TANKER

9€

TECHNIQUES
MAGAZINE
ISSUE 09

TECHNIQUES MAGAZINE 09

rarities & variants

FIELD
CONVER-
SIONS
Proto-
types

UGLY
DUCKLINGS
TTM09 EN
AK4835
 NACHTJAGD COMBAT ARCHIVE
AIRFRAME AND MINIATURE 11 AIRBRUSHING AND PART 1 WARPAINT 113. PANAVIA RAF SECRET JETS OF COLD
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 My fellow Tankers, we modellers with a passion for heavy armour and steel, tracks and guns, the smell of oil and fresh
mud… need to have a change from time to time. Something a bit different, as diversity is key to keep us going.
This issue features a number of models that are less common in Tanker, namely rarities and variants of better-
known vehicles. Those that meet needs that common combat vehicles can not meet. Models created, perhaps,
for a single task with modifications that are better adapted to meet the specific needs, and other rarities of
low production. Not just regular tanks, but also support vehicles. Or special purpose-built vehicles like the
Aerosan. What about prototypes like the immaculate Churchill Gun Carrier by Martin Red Kovac. Even a
pure fantasy tank, like my T-360, based on a concept taken from a famous online game we all know and
some of us play. On top of that issue 9 also features a civilian vehicle, armed with a missile launcher that
was formerly attached to a soviet-built airplane; not so common, but quite popular amongst modellers
these days. It is something completely different from what we usually do. Lately the modelling industry
has been very helpful as companies release models of subjects and rarities we could only have dreamt of in
the past. These variations on our favourite themes are important to stay focussed and to prevent ourselves
from becoming trapped by routine. Allow yourself to do something out of your comfort zone; it’s refreshing
and fun to do. I’m sure you will enjoy it! And last but not least we would like to welcome Michael Mass to
the pages of Tanker. He brings us some very unusual versions of the famous M-3 Half-track in IDF service, in an
exclusive series of photos.

Original Idea & Concept Collaborators Javier Redondo Graphic & Layout Produced & Distributed by
Fernando Vallejo Abilio Pinero Byeong Soo Kim BMS Designs
AK Interactive Chris Jerret Michael Mass AK Interactive
Martin Red Kovac Gergo Szazko
Editor in Chief Legal Deaposit: LR-873-2015
Sandor Kocsis Vincent Zachary Sex
Kristof Pulinckx Laszlo Obuch Lukasz Orczyc-musialek
Kamil Feliks Sztarbala Follow us on:

contact@tankermagazine.com www.ak-interactive.com
 index
6 SPECIAL VEHICLES
10 DISTRESSED 3 INCH GUN CARRIER
23 AEROSAN NKL-26
28 SU 101. SPECIAL PROTOTYPE
42 RBT-5.
SOVIET EXPERIMENTAL TANK
48 MITSUBISHI MISSILE
58 T-360
70 SCHOOL OF TECHNIQUES
78 IDF M-3.
HALF-TRACK RARITIES
82 GALLERY
84 QUESTIONS FOR THE WORKBENCH.
GERGO SZASZKO
86 NEXT ISSUE
special vehicles
Vehicles born to cover special purposes.

During World War II, military vehicles were designed in respective

countries to ensure victory. Ideas for how to achieve this, however,
were very differentiated. As a result, many armoured vehicles that
were created have become a famous icons in history - Sherman, T-34,
Panzer IV. They were produced in large quantities and constituted the
main armament of American, British, Soviet and German armoured
units. However, apart from the most popular vehicles, many amazing
projects were born in the minds of constructors. Some of them turned
out to be the proverbial “blind alley”, while others set the directions
for the development of armoured vehicles in the future.
After the success of Tiger tank, German constructors succumbed to
real giant-mania. The next tanks were getting bigger, heavier and
protected by thicker Armor. Tiger II was already a real monster, but
what about the Maus tank? Weight 188 tons, armament two guns: 1
128 and 75 mm. The tank was also heavily armoured. The Germans
devoted a lot of resources and time to developing a tank unable to
move. The armoured giant-mania did not end with the Maus tank.
In 1942, the design of a tank weighing 1000 tons was started at the
Krupp plant. The vehicle called Landkreuzer P.1000 Ratte was to be
armed with 280 mm guns placed in towers, like on a battleship! This
vision even surpassed Albert Speer, who finally decided to delete the
project.
Giant tank were also created in the Soviet Union. Initially, the Russians
liked to create powerful multi-turret tanks (T-35, T-100, SMK). However
under the influence of war experiences they turned towards more
classic tanks and self-propelled guns, but heavily armed - with 122, 152
and 203 mm cannons. Some vehicles entered serial production (eg ISU-
152), while others remained at the prototype stage. The Russian idea
was also a flying tank called A-40KT (T-60 tank with added wings and
tail), which was to provide support for airborne units. Interesting idea,
but there was one serious problem - the vehicle did not want to fly!
Powerful super tanks were the domain of not only Third Reich and 2
the Soviet Union. Projects of such type were also prepared by the
Americans. The solution to crash the Siegfried Line was the Super
Heavy Tank T28 (renamed later as the T95 Gun Motor Carriage). This
real monster on four tracks, never took part in the battles however.
When the first two prototypes was prepared, the war in Europe
was already over. The use of T28 during the invasion of Japan was
considered, but it also did not occur. A heavy tank, based on similar
assumptions, was also constructed by the British - A39 Tortoise. He
also never took part in the fighting.
After the end of World War II, work on unusual vehicles was continued
in many countries, first of all in the US and the Soviet Union. Vehicles
of atypical construction (turretless tanks, articulated modules vehicles),
drive (rocket, jet, and even nuclear!) and armament (missiles, big calibre
guns and mortars) were created. In general they did not become basic
weapons (with some exceptions, like Swedish S tank). However, this is
the price of development.
It is also worth noting that although many untypical projects turned
out to be unsuccessful attempts, many so-called strange vehicles
found their place in the history of armoured vehicles. I am thinking 3
first of all about specialized and engineering vehicles (trench digging
vehicles, mined and demountable vehicles) and various types of 1. Mine Exploder T10 – based on Sherman tank, remote control unit
improvised vehicles used in many local conflicts. They are certainly designed to be controlled by the following tank. Project was cancelled.
less known than the most popular tanks or self-propelled guns, but
at the same time they are interesting designs that military enthusiasts 2. Alkett VsKfz 617 Minenräumer (minesweeper) – German vehicle of
and modellers should remember. WW II.

3. Krupp Minenräumer (minesweeper) called Räumer S.

Przemyslaw Skulski

6 / TANKER 09 / RARITIES AND VARIATIONS

 4

6 5
7
4. Giant US vehicle - BARC (Barge Amphibious Resupply Cargo).

5. German superheavy tank Maus was projected by Ferdinand Porsche.

6. French heavy tank ARL-44 – compilation of Tiger II and Char B1bis.

7. Super Heavy Tank T28 – US monster vehicle.

TANKER 09 / RARITIES AND VARIATIONS / 7

 8. Soviet recce-engineering vehicle called IRM Zhuk (Beetle).

9. Unusuall Soviet experimental tank Obiekt 279. Note the four tracks.

10. 2B1 Oka – Soviet 420 mm self-propelled mortar.

11. IT-1 – Soviet tank destroyer armed with missiles.

12. Exceptional vehicle - MDK-2M which was used for rapid digging of
large coverages and for drawing tank trenches . The stored for shifts on
8 the vehicle rear tiller is lowered for the milling hydraulically to the rear.

13. Type 94 – Japanese minelayer vehicle.

14. Improvised armored tractor used during civil war in Balkans in

1990s.

15. Swedish concept of tank - articulated light tank (also called a tank
destroyer), which received designation UDES XX-20.

Photos: Vitaliy V. Kuzmin, NARA, George Papadimitriou, Robert

Porada, Robert Pietrygala, Przemyslaw Skulski, Tomasz Szulc

9
10

11 12
8 / TANKER 09 / RARITIES AND VARIATIONS
 13

14 15A
15B

TANKER 09 / RARITIES AND VARIATIONS / 9

 ar
M

tin ac
R ed Kov

10 / TANKER 09 / RARITIES AND VARIATIONS

Distr e sse d
3 inch Gu n
Car rie r
existence
bout the
ce I’ ve learned a
Sin 2 and
hicle ks of W W
of this ve e o f th e ugliest tan o n e.
it o n to build
I consider I decided from AFV
bably why e 1/35 kit
that ’s pro I u se d a ve ry n ic
w it hout
For this m
odel ray a tank
ce I w an ted to port m u st . T h e same
Club. Sin o d el tr ac ks were a m ai n ly
fenders Fr
iulm -etch set,
th e V o ya ger photo w ag e b o xes. The
goes for e large sto to
contains th ything else
because it at th er e wasn’t an
g o o d th
kit is so e applicat
ion
prove. ted with th en
add or im xp er im en
ars I e om, unev
Over the ye more rand om
m y b as e coats in a d el er s add rand
of
I’ve se en other mo e co at , so it ’s
. as
manner over the b ifferent fr
om
hter paint eptional. D
layers of lig ew o r e xc o st-s h ad ing
hing n uite like p
not somet d n o t q w g in
dulation, an but definitely borro
colour mo m o d el s, ac h is
used on ai
rcraft . My appro
fr o m ea ch of them n es , b u t also
something r to
r and lighte possible,
add darke random as
not just to y is b e as
ues. The ke , muddled
different h ei n g a m ulti-toned
d loosely
sult b hy I star te
with the re b. That ’s w
p ai n tj o es g‘.
si n
and worn h as ‘distr
in g to th is approac
referr

TANKER 09 / RARITIES AND VARIATIONS / 11

 1 2
3 4

1. After priming the entire model I sprayed all crevices and harder to 3. I started creating the distressed coat by adding random textures and
reach areas with glossy black paint. dark stains, using a mixture of black and brown acrylic paints. These
were sprayed mostly around the details and lower areas of each panel.
2. The base coat was airbrushed with Olive Drab from Lifecolor.
4. Lighter Olive Drab was sprayed towards the upper parts of the model,
again in a very random, textured manner.

12 / TANKER 09 / RARITIES AND VARIATIONS

 5 6
7 8

5. Another shade of
Olive Drab was used to
add more saturation to
the surface. Again, the
application was very
random and uneven.

6. A dark shade of OD
was finally airbrushed
into shadowed areas, in
order to create some fake
shadows here and there.

7. Various small details

were highlighted with
different shades of Olive 9
Drab using a brush.

8. After drawing the

camouflage edges with
a pencil, I brush painted
the black spots with
Lifecolor’s Panzergrau.

9. A textured coat with

a lot of contrast was
airbrushed on these dark
parts with a lighter shade
of Panzergrau.

TANKER 09 / RARITIES AND VARIATIONS / 13

 10 11

12 13
14

10. Darker spots and stains were created with shadowed Panzergrau, 13. Next, the distressed paintjob was sealed with a thinned coat of
again around details and recesses, but also over large flat surfaces to Clear Green, which also served as a filter.
add depth to the texture.
14. After the markings were applied and protected with another coat
11. The heavy contrast was toned down with a light spray of the base of clear varnish, I started adding the washes.t is best to work in small
Panzer grey colour. sections, letting the wash dry for about 10 minutes before removing any
unwanted spots. Let the wash dry for about 2 days before starting to
12. Once again, any small details were highlighted using a paintbrush. work with oil paints.

14 / TANKER 09 / RARITIES AND VARIATIONS

 15 16
17 18

15. These were applied and blended in the usual manner. However, it 17. I started the chipping process by painting some Olive Drab chips
might be a bit difficult to blend them properly on dark glossy surfaces over the black camouflage spots. Although the base paint has many
such as this roof plate. You can always smoothen the effects using a different shades, the chips were small enough for me to paint them
dry soft brush after the thinner has evaporated. using a single colour. Next I outlined each edge of the model with a
lighter shade of the base colour.
16. Move your brush up and down on vertical surfaces during the
blending process. This will distribute the paint evenly over each section 18. Small random chips were then
of the model. painted on these edges.

19. Many more tiny flakes

were carefully painted in the
19 centre of each panel.

20. This step was

20 finalised with some light
horizontal scratches.

21. Rust tones were

applied over the
chipped effects in order
to give them some age
and also tone them
down a little bit.

22. As with washes, they

were given a few minutes
to dry and then were carefully
blended.

21 22

TANKER 09 / RARITIES AND VARIATIONS / 15

 23 24

23. After painting all the remaining

details such as exhaust and tools, it was
time to start adding the earth tones.
The foundation layer for these effects
consists of thinned, earth-coloured
acrylic paint applied using an airbrush.
Don’t apply too much dust or you’ll
cover most of your previous work.

24. I used the same Tamiya mixture as

for the rain marks in the previous step.
Only this time it was diluted with tap
water and a few drops of dish cleaner,
which will prevent the pigments from
breaking. Use the previously airbrushed
layers of dust as your guide when
applying rain marks.

25. Use a tapping motion on horizontal

surfaces to create rain marks.

25

26 27
Now for the mud! I first added Textured Earth to the most obvious places where mud would be present. Grass was recreated from dried sea ball.

16 / TANKER 09 / RARITIES AND VARIATIONS

 28 29

30 31

28. I pressed the dried grass into the mud mixture

while it was still wet. Studying reference pictures
helps to get a good idea where these effects
occur on real vehicles.

29. To obtain some variety I also added some pre-

made grass tufts from Model scene.

30. Heavy mud streaks were recreated, again with

Textured Earth. Just use tap water to blend it the
same way as any other liquid weathering product.

31. Even more grass strands were glued to the

mud, using superglue. This is a good example of
being careful while recreating such features. It’s
always better to do less – you can always add
more later!

32. Now it was time to give the heavy mud

deposits some colour. The first layer will represent
dried mud. For this task I used the new Aqua Line
product from Wilder. I started by painting it all
over the large deposits. Just make sure you thin it
to the consistency of milk before using it.
32
TANKER 09 / RARITIES AND VARIATIONS / 17
 33 34
35

33. More earth tones were applied with the speckling technique, this 36. A dark, damp mud tone was mixed from enamel paints and
time using enamel paint. pigments. I added this tone over most of the muddy surfaces.

34. I used the enamel mud to simulate crew footprints on the tank. The 37. The effect is very easy to blend with enamel thinner.
silicone boot stamps are from Calibre35 – almost a vintage item.
38. I repeated the same process on the sides, creating numerous
35. Make sure you don’t move the stamp around while pressing it horizontal mud streaks.
against the model. You’ll need to have a very small amount of paint
deposited on the stamp. The effect looks super nice and you can always 39. I used a full pack of leaves from Model scene to give this model the
correct any mistakes using enamel thinner and a brush. specific look of a tank moving through an autumn forest. After placing them
around the running gear, I used Gravel and Sand Fixer to hold them in place.

36 37
38 39

18 / TANKER 09 / RARITIES AND VARIATIONS

 40 41

43
44
42

45 46

40. Then I treated them with a heavy coat of dark mud wash.

41. Enamel gloss was painted over the heaviest mud accumulations.

42. The Friulmodel tracks were chemically treated with Quick Rust, applied
using an old toothbrush.

43. I used the same techniques as described earlier to add mud effects to
the tracks.

44. Their large cleats were polished with a sanding sponge.

45. Enamel gloss was randomly applied over them after they were
wrapped around the running gear.

46. The exhaust openings were blackened with another Aqua Line product
– Black Smoke.

47. The finishing touch was to polish most of the edges with graphite and
a rubber-tipped brush. 47
TANKER 09 / RARITIES AND VARIATIONS / 19
20 / TANKER 09 / RARITIES AND VARIATIONS
TANKER 09 / RARITIES AND VARIATIONS / 21
 Aerosan
NKL-26
Ja
vi e o
r R e do n d

The use of motorised sleds dates back to the Winter War

between Russia and Finland, Our model is the 1/35 Trumpeter rendition of this vehicle. It consists of
when they were used for recce and communications missions. They 158 parts, some photo-etch parts and three clear parts. The details are
were also used to transport wounded back from the battlefield and, of good and crisply moulded. The fit is good and trouble-free. However,
course, to attack enemy lines. In December 1942, the second winter of when comparing the model to my references in the Tankograd book on
the war against Germany, the Narkomlets factory was ordered to develop the Aerosan I found that the shapes at the back of the model don’t match
a sled for use in combat. The resulting model, the Aerosan NKL-26, was the drawings. At this point we could decide to go for a correction set or
quickly approved and production started immediately. The body of the try to correct the kit ourselves. Or we can just enjoy this model and build
sled was made entirely out of wood, with only a 10mm steel armoured it as it is, and that’s exactly what we have done.
plate to protect the front. The armament consisted of a single 7.62mm DT
machine gun. The engine was an 5-cylinder air-cooled aviation engine.
Steering was done by means of levers. The Aerosan was operated by a
two-man crew.

TANKER 09 / RARITIES AND VARIATIONS / 23

 1 2 3

1. The interior is basic, so we added some plastic strips and metal wires
to further detail the inside of the model.

2. As the model is almost completely made out of wood we needed to

add the wood grain effect. We will explain how we achieved this later.
The rest of the interior is painted and weathered only with washes, after
the details are hand-painted. There won’t be much visible anyway, so we
can cut some corners here.

3. The skis are well-detailed with the use of small photo-etch parts.

4. The assembly of the model is straightforward. Here and there a

little filler is needed and some minor details are added. The
original gun shield from the kit is sanded down to scale
thickness. Some wiring is added to the engine
with copper wire, as well as a fuel filler cap
made with the help of a punch & die.

5 6
7
5. To obtain the wood grain effect we spray the model, except
the engine, in German green brown surface primer from Vallejo.

6. Next we take burnt umber oil paint, thin it a little with

turpentine and cover the wood sections with this mixture. We
let this dry for about an hour. Then we take a flat brush, a
bit moistened with turpentine, and make longitudinal strokes
creating the grain effects. A simple process with great results.
The propeller is treated the exact same way.

7. The oil paint is left to dry overnight. Now the other parts can
be painted in their appropriate colour.

24 / TANKER 09 / RARITIES AND VARIATIONS

 8

8. Time for the winter camouflage. For this we use water-based white oil paint, the one that
is also used in schools. This is applied in several thin layers. Depending on how much you
thin the paint the colour density can vary. Once applied the paints can be nicely blended
with a clean brush moistened with water.

9. Some thin washes of Vallejo Model Wash desert dust and light grey are applied to tone
down the white colour.

10 11
A dark brown acrylic wash applied with a fine, pointed brush is used After the engine is metallised, using AK’s dark steel pigment rubbed on
to paint the streaks and rain marks. with a cotton stick, oil leaks are created on the engine. For this bitumen
oil paint is used, thinned with some turpentine.

TANKER 09 / RARITIES AND VARIATIONS / 25

 12
13

26 / TANKER 09 / RARITIES AND VARIATIONS

 12. The model is finished. We added a touch of rust on the
fuel tanks. The markings bring some colour to the model. Around the
door some chipping with a light sand brown colour is carried out to simulate
fresh wood.

13. The heavily weathered engine really brings life to the model. The worn look and
14 the oil leaks dramatically change the overall look of the model.

14. A square, irregularly shaped base is made from plasticard and filled with foam.
The base is painted black with a spray can.

15. The snow is made with Marmolina, mixed with salt and satin varnish and applied
to the base. While still wet, some grass tufts from Joefix Studios are pressed into the

Aerosan
snow mixture. We do the same with the figure, a German Gebirgsjäger from Jaguar
Models, skiing past the abandoned Aersosan.

NKL-26
15

TANKER 09 / RARITIES AND VARIATIONS / 27

I’m a young modeller from Korea, and this my first article is a great in the rear, mounted on a suspension taken directly from the T-44
opportunity to show some of the techniques that are popular in medium tank. The main gun protruded from the crew compartment
Korea, which we use to finish our models. and arched over the vehicle's engine. Thus, even a long-barrelled
gun only slightly increased the overall vehicle length, improving
I have improved my skills by studying the works from the best manoeuvrability and eliminating one of the SU-100's major deficits.
modellers in the world like Adam Wilder, Ruben Gónzalez, Kristof This layout was referred to that of the ‘Ferdinand’ sort in internal
Pulinckx… so these techniques will be familiar. Soviet documents, referencing the German heavy tank destroyer
Ferdinand faced by Soviet forces at that time, which was built in
In 1944, the Ural Heavy Machinery Plant developed the SU-101 a similar fashion. The layout also spread the vehicles weight more
with the D-10S cannon and the SU-102 with the D-25S cannon. evenly among the road wheels, addressing the mechanical issues
Both vehicleswere designated as Uralmash-1. The prototypes were faced by the front heavy SU-100.
manufactured in April 1945, and never reached production phase,
or weren’t used in actual service. This prototype tanks are like white canvases. Especially considering
the camouflage. That’s only limited to our imagination. This highly
The Uralmash-1 was a turretless casemate vehicle with a flat engine detailed and wonderful kit of Trumpeter gave a lot of inspiration,
compartment in the front and a boxy elevated crew compartment which we can interpreted in our own unique way.

28 / TANKER 09 / RARITIES AND VARIATIONS

 ye
B

on
g So o K i m

When building this kit I removed the fend-

ers, scratch-build some brackets for those
missing fenders and used spare tracks of
various types to serve as extra protection
for the crew. Fairly easy and simple to
build, bring us in no time to our favourite
part the painting and weathering.

TANKER 09 / RARITIES AND VARIATIONS / 29

 1 2
For the primer we used Tamiya Surface primer. Fake shadows are created with black paint before we spray
on the base coat.

3 4
Some brown was mixed in the Russian green to be used as our base color. Yellow was mixed into the base color to add the second lights.
Next we added some yellow to this mixture to spray on highlights.

5
Before we put the airbrush away some white was added
to our base color and the final highlights are added. This
looks quite extreme at this moment, but when finished
our goal is to have a nice 3D effect in the paint. The
next step is to use oil paints to add some more light and
shadows, but in a more controllable way.

30 / TANKER 09 / RARITIES AND VARIATIONS

6 7
The light effects are carried out After we let the oil paints dry for
with the lighter tones of oil a bit we started blending in the
paint, which we apply with oil paint with a brush dampened
a fine brush. with enamel thinner. This is a
great way to emphasize details
such as hinges, bolts...

8 Where there is light, there is

darkness. The darker tones are used
in the same method described above
to get a strong contrast this time.

9
Many dots of yellow, green, white and brown oil
paint are added and blended in to create even
more color variation.

TANKER 09 / RARITIES AND VARIATIONS / 31

 10
One of the most important steps now is to apply a wash, it will not only
emphasize details such as weld seams, bolts etc., but also blend all the colors
together and tone down the extreme effects. When the wash is applied
we let it dry for a few moments before we start removing the excess wash
with a brush dampened with enamel thinner. Don’t forget to clean
your brush regularly to obtain the best effects.

Up next chipping effects. An acrylic

mixture of very light green was
mixed and we started by adding
chips and scratches using a small
fine pointed brush, randomly over
the model in logic places. Next a
sponge was used for finer chipping
effects.

11 12

Next step is to mix a dark rusty brown color from With the speckling technique, various specks of streaking rust are added
acrylics and carefully paint over the most but not to the model. These are let to dry overnight and before we blend them in
all earlier applied green chippings and scratches. using enamel thinner and thus creating rust spots.

13 14

32 / TANKER 09 / RARITIES AND VARIATIONS

15
Here you can see the effects we reached until now. 16
17 18

16-17-18. At the exhaust we first apply chippings with the same light green acrylics mixture used earlier.
The next phase is to apply pure white chippings around the opening of the exhaust. This is followed by a round of chipping with a dark brown rusty
color. Finally we use the speckling technique again to splash on more rust effect which are this time a mixture of Dark rust pigment and enamel thinner.
Masking tape is used to mask off the surrounding areas and prevent unwanted speckling effects.

The effects of a worn exhaust can be achieved easily using the methods described above.

19

TANKER 09 / RARITIES AND VARIATIONS / 33

20
A variety of paints is mixed up to paint the bottom
parts of the model in a dark brown color.

With a sponge we add more rust tones in the form 21

of chippings. These rust tones should be lighter than
the base coat of course for maximum effect.

I used the Chipping Fluid from an AK and over this I used a grey
acrylic paint randomly colored with an airbrush. Next, I chipped the most part of the grey with a wet brush.

22 23

34 / TANKER 09 / RARITIES AND VARIATIONS

24 25
At the bottom we paint the light green with a brush, A light rust wash is used to blend in the colors.
this to mimic that the rest of the green is worn away.

26 27
Yellowish rust is added and blended in for more After some rust streaks we added a blue enamel filter
variation in the rust tones. to obtain the effect of cold steel.

Just as with the exhaust we use the speckling technique to finish the rusty surface.

28

TANKER 09 / RARITIES AND VARIATIONS / 35

29 30
The tracks are painted dark brown with the Then the rust tones are added with teh
help of an airbrush. sponge chipping technique.

31 32
Wilders Dark rust wash is applied over the tracks. Rusty oil colors are painted on and blended in
with a fine brush to obtain rusty highlights.

33 34
With a mixture of light rust pigments and enamel rust Finally with some steel colored
paints we defined each seperate track link. This does pigment metal effects are added.
not only give the tracks a realistic appearance, but This contributes to a realistic finish.
makes the tracks also nice to look at.

36 / TANKER 09 / RARITIES AND VARIATIONS

35 36
WILDER enamel earth tones were needed to add subtle rain marks After letting the enamel mixes sit for a few minutes you carefully
to the sides of the hull and top. You can brush these effects onto blend them downward using a brush dampened with thinner to
the sides in vertical streaks. create faint rain washed streaks of dust.

The same technique is applied

37 to the lower hull. Only this
time we will add splashes to
enhence the effects.
I used a Earth tone pigments to
make dust at the top of the tank

38

39. In the low parts I also added other pigment

tones directly fixed with pigment fixer

40. I painted the friction surface of the wheel

silver, and then I painted the metallic pigment
with sponge brush. Also, I gave the track a
metallic effect using a pencil.

39 40

TANKER 09 / RARITIES AND VARIATIONS / 37

 41
Wilders Murky water is used to paint
on irregular stains with a brush. The
same is done for oil effects.

38 / TANKER 09 / RARITIES AND VARIATIONS

42 43
A mixture of Wilders Murky water and black A regular pencil is used to
is used to paint wet stains on the vehicle. metallize the edges and give the
model a worn look.

TANKER 09 / RARITIES AND VARIATIONS / 39

store surveyor section your fauvorite products
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40 / TANKER 09 / RARITIES AND VARIATIONS

 your fauvorite products
in the shop you are looking for store surveyor section

TANKER 09 / RARITIES AND VARIATIONS / 41

 SOVIET EXPERIMENTAL c on
ve
r sio
n

TANK
lt
b ui
c h-
t
ra
sc
it h
w
da
ez
5 Zv
3
1/

kamil
feliks
sztarbał

In the early 1930s, Soviet engineers designed an strange tank, the so-called „tank torpedo”; a KITS USED:
250-kg unguided rocket that could hit targets at a range of between 300 to 1800 metres. Whilst Zvezda 1/35 scale BT-5 Soviet Light
they could be fired from stationary launchers, it was obvious that this would be more effective Tank – Cat. #3507
if mounted on a mobile platform. The trials were conducted with T-27, T-37 and BT-5 tanks. RB Model 45 mm 20-K m.1942 Turned
The project turned out to be a failure, but the experience gathered during these tests helped Metal Barrel – Cat. #35B73
to develop a much more effective weapon; the legendary “Katyusha”.called „tank torpedo”; a Aber BT-5 Soviet Tank Detail Set –
250-kg unguided rocket that could hit targets at a range of between 300 to 1800 metres. Whilst Cat. #35003
they could be fired from stationary launchers, it was obvious that this would be more effective Friulmodel BT-7 Tracks – Cat. #ATL-74
if mounted on a mobile platform. The trials were conducted with T-27, T-37 and BT-5 tanks. The AK-interactive Rusty Tow Chain Big –
project turned out to be a failure, but the experience gathered during these tests helped to Cat. #AK23
develop a much more effective weapon; the legendary “Katyusha”.

42 / TANKER 09 / RARITIES AND VARIATIONS

 1
From the old
Zvezda kit with little
work we can prepare a
nice base for our work. I added the
replacement engine access plate and driver’s
2
hatch. These were made from pieces of 1.5 The aperture in the rear part of the engine deck was
mm and 0.5 mm styrene sheet, respectively. supplemented with a simple reproduction of the rear radiator
air exhaust louvers, made from pieces of 0.5 mm styrene
sheet. This sub-assembly was left movable in order to enable
easy access to the exhaust louvers during the painting phase.

3
The main sections of the fenders
were enhanced with Aber’s
photo-etched parts, and lengths
of styrene rod.

4
The sole surviving photo of the RBT-5 armed with
“tank torpedoes”, reveals that the launchers were 6
mounted on the early-type cylindrical turret. I decided 5
to use the kit turret as the basis for my conversion. Once I had glued the turret halves together, I I added the photo-etched details and
trimmed off the rear part of this sub-assembly hatches. The latter were made from
and replaced it with a piece of 0.5 mm styrene pieces of 0.25 mm styrene sheet.
sheet. It’s easy to bend a thin plastic piece after
pulling it a few times against the corner of a
straight edged tool.

I could focus on creating the launchers. Developing

them was time-consuming, as I had to dry-fit and 8
modify these particular elements several times, in order To proceed with construction, I had to conjure up the tank
to determine their correct shapes and sizes. I started by torpedoes, as these were necessary for various test-fits.
gluing the mounting brackets to the turret sides. Little Therefore, I checked my stash of spare 1/48 scale aircraft
by little, I added the parts of the racks. external stores, and quickly assembled a few chosen bombs.

TANKER 09 / RARITIES AND VARIATIONS / 43

 10

9 Some useful parts A carefully selected 11

were cut off each and sanded length
of the bombs and of plastic sprue was
glued together, forming used to scratch build
the basic shape of the the rocket engine nozzles,
missiles. To get the correct which would also hold the
size, I had to add a 4 mm-thick missiles within the cradles
piece of scrap plastic to each of them.

12 13
Based on the blueprints from a Russian publication, I began the construction of the Using pieces of 0.25 mm styrene sheet, I created the
missile rail elevating mechanisms. However, I quickly twigged that the presence of missile fins. Their size had to be meticulously determined,
the aforementioned missile fin reinforcements rules out installing the mechanisms as any contact with the launcher racks would result in a
under the front parts of the rails, as suggested by my reference. Inevitably, I had to disaster for the real vehicle. Actually, any hit by enemy
place them at the rear of the launchers. Once again, the threads were represented guns would also bring big trouble…
by wrapping a length of 0.2 mm wire around lengths of styrene rod. Next, I mounted the fuses and fin reinforcements. The
addition of the latter, soon turned out to be significant I
mounted the fuses and fin reinforcements. The addition of
the latter, soon turned out to be significant. I mounted the
fuses and fin reinforcements. The addition of the latter,
soon turned out to be significant.

The last step of this stage was

to assemble the metal tracks
14
from Friulmodel.

44 / TANKER 09 / RARITIES AND VARIATIONS

 15 16
As I wanted to try to paint this model in a
different way than I usually employ, I sprayed it
with AK-interactive AK088 ‘Worn Effects Fluid’
on a coat of of Mr.Color C29 ‘Hull Red’. Once
it had dried, I airbrushed a layer of Mr.Hobby
H331 ‘Dark Sea Gray’ over the entire kit.

17
This was followed with another layer of AK088 ‘Worn Effects Fluid’ and a
basecoat of Tamiya XF-5 ‘Flat Green’. With this we get different chippings on
the green paint, that we must to enforce and complete with a fine frush

18
1After painting in the correspondent effects and chippings I continue
with MIG Productions P220 ‘Dark Wash’. I applied the enamel with a
brush, and soon removed the excess with cotton buds.

TANKER 09 / RARITIES AND VARIATIONS / 45

19 20
To build up the mud texture, I mixed AK081 ‘Dark Earth Pigment’ I hung the pre-weathered, rusty tow chain from AK-interactive (#AK231)
and a little AK4062 ‘Light Dust Deposit’. The dense mixture was on the hooks attached to the glacis plate.
speckled over the lower hull with an old toothbrush.

21
The wheels received a coat of dry mud
and some oil stains. The rubber band was
painted in an acrylic shade.

22 I poured some enamel directly into my airbrush cup,

and sprayed a few misted applications over the rear
part of the meshed hatch

46 / TANKER 09 / RARITIES AND VARIATIONS

23
The final touch was to mate the tracks with drive
sprockets and mount them on the running gear.

TANKER 09 / RARITIES AND VARIATIONS / 47

 Kr

st
of
i

Pu li nckx

48 / TANKER 09 / RARITIES AND VARIATIONS

Mitsubishi
Missile
Currently ‘technicals’ are becoming more and more
popular amongst modellers.
A ‘technical’ is actually a civilian vehicle modified for use in
combat. Diopark recently released two of those vehicles in 1/35
scale. One of them is this version, a little transporter van with
a rocket launcher, formerly belonging to a soviet-built aircraft.
Although the brand name is not mentioned in the instructions
the vehicle in the kit is a Mitsubishi Canter. The highly detailed kit
offers a lot of options, the first of which is the choice between a
left and right hand drive. Three different front wheel suspensions
are included as well. So you can choose between wheels turned
left or right, or straight. Furthermore you have the option to
mount one or two rocket launchers in the back. On top of that
two different versions of those rocket launchers can be built.
Ideal for a setting in a recent conflict area such as Syria. Whatever
options you choose, this little lorry packs a serious punch.

1
The suspension and the chassis are well-detailed, but the parts are fragile;
so be careful when removing parts from the sprues. We added some
wiring to the battery and replaced the bracket for the spare wheels with
a copy made of copper wire, as the kit part was damaged when removing
from the sprue.

The parts of the cabin, cleaned up

and assembled into subassemblies
to make painting and weathering
easier.

TANKER 09 / RARITIES AND VARIATIONS / 49

 3

Parts of the cabin can

be painted in black
according to the
reference we found
online. Instead of pure
black we used NATO
4
Black to mimic slightly 5
fading colours. Masking is needed. With some tape and
Liquid Mask this is an easy job. The Liquid The cabin is painted
Mask comes in handy when masking curved with pure blue from the
parts, etc. Real Color range.

6 7
8 9

6. Next the cabin and the doors are sprayed in a cloud pattern after 8. The chassis was also painted NATO Black instead of pure black to
we added some white to the base colour, together with a drop of gloss create some faded tones on our model.
varnish to get a light satin sheen.
9. The interior is painted in a grey tone. We used the typical grey found in
7. Detailed painting is carried out using acrylic paints; the weathering can the interiors of such vans as an example.
now commence.

50 / TANKER 09 / RARITIES AND VARIATIONS

10 11
Summer Kursk Earth and NATO Tanks Rain Marks from AK are mixed A large flat brush moistened with
and used as a thick wash which we apply over the model and let dry for white spirit is used to blend in the
several minutes. previously applied wash and remove
the excess paint.

13
The top of the fuel
tank is dusted with
pigments, in this case
Europe Earth.

12
The same colours are used, 14
one by one, to add some
splatters using the speckling The pigments are fixed
technique. with pure and clean
white spirit.

15
When dry, AK’s Fuel Stains is
used to add some…fuel stains.

TANKER 09 / RARITIES AND VARIATIONS / 51

 17
After the rims have been
16 painted silver, chipping
The wheels are painted with dark and light rust
with Rubber Black from tones is applied with a
the Real Color Range. fine point brush.

18
The tires are slightly drybrushed
using AK 122 OEF US Vehicle
base color.

19
Up next we make our
dust mixture from
Summer Kursk Earth
and NATO Tanks Rain
Marks and apply it
undiluted to the tires.

20
After a few minutes we take a
large brush and blend the dust
colour from the centre of the
wheels outwards.

52 / TANKER 09 / RARITIES AND VARIATIONS

21 22
To create the dust effects on the We transfer our measurements to a piece of
windscreen we first need to measure the masking tape.
size of the windscreen wipers. We use a
P-cutter for this, as we will also use it to
cut the masks.

23

After having cut the masking tape

we put it in the right position, 24
keeping in mind where the wipers’
With Buff from the Real Color
swipe starts and ends.
range we apply a coat of dust
on the windscreen.

With a lighter tone of blue

than our basecoat we start
painting scratches on the
body work of the cabin.
Keep in mind that this is a
soft-skinned vehicle so don’t
overdo this, as we don’t want
to show a rusting wreck.

25

26
With rust tones painted
in the light blue scratches
we create a nice three-
dimensional effect in the
scratches.

TANKER 09 / RARITIES AND VARIATIONS / 53

 27 Dust splatters are applied by swiping
a brush loaded with our dust mixture
28
With AK 013 Rust Streaks we
add subtle rust streaks here over a cocktail stick in such a way
and there. Dust streaks are also that the paint is splattered onto the
painted on with our previously model. It’s best to first test this, to
mentioned dust mix. get a feeling how much paint should
be on your brush.

29

30
The missile launcher and its support. We opted to use only one The launcher is painted matt aluminium for the front part and dark
launcher as two would look like overkill. aluminium for the main body. Metallic Smoke is used to spray on some
shadow effects.

31
The support frame is painted in a dark blue 32 33
colour as a base coat. The frame will be
The floor of the cargo bed is painted in dark The grey is masked before we spray the rest
heavily sponge-chipped with various rust
grey in a random pattern to serve as a base for in white. Again we use matt white to show
tones, starting with the dark ones working
the next steps. faded paint.
our way down to the light tones.

54 / TANKER 09 / RARITIES AND VARIATIONS

34 35
The cargo body floor is sponge-chipped with various rust tones. We We thin AK’s Medium Rust with water and apply it as a wash over the
start with the dark tones and finish with the light rust tones. The grey floor, melding all colours into one.
is used in places where we add too much rust, as chipping with a
larger sponge is not always controllable.

The white parts

are first sponge-
chipped. Next we
add scratches with a
brush. Dark brown
and a dark rust
colours are used.

36

37
Fresh Mud is used to outline
With a regular pencil the details on the load bed
we add some blank and to create the effect of
steel effects. This is a accumulated dirt.
simple, but effective
trick. We only apply
this to the edges and
randomly.

38

41

40
39
39. We apply some pigments to the load bed; not too much, just a bit
more in the corners.

40. And once again we fix the pigments in place with white spirit.

41. To add some variation we use Fuel Stain to paint on some stains. When
applied on a base of pigments these stain look moist, not wet and glossy.
Perfect to mimic drying stains.

TANKER 09 / RARITIES AND VARIATIONS / 55

56 / TANKER 09 / RARITIES AND VARIATIONS
NEW ONLINE SHOP
58 / TANKER 09 / RARITIES AND VARIATIONS
Kr k

x
isto c
f Pu li n

Kugelpanzer (Patriot Museum, Kubinka)

In the limit of fiction.

Creating my own rarity.
The idea for this rather unusual subject came
from a famous free online game, where a sphere-like tank
was used as an April Fool’s joke a couple of years ago.
However, the design had something appealing and after
some thought we decided to give it a try. As this is a pure
fictitious fantasy project we had to start from scratch.
The idea was to build this model in 1/35 scale. Therefore
a sphere of the appropriate diameter was needed. Lego
came to the rescue! Some years ago Lego released a
number of planets from the Star Wars saga. Inside were
small vehicles and a figure. So the ‘planet’ was hollow
and could be opened and closed. Furthermore it had
the right diameter. The only challenge remaining was
borrowing it from my son… Details had to come from
the spares box and upon checking it soon became clear
that we had a lot of Russian spare parts. Our T-360 was
born; it would be a Russian spherical tank. Much later I
found out that the Russians actually had plans to build a
spherical tank!

TANKER 09 / RARITIES AND VARIATIONS / 59

 First modifications: the two
parts are widened with
plastic strip to have a more
or less flat part for the tracks.
The surface is sanded to
remove the print and the typical
Lego knobs are removed as well.

1 2
The Lego planet in all its glory.
A perfect base for our spherical tank.

3
4
The canons are actually 5cm German guns from Jordi Rubio. We A large hole was drilled in each half of our tank. The
needed two guns and these where the only ones we had twice. location was marked first so the guns would perfectly
Two round pearls are drilled out to hold the guns. The pearls are line up. The hole is slightly smaller than the diameter of
perfect to replicate a ball-mounted gun. the ball that holds the canon.

5 6 7
5. The balls are glued on the inside with the help of small pieces of sprue and lots of superglue.
6. Up next are the tracks. These are Modelkasten T-34 tracks that were used on a model before. The guide
horns had to be removed to allow mounting the tracks on our sphere. We only used a section of tracks, as
the rest would be covered by a large mudguard.
7. The cover for the tracks is not the easiest part to make. Therefore we first made a template out of
8 cardboard, this to determine the length and size of the sidewalls for the track cover.
8. These sidewalls are cut from 0.5mm plasticard with the help of a P-cutter.
9. We make two identical sidewalls and glue them to a piece of plasticard. We glue in steps so we can bring the
9 cover into shape, step by step. 0.25mm plasticard was used as it bends easier around the round shape of the
sidewalls. Superglue is used for a firm bond, also because normal plastic glue could deform the thin plasticard.

60 / TANKER 09 / RARITIES AND VARIATIONS

 10

11 12

14

13 15
10. Carefully, and with sparingly applying glue, we put the cover in place 13. The vision blocks are made of spare parts. The idea was to use a
using liquid poly. shape that would make them look like two eyes. The weld seams are
made with Magic Sculpt, brought into shape with the tip of a knife.
11. Strips of plasticard and plasticsheet are used to divide the ball into
sections. This has to be done with great care as all parts have to line up 14. The towing cables are also from the spares box. The towing eyes are
and be symmetric. kept while the wire is replaced with a metal wire of the same size.

12. More details are added. Copper wire is used for grab handles, hooks 15. Numerous bolts in different sizes are added, all made with the always
and lifting eyes. Spare parts and some plasticard are used to make up the handy punch & die.
rest of the details.

TANKER 09 / RARITIES AND VARIATIONS / 61

 16
The model is ready for a coat of paint.
Purists will notice parts from a T-34, T-55,
T-72 and even a JS-2. So the choice for a
Russian ball tank was an obvious one.

17 18
A good primer is always essential, certainly when you use a great number AK 796 NATO Green is the base colour of choice. It sounds a bit odd
of different materials. AK’s primer and microfiller is a great primer and to use a NATO colour on a Russian model, but the deep richness of the
comes in a ready to use bottle. Cleaning of the airbrush is done with green is very appealing.
Extreme Cleaner.
Dry decals are used in the typical way. After they have been
We added AK 4006 Buff Light Shade and sprayed this mixture in a applied we use a toothpick to peel away small sections of the
cloud pattern over the model to achieve some depth. numbers to make them look worn.

19 20

62 / TANKER 09 / RARITIES AND VARIATIONS

21 22
The typical Russian red star comes from an Eduard decal sheet for a Mig-21. All small details, such as bolts, are highlighted using a lighter shade of green.

23 24
To get more tonal variation we use oil paints: Dark Shadow, Olive Green With a large brush moistened with white spirit we blend in the oil paints,
and Yellow from 502Abt. that we apply in small dots on the model’s creating different tones in the green.
surface.

27

25. The lenses of the

vision ports are first
painted silver.

26. Then they are

painted over with the
transparent blue colour
25 of AK’s Periscope Shade.

27. Sections of the

model are treated with
local filters to obtain
more variations in tone.
Here 502Abt.’s Warm
Red is used.

26 TANKER 09 / RARITIES AND VARIATIONS / 63

 28
Loads of small and large scratches are
painted in the highlight colour as this
tank will roll into or against obstacles
which will leave their mark.

29 30
Sand yellow dust deposits are mixed with buff oil paint and roughly and With a brush moistened with thinner the dust is blended in, creating a soft
randomly applied on the model at places where dust would normally and smooth effect.
accumulate.

Once the dust effects are dry, we start to paint in the previously applied With the same mixture used for the dust we paint on dust and dirt streaks.
scratches with a dark brown colour with a light rusty hue. AK 711 For this task we thin the paint a bit more.
Chipping Color is highly recommended for this. We paint in the scratches
in such a way that the light green is almost completely covered. This will
result in a nice 3D effect in the scratches and chippings.

31 32

64 / TANKER 09 / RARITIES AND VARIATIONS

 33 34
With a standard pencil we metallise some of the scratches so they look Dry mud effects from AK’s diorama range are used to create…
fresh and give the model a used look. dry mud that is accumulated around the tracks.

35 36
AK 012 Streaking Grime is mixed with 025 Fuel Stains to replicate wet More dust is sprayed on with the airbrush, mainly on the track cover. To
stains of drying mud and earth. This is mostly done in corners and edges create hard edges we use masking tape. AK 122 is a perfect colour to
where water would accumulate. create light dust effects.

Our tracks are painted with AK

722 Dark Tracks.
37

TANKER 09 / RARITIES AND VARIATIONS / 65

 38
Soot on the exhaust
is created with smoke
pigments, applied dry with
a brush.

39 40
39. Our tracks are treated with a pigment wash, which is a mixture of Desert Sand and Dry Mud from 502 Abt. to obtain a dry, dusty look.

40. Once the pigments are dry we apply AK’s Track Wash over the tracks, avoiding the edges of the tracks to mimic the effects of drying mud.

41. True Metal Silver oil wax is drybrushed over the tracks to get the required metal finish of tracks in use.

41

42
A frame made of 2mm plasticard is used to make a base for our
T-360. The idea is to place it on the edge of a slope to emphasis the
effect of the ball… rolling full speed down the slope. The sides of
the base are finished with a wood veneer for a more classy finish.

66 / TANKER 09 / RARITIES AND VARIATIONS

43 44
45 46

43. AK’s Dry Ground and Dry Mud acrylic texture paints are used to
make the groundwork for our base. These are applied with a knife
and brought into shape with a brush and water.
47
44. An old, rough sponge is used to bring more texture to the
groundwork, by lightly dabbing the sponge in the still wet texture
paint.

45. While still wet, some small rocks and grit are sprinkled into the
texture paint. Grass tufts from Joefix Studio and other scenery are
also added in this stage.

46. Once dry the rocks and stones are hand painted one by one, to
get some different tones and therefore colour variation.

47. Finally the whole

base receives some dark
brown washes to meld
everything together as
a uniform whole. Wood
splinters can be sanded
off before we apply a
colour to the wood.

TANKER 09 / RARITIES AND VARIATIONS / 67

68 / TANKER 09 / RARITIES AND VARIATIONS
 SCHOOL
OF TECHNIQUES
LATE GERMAN CAMOUFLAGE SCHEMES
Among the most disruptive and esthetic camouflages of the Second World War we can find
some well-known late war German schemes. In this section we are going to paint three
famous war schemes, show some tips on how to apply them and some masking tips too.
Finally we'll teach how to blend in the colours.
By Oscar Ebrí

TWO-TONE CAMOUFLAGE

1 2

3 4

5 6
1. To start this section we selected a two-tone camouflage used on 4. Before painting on the Rotbraun camouflage colour, we apply several
some Panthers at the end of the war, from the book Real Colors of WWII layers of Worn Effects (AK088), allowing us to make some chipping
(AK187). In this case, we have painted the base coat with the colour effects later on. Let it dry for about 10 minutes.
RAL6003 Olivgrün (RC047).
5. Now we airbrush RAL8017 Rotbraun (RC068) diluted in a ratio of 50%
2. To create the camouflage spots we are going to use the product paint/thinner. We must build up the paint in several thin layers.
‘Panzer Putty’ from the range MX Pression. It is very easy to use and
leaves no traces on the paint. 6. Although we can start peeling off the putty as soon as the paint is
touchdry, it is advisable to let the paint dry for 15 to 20 minutes. A pair of
3. Guided by the colour profile and using our hands or sticks (toothpicks?) tweezers is handy to remove the putty.
we apply the Panzer Putty. We must tighten the edges well so that the
putty is well-adhered to the surface.

70 / TANKER 09 / RARITIES AND VARIATIONS

7 9

9 10
11
7. With the help of warm water and a
soft brush we make the surface wet. The
underlying layer of Worn Effects will dissolve
and we can gently scrub away the paint. Be
patient and work slowly. When you see the
paint come off, reduce the pressure on the
brush, otherwise large chips of paint will be
removed. We want to keep the effect subtle.

8. Decals can be applied; in our case we use

dry decals. After these have been added, you
can damage them by scratching away bits with
the point of your tweezers or with a toothpick.

9. To seal this entire process and protect it

from solvents, we apply several thin coats of
satin varnish (RC501).

10. Different shades of oil paints are applied

directly from the tube in the form of small
dots. These are used to blend in the colours.

11. A large flat brush moistened with thinner is

used to blend in the colours.

TANKER 09 / RARITIES AND VARIATIONS / 71

 SCHOOL OF TECHNIQUES
THREE-TONE CAMOUFLAGE

12 13

14 15

16 17
12. We are also going to create a three-tone camouflage scheme, as 15. Depending on which type of paint you use, you have to make sure the
example. This is a more common scheme. In this case the basecoat is paint is thoroughly dry before you can continue. In this case, 15 minutes
RAL7028 Dunkelgelb (RC060). is enough. We mask off the pattern for the Rotbraun and we mask off
the areas that need to stay green. We apply the paint in thin layers, as we
13. For the masking we will use tape that we will cut to size and shape. did before.
We create quite rough cuts with an old knife, so the edges are not
perfect. We want to simulate that the camouflage is hand painted. 16 Once dry, we can carefully remove the tape. Now the base is ready.
14. It is advisable that, just before painting, we apply pressure on the
edges of the tape to make sure that the tape is well-adhered. We airbrush 17. After applying the decals or transfers we apply several thin layers of
the Olivegrün, diluted to 70%, in very thin layers. satin varnish.

72 / TANKER 09 / RARITIES AND VARIATIONS

 18
To blend the three colours together we will 19
use a technique similar to the steps of the first And blend them in with the
camouflage. This time however we will use only same technique as described
one oil tone. We apply oil spots on the surface. earlier.

SPLINTER CAMOUFLAGE

20 21 22

23 24 25
20. We start by airbrushing the base layer in Rotbraun. When dry, we
mask off some diagonal strips with 5mm tape.

21. The next step is to airbrush the Dunkelgelb. When doing

camouflages it is recommended to apply the paint diluted to 50-70%
in very thin layers, to avoid creating raised edges against the tape.

22. Finally, after masking with more tape, we apply the final layers of
Olivegrün, diluted with 50% thinner.

23. As with the other examples, it’s now time to apply transfers and
varnish to seal the work.

24 To blend in the green camouflage we add dots of a lighter green oil

paint. We focus only on the edges here.

25. And blend in the oil with a brush moistened with thinner.

26. We repeat the procedure for the Rotbraun, and after blending, we
have the surface ready for weathering!
26
TANKER 09 / RARITIES AND VARIATIONS / 73
 SCHOOL OF TECHNIQUES
HEAVY STEEL / WEATHERING AN INDUSTRIAL SCENERY
The difficulty here is that the base had to be built in small sub- different layers. Three trapezoid girders were made with sheet
assemblies, which could be stacked without gluing. This had to be and later they were connected with Evergreen profiles and small
done, so that each and every part could be painted and weathered sheet stripes.
separately. Only in the end all parts could be glued and joined The damaged parts on the left were made by just ripping off the
together like a big puzzle. To support the coming roof structure plastic strips or with a Dremel and bending them into place.
and also for carrying the crane I had to make a giant steel-girder. The concrete tiles have been made with a mould and liquid plaster.
It was made by cutting 1,2mm plastic sheet in small stripes, glue They were adjusted in their thickness, glued into place with white
them to two H-Columns and then join them together with other glue and the excess have been cut with a Dremel-saw. Some of
stripes of sheet. The roof joist under-construction was made in them were damaged by gently pressing on them with my finger.

1 2

3 4
5 1. Different kinds of trusses, profiles and rods from
different suppliers were used to create all industrial
scenery parts. Most of them are quite expensive, so
I decided to mostly build the structure with plastic
sheet of different sizes.

2. Some big metallic chippings made with AK

Interactive AK709, AK710 and AK711 were applied
with a kitchen sponge and a plier to all metallic parts.

3. A real factory building needs to be dirty, therefore

a wash mixed of AK Interactive AK070 Wash Brown
Blue and AK049 Odorless Thinner was applied on the
roof.

4. To avoid monotony on the bigger surfaces some

tone variations were made. Therefore different oil
colours, in this case Lukas Studio 337 Ultramarine,
320 Cyan Blue, 382 Ivory Black, 312 Van Dyke Brown
and 208 Titanium White were applied in small
portions on the surface and blended in with AK049
Odorless Thinner

5. AK042 European Earth and AK041 North African

Dust were applied on the roof with tapping a few
pigments from the brush while hovering over the
sheets. The pigments were dissolved with odorless
thinner and set to dry for several hours.

74 / TANKER 09 / RARITIES AND VARIATIONS

 6

7 8
6. With the help of my airbrush, loaded
with AK719, the edges of the roof were
gently coloured to recreate the appearance
of soot.

7. A self-made template was used to add

the warning advice “Smoking prohibited;
Rauchen verboten” on the main wall
and on the girder. It was taped onto the
surface and painted with AK Interactive
AK738.

8. The template was taken off after a little

while of waiting. This is what the warning
advice looks like, when the colour was dry.

9. Oil paint was used on the outside of

the factory wall for weathering purpose
too. Lucas Studio 208 Titanium White, 382
Ivory Black and 312 Van Dyke Brown were
applied dry in a streaky way and blended
in with AK049 Odorless Thinner. 9
TANKER 09 / RARITIES AND VARIATIONS / 75
 SCHOOL OF TECHNIQUES

10

11 12

13 14

15 16
76 / TANKER 09 / RARITIES AND VARIATIONS
10. The concrete parts like
the pillars and the floor
panels were weathered with
oil colours. Lucas Studio 208
Titanium White, 382 Ivory
Black and 312 Van Dyke Brown
were applied in small patches
and streaks on the surface.

11. All metal parts were

painted in a rusty dark
brown style and for some
extra industrial appearance
I was going to add a second
layer of paint on the lower
walls. Therefore all surfaces
were masked with tape and
prepared with a load of
hairspray

12. Pure White Acrylic paint

was sprayed on the prepared
surfaces and after some
minutes most of the paint was
scrubbed off with the help of a
stiff brush and tap water.

13. Rusty streaks were applied

on the steel structures by
using different AK-Interactive
streaking products like AK013
Rust Streaks. Here you see the
process exemplary conducted
on the main girder. Streaks
were applied with a small
brush and after some minutes
smoothly blended in with the
help of odorless thinner.

14. A quite similar method

as used on the roof went
into expression on all other
parts. Small amounts of
pigments were gently applied
on the surfaces and dissolved
with thinner. This creates a
uniform optic and adds to the
weathering of the accessories.

15. Some tone-variations with

moist surface and operating
materials residue, which
easily happens in industrial
environment, were painted
on the ground and the girders
with the use of AK025 Fuel
Stains, AK084 Engine Oil and
AK079 Wet Effects Fluid.

16. With the help of AK

Interactive AK026 Slimy Grime
Dark and AK027 Slimy Grime
Light some moss-depository
were painted on the outer
walls, the concrete panels,
some steel girders and of
course on some wooden
planks. Again they were softly
blended in with odorless
thinner.

TANKER 09 / RARITIES AND VARIATIONS / 77

 IDF M-3 M
ich
ael Mass
Half-track
Rarities
by Michael Mass

Qhatzatzit
During the first Intifada, the Palestinian uprising against the
Israeli occupation lasting from December 1987 to 1993, the IDF
developed a catapult for throwing gravel (little stones) as an
anti-riot non-lethal weapon.
This catapult was mounted on the Zaqhlad, the dieselised half-

Anti-riot Catapult
tracks. The vehicle and accompanying equipment never saw
constant service and the vehicles were scrapped in 2002.

78 / TANKER 09 / RARITIES AND VARIATIONS

Spares and
equipment
carrier.
As part of the maintenance service battalion (Gashqh) of every
armoured division, the IDF used gasoline or dieselised half-tracks
as a mobile spares carrier, called Tzamash. These half-tracks were
in service during the Yom Kippur War in 1973 and also during the
'Peace for Galilee' operation (1st Lebanon War) in 1982. There were
many configurations of these Tzamash half-tracks, closely related to
the type of AFVs used in the units they served.

TANKER 09 / RARITIES AND VARIATIONS / 79

 Half-track
with large
compressor
One of the most unique configurations on the half-track used by
the IDF is a big-size diesel engine and compressor. It was used as a
mobile generator and a compressed air service unit. It had a large
range of uses, including the inflation of the Zodiac rubber boats used
by the Israeli Navy. The unit was built by Ingersoll-Rand and was in
use until 2001.

80 / TANKER 09 / RARITIES AND VARIATIONS

 Improvised
Some half-tracks were modified by the IDF and the South Lebanese
Army (SLA) for patrol missions. Here you can see a dieselised half-track
with an up-armoured structure and a transparent cover. The louvers
above the windshield and in the side doors are for ventilating the

protection
fighting compartment.

TANKER 09 / RARITIES AND VARIATIONS / 81

 GALLERY
Lukasz Orczyc-Musialek

Lukasz Orczyc-Musialek

82 / TANKER 09 / RARITIES AND VARIATIONS

 Vincent Zachery Sex

Kristof Pulinckx

Chris Jerret
TANKER 09 / RARITIES AND VARIATIONS / 83
 Questions for the workbench

SZASZKÓ
GERGŐ
84 / TANKER 09 / RARITIES AND VARIATIONS
When did you start modelling?
I started modelling when I was about 12 years old. One day I was on my way
back home after school. Suddenly I saw a broken Czechoslovakian airplane
model, on top of the trash! I grabbed all the pieces and took them with me.
Once home I started to fix the model, to the extent that was still possible.
From that moment on I was hooked. Modelling is in my blood and there is
no way back. In the early years I mainly built airplanes, but around my 15th
birthday I got a 1/72 scale T-62 and since then my focus has been on AFVs.

What is your favourite subject?

Until a couple of years ago that answer would have been so easy for me:
World War Two German armour, with a soft spot for the Panther. Nowadays
my interests have turned towards modern armour, especially Russian steel!
Actually, I have never really chosen the subject; the subject has chosen me!
When I see a particular photo, I get interested and then I feel the need to
build that model. For example, I like the Abrams tank. I have two kits in my
stash, but until I fall in love with a photo of that particular type of Abrams,
they will remain in my stash…
camouflage. As for techniques, I just try to use the techniques I feel my
model needs. I certainly don't like colour modulation; it just doesn’t work
for me, but that is a personal choice. Recently I have been getting more
and more familiar with the hairspray technique. I like to use it for chipping
and it works fine for me.

When finishing a model, does it have to be ultrarealistic or can you

appreciate some artistic freedom?
That’s a very hard question! I try get a realistic finish, but sometimes one
needs to make a compromise to obtain a better result. So artistic freedom
is OK. As a modeller who always works from an existing photo, artistic
freedom is more or less limited. I just like to stay as close as possible to the
original, but if needed I’ll use some artistic freedom. Like I said before I’m
pretty old school!

When it comes to painting and weathering , which paints do you pre-

fer: acrylics, oils or enamels?
I’m very much an old school modeller. In my early days I only used enamel
paints, as these were the only ones available. At that time I was still living
behind the Iron Curtain… Luckily times have changed and I discovered
‘western’ paints. I started using Tamiya and Gunze acrylics. I have been us-
ing them for the last 15 years and I think I will continue using them, probably
until the end of my career. As for the weathering, I love oil paints. 502Abt.
oils and Winsor&Newton are my favourites, but for mud and dirt I still go
back to my enamel paints, mostly Humbrol.

What is your favourite technique?

I don’t really have a favourite technique, but I love to work with an airbrush.
I hope that counts? I like the challenge of creating a nice and elaborate

TANKER 09 / RARITIES AND VARIATIONS / 85

 Next
issue
We will show you a few tricks in
the next issue; secrets to come
out unscathed from difficult
situations in our models.

Resources used by the best

modelers. Maybe you already
know and use some, and others
will surprise you...

It will be a special issue to have at

hand and use over and over again.

MAGIC!!!

86 / TANKER 09 / RARITIES AND VARIATIONS

BEST BRASS AROUND
Merkava Mk.1 Takom 1/35
Cat. No. 36374

Archer Tamiya 1/35

Cat. No. 36375
Cat. No. 36376

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