SU-85 WW2 Soviet Tank Destroyer by CDW - MiniArt - 1:35 Scale

[CDW]

1 hour ago, Canute said:

That's a "cozy" crew compartment.  Your work is excellent. 👍

Thanks Ken. For me, the "coziness" would be secondary to the thoughts of incredible heat in the summer months and a real bad place to be when or if targeted by Witmann or perhaps Ernst Udet. 

[Egilman]

1 hour ago, CDW said:

when or if targeted by Witmann or perhaps Ernst Udet

Or, any Feldwebel with a panzerfaust.....

Edited September 11, 2023 by Egilman

[mtaylor]

6 hours ago, Canute said:

That's a "cozy" crew compartment.  Your work is excellent. 👍

"cozy" is an understatement, IMO.   I'm surprised anyone could even work the gun in that space.

[CDW]

58 minutes ago, mtaylor said:

"cozy" is an understatement, IMO.   I'm surprised anyone could even work the gun in that space.

The SU-85 was based on the venerable T-34 chassis. It was built to combat the Tiger tank as the T-34 at that time was equipped with a 76mm gun that could not penetrate the Tiger armor at combat range (1000 yards). The 85mm gun, a modified anti-aircraft gun, was too big to fit inside the T-34 turret, thus the stop-gap measure that brought about the SU-85. Tight quarters, very tight.

For any who might be interested, I highly recommend watching the Russian movie (with English subtitles) T-34. I was pleasantly surprised at the quality of the film and how it captivated my interest all the way to the end. Watch it. You will like it.

 

 

[CDW]

With the base paint of Russian green laid down, will next add fuel tanks, some other miscellaneous hardware and wheels/tracks before doing a winter scheme white wash and weathering.

[CDW]

 

 

 

Edited September 13, 2023 by CDW
Photos

[Javlin]

How many fellas worked in there?2/3? I dare say no one better fart/gas in that room the machine would stop functioning.So it was alot like the Jagdpanzer.The build is coming along very nicely Craig.

[CDW]

1 hour ago, Javlin said:

How many fellas worked in there?2/3? I dare say no one better fart/gas in that room the machine would stop functioning.So it was alot like the Jagdpanzer.The build is coming along very nicely Craig.

Believe it or not, it had a crew of 4. Hard to believe. The good thing about it, farts freeze in mid-air in the winter months in that climate. 😄

[Canute]

Progressing nicely Craig. 👍

 

The crews had to be pretty short/small to shoehorn 4 bodies into that beast.  6 footers need not apply.

[CDW]

Nothing but respect for tank crews. Tough duty right there.

[CDW]

Our pooch celebrated his first birthday yesterday. He’s a ball of energy.

[CDW]

If you are an armor model builder, your best friend will be a circle template when it’s time to paint the wheels. A real pain without it.

[AJohnson]

7 hours ago, CDW said:

Our pooch celebrated his first birthday yesterday. He’s a ball of energy.

Ha! - Just how long did that hat last! Our pooch would have shredded it in no time, he looks great fun! 🐶

[AJohnson]

That 'frost'? effect on the larger plate is amazing, I know its plastic, but in looks like cold steel! 🥶

[CDW]

42 minutes ago, AJohnson said:

Ha! - Just how long did that hat last! Our pooch would have shredded it in no time, he looks great fun! 🐶

We were shocked when he never tried to remove it. Thought he would for sure.

 

41 minutes ago, AJohnson said:

That 'frost'? effect on the larger plate is amazing, I know its plastic, but in looks like cold steel! 🥶

Thanks Andrew. Can you even imagine how cold it must have been inside a tank during the winter in Russia? Your skin would probably stick to the steel if you touched it.

[mtaylor]

On 9/13/2023 at 5:25 PM, CDW said:

Believe it or not, it had a crew of 4. Hard to believe. The good thing about it, farts freeze in mid-air in the winter months in that climate. 😄

With 4 crewman in there plus the engine right behind them, I d think it was plenty warm..  Now summer would be another issue.

[DocRob]

Wow, nice progress Craig. It was only about a week of vacation and whoops, the SU-85 is near the finish line. I thought it must take longer to work with this huge amount of parts. The interior looks super bueno and I hope for good news about the fitting of the top panels, as I had the same idea like you, to leave them unglued. 
The frosting effect looks very convincing. Do you plan icicles and snow or ice in the tracks?

Cheers Rob

[CDW]

7 hours ago, DocRob said:

Wow, nice progress Craig. It was only about a week of vacation and whoops, the SU-85 is near the finish line. I thought it must take longer to work with this huge amount of parts. The interior looks super bueno and I hope for good news about the fitting of the top panels, as I had the same idea like you, to leave them unglued. 
The frosting effect looks very convincing. Do you plan icicles and snow or ice in the tracks?

Cheers Rob

Thanks Rob. I planned on snow but your idea of icicles is great. I had not thought of that.

[CDW]

The instructions call for 72 track links per side but that’s obviously too short. Extra links are provided and will probably need three more additional to allow for some sag between road wheels at the top. Maybe two will do it.

[CDW]

Individual track links are generally a real pain in the rear to assemble and fit to the model. The following photos show the way I approach the task in individual steps. 

I first assemble the number of links necessary to carry the track around the idler wheel and first road wheel. I use Tamiya thin cement to put the links together then before they completely set up to dry, shape/form them around the idler and road wheel to conform to the shape. Use a large rubber band to hold the links in place while they set up.

Repeat the same process to shape a track section around the drive wheel and last road wheel. Again, use the rubber band to hold it in place while the glue sets up.

Assemble the links required to fill in the straight sections between the fore and aft sections completed previously.

 

This is how it looks when it's all finished.

It's important to NOT glue the wheels in place in the previous steps, as you will later remove the track and wheels so the track may be painted. Once painted, the wheels and track can then be glued in place.

[king derelict]

Thanks Craig. That is very helpful. I always have a fight with the tracks

Alan

[CDW]

1 hour ago, king derelict said:

Thanks Craig. That is very helpful. I always have a fight with the tracks

Alan

Glad I could help. It's a pain compared to rubber band tracks.

[CDW]

With the straight sections of track glued in place and dried, the idler and drive wheel can be slid off to remove the entire track for painting. After painting, will slide everything back in place. 

[CDW]

The red arrow points to the mounting shaft for the idler wheel. This part can be rotated forward or back to add or release tension on the tracks. It's important to initially fit this part dry and only cement it into place after proper tension is put on the tracks after link assembly. The kit instructions do not point this out, it's just one of those things you learn through trial and error and/or careful thought and examination of the entire assembly.

 

[CDW]

With the tracks painted, the wheels and track are placed back on the model. I've used some scrap pieces of foam to bring the top part of the tracks down onto the road wheels and give it the natural appearance of sag seen on real tracked vehicles. With this being said, it finishes the saga on tracks and will now move forward with adding the remaining details and weathering the model.

[CDW]

Making a feeble attempt to create snow effects on the model. I'm halfway in and at a point of no return now. The small "canvas tarp" laying on the engine cover is made of tissue paper. Under it are some small sections of 1:4 inch square balsa stock to add some appearance of a cargo the crew is trying to protect. No more room inside the fighting compartment.

[Canute]

Hmm, Russian C rats on the bottom, ice cream on top? 😁

 

The snow and ice look really good, Craig. I can remember winters in various places I've been with gear looking like that.

[CDW]

6 minutes ago, Canute said:

Hmm, Russian C rats on the bottom, ice cream on top? 😁

 

The snow and ice look really good, Craig. I can remember winters in various places I've been with gear looking like that.

Thanks Ken. I'm going to give Doc Rob's suggestion a try and attempt to create a few icicles here and there. Never tried it before but have wanted to. Now's the time.

[king derelict]

The snow looks very convincing Craig. I'm looking forward to seeing the icicles

Alan

[DocRob]

The tracks worked out nicely Craig. The snow looks very convincing too, but I would have left some parts of the engine deck and exhaust protectors free of snow, where it would have melted with the engine heat.
I once read an article about producing icicles from clear sprue, but forgot about the details. I never tried snow and ice before, so I'm eager to see your 'recipe' 

Cheers Rob