1/35 KV1

[JR]

John,
Looking good mate the grass on the running gear is a nice touch.

Cheers Paul , that just came to me nothing planned.

JR, glad you toned down the white wash on the KV. It was a bit stark. Looks lovely now and very realistic, I think you have succeeded in producing a very convincing finish. The "Kraut" tank is also well represented and is nicely weathered. For a first time playing at oils I think you are on the right track. I'm glad you are having fun with it. I am looking forward to seeing this progress. Cheers Mate, Rick H.

Rick, thanks , lots of searching on the net seeing how much.

Great work going on here John.

Cheers Ken.

John

If I may throw in my two cents. Overall you have produced two nicely weathered models and your techniques have worked well. The secret to successful weathering rests, in my opinion, on two specific things. Firstly; Why and how has this dirt/scratch/chip etc been formed, in other words what is the story behind this piece of weathering. Secondly; the smallest details make all the difference. In other words if there is some rust on the towing cable for instance why is it only in this little spot or is it over the whole thing. If you make chips on one part should there also be small chips on other similar surfaces. This is consistency and coherence across all the small details of the model.

If you choose to continue to work on these vehicles you might like to consider the smaller details and consider the tiny bits that complete the whole.

Like I said at the start you have produced two very nicely 'used' looking vehicles and you should certainly be proud of what you have achieved.

John

John, thank you for a informative critique, yes I understand what you mean. This time as most of the finer detail will be covered in snow I am not intending to do any more. I will however take notice of your two points. This is the type of reply I was looking for , knowing I'm on the right tracks is a great boost.
Thanks John .

[minitnkr]

I think the grass bits strike at what John was driving at. I thought a very well done result overall. Chipping is usually overdone on professionally applied base finishes, whereas field applied camo wear & tear was common as quality varied w/thinner (water, petrol, spirits) & application method (spraygun, mop, rags, brush, a bucketful tossed). Thus fading and running type wear was much more common. Your only miscues IMHO were the MC plate, as nothing is always better than wrong, especially when so prominent a feature and the whisker that doesn't look very antenna-like:smiling2:. PaulE

[JR]

I think the grass bits strike at what John was driving at. I thought a very well done result overall. Chipping is usually overdone on professionally applied base finishes, whereas field applied camo wear & tear was common as quality varied w/thinner (water, petrol, spirits) & application method (spraygun, mop, rags, brush, a bucketful tossed). Thus fading and running type wear was much more common. Your only miscues IMHO were the MC plate, as nothing is always better than wrong, especially when so prominent a feature and the whisker that doesn't look very antenna-like:smiling2:. PaulE

Paul , you mean the mtg for the machine gun, damned thing fell off twice, don't know how I can improve it, any ideas ?
As to the whisker ariel , bit of a joke really, I'm hopeless at stretching sprue so perhaps a aftermarket one. Thanks for your comment, as I said to John just what I wanted.
John.

[Guest]

Looking good to me.

[Guest]

As the gaffer would say, nowt wrong there lad, now give it a wipe. Looks ok to these eyes - just do not overdo it. Mike.

[JR]

Looking good to me.

Thanks Ralph.

As the gaffer would say, nowt wrong there lad, now give it a wipe. Looks ok to these eyes - just do not overdo it. Mike.

Cheers Gov, won't over do it.
Johm




Just had a look for KV1 aerials, can find 3 russian aerials, but not KV1, and they were over £12 Delivered. Seems a bit steep . So tried in europe, success a Polish shop, Super Hobby. Also ordered two PARC Models small Russian tanks .
John.

[minitnkr]

I've never seen a pic w/MG mounted external so can't advise you except "better no thing than a wrong thing". Paul

[Guest]

But then what if the no thing is the wrong thing?

In Zaloga’s Stalin’s Heavy Tanks 1941–1945: The KV and IS Heavy Tanks (Hong Kong: Concord, 1997, ISBN 962-361-616-3) there are a couple of photos of KVs with DTM machine guns mounted on the commander’s hatch. Pages 21 and 22 have photos of a KV-8 (the KV-1 with flamethrower) captured by the Germans that has the mounting installed on the hatch — but of course, that could be because the Germans found it stowed inside the tank and decided to fit it for their photos. Page 23 shows a KV-1 model 1941 on a parade in 1942 with the MG installed, and on the next page is what seems like an in-action shot of a similar KV-1 with infantry on the engine deck and mudguards, also with a DT on the turret hatch. That’s it, though, largely because most of the rest of the book shows only IS tanks and ISU SP guns.

[Steve Jones]

A wonderful first attempt at the oil work. I hope you learnt a lot and you can take it onto your next build. It does add depth to the models so well done sir :thumb2::thumb2:

[JR]

I've never seen a pic w/MG mounted external so can't advise you except "better no thing than a wrong thing". Paul

Paul strange indeed, I could only find one photo with what appears to be a brkt.

Photo for discussion only
There are more photos of models with the gun and support. Think I will leave it, though think its in the wrong place :smiling3:
Hope fully Jakko might show some photos.

But then what if the no thing is the wrong thing?

In Zaloga’s Stalin’s Heavy Tanks 1941–1945: The KV and IS Heavy Tanks (Hong Kong: Concord, 1997, ISBN 962-361-616-3) there are a couple of photos of KVs with DTM machine guns mounted on the commander’s hatch. Pages 21 and 22 have photos of a KV-8 (the KV-1 with flamethrower) captured by the Germans that has the mounting installed on the hatch — but of course, that could be because the Germans found it stowed inside the tank and decided to fit it for their photos. Page 23 shows a KV-1 model 1941 on a parade in 1942 with the MG installed, and on the next page is what seems like an in-action shot of a similar KV-1 with infantry on the engine deck and mudguards, also with a DT on the turret hatch. That’s it, though, largely because most of the rest of the book shows only IS tanks and ISU SP guns.

Thanks for that Jakko , the problem I think there is a great lack of photos as the Russians were never like the Germans that had both
photographers and guys taking them .

John.

[Guest]

Hope fully Jakko might show some photos.

It’s proving annoyingly difficult to find photos of the machine gun or even its mounting online (or in books, for that matter). They exist, but if you want to build a historically representative model, leaving it off is your best option.

Thanks for that Jakko , the problem I think there is a great lack of photos as the Russians were never like the Germans that had both
photographers and guys taking them .

The difference is that German soldiers were actually encouraged to take a camera with them and send snapshots to their friends and relatives, as it was felt this would help morale on the home front. Everybody else seems to have banned cameras instead, usually on grounds of secrecy.

[JR]

A wonderful first attempt at the oil work. I hope you learnt a lot and you can take it onto your next build. It does add depth to the models so well done sir :thumb2::thumb2:

Thanks Steve, actually enjoyed doing it, of course lots to learn and to try. At least using the low odour spirt was the thing that was a game changer. Glad I did it:upside::nerd: a lot is down to you badgering me :blow-kiss:lol
John .

[Wouter]

Hi John, nice work on the KV, love the whitewash. It looks like it was slapped on by brush and broom, as it often was. Well done. And oils are fun, aren't they? Great thing about them is that they are very forgiving and you can go back and forth.

Just a minor critique on the panzer: I noticed you did some splattering on it, and it looks good. Though there are some spatters which I find a bit overscale. You might want to consider removing the large one on a next model. But we learn by doing it. Keep it up chap ^^

[JR]

Hi John, nice work on the KV, love the whitewash. It looks like it was slapped on by brush and broom, as it often was. Well done. And oils are fun, aren't they? Great thing about them is that they are very forgiving and you can go back and forth.

Just a minor critique on the panzer: I noticed you did some splattering on it, and it looks good. Though there are some spatters which I find a bit overscale. You might want to consider removing the large one on a next model. But we learn by doing it. Keep it up chap ^^

Thanks Wouter, yes got a bit carried away doing those, bit like stamping in puddles as a child , do it once and you want to do more . Will try to control myself in future :nerd::smiling::smiling:.
John .

[Wouter]

Oh I know all about the feeling :smiling2:. One of the fun parts of the learning proces ^^