oftheFrench2ndArmoredDivision. c:: I Z Otherhobbiescanserveasinspiration fornewarmormodelingtechniques. ABOVEIrevisitsomesubjects.Thi I an Havingseen theuseofphoto-etchparts Airfix1/76LVT-4 thatIconvert dinto bymodelrailroadersandWorldWarI anLVT(A)-1 completewithinterior modelaircraftmodelerslikeHarry detailbackintheearly1970s. Woodman, IdesignedthefirstAFV no photo-etchsetaspartofa 75mm LEFT Imodeledthesamevehicleand HMChalf-trackconversion.Thiswas sameschemeinthemid1990susln marketedforashorttimebyFoto-Cut, theCromwellresin1135-scalekit. betterknownforitsWorldWarImodel aircraftsets.Thismodelwasfeatured in FineScaleModelermagazineafewyears laterintheFall 1983issue. Istill liketodotheoccasional conversionsandthisM4Crocodile flamethrowerwasmorestraightforward than mostsincethearmoredtrailerwas alreadyavailableintheTamiyaChurchill Istilllikethebuildanoccasionalsmall kit.ThisscenedepictstheM4Crocodile scaletankmodel.ThisistheGiesbers duringoneofitsrarecombatactions 1/76-scaleresinT14assaulttank againstthefortressinlulichduring convertedintoa"whatif"version, Operation GrenadeinFebruary1945 re-armedwitha76mmgun. with the739thTankBattalion(SMX). 10 11 z o Irevisitedanti-aircrafthalf-tracksmore fun.These days the Internetoffers Model/il/g, this has shifted my scratch-builds any more.This is in I recentlywith thisT28E1 combination U ::J gun motorcarriagebasedontheold asplendid venue to display your modeling focus somewhat. Editors no small measuredue to the o o Tamiyakit.Ascanbeseen, littleis models to enthusiasts around the are always happy to getarticleson constantarrival of new kits that et: originaltothekitbutthechassisand globe, all from the comfortof the latest new kit, so my choice of have steadily filled many of the I cabwiththerestfabricatedfromsheet Z plasticandresin.Althoughelaborate the den. subjects is often sparked by the gaps. Likewise, I don't do as many conversionssuchasthisonewere In the late I990s, I began arrival ofa new kit.While the heavy conversions as I used to do, relativelycommonin thehobbyin the writingabout modelingon a more preponderance of kits these days for much the same reason. 1980sand1990s,theyhavebecomea regular basis, and these days I write isstillWorldWarII German Even when I/35-scale releases bitofararityduetotheprofusionof excellentnewplastickitsfromAsia. articles on nearlyeverythingI build subjects, there is asteadyenough slowa bit, there is always myoid exceptfor my occasional aircraft flow ofnew US and other Allied favorite, 1/72scale, or the newly orship model. SinceI write for kits to keep me busy. Unlike revived 1/48scale. I am sticking commercial magazines like Military the old days, I do very few with 1/35 scale for mostof my HereisthecompletedT28E1 CGMCin aphotomontageshowingitinaction in Sometanksstill haven'tbeen kitted in 1943 inTunisia. plastic,soconversionisstilltheonly alternative.This Leafletnight-fighting tankisareal Frankenstein,consistingof aVerlinden resin CDLturret, aCromwell resin hull,suspensionfrom anAcademy M10and bitsfromseveralotherkits. armor modeling.Theemergence my fairshare of badarmor judging trophies, and I don't need the ofarmor modelinggroups in the atshows,I gave up on model aggravation. SoI promised myself United States, notably the Armor competitions. Back in the early not to enterany more competiti ns Modelingand Preservation Society I990s, I putofftoo many projects and to focus on buildingthings I (AMPS), certainlyaided this becauseI kept thinking, "Well, wanted to build in the fashion J Here'stheLeafletnight-fightingtankin aphotomontageshowing itduring process as it brought together a I'mgoing to have to correctthat wanted to build them. I wanted operationsalongthe Rhinein 1945 core ofdedicated armormodelers god-awful thingamajigon that modeling to be fun again. with the 736thTankBattalion(SMX). to swap notes and to encourage Tamiya kit, otherwisesome judge Butfor modelers who have fun fellow hobbyists.This has been willding me at the competition." entering competitions, all power further amplified byarmor Modeling became achore. Projects to you! I willenjoy seeingyour modeling on the Internet, and I became victims to my worries models at the shows. But for those have been fairly active on the about the whimsofcontestjudges ofyou who worry about how a Missing-Lynxsite over the past and I dropped some adventurous judge will score your model at the several years. projectsornovel techniques for fear next competition, nee yourself Mystyleofmodelingchanged a thatwouldn't pleasethe judges. from theslaveryofother modelers' bitas well. Havingseen more than I'vealreadygot plentyof model opinionsand build models to have 12 13 z o Idon'tscratch-buildtankmodelsas f oftenasIdid backin the 1970s, but 1: U CHAPTER :J here'soneofmy1/35-scaleprojects, o o ascratchMarmon-HerringtonT16 CONSTRUCTION TIPS AND TRICKS '" lighttankofthetype used in the f- Aleutiansin 1943. Z This chapterlooks atsome basic construction problems that US tank modelers commonlyencounter. Super-detailingofteninvolvesavarietyof techniquesand material.Thisisan Italeri M36B1 thathasbeen upgradedwith lotsof Therearestill manygapsin the smalldetail, castingtexture, resinstowage coverageofUSartillery,soI and otherenhancements. scratch-builtthis 37mmanti-tank gun. It'sshown here inasmallvignelle depicting theclash between Darby's Rangersand abattalionofItalian RIVETS RenaultR-35tanksinGelaonSicily inJuly1943. Rivets are to tank models as rigging is to biplane aircraft models - an unavoidable challenge. It's not an overwhelming problem on US WorldWar II tank models due to the extensive use of casting and building, as over the years I have in this book as it's too vast a everysingle productseen in thes welding construction, but the built up quite astash of subject. So you won't find a history pages as there are too many. Some problem crops up often enough aftermarketaccessories suchas of the evolution of theSherman aftermarket products such as resin that it is worth examining.There crew figures, stowage and decals. turret in these pages. I have thrown figures I used adecade ago are n are numerous techniques that can On the other hand, I find the in afew historical notes about longer in production and, by the be used, varying in cost, smallerscales such as 1/48 and "frequently asked questions" time you are reading this book, complexity and authenticity. I/72 to be ideal for vignettes (FAQs) that turn up repeatedly some of the products I used and dioramas, as wellas for more onInternet websites that deal more recently may also have ABOVESomeprojectsrequirealotofrivets.Thisismyscratch-buildoftheMarmon complex subjects I am too lazy to with more general issues about disappeared. A far timeliersource HerringtonT16lighttankwith plentyofrivetsmade usingaWaldron punchand die. do in I/35 scale.So this book US Army tank modeling. on information for hardcore LEFT Mymethodforattaching rivets isto will focus on I/35-scale modeling, Having described what this hobby consumers is the Internet; spearthem usingthesharptipofan Olfa but with the occasional foray into book is, I should also describe I encourage you to log on to the hobbyknife, thendipthem inadropof Testors'liquidcementandattach themtothe the smallerscales. what it is not. It is not a catalog betterInternet hobby sitessuch model.Thisisabetteralternativethantrying I've tried to avoid too much for ordering hobby products. I as Missing-Lynx, Military to putasmall puddleofgluedirectlyon the discussion about research issues have notgone to great pains to list Modellingand Armorama. model,which istoodifficulttocontrol. 14 15 Vl ~ Thisisacomparisonofsomeofthe U0~:: rpiavienttoedpti(oringshti)n.oFrriogminatlofportmob(loetftto)man:d(A) Tfrhoemreaaftreermaavrakrieettyfiromfsr,ivaestsseaevnailhaebrlee. ......................... .......... Cl salami-sliced.015in. plasticrod; (B) Startingfrom thetop,thebrownsprue ............ «Z Wanadld.o0n23Sudbis-cMsifcroromp.u1n0cihn.apnldasdtiices.h0e1eBt; ibsyfrsoommetheextMraosdperlkuaesdteentasilest,frfoomllowaned ..·....................... V<ll. (C)GrandtLineinjection-moldedrivets AcademyM10kit, someTichymodel _ ··.......... ... ~ 153rounded.032in.and152conical railroad round rivetheads, andfinally ~- ·..... oZ .032in.;(D)rivetscutfromTamiya sets151 and 152from GrandtLineof II - ·..... 1/35-scaleGrantkit; (E)rivetspainted roundandconicalrivets.Totheright U~ usingTulipSlickblackdimensional aresomeofthenewArcherdecal rivets. ·• •.•.•.•.4 :J fabric paint. • • • • • 0:: ~ • • • • • oZVl mm 10 20 asmallnumberofrivets are needed. •• •••••••• U I make extensive use ofthese •·•.•..•• CANNIBALIZING KITS stash ofM3 Lee/Gtantkits.These this may prove to be too expensive. productson my models as they are " One way to obtain rivets is to wete always agoodsoutce ofrivets; This technigue is also good if yOLi easy to use and veryhandy. I use cannibalizeother kits, oreven these days many kits result in a only need to replace a small boltand washersets more often AFTERMARKET DECAL RIVETS started to use these but they are the kit itself In the old days, smallstockpileof unused parts numberof rivets that were than the simple rivets, asI have This is a new field pioneered by stillso new1'm notyet ready to you could always tellserious and thespares box can also serve damaged during constructions, easierand cheapertechnigues for Archer in the UnitedStates.These casta final verdict. I think that this scratch-builders bycounting their as asource of rivets.The best way such as when gaps have to be reproducinglarge numbers ofrivets. are conventional wet-slide decals style of rivet is best for depicting to remove rivets is with asharp cleaned up at the expense of Some kits these days, such as the but instead ofathin coatof ink, relativelysmall rivets, especially Intheolddays,youcouldalways single-sided razor bladeorachisel neighboring detail. I seldom us Academy kits, come with spare the decal consists ofathick layer identifyaseriousscratch-builderbyhow blade on ahobby knife; my favorite this method, as I have plenty ( rivets moldedon the sprues.This is of resin on the decal sheet.These Archermakesanextensivelineof manyM3 Lee/Grantkitstheyhadin theirstash.Thishaslong beenafavorite is the Olfa brand, which is other methods ofdoing rivers. acleveridea butthere areseldom come in a varietyofstyles "surfacedetail"decals,which include rivetsinvarioussizes.Theseare sourceforobtainingplentifulrivets. extremelysharp.This approach is enough ofthese to do much more including rivets, weld beads, especiallyusefulforrowsofsmall 1don'tusethismethod muchanymore good ifyou are only replacing a AFTERMARKET PLASTIC than replace afew missingkit rivets. anti-skid and casting marks. I have rivetsorscrewheads. asitisneedlesslyexpensive, butIusean smallnumberof rivets. If you are RIVETS Olfachisel bladetoremoverivetswhen 1dousethismethod. scratch-buildinga riveted tank, Railroadmodelersalso have a river problem,andsomeof the aftermarketfirms such asTichyand Grandthave packages ofsmall river thatcome onsprues.Thesecome in avarietyofshapesand sizes including both round and conical rivets. In addition, these firms als do other types ofindustrial fasteners suchas hex-rivets, boltand washersets, and otherdesigns.The goodside is that these are of styrene plasticand so easy toglue. Thedownside is thattheyare relativelyexpensive per rivet, andso bettersuited to projects where only 17 16 Vl ~ U rows ofsmall machine screws such 0:: f- as rhose found on rhe rank's sheer o meral pares. I don'r rhink rhar rhe Z « rivers srand proud enough from rhe 0V..l surface co be suirable for rhe larger f rivers on armor plare, alrhough Z o they may suffice wirh careful f paineing where rhey can be U :J acceneed in the finishing pcocess. 0:: f Vl Z o COUNTERSUNK SCREWS/ U RIVET ENHANCEMENT Some rivets and screwheads are 0:: countersunk.These can be w f reproduced using abeadingtool, «0.. I asmall rype ofawl used in jewelry U work and othercrafts.This is also ABOVE Mypreferred techniquefor asimple merhod co simulare very making rivetsisto useaWaldron small rivets, even if ir is not Sub-Micropunchanddieto punch enrirelyaccurare.These cools work them outof.010or.015in. plastic sheet. Iplacethedieontopofa best wirh sofr plasric. I also find wooden"0"tocatchthe rivetsandto rhat a beading cool is very useful preventthepunchfrom impactingthe when dealing with kirs rhar already worksurface. Iuseasmallcrafthammer have molded rivers rhar are poorly toavoid damagingthedelicate punch. defined.The detail can be RIGHT Here, I'm punchingout reinforced by stampingover somesmall rivetsto replicatethe ABOVE Onemethodtorepresent BELOW Here, I'm using ab adll1t rhe rivet, which creares asmall small pop-rivetsaroundtherimof countersunkscrewheads isto usea tooltomakesomecountersunk thestamped Shermanwheel. depression around it, berrer beadingtool.Theseusuallycomein screwsnexttoarowofArch rrlv l defining its shape. setswithvarioussizedies. forcomparison. lastone I boughrcosraround make iteasier co feed plasticsheet ir co bend ifcoo much force is $115, burI use itso often thatI through the gap berween the metal used. My spacer is simply a MASS-PRODUCED RIVETS: rhink ir's woreh rhe money. I die and the plastic alignment plare. wooden number "0"I purchased ar PUNCH AND DIE The merhodI use mosrofren for generally use rhe rwo smallestsizes, This is easy CO do using apiece of alocal Home DeporDIY srore, reproducing rivers on my models which punchourdiscs rhar are .020in. plasric. ineended as ahouse number.This is co use rheWaldron Sub .023 and .OI8in. in diamerer. I Anorher useful addirion is a shape is good since it provides a .oro Miniarure punchand die sec. generally use or.OI5in. spacer co place under the tool good workspace under the cool Waldron went outof business plasric sheerdepending on how while punching to avoid driving rhe while ar rhe same rime acting as a some years ago, bur rhe set has . . .. . . . . . .. . . . . .. . promineneI wane rhe river co be. punch into the worktable. Ir's nor a carch co corral the flying rivets. I coneinued co be marketed; there There are severaltricks to using good idea co allow rhe punch CO hir usually cura strip of plasticsheet are orher brands available as well. one of rhese cools.To begin wirh, rhe work surface below since rhis and feed it inco rhe die, punching TheWaldron cool is nor cheap; rhe ir's agood idea co addspacers to dulls the punch and can also cause abour 20 rivers ar atime.
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