Super Model International NR 2

98002
C o n t e n t s :
Przemysaw Szymczyk
BMW R75
Master Box 1:35

Page 4
ukasz Kapelski
Jagdpanther
DML 1:35
Page 16
Rafa Bulanda
sU-122-54
scratchbuild 1:35
Page 36
ukasz Orczyc-Musiaek
t-55
tamiya 1:35
Page 66
Super Model International 02 First edition LUBLIN 2012 ISBN 978-83-62878-40-6

All rights reserved.
With the exception of quoting brief passages for the purposes of review, no part of this publication
may be reproduced without prior written permission from the Publisher.
Series editor: Maciej Gralczyk Translation: Kazimierz Zygado Proofreading: Maciej Gralczyk Design: Tomek Wajnkaim; KAGERO STUDIO
Distribution: Kagero Publishing Sp. z o.o. www.kagero.pl e-mail: kagero@kagero.pl, marketing@kagero.pl
Editorial Office, Marketing: Oficyna Wydawnicza KAGERO, phone/fax (+48) 81 501 21 05, Akacjowa 100, Turka, 20-258 Lublin 62, Poland
BMW R75 | Master Box | 1:35
BMW R75
Przemysaw Szymczyk
Super Model International No.2
MotoRCYCLe
The BMW R75 Master Box kit could be

purchased in two versions with or without the photo-etched sheet. Mine was
without that addition, so from the very start
I was afraid that the complete model might
lack subtlety. It was mainly about the spoked
rims, which if made of photo-etched elements, look much better. However, it
turned out that the plastic rims look quite
well and moreover, the original also quite
often had quite thick spokes. The kit contains two sand-coloured sprues. Although
the plastic is softer than in e.g. DML kits,
it is irritatingly brittle, especially if you take
into consideration the fact that the kit has
many thin, long and delicate parts, which
are easy to damage even when removing
them from the sprues. Another flaws are
rather poor reproduction of the cylinders
head cooling fins and complete lack of tyres
thread it is possible that the producers
know something about the racing version
of this motorcycle with slick tyres The
lack of part numbering on the sprues is also
annoying and forces one to look up the
instruction all too often. The ejector pin
marks have been cleverly confined to areas
that are not visible on the finished model,
but flash is a problem, especially on spoked
rims. Its removal requires a sharp blade and

a large amount of patience, since it is quite
easy to damage the delicate parts. One
may be under the impression that the kit
has only disadvantages (and I have not even
mentioned poor decals), but in reality it is
not as bad. I have no objections to the quality and level of details, the fit is also good.
During construction process I decided to recreate the tyre thread. Using a Czech-made serrated razor saw
I carved lines in the wheels. I laid the
saw flat on a piece of one- and two millimetre styrene sheet and rotated the
wheel laid flat on the table and pressed
against it. Thus, I managed to carve
even threads along the tyre. Later, using
a sharpened mini-screwdriver, I notched
crosswise threads on the entire circumference. The result is not ideal, but it
is still better than what the producer
had to offer. I also added some cables
made of stretched sprue, replaced the
seat spring with one made of wire and
made some smaller elements on the
rear mudguard. Finally, I made the front
number plate it was easier to make it
myself that to slim down the one provided with the kit. The miniature was
ready for painting.
FIGURes
To make the vehicle more attractive I decided to add two motorcyclists wearing
interesting looking winter gear. Gas mask
and scarf, which cover their faces, make
them look like the Star Wars series characters. I received the German Motorcycle
Crew (35030) figures set courtesy of the
Mantis Miniatures, for which I am thankful
to its owner. It is of exceptional quality,
the sculpting and casting is flawless. The
only thing that has to be done is a careful
removal of the casting seams, as they are
really tiny and easy to overlook, which
may cause an unpleasant surprise during
painting.
The figures were designed for the Great
Wall Hobby kit, therefore I was afraid if
they would fit my miniature. It turned out
to be feasible, but not without some effort. First of all, the connection between
the motorcycle and the sidecar in the
Master Box kit is not as wide as that in
the GWH kit, thus the figures placed at
their respected locations do not fit side
by side. Removing some creases in their
garment and sanding does the trick. The
driver figure required a slightly different
placement of the arms, which triggered
some additional joints processing, filling in
the gaps and creating details with modelling compound. I also cut part of the hand
holding the handlebar and sculpted a new
one which fit my model. The figures were
finished with adding a few folds of the material on the back of the passenger, thus
reducing the space between his back and
the seat.
PAInItInG
tHe VeHICLe
As usual, I started with covering the

whole kit with Citadel Chaos Black primer. Next was a layer of rust paint, because
I wanted to show the rust appearing from
underneath the final Panzergrau colour.
A mixture of the Vallejo Model Color
acrylics (Brown Sand, Burnt Cadium Red,
Chocolate Brown and Panzer Grey) was
airbrushed and then coated with Microscale Micro Satin varnish. The Vallejo
paints layer is not especially resistant, so
before applying the hairspray technique
it is necessary to secure the acrylic layer
with other medium, otherwise the paint
would be rubbed off down to the primer.
The protected surface was covered with
two layers of hairspray and then I applied
Vallejo Model Air German Grey, additionally shading it with the base colour mixed
with white or black paint. I waited a moment and started removing the outer
layer with a wet brush and a sharpened
stick. It was easier to achieve the result
of thin, sharp scratches with the latter.
The resulting scrapes were coloured light
grey. Next I painted the details like the
engine, tyres and seats and then I began
weathering the motorcycle.
I almost forgot about the decals which
were of really poor quality. Those I had
chose first did not want to stick and soon
disintegrated into pieces in water, while
the next ones required a lot of additional
painting corrections. The model was then
given a wash of MIG Productions Dark
Wash, while the damp patches were
painted with Vallejo washes umber and
sienna. Later, I applied a mixture of MIG
Productions Europe Dust and Concrete
pigments with white spirit on the chassis.
The pulp was applied with the help of the
air stream from my airbrush. Live the motorcycle appeared nice, but on the closeup photos it still looked flat and dull. It
was nagging me, so I decided to paint the
vehicle as if it was a figure, shading it and
recreating the play of light. With a brush
dipped in MIG Pigment Fixer I removed
most of the pigments and started making
the corrections. All the areas exposed to
sunlight (upper surfaces of the fuel tank,
headlight, mudguards and even the individual spokes) were appropriately shaded
and highlighted. Analogically, I darkened
all the surfaces which wouldnt be exposed to sunlight and strengthened any
colour contrasts. The BMW logos were
hand painted, because I did not want to
risk working with the decals again. The
hours spent on corrections paid off. The
motorcycle looked much more impressive.
FIRs
t
AID
FIGURes PAIntInG
Like in case of the vehicle, I started with
the Chaos Black primer. To make painting
easier, I placed the figures on sticks.
I airbrushed the driver with the base
colour, a mixture of Vallejo Chocolate
Brown, Brown Sand and White.
The figure was provisionally shaded
first, from the top, airbrushing the base
colour with a drop of white
and then from the bottom, with the
same colour mixed with more Chocolate
Brown.
8
Thus, I achieved a base for the brush

work. Preliminary shading saves a lot of
work you can see the shadows layout
right away.
I started brush painting by applying first
highlights with a mixture of Brown Sand, Basic
Skintone and a lot of Talens retarder. The
retarder simplifies getting a smooth colours
transition by making acrylic paints behave like
the artists oil ones. It also causes the paint
to remain glossy until it dries, which makes
judging the final result quite difficult. To expose
the effect only the left side of the figure is
highlighted in the photo.
Next, I applied subsequent highlights,
with the same mixture enriched with
more Basic Skintone. This time the range

of application was smaller than at the
previous stage. The photo shows the left
side of the figure after the procedure,
while the right side is still at the previous
stage.
I had started with rather dark base,
therefore I decided that gradual shading
was not necessary. Next, I softened the
contrasts and colours borders. I painted
colour boundaries or even the entire
sections of the figure with a really thin
mixture of Brown Sand, Chocolate Brown
and Basic Skintone with addition of the
retarder. As a result the contrasts were
smoothed, which can be seen in the photo
on the left side of the figure.
Delicate filter of Brown Sand slightly

enlivened the coats colour.
I painted the coats trims with Buff
colour
and then trimmed it with dark
strokes.
The gas mask was painted in Olive
Green shades.
Other details like the bread bag,
map case and boots were painted and
shaded with Vallejo Model Color paints.
It is important to treat even the smallest
part as a separate model and not to
leave all the details in a single shade of
a given colour. Any pieces of the gear,
clasps or belts look much better when

shaded. Finished with an adequate
attention they make the figure look
more lively.
The second crew member was painted
in the same way, but with a different set
of colours. The coat was covered with
a mixture of Vallejo Model Air Russian
Green, Tank Dark Yellow plus Olive
Drab and then highlighted with the same
mixture enhanced with Basic Skintone.
The blanket was painted with the
shades of grey, using a different shading
technique instead of smooth shading,
I applied tiny dots with a gradually lighter
shades. It resulted in an composite fabric
texture effect.
tHe BAse
I wanted to exhibit the miniature in an impressive way, so I decided to build a small base.
I made a box using a three-millimetre balsa
plate and trimmed its edges to the desired
shape. Then I filled it with fitting foam. When
it dried, I trimmed the excess and started
working on the ground. I applied a layer of
plaster, which was immediately covered with
soil that I quietly walked off from a flower pot
standing on the window sill. Before the plaster
set, I made ruts using a wheel from an old kit.
When everything was dry, I secured it with
Uni-Grunt priming emulsion.
The shrub was made of thin copper wire.
Several
dozen,
few-centimetres-long
lengths were twisted together forming separate branches. Finished one was placed
on the base and covered with MIG Acrylic
Resin to hide its wire origin. I applied
short electrostatic grass in some places using thinned white glue (Wikol) and then airbrushed the base with the shades of brown.
I thought that fallen leaves would brighten
up the scene, but since I did not have the
laser cut ones, I went outside and picked
up a few dry leaves in different shades lying
in front of my house. First, they were additionally dried in the oven and then crumbled into small pieces. Thus created foliage
was glued to the base and the shrub.
Creating snow was the next challenge. Initially, I planned to buy Vallejo Foam & Snow
paste, but the economy pushed me towards
baking soda which was at hand. With a brush,
I applied the MIG Productions Acrylic Resin
on the base and then sprinkled it with soda.
The result was quite convincing. Fine snow
was achieved by smearing the base with
thinned white glue (Wikol) and sprinkling it
with soda. The chassis of the motorcycle was
snow-covered in the same way, but here
I used light grey pigment to soften the contrasts. Finally, I glued the vehicle to the base
with UHU two-component adhesive and
masked the joint with snow.
10
11
FIsH
CHI ,
Ps,
&to
oLs
KIts AnD
AFteRMARKet
ACCessoRIes:
German Motorcycle,
WWII Master Box 3528
German Motorcycle Crew
Mantis Miniatures 35030
seLeCteD
tooLs AnD
MAteRIALs:
Styrene sheets
(0,25 to 2mm thick)
Magic Sculp and Greenstuff
modelling compounds
UHU cyanoacrylate gel glue
White glue (Wikol)
NOCH grass
Plaster, plant soil, leaves
Baking soda
Uni-Grunt priming emulsion
MIG Acrylic Resin
PAInts AnD
WeAtHeRInG
PRoDUCts:
12
Citadel Chaos Black primer

Vallejo acrylic paints
MIG Dark Wash
MIG Thinner for washes
MIG Pigments
MIG Pigment fixer
Microscale Decal Solvents:
Set & Sol
Microscale Micro Satin varnish
13
NEW
PHOTOSNIPER
Jagdpanther | DML | 1:35
ukasz Kapelski
JAGDPAntHeR
the Jagdpanther
tank destroyer is
one of my favourite
German armoured
fighting vehicles of
World War II.
Low and compact silhouette makes you think of
modern designs. The excellent 88mm gun turned
that vehicle into an almost invincible opponent on
the battlefield, especially at long range, for which
the tank destroyer was designed. Only several
hundred were built, however, they were not able
to turn the tide.
16
tHe KIt Is A PLeAsURe to BUILD

tHose WHo HAD A CHAnCe
to WoRK WItH AnY oF DMLs
LAtest ReLeAses KnoW WHAt
I AM tALKInG ABoUt. tHe BoDY
oF tHe JAGDPAntHeR ItseLF WAs
qUIte sIMPLe, so tHe Most tIMeConsUMInG tAsK WAs AsseMBLInG
tHe sUsPensIon.
here are a couple of 1:35 scale

kits that we can choose from,
starting from an ancient Italeri,
through an excellent Tamiya, to a couple of DML kits. I chose the Chinese
product. Ever since the DML had begun issuing models with imitation of
the zimmerit coating texture, I knew
that the release of the Jagdpanther kit
with this feature was just a question of
time. Finally, the kit No. 6494 saw the
light of the day. As soon as I found one
at a bargain price, I did not hesitate
one second to purchase it and I had
to admit, that I was not disappointed.
The box contained grey plastic sprues
with exceptionally detailed parts. The
zimmerit has a subtle texture and
I like it a lot. The kit is supplemented
with a single sheet of decals, a small
set of photo-etched grilles, DS rubber
tracks and steel towing cables. There
is also a transparent plastic sprue with
the periscopes.
The kit is a pleasure to build those
who had a chance to work with any
of DMLs latest releases know what
I am talking about. The body of the
Jagdpanther itself was quite simple,
so the most time-consuming task
was assembling the suspension. The
fit is good, there is also no flash, sink
marks or ejector pin marks in visible areas. Only the joint between
the front of the body and lower hull
required some putty to fill in the
zimmerit texture. Moreover, I replaced the plastic equipment clasps
and lines with a bit complicated to
assemble Aber photo-etched elements and Karaya copper lines respectively. I also imitated weld lines
at the base of the periscope guards
with Wamod two-component putty,
17
tHe IMItAtIon oF tHe

zIMMeRIt textURe Is
FIne AnD CRIsP, BUt not
oVeR-sCALeD.
forming it with a sharp modelling

spoon tool. The entire building process took only a few pleasant evenings.
Before painting, I protected all
transparent parts with Humbrol
Maskol. I will paint them later with
some clear paint. I sprayed the entire model, including wheels and
tracks, straight from the can with
the Citadels excellent Chaos Black
primer. It gives a nice, satin layer
and spills well; it has never run or
clogged up any intake grilles.
Then I used the appropriate Tamiya and Mr. Hobby paints. Products
of these Japanese manufacturers
thinned with Mr. Levelling Thinner
are a perfect mixture which does
not clog the airbrush. The brown
base colour for further paintwork
was Tamiya XF-52. It was followed
by XF-60 Dark Yellow, mixed almost
one to one with white. I tried to apply it more generously to the areas
that were supposed to be lighter,
leaving those that were to be darker
with the brown undercoat showing
through. The next step was highlighting the upper hull, sides and the
back plate. Again, I tried to highlight
the top surfaces the most. Once
18
more I used the XF-60 mixed with

white, but at that time the proportions were reversed in favour of the
latter paint. The mixture was supplemented with XF-57 Buff. That
was done to achieve the light and
shade effect. Naturally, I did it with
moderation, since what I wanted
was a really subtle colour modulation.
It was time to apply the camouflage.
I went for the green and brown
stripes, that can often be seen on
the archive photos of the Jagdpanther. I tried to make them rather
thin and delicate, while at the same
time, also slightly transparent. The
paints used were Tamiya XF-64 Red
Brown and Mr. Hobby H405 Olive
Green. The wheels were painted
with a mixture of XF-60 with white
in one to one ratio.
The preliminary painted model was
then varnished with Mr. Hobby Clear
Gloss to prepare its surfaces for decals. These were applied with help
of Czech Agama liquids. When the
decals dried, I could start to work
with the artists oil paint. I use those
made by Renesans. Here I used two
shades of both yellow and brown,
I UseD tHe APPRoPRIAte tAMIYA AnD

MR. HoBBY PAInts. PRoDUCts oF tHese
JAPAnese MAnUFACtUReRs tHInneD WItH
MR. LeVeLLInG tHInneR ARe A PeRFeCt
MIxtURe WHICH Does not CLoG tHe
AIRBRUsH.
19
plus sometimes also white. Initially,

I wanted to do the fading, but it was
almost impossible to do on a porous
zimmerit. I had to use more thinner
(Zippo lighter fluid and MIG Thinner
for Washes) to make the paint spill
on the kit as it tended to stay in the
zimmerit grooves. On vertical surfaces I tried to recreate vertical fades
and stains, while on the horizontal
ones, I rubbed the paint with circular
movement. At that stage I was also
sticking to the rule of applying lighter
shades of paint to the upper surfaces
and darker ones to the bottom areas
and in recesses.
When everything dried well it was
time for oil wash. This time I mixed
dark brown with black, thinning it
with Zippo lighter fluid. Thus composed mixture was applied to all
recesses and slits. I also applied it
to the zimmerit in some places, but
in small amount, as I did not want
the model to look dirty. Then I began painting the tools with Vallejo
acrylics, which are very good for
this purpose. For the wooden elements I used the light yellow
and two shades of brown, trying
to imitate tree rings. Spare track
links, exhausts and the shovel were
20
FIRs
t
AID
LIGHt AnD
sHADe eFFeCt
To get a really subtle colour modulation I used mixed Tamiya
paints. The brown base colour for further paintwork was
Tamiya XF-52. It was followed by XF-60 Dark Yellow, mixed
almost one to one with white. I tried to apply it more generously
to the areas that were supposed to be lighter, leaving those
that were to be darker with the brown undercoat showing
through. The next step was highlighting the upper hull, sides
and the back plate. Again, I tried to highlight the top surfaces
the most. Once more I used the XF-60 mixed with white, but
at that time the proportions were reversed in favour of the
latter paint. The mixture was supplemented with XF-57 Buff.
xF-52
55% xF-60
45% xF-2
45% xF-60
50% xF-2
5% xF-57
BAse CoLoUR
CoLoURs
tAMIYA xF-60
DARK YeLLoW
MR.HoBBY H405
oLIVe GReen
tAMIYA xF-64
ReD BRoWn
painted with various rusty shades

of Panzer Aces paints.
It was time for all the paint chips
and wear and tear signs that appear
while the vehicle is being used. The
chipping was mainly made with the
help of a sponge and also with fine
brushes. I kept the sponge half dry
and I gently applied the paint in appropriate areas. Brushes were used
for delicate scratches and in places
where the sponge could not be used,
as well as for applying darker paint
on lighter worn out areas. I used
Vallejo paints for that task. Lighter
scratches and wear marks were
imitated with Buff paint from Model
Color range, while the steel showing
up from underneath the paint was
painted with Panzer Aces Dark Rust.
I applied it mainly on all protruding
edges and handles.
Then, I started applying the mud, dirt
and dust. I mainly used MIG pigments
fixed with lighter fluid and AK-interactive weathering products. Pigments
were applied to the lower hull tub and
to vertical surfaces of the hull. I wanted to achieve the effect of a dusted
surface with damp discolouration.
Lighter pigments were applied to the
lower hull tub as a base and darker
ones to imitate the wet spots. To rec-
I Went FoR tHe

GReen AnD BRoWn
stRIPes, tHAt CAn
oFten Be seen
on tHe ARCHIVe
PHotos oF tHe
JAGDPAntHeR.
I tRIeD to MAKe
tHeM RAtHeR tHIn
AnD DeLICAte, WHILe
At tHe sAMe tIMe,
ALso sLIGHtLY
tRAnsPARent. tHe
PAInts UseD WeRe
tAMIYA xF-64 ReD
BRoWn AnD MR.
HoBBY H405 oLIVe
GReen.
21
reate the dampness I also used MIG

Wet Effects and Damp Earth Mixture.
It is a colourless, rather thick gloss varnish mixture, which was thinned a bit
with lighter fluid with small addition of
dark pigment and then applied to the
model. That way I tried to get vertical
damp spills.
The upper parts of the vehicle and
the rear plate were dusted with light
pigments. Small amounts were applied with a brush and generously
washed with lighter fluid. It was possible to see the results almost immediately, since the fluid evaporated
in an instant. If there is too much
pigment, it should be washed with
lighter fluid and if the effect is not
satisfactory, more pigment should
be added. I wanted subtle dusting,
therefore I tried not to exaggerate
with the amount of pigment. A mixture of AK-interactive Fresh Mud and
lighter fluid was applied to all recesses to create damp stains on dusty
surface. The tools, spare track links
and cables were also weathered.
I followed the same steps weathering the back plate. I made splashes
in places with wet brush and the
air stream from an airbrush. Both
the lighter and darker colours were
used to break the monotony of the
weathered surface. The wheels
were treated in a similar fashion,
22
I WAnteD to Do tHe FADInG, BUt It WAs ALMost

IMPossIBLe to Do on A PoRoUs zIMMeRIt. I HAD to
Use MoRe tHInneR (zIPPo LIGHteR FLUID AnD MIG
tHInneR FoR WAsHes) to MAKe tHe PAInt sPILL
on tHe KIt As It tenDeD to stAY In tHe zIMMeRIt
GRooVes. on VeRtICAL sURFACes I tRIeD to ReCReAte
VeRtICAL FADes AnD stAIns, WHILe on tHe HoRIzontAL
ones, I RUBBeD tHe PAInt WItH CIRCULAR MoVeMent.
but their rubber bandages were first

painted black and all the surfaces
touching each other or the tracks
were dry-brushed with Tamiya
XF-11 Silver.
The tracks were the next step. Similarly to the rest of the vehicle they
were primed with Citadel Chaos
Black. Their base colour was Vallejo
Panzer Aces Track Primer. When the
paint dried, I dusted it slightly with
MIG pigments well thinned with
lighter fluid. Then I mixed AK-interactive Earth Effects with a pinch of
plaster and applied it to the tracks,
trying not to overdo. I wanted to
imitate remains of soil sticking to the
links and not coat them entirely with
mud. When it all dried a bit, I removed the excess by hitting it with
a stiff brush and I gave the mixture
the right texture. Later, I applied
some darker AK-interactive Streaking Grime in all the recesses. Finally,
I dry-brushed the edges of the tracks
with Tamiya XF-11 and also wiped
them in places with a 4B soft pencil.
Mounting them on the wheels was
a mere formality.
The only thing left was to remove
Maskol from transparent elements
and painting them with Tamiya X-23
23
Clear Blue. I also wiped the inside rim

of the open hatch with a soft pencil
and did the same with cables and handles. The wash at some places needed
correction, so I did a pin wash there.
The Jagdpanther was almost ready,
but I decided to put it in some context.
I made the base from a piece of cut
styrodur foam, which was taped with
balsa. Plaster was applied at the top,
sprinkled with dark soil and fine gravel
and immediately covered with UniGrunt priming emulsion. Next day,
the base was strong and hard. I carved
a section of stone wall from a piece of
plaster, glued it to the base and sprinkled some fine crushed granite around
it, which I fixed with thinned white
glue (Wikol). The wall was painted
with Vallejo paints, trying to make the
colours look natural.
Then I started to work with vegetation. I used Heki grass mat, which can
be torn into appropriate pieces. It
was applied with white glue (Wikol).
Longer blades of grass were pieces of
an old brush painted green. Smaller
blades were again glued with white
glue (Wikol). I also added a few brushes made by Polak company and some
tufts of dried natural herbs. The latter had to be partially tinted, to retain
some natural colour. The only task
left was to place the figure, which
was painted in the meanwhile, and fix
the vehicle to the base. I added some
more soil near the tracks to merge
the vehicle with the base. In the end,
I painted the balsa frame with hazel
shade wood stain lacquer.
24
tHe CHIPPInG WAs MAInLY MADe WItH tHe

HeLP oF A sPonGe AnD ALso WItH FIne
BRUsHes. I KePt tHe sPonGe HALF DRY AnD
I GentLY APPLIeD tHe PAInt In APPRoPRIAte
AReAs. BRUsHes WeRe UseD FoR DeLICAte
sCRAtCHes AnD In PLACes WHeRe tHe
sPonGe CoULD not Be UseD, As WeLL As FoR
APPLYInG DARKeR PAInt on LIGHteR WoRn
oUt AReAs.
25
26
I WAnteD to IMItAte
ReMAIns oF soIL
stICKInG to tHe LInKs
AnD not CoAt tHeM
entIReLY WItH MUD,
so WHen It ALL DRIeD
A BIt, I ReMoVeD tHe
exCess BY HIttInG It
WItH A stIFF BRUsH
AnD I GAVe tHe
MIxtURe tHe RIGHt
textURe.
27
I MADe tHe BAse

FRoM A PIeCe oF CUt
stYRoDUR FoAM,
WHICH WAs tAPeD
WItH BALsA. PLAsteR
WAs APPLIeD At tHe
toP, sPRInKLeD
WItH DARK soIL
AnD FIne GRAVeL
AnD IMMeDIAteLY
CoVeReD WItH UnIGRUnt PRIMInG
eMULsIon.
I UseD HeKI GRAss

MAt, WHICH CAn
Be toRn Into
APPRoPRIAte
PIeCes. It WAs
APPLIeD WItH
WHIte GLUe
(WIKoL).
28
29
30
31
32
FIsH
CHI ,
Ps,
&to
oLs
KIts AnD AFteRMARKet

ACCessoRIes:
German Jagdpanther Early production

with Zimmerit Dragon 6494
Tow Cable Karaya TCM 03
German clasps & clamps (2 choice) Aber 35A93
seLeCteD tooL
AnD MAteRIALs:
sponge
4B pencil
styrodur
balsa
plaster
soil and fine gravel
fine crushed granite
white glue (Wikol)
Heki grass mat
Polak brushes
PAInts AnD WeAtHeRInG

PRoDUCts:
Humbrol Maskol
Tamiya, Mr.Hobby Hobby Color series, Vallejo Model
Color and Panzer Aces series paints
Mr.Hobby Clear
Agama decal fluids
Renesans artists oil paints
Zippo lighter fluid
MIG Thinner for Washes
MIG Pigments
MIG & AK-interactive weathering products
33
Read more about German tank destroyers
www.kagero.pl
SU-122-54 | Scratchbuild | 1:35
Rafa Bulanda
sU-122-54
WHILe LooKInG FoR ReFeRenCe MAteRIALs FoR tHe sU-101 seLF-PRoPeLLeD GUn,
I CAMe ACRoss A PHoto oF An ARMoUReD FIGHtInG VeHICLe tHen UnKnoWn
to Me, Yet VeRY IntRIGUInG. tHe VeHICLe WAs 600 oR sU-122-54. tHese
nAMes stAnD FoR A 122MM seLF-PRoPeLLeD GUn BUILt on tHe CHAssIs oF t-54
tAnK. It WAs qUIte UnIqUe FoR RUssIAn ConDItIons, As tHeRe WeRe onLY 80
BUILt BetWeen 1955-1957. I WAs FAsCInAteD to sUCH An extent tHAt I DeCIDeD
to BUILD Its MoDeL.
36
To
make my work easier, I used

T-55A kit released by the Ukrainian manufacturer Skif. I only
needed its lower hull tub and suspension
system. I also purchased some aftermarket
accessories, including turned barrel for JS-2
tank, a couple of 14.5mm heavy machine
gun barrels, towing cables, grilles, outline
markers and a metal antenna. I decided to
invest some money in Trumpeters track
links (#06622), because those from the
Skif kit were different from the ones used
on SU-122-54. Of course, I also acquired
Evergreen plastic sheets and shapes of various thickness. I only managed to get few,
not very accurate sketches and a modest
photographic reference of a couple of existing museum exhibits, therefore my model
has a combination of features of various vehicles shown in the photographs.
enGIne CoMPARtMent
PLAte
I started with removal of the fenders and
making new ones from a 0.5mm Evergreen
sheet. The Skifs kit engine compartment
plate was nowhere near the real thing, so
first I removed the sides and then the plate
in order to build that section from 1mm
thick polystyrene sheets. The lids, hatches
and the engine intake shutters were made
of 0.25mm plastic sheet. The meshes
turned out to be a bit more complicated.
I started with a frame made of 1.5mm angle
bars in which a photo-etched mesh of an
appropriate size was installed. The meshes
were slightly bigger for the scale, because
I wanted the elements like e.g. engine in-
take shutters to show through. The netting

was strengthened on the inside by a few
small pieces of wire, which were eventually replaced by plastic strips cut from
a 0.25mm sheet. In the end I made all the
hinges, handles and bolts.
sUPeRstRUCtURe
Due to the really poor reference materials, the shape and dimensions of the superstructure plates were estimated using
my Mk I eyeball. The structure was built
entirely of 1.5mm plastic sheets and then
generously covered with cyanoacrylate
glue on the inside for additional strength.
The cast texture was achieved by softening
the surface with Tamiya Extra Thin glue and
beating it with an old toothbrush. Next,
I made the superstructure details: cupolas,
hatches and periscopes.
I started with a hatch with KPVT heavy machine gun mount. All the circular elements
were cut with Olfa Compass Cutter. The
multi-layer construction was covered with
details. The counterweight attached at the
back of the mount was glued with CA glue
from a few pieces of polystyrene and sanded into a small cubical shape.
The commanders hatch required some
more work. I glued a small, thick circle in the
centre of the circular base and four blocks
around it, which were cut slightly at an angle
and located between the periscopes. They
were later filed into oval shape. The hatch
itself was made of 1mm thick circle profiled
to the appropriate shape. Then the periscope
hoods made of 0.25mm sheets, glass imitation, hinges, etc. were added.
37
Building the rangefinder guard turned out

to be a really laborious task. That rather inconspicuous structure had to be made with
a couple of various thickness sheets glued
together. Then I had to drill the bolt sockets. The rim along with the bolts was glued
both at the back and at the front. Next,
the rangefinder openings were drilled and
some more details added. To imitate the
cast texture the surface was softened with
Tamiya Extra Thin glue and beaten with
a toothbrush. When the glue was dry,
the rangefinder was sanded. Making the
remaining hatches was a formality. Longitudinal strengthener located between the
hatches in the central section of the superstructure was made of two sheets of various thickness glued together. The bottom
sheet was slightly larger, so I could later
press the weld texture.
tHe KPVt MoUnt AnD Its
AttACHMent
The KPVT heavy anti-aircraft machine gun
mount and its attachment were entirely
scratchbuilt. I based my reconstruction only
on the photos of the preserved museum
examples of the SU-122-54, so I had to
simplify them a bit. The barrel was from RB
Model, while its runners guard, lock chamber, receiver cover and handle attached
to the barrel, as well as other smaller details were made from pieces of sprue and
polystyrene sheets and shapes. The rivets
and smaller screw heads were made with
a needle.
FUeL tAnKs, stoWAGe
Boxes AnD sMoKe FLARes
The shape and dimensions of the fuel tanks
were estimated from the photos, taking into
consideration their proportions to other elements of the vehicle. Each tank was made
from 1mm thick sheets, which were glued
with CA and sanded. Then, I cut the shape
of the front and rear wall of the tank from
0.25mm thick sheet. With Olfa straight line
cutter I made the X-shaped grooves and
then punched a 5mm circle in the middle.
The top surfaces of the tanks were made in
a similar way. The whole was covered with
Tamiya Extra Thin and after curing, sanded.
Finally, the fuel filler caps were added.
It was time for smoke flares located in the
rear of the vehicle. Building those relatively
small details turned out to be an extremely
laborious task, as only the third attempt
was satisfactory. The imitation of overpressed ribs on the sides was made by
glueing consecutive layers of polystyrene
together. All the strips were cut from Evergreen shapes, while the circles on the
sides were punched. To complete these
elements, I added triangular side handles
made of wire and slightly thicker plastic rod.
The main structures of the side stowage
boxes were made of 1mm thick sheets.
I glued various polystyrene shapes on these
small boxes. These components required
some sanding to soften the edges and
38
stoWAGe Boxes
AnD FUeL tAnK
MoUnteD on
tHe MUDGUARDs.
tHe KPVt HeAVY AntIAIRCRAFt MACHIne

GUn, Its MoUnt AnD
AttACHMent WeRe
ALMost entIReLY
sCRAtCHBUILt. onLY
tHe BARReL CAMe
FRoM RB MoDeL set.
better imitate the overpressed metal. For
that task I used the nail polish block. I finished the stowage boxes by adding clamps,
hinges and side handles made of wire and
0.25mm plastic rod.
GUn MAntLe AnD CoLLAR
Making the gun mantle was quite difficult, because at first, I did not estimate its
size right, so during the second attempt,
I temporarily glued the front section of
the mantle to its base on the collar. Next,
I worked the oval shape of the gun mantle
a bit, making it look more like the real thing.
Then, I glued 0.25mm sheets to the outer
part of the mantles shield. When I got the
shape more or less right, I started glueing
on 1mm sheets, trying to fit them appropriately. Then, I covered it with CA glue
to strengthen the entire part and smooth
away any holes or irregularities. When it
dried, I sanded the mantle to give it the appropriate, oval shape. Finally, I drilled all the
necessary holes and added bolts, drip rails
and welds.
The collar, after initial fitting, was cut from
a 0.5mm sheet. Then I cut another one from
a 0.25mm sheet and drilled the bolts openings in it. Both parts were glued together, and
thus I got the imitation of bolt sockets. Other
parts of that distinctive element were made
of 2mm sheets. Naturally, the completed part
had to be sanded with a polish block to make
it look like a metal cast.
39
tHe GUn MAntLe WItH

RB MoDeL BARReL.
tHe BARReL WAs
sUPPLeMenteD WItH
tHe BoRe eVACUAtoR
MADe oF A WIDe stRIP
CUt FRoM A tHIn sHeet.
HULL tUB
When I consulted the reference material, it
turned out that the second and third axle of
the suspension system had to be moved forward by about 5mm. Photos show the axles
in that position, as they were probably relocated to move the vehicles centre of gravity. Therefore, I cut the part of the hull tubs
bottom plate with the aforementioned axles.
I damaged them in the process, so I had to
build these details from scratch. The bottom
plate of the hull tub was strengthened with
1.5mm plastic sheet, while the control arm
mountings were cut from two 2mm sheets
glued together. Their round bases were
punched. The bolts were added at the end.
DetAILs
I quickly managed to put together the
headlights. I started with their guards.
I cut two strips from 0.25mm polystyrene sheet, rolled them and glued, adding semicircular bottoms at the back.
After sanding, I added their clamping
rings made of polystyrene strips and
some smaller details, as well as the base
to which the headlight was mounted.
The lamps were adapted from Skif s kit.
I thinned their inner edges and glued
the imitations of light bulbs in the middles. The inside of each headlight was
painted with Mr. Hobby Aluminium and
closed with lamp lense, punched from
a transparent sheet and corrugated
with a scalpel. The entire elements
were sanded to get the appropriate,
oval shape of the lamp lenses. Then
they were polished with Tamiya Polishing Compound. Headlights bases were
made of 0.5mm sheet and glued to
the armour. The headlights themselves
were mounted on 0.5mm rods. I also
added the bolts.
40
tHe MesHes ARe sLIGHtLY

BIGGeR FoR tHe sCALe,
BeCAUse I WAnteD tHe
eLeMents LIKe e.G.
enGIne IntAKe sHUtteRs
to sHoW tHRoUGH. note
ALso tHe sMoKe FLARes
MoUnts.
Next, I added the bore evacuator to the

gun barrel, made of a wide strip cut from
a thin sheet. Smaller mounting rings were
added at the front and at the back and the
whole part was sanded. Periscopes were
cut from 0.5mm transparent sheet. Their
rims were made from tiny strips of polystyrene and their hoods from 0.25mm sheet.
The hinge was made from a plastic rod and
its cover was made from a thin strip. Then
I glued them to the armour. Smaller screws
were pressed with a needle. I also made
the remaining welds. Their positions had
been softened with Tamiya Extra Thin and
then pressed with a scalpel that had its tip
broken off. Corrections were made with
a small drill bit.
Fender curves involved a lot of trouble.
The rear ones were the corrected parts
from the Skif kit, the front ones had to
be scratchbuild. I cut them from 0.5mm
sheet and bent into an arc. Then, I glued
the sides and added thin strips at the top
to imitate the overpressed metal. After
that, the parts were sanded. All the imitations of overpessed metal were gently
soaked with Tamiya Extra Thin glue applied with a brush, which gave them
additional roundness. Tiny fender limiters, that prevent the fenders from falling, when in raised position, were also
made. The fenders were enhanced with
hinges made of 0.5mm plastic rod and
wire spring, as well as triangular braces
41
that connect them to the hull and armour.

These braces were cut from 0.25mm
sheet and reamed. The shapes of the
openings were corrected with a scalpel.
The braces at the rear had additional
bolts glued on. I also made fuel tank and
stowage boxes mounts. These tiny cubes
were cut from 0.25mm sheet and had
bolts glued on. Finally, I made the fenders
rim from polystyrene strips.
It was time to tackle the towing hooks. The
rear ones were Skifs kit parts and could be
used after some correctiones, but those at
the front had a completely wrong shape
and had to be replaced. I made new ones

from 0.75mm sheet using a scalpel and
a polish block. All the hooks were glued to
rectangular bases at the armour, then the
welds around them were recreated. There
are stops above the hooks, that prevent the
cable from slipping out. They were made
from thin polystyrene strip and 1-0.5mm
plastic rods.
A piece of sprue and polystyrene shapes of
various thickness were used to made the tow
line holder and the antenna mount, located
on the right side, just above the stowage box.
Round shapes were also used to imitate the
wiring insulation in the front section of the armour, on fenders and in the rear, close to the
clearance lights. The said lights were adapted
from the Skifs kit, but I had to scratchbuild
their mounts and bases.
42
PRe-AsseMBLeD VeHICLe
WItHoUt tHe GUn MAntLe
AnD CHAssIs. tHe sMoKe
FLARes ARe ALReADY In
PLACe on tHe LoWeR
PHoto.
I also scratchbuilt the shovel and the saw.

I carved the shaft and handle with a scalpel
from a thick, round shape. The shovel bucket
was shaped from a piece of 0.25mm sheet.
The clamps fixing the bucket to the shaft were
made from thin polystyrene strip. The saw
was fashioned from a 0.25mm strip, with an
oval shape at the bottom and teeth cut with
a scalpel. Handles made from round styrene
shape, had their tips appropriately sanded to
make them round. They were connected
with the saw by small pieces of polystyrene
sheet, while the rivets were pressed with
a needle.
Apart from that, I added spare track links,
which were mounted on the right side of the
superstructure and on the front armour plate.
Their attachments were cut from sections of
plastic rod and stops with imitations of bolts
were made from plastic sheet. On the back
plate of the superstructure, I attached handles
made of wire and plastic shapes, as well as
other fine details. Towing cables shackles
came from Skifs T-55A kit, and the cables
themselves were manufactured by RB Model. RB Model outline markers were made to
look like the real thing by adding the springs
made from thin wire at the base and pieces of
sleeve glued at the top.
The final stage was the correction of wheels.
First, I gently sanded the slightly too thick
idlers. The drive wheels, on the other hand,
had to be thinned from the inside by almost
43
2mm, because the tracks used in SU-122-54

were slightly different from those used in
T-55A. Since I wanted to use openwork road
wheels used in T-34 and earlier models of
600, I had to correct the diameter
of those from the Skif kit. I glued the strips of
plastic on the outside and then sanded them
gently. I also corrected the bolts on the hub
caps. The completed wheels were mounted
on the suspension arms and then I glued on
the Trumpeters track links. When they were
ready and got appropriate slack, Tamiya Extra
Thin was generously applied. When it cured,
I removed the tracks to prepare them for
painting.
PAIntInG
I started with priming the model with Mr.
Surfacer 1000. Then the base colours were
applied wheel tyres were coated with black
and the entire vehicle was coated with Tamiya
Olive Drab. Next, I airbrushed the highlights
with various Mr. Hobby greens, starting with
H422, through H312, until extra thinned
mixture of H312 with white. I added some
spot highlighting with thin mixture of Vallejo
Panzer Aces German Uniform 1 and Silver
Grey. Then I applied a delicate Tamiya XF-51
Khaki Drab filter.
tHe ALMost entIReLY

sCRAtCHBUILD VeHICLe
LooKeD so IMPRessIVe,
tHAt I FeAReD PAIntInG
It.
44
45
CoLoUR MoDULAtIon
tHe BAse CoAt oF tAMIYA oLIVe DRAB
WAs HIGHLIGHteD BY AIRBRUsHInG
VARIoUs MR. HoBBY GReens, stARtInG
WItH H422, tHRoUGH H312, UntIL HIGHLY
DILUteD MIxtURe oF H312 WItH WHIte.
tHen I ADDeD soMe sPot HIGHLIGHts
on tHe eDGes AnD DetAILs WItH tHIn
MIxtURe oF VALLeJo PAnzeR ACes
GeRMAn UnIFoRM 1 AnD VALLeJo sILVeR
GReY, APPLIeD WItH A BRUsH. next,
I APPLIeD A DeLICAte FILteR oF HIGHLY
DILUteD tAMIYA xF-51 KHAKI DRAB to
DeCReAse tHe CoLoUR ContRAst.
46
47
The miniature was varnished with glossy clear

and van Dyke bronze oil wash was applied.
The effect was secured with satin clear, mixed
from Mr. Hobbys matt and gloss, which
fundamentally changed the shade of the vehicle. In the next step, I made scratches and
paint chips, but their number was a bit exaggerated. At least, that was how I saw it, so
I muted them with a few layers of Mr. Hobby
H422 Light Green mist. Then I applied the
rain marks composed of a few shades of oil
paints: yellow, van Dyke bronze and white.
When they dried, I airbrushed a layer of satin
and started applying pigments, starting from
the lightest (MIG P234 Rubbel Dust) to the
darkest (Kremer Raw Umber). All were fixed
with MIG Pigment Fixer.
Tracks were painted with a mixture of
Vallejo German Grey, Red Brown and Gun
Metal acrylics in 2:2:1 ratio. They were later
weathered with various shades of Kremer
and MIG earth pigments. The edges were
dry-brushed with MIG Metallic Pigment.
oIL WAsH
I UseD VAn DYKe BRonze

oIL PAInt tHInneD
WItH WHIte sPIRIt. tHe
MIxtURe WAs APPLIeD
WItH A BRoAD BRUsH on
tHe WHoLe VeHICLe AnD
WIPeD oFF WItH Cotton
sWABs AnD BRUsH AFteR
ABoUt 15-20 MInUtes.
AFteR next 24H tHe KIt
WAs CoAteD WItH sAtIn
CLeAR.
48
49
PAInt CHIPPInG
50
tHe DARKeR PAInt CHIPs

WeRe PAInteD WItH A
MIxtURe oF VALLeJos
GLossY BLACK, sMoKe
AnD A BIt oF GUnMetAL
GRAY, WHILe FoR tHe
LIGHteR ones IVe
UseD A HIGHLY DILUteD
MIxtURe oF GeRMAn
UnIFoRM AnD sILVeR
GRAY. tHe CHIPPInG WAs
MAInLY MADe WItH tHe
HeLP oF A sPonGe AnD
ALso WItH FIne BRUsH.
51
PIGMents
52
I APPLIeD PIGMents BY
An AIRBURsH, stARtInG
FRoM tHe LIGHtest (MIG
P234 RUBBeL DUst) to tHe
DARKest (KReMeR RAW
UMBeR). AFteR ReMoVInG
tHe exCess WItH A BRUsH,
ALL WeRe FIxeD WItH MIG
PIGMent FIxeR.
53
54
55
BAse
My friend Kamil Feliks Sztarbaa gave me
a frame, which was a perfect fit for my
model. I filled it with styrodur foam, which
was fixed with acrylic resin. When it cured,
I shaped it with a knife, cutting the excess
styrodur foam in one corner, as I wanted
to place the vehicle in a slightly raised position. The ground was a mixture of pot soil,
pebbles, earth pigments and Uni-Grunt
priming emulsion. When it dried, I airbrushed consecutive pigments, highlighting
the surface in some places. Then, I started
planting the grass. First, I glued some tufts,
made of cut brush bristle, here and there.
Next, I sprinkled Polak electrostatic grass of
various length and colour. Vegetation was
fixed with airbrushed Uni-Grunt priming
emulsion. The areas with trampled down
grass were corrected with lighter pigments
and the grass was gently dry-brushed with
Vallejo Light Green. Tracks were made with
a sharp scriber. The only thing left to do,
was to glue the miniature to the vignette
with thick CA glue and add some pigments
to make it more cohesive.
tHe enD FIGURes
Both figures are from MiniArt set. Although they looked quite well, I decided
that sharpening some details would do
them good, as would the replacement of
the heads with resin ones. Thus prepared
figures were primed with Tamiya beige.
The real painting was done with the reliable Vallejo Model Color acrylics. In both
cases I started with painting the trousers
with thinned Russian Uniform, which in recesses was darkened by consecutive layers
of Black Glaze, while the folds were highlighted with the base colour mixed with Silver Gray. The cap was treated in the same
way. Jacket, worn by one of the armour
crewmen, was painted with Brown Green,
and shaded similarly to the trousers. The
second figure was dressed in a black leather
jacket, the folds of which were enliven with
a mixture of black and blue. The same was
done with the boots worn by both Soviets. The map case straps were corrected
by cutting and glueing new ones, because
the original ones didnt fit the figure well. All
leather elements of the gear were covered
with bronze brightened with Silver Grey.
Faces and hands were coloured according
to Ortizs formula with Brown Sand, Flat
Flesh and Burnt Cadmium Red. Hair was
painted with light beige and then washed
with Brown Glaze. When all the details
and shades were painted, I fixed them with
a few layers of Mr. Color clear matt. The
complete figures were glued with CA to
the base and the joints were retouched
with pigments to make them look natural.
56
57
58
tHe MoDeL Is not

PeRFeCt, BUt I HAD
FUn BUILDInG It AnD
LeARnInG A FeW neW
tRICKs AnD teCHnIqUes.
It WoULD HAVe not
Been PossIBLe WItHoUt
sUBstAntIVe AnD
teCHnICAL sUPPoRt oF
KAMIL FeLIKs sztARBAA
AnD PAWe CzARnoCKI,
to WHoM I AM GRAteFUL.
59
60
61
62
KIts AnD
AFteRMARKet
ACCessoRIes:
T-55A Skif No. 221

122 mm D-25T gun barrel RB Model 35B32
KPVT machine gun barrels RB Model 35B21
outline markers RB Model 35A01
antenna RB Model 35A02
towing cables Eureka LH-04
figures MiniArt 35009, 35027
track links Trumpeter 06622
Mesh Gauze/Square 8x8 Eduard 00105
FIsH
CHI ,
Ps,
&to
oLs
seLeCteD tooLs AnD MAteRIALs:
glues: CA and Tamiya Extra Thin

polystyrene sheets: 0.25-2mm
polystyrene shapes: angle bars 1,5-2mm, round 0,5-2,5mm
styrodur foam
Polak electrostatic grass
acrylic resin
CHeMICALs:
paints: Mr.Hobby Hobby Color series, Tamiya, Vallejo Model Color

Mr.Hobby Gloss & Matt coats
MIG & Kremer pigments
MIG Pigment Fixer
63
Each volume of the series is basically a big

decal sheet with individual markings for aircraft or vehicles in three most popular scales.
Each painting scheme is depicted on beautifully drawn colour profiles and described in
the guidebook with English and Polish text.
www.kagero.pl
T-55 | Tamiya | 1:35
t-55
66
tHe KInG
tH
oF BALKAn
o
BAttLeFIeLDs
B
T-55 | Tamiya | 1:35
ACCoRDInG to soMe
soURCes, ALMost
100,000 t-54 AnD t-55
MAIn BAttLe tAnKs
WeRe BUILt AnD
UseD BY UP to 50
ARMIes WoRLDWIDe.
wenty years ago, Europe was shaken by the bloodiest war since the
end of the global conflict in 1945.
The former neighbours Serbs, Croats and
Bosnians stood against each other. The
Balkans ran with blood of thousands and
entire cities were reduced to rubble.
Armed forces of all the belligerents based
their military strength on the equipment
taken over after the break up of Yugoslavia. There are hundreds of photos of old
T-34/85, T-55, T-72 and other, not only
Russian vehicles on the Internet. All sides
of the conflict used every vehicle capable
of moving to strengthen their forces. It
can be said, that that conflict is a treasure
trove of ideas for a modeller interested in
modern military vehicles. It sounds a bit
awkward, but it is true.
sIDe-sKIRts, MUD AnD

DAMPness tHe Most
InteRestInG tHInGs!
I have not planned to build this vehicle, but
life is full of surprises. Unexpectedly, I laid
my hands on Tamiyas kit. As usual for that
manufacturers kits, the quality was excellent. However, that does not necessarily
guarantee the same excellence of the final build. I was not interested in any paint
schemes presented on the box. Originally,
the vehicle was supposed to be single colour, but I did not want to build another
usual green Soviet tank. Thus, a laborious
search for an interesting looking example
was initiated. Quite early in the process,
I found a inspiring photo taken during the

war in the Balkans. It showed two tanks
on a muddy road, standing among shabby
buildings and surrounded by a few soldiers.
One of the vehicles had rubber side-skirts
that were supposed to protect it against
RPG fire, since most of armoured vehicles
fell victim to that weapon. The configuration of those protective measures was the
most interesting. It was a standard to attach
them to the hull, to protect the sides, but
the vehicle in the photo had them on the
turret as well. Moreover, there were two
additional skirts on the front armour plate.
Streaks and mud intensified the militant look
of the vehicle, so one could not resist building its miniature. To learn about the way
the side-skirts were attached, I looked for
additional photos of T-55s that took part in
the Balkan conflict. As it had already been
mentioned, in a standard version three
side-skirts were installed on each side of
the hull only, with the third one being triangular in shape to protect the tracks and at
the same time to prevent it from being entangled with the links. In combat conditions
these shields were often lost or damaged,
similarly to those on the German WWII
tanks, which can often be seen with incomplete side-skirts or even completely without them. The crews often covered the
front armour plate with additional pieces of
rubber mats, cutting openings for hatches
and headlights. Some archival photographs
also show such skirts installed in the rear.
The turret skirts were usually cut out from
the side ones, bearing in mind not to cover
the periscopes, because without them the
crew was as blind as a bat. My idea for
a model had crystallized and it was time to
begin the assembly!
67
T-55 | Tamiya | 1:35
BUILDInG BLoCKs
The excellent fit of Tamiya kits can be easily compared to LEGO bricks, so there
is no need to write anything more about
that. Generally, building the kit out of
the box shouldnt take more than three
evenings. Naturally, if we assume that we
start after supper and finish around midnight, which gives us about four hours
a day.
The offer presented by producers of various aftermarket sets is tempting. If one
wanted to build a de luxe version of
68
CItADeL CHAos BLACK Is ReALLY A MAGIC

PRIMInG soLUtIon. eVen IF We sPRAY too
MUCH oF It, We Wont notICe AnY sPILLs
WHen DRIeD. tHe exCess sPReADs As IF It
WAs toUCHeD WItH A MAGIC WAnD.
T-55 | Tamiya | 1:35
I enHAnCeD tHe KIt BY

sCRAtCHBUILDInG tHe
FoLLoWInG DetAILs:
fuel lines connecting the fender
tanks (wire),
loosely thrown blanket
(Milliput),
new texture of the cast turret
(putty),
rubber side-skirts (thick
cardboard),
straps holding extra fuel drums
(thin cardboard),
first road wheels ribs (wire),
fenders details (various wires,
photo-etched and cardboard),
steel flats at the side skirts
(cardboard) and clamping
screws (photo-etched
elements),
tools (Dragon set),
headlight cables and drivers
periscopes hoses (wire).
T-55, it would easily mean spending even

250 EUR. Photo-etched or resin upgrade
sets, metal track links, barrels, towing
cables, antennas, fuel drums, decals the
list is so long, that it almost seems neverending, since every major manufacturer
offers some detail sets for that kit. I restricted myself to mini version, buying
RB Model turned gun barrel and antenna
plus Eureka XXL towing cables. That was
enough, since Tamiya provides a sufficient level of details. I regret not buying
the Friulmodel tracks, which would have
enabled me to build a working suspension. However, the rubber tracks offered
by Tamiya were a pleasure to work with,
so there was no reason to complain!
Apart from the aforementioned photos
of the Balkan war vehicles, the first volume of Model Detail Photo Monograph
No.9 about T-55/55A was a valuable reference, as were the various walkarounds
found on the Internet. Actually, the photos show a multitude of various designs
based on that tanks chassis. Some of
them were really interesting and uncommon, as e.g. a vehicle armed with 40mm
anti-aircraft cannon.
PAIntInG
I started by spraying the entire model
with Citadel Chaos Black primer. The
turret, machine gun, hull, side-skirts and
chassis elements were painted separately.
Luckily, there was no need for corrections, that are usually necessary after the
first layer of primer or paint is applied.
Choosing the right base colour took me

some time. The photo that I base my
model on, shows a tank painted rather
dark, but standard T-55 colour was faded,
light green. I decided to mix two shades,
Vallejo Model Color acrylics 892 and 886
in 3 to 1 ratio. Although a single colour
model is a great base for popular Colour
Modulation technique, I decided not to
apply it. The reason was simple I am
not convinced by the effects thus created.
To be more specific, the highlighting and
toning down of the hull sides and the turret does not look natural. On the other
hand, I like highlighting small details with
various shades of a given colour. Let us
say, that this is my idea of colour modulation.
I didnt use any decals that time, all the
markings were hand painted on the basis
of available photos and drawings. It took
me quite some time to find an appropriate name for the vehicle. The internet
proved useful, as I found a list of Serbian
names along with their translations. Bojana stands for a woman-warrior and it
was an excellent name for a tank. Apart
from it, the barrel was also graced with
Serbian flag and Serbian cross on the turrets searchlight. The last hand-painted
detail were the remains of an inscription
on the rubber skirt in the front section of
the hull. Originally, it was supposed to
come from a destroyed tank, which the
crew passed by on the way.
After applying the MIG Dark Wash and
highlighting some of the flat surfaces
69
T-55 | Tamiya | 1:35
with filters and oil paints, I fixed it all

with a delicate mist of satin varnish.
Then, I could easily start with recreating
vertical streaks, for which I again used
the oil paints. At that stage I used turpentine as thinner, which tarnished the
previous varnish layer. The most time
consuming task was painting scratches
and paint chips. To avoid monotony,
I divided the model into sections. Fenders, top of the hull, rear, turret and the
remaining bits and pieces were paint
chipped separately, first with light
green paint, using a sponge and a fine
detail brush, and then with dark bronze.
Thus, I avoided any possible mistakes,
mainly overdoing, which often happens
during such tiresome procedure. Other
obvious examples of dividing the painting process into sections are the wooden beam, so typical of Russian tanks, as
well as the heavy machine gun on the
turret and extra fuel drums installed in
the rear.
DUst oF tHe BAttLeFIeLD
Now for the best part pigments and
weathering! I love this phase. Streaks and
wet spots start to appear on all sort of
plates; rain marks and fuel stains, mud left
on the armour by the crews footsteps,
rags stuffed between the stowage boxes
70
DURInG tHe WAR tHe RIGID

RULes oF ARMY ReGULAtIons
CoMe DoWn to seConD PLACe,
WHICH Is Most eVIDent In tHe
CUstoM MARKInGs oF tHe
VeHICLes. tHIs tRADItIon DAtes
BACK to WoRLD WAR I, WHen
tHe FIRst tAnKs HAD ALReADY
CARRIeD tHeIR nAMes.
T-55 | Tamiya | 1:35
they all make the model look like a replica of a real vehicle.
I started with the chassis. First, I airbrushed the initial coating of dust.
I usually use US Field Drab paint for that.
Only after that step, I used the pigments.
In case of tracks these were MIG Track
Brown, Europe Dust, Russian Earth and
Dark Mud. I applied them more or less
in that order to finally fix them with MIG
Pigment Fixer. To speed up the drying
process, I used a hair dryer. I am more
and more convinced that it is an essential tool in the modellers workshop. The
wheels were treated in a similar fashion,
but I didnt use Track Brown pigment
there. Then I could attach the entire suspension system to the model. The tracks
were attached to the wheels, simulating
their slack (although on one side they
are almost completely hidden) and finally
I glued the rubber side-skirts which were
prepared earlier.
The time had come to start the proper
dust covering. The aforementioned
set of pigments was supplemented with
Dry Mud, Rubbel Dust and Light European Earth. With such a set, I managed
to achieve the desired effect on all the
models surfaces. Additionally, I applied
exhaust marks with Agama black pigment. Most of the vertical streaks were
made with pigments diluted with water,
while some others with MIG Rainmarks.
Greasy stains were made with MIG Thinner for Washes mixed in various proportions with the same MIG Oil and Grease
Stain Mixture. Pigments were also used
to imitate rust on the spare track links.
The DShK heavy machine gun and towing cables were dry-brushed with metalizer. Finally, with a knifes blade I made
fine cuts on the side-skirts, imitating small
scratches, like those made by roadside
brushes.
71
T-55 | Tamiya | 1:35
72
T-55 | Tamiya | 1:35
Do YoU ReMeMBeR tHe

KIts YoUVe FInIsHeD
15-20 YeARs AGo? IM
CURIoUs WHAt WoULD
YoU tHInK ABoUt tHIs
MInIAtURe IF YoU sAW
It tHen. I ALso WonDeR
WHAt CHAnGes In MoDeL
BUILDInG AnD PAIntInG
WILL oCCUR WItHIn tHe
next 20 YeARs. tHese
ReFLeCtIons Dont
CHAnGe tHe FACt tHAt
AnY AFV MoDeL sUFFeReD
FRoM APPLYInG soMe
MUD
ePILoGUe
I am not going to write that building that kit was pure entertainment, assembly was
excellent and I will build it again someday. I always chuckle to myself when I read things
like that at the end of an article, since I am convinced that majority of the authors
does not do such things! There is no need to mention that it was another valuable
experience, because it is obvious. However, I have already opened another box and
this time it is not a tank!
73
T-55 | Tamiya | 1:35
74
T-55 | Tamiya | 1:35
75
T-55 | Tamiya | 1:35
76
T-55 | Tamiya | 1:35
FIsH
CHI ,
Ps,
&to
KIts AnD AFteRMARKet

ACCessoRIes:
oLs
T-55A Russian Medium Tank Tamiya 35257

RB Model 35B41 turned barrel
RB Model 35A14 antenna
Eureka XXL 3506 towing lines
seLeCteD tooLs AnD MAteRIALs:
various gauges of copper wire

cardboard
Milliput
modelling putty
PAInts AnD WeAtHeRInG PRoDUCts:

Vallejo Model Color paints
MIG and Agama pigments
MIG Pigment Fixer, Thinner for Washes, Dark Wash, Rainmarks,
Oil and Grease Stain Mixture
77
more in
toPsHots 33
t-55A
buy now in our online store
www.sklep.kagero.pl
Przemysaw Szymczyk
31 years old, I live in d, Poland. My
adventure with scale models had started at
the age of 10, couple of years later I gave up
the hobby and returned to it about 8 years
ago. Im mostly focused on AFV models and
figures (Im also a beginner sculptor), but aint
avoiding other domains of this wonderful
hobby.
ukasz Kapelski
My modelling adventure started a few years
ago after an accidental visit in a hobby shop.
Colourful boxes drew me forever. I prefer
to build WW2 armoured vehicles in 1:35
scale, but also dont avoid 1:72 and 1:48
kits. I like to place my models on dioramas
or vignettes as I feel that even a small base
enhances the visual impact of my works.
Rafa Bulanda
Ive become a modeller many years ago.
I usually build 1:35 scale AFV kits, but
sometimes I choose other subjects like
sci-fi spacecraft or civil motorcycles. Recently
I also started to scratch build due to the lack
of certain models on the market. Music and
film are my other passions. I work in the
printing industry.
My first kit was made almost 20 years ago
and it was a paper plane. So far I have built
a lot of models but my favourite are AFVs
and figures in 1:35 scale. All my models are
parts of collections all over the world and this
makes me feel proud. Apart from modelling
Im also a motorbike enthusiast.

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98002

Master Box 1:35

Super Model International 02 First edition LUBLIN 2012 ISBN 978-83-62878-40-6

BMW R75 | Master Box | 1:35

Super Model International No.2

BMW R75 | Master Box | 1:35

The BMW R75 Master Box kit could be

BMW R75 | Master Box | 1:35

rims. Its removal requires a sharp blade and

Super Model International No.2

BMW R75 | Master Box | 1:35

As usual, I started with covering the

BMW R75 | Master Box | 1:35

Thus, I achieved a base for the brush

Super Model International No.2

more Basic Skintone. This time the range

BMW R75 | Master Box | 1:35

Delicate filter of Brown Sand slightly

clasps or belts look much better when

Super Model International No.2

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Super Model International No.2

BMW R75 | Master Box | 1:35

Super Model International No.2

BMW R75 | Master Box | 1:35

Citadel Chaos Black primer

Super Model International No.2

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Super Model International No.2

Jagdpanther | DML | 1:35

Super Model International No.2

Jagdpanther | DML | 1:35

tHe KIt Is A PLeAsURe to BUILD

here are a couple of 1:35 scale

Super Model International No.2

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tHe IMItAtIon oF tHe

forming it with a sharp modelling

Super Model International No.2

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more I used the XF-60 mixed with

I UseD tHe APPRoPRIAte tAMIYA AnD

Super Model International No.2

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plus sometimes also white. Initially,

Super Model International No.2

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painted with various rusty shades

I Went FoR tHe

Super Model International No.2

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reate the dampness I also used MIG

I WAnteD to Do tHe FADInG, BUt It WAs ALMost

Super Model International No.2

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but their rubber bandages were first

Super Model International No.2

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Clear Blue. I also wiped the inside rim

Super Model International No.2

tHe CHIPPInG WAs MAInLY MADe WItH tHe

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