UniModel BA-3/BA-6 Armoured Car in 1/72 "The Winter War" '39-40'.

[wappynutter]

Thought i had best step up to the mark and be counted Fella's...

I have been wondering a while about an entry into this GB and have finally chosen a subject and period.
As the title suggests, i chose an early conflict between Russia and Finland.

The Winter War.

Usual info as found on Wikipedia..

The Winter War (Finnish: Talvisota, Swedish: Vinterkriget, Russian: Зи́мняя война́, tr. Zimnyaya voyna) was a military conflict between the Soviet Union and Finland in 1939–1940. It began with the Soviet invasion of Finland on 30 November 1939 (three months after the outbreak of World War II), and ended with the Moscow Peace Treaty on 13 March 1940. The League of Nations deemed the attack illegal and expelled the Soviet Union from the League on 14 December 1939.

The Soviet Union ostensibly sought to claim parts of Finnish territory, demanding—amongst other concessions—that Finland cede substantial border territories in exchange for land elsewhere, claiming security reasons, primarily the protection of Leningrad, which was only 32 km (20 mi) from the Finnish border. Finland refused and the USSR invaded the country. Many sources conclude that the Soviet Union had intended to conquer all of Finland, and use the establishment of the puppet Finnish Communist government and the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact's secret protocols as proof of this, while other sources argue against this idea of a full Soviet conquest.

The Soviets possessed more than three times as many soldiers as the Finns, thirty times as many aircraft, and a hundred times as many tanks. The Red Army, however, had been crippled by Soviet leader Joseph Stalin's Great Purge of 1937. With more than 30,000 of its officers executed or imprisoned, including most of those of the highest ranks, the Red Army in 1939 had many inexperienced senior and mid-level officers. Because of these factors, and high morale in the Finnish forces, Finland repelled Soviet attacks for several months, much longer than the Soviets expected.

However, after reorganization and adoption of different tactics, the renewed Soviet offensive overcame Finnish defenses at the borders. Finland then agreed to cede more territory than originally demanded by the Soviet Union in 1939; the Soviets, having conquered the areas they demanded from Finland but at a cost of heavier losses in troops than anticipated, accepted this offer.

Hostilities ceased in March 1940 with the signing of the Moscow Peace Treaty. Finland ceded territory representing 11% of its land area and 30% of its economy to the Soviet Union. Soviet losses were heavy, and the country's international reputation suffered. While the Soviet Union did not conquer all Finland, Soviet gains somewhat exceeded their pre-war demands. They gained substantial territory along Lake Ladoga, providing a buffer for Leningrad, and territory in northern Finland. Finland retained its sovereignty and enhanced its international reputation.

I also chose a not so great piece of UM kit in 1/72 to enter too.

Here again is some info as supplied by Wikipedia.

BA-3/6 Armoured Car.

The BA-3 (Russian: Broneavtomobil 3) was a heavy armored car developed in the Soviet Union in 1933, followed by a slightly changed model BA-6 in 1936. Both were based mostly on BA-I, the most important development being the new turret, same as in the T-26 m 1933 and BT-5 tanks, and also equipped with the 45 mm main gun. Around 180 BA-3 cars were built at the Izhorskij and Vyksunskij factories, until production ended in 1935. BA-6 followed with 386 cars produced between 1936 and 1938 in Izhorskij factory. Most of BA-3 production was based on the Ford-Timken chassis, a 6×4 modification of the US Ford AA 4×2 truck, but the last batch was built on Russian version of the same chassis - GAZ-AAA, continued to be used in BA-6. The biggest limitation of the BA-3 was the mobility, limited to roads or very hard ground, the result of unnecessarily[1] large weight. The innovation that slightly improved mobility were the auxiliary ("Overall") tracks that could be fitted onto the rear tandem wheels, converting the car to half-track.

The BA-3 is externally very similar to the BA-6; the BA-3 retained door in the rear of the hull that was not present in the BA-6.[1] More important improvement of BA-6 were the new GK tires, filled with sponge (porous rubber), and thus much less vulnerable to small-caliber fire. On the downside, the tires reduced both the speed and range of the vehicle, despite it had a somewhat thinned armor. BA-3/6 cars were superseded by BA-10 model. All cars of this series were very heavily armed for the era; they could knock out other vehicles with ease, including tanks. However, their thin armor made them vulnerable to heavy machine gun fire and small caliber cannon fire.

A prototype railway BA-3ZD variant was created in 1936, but was not accepted for production. The BA-6ZD was produced in limited numbers.

The BA-3/6 were used in combat in the Spanish Civil War, against the Japanese in the Battle of Khalkhyn Gol, in the Finnish Winter War, and against the Germans in the early stages of the Eastern Front.

A couple of photo's of the real Car sourced from the Internet..







Also a first for me will be trying to depict, (as the title suggests again), A Winter Scene. To include Snow, ice, figures and Winter wash/Camouflage..

I will be calling upon the Modelling Guru's for this build i'm sure...

Onto the kit then....

Boxart..



A few blurry pictures follow, Sorry for the poor quality of these, phone camera was not playing fair today.







Unopened bag containing the entire kit...





Instructions in 3 languages showing sprue trees, colour call outs, usual Health and safety along with a step by step construction layout..





































Lets open the bag and take a Blurry look then...





Rubber tyres??



Decals which are supposed to( according to online reviews) be nice and clean and crisp....



Wheels, hubs, suspension etc...







T-26 turret, mantle and gun..







Chassis, front suspension, engine, exhaust and front guards/fenders..





Main armoured Hull and rear fenders etc...





Minus the rivet detail, may well add this as it is a prominent feature on the old Cars...









That's your lot guys.....



I'm sure our forum friend and small scale Master AchtungPanzer or Eryk to the regular users, will take an interest as i believe he has about single handedly built every single UM kit in the catalogue bar this one..... lol...
Eryk, any tips for building these kits?

Okay, that should warrant my place in the GB, any comments or questions, help or suggestions greatly received guys...
Until the next update, stay safe and well, play nice with the Styrene!...

[rwsmith14]

Great subject and time period in the war Andy. I did a Winter war dio about 1 1/2 years ago.. I learned alot about the Winter war during my research and it was very interesting.... check out my dio and builg thread for some ideas on about how too do some things...

look on youtube there is a movie Called "Talvisota" not a bad movie, it has english subtittles and will give you lots of motivation to build a Winter war Dio.



Build thread

http://www.intscalemodeller.com/viewtop ... winter+war

Reveal thread
http://www.intscalemodeller.com/viewtop ... winter+war

[Sturm]

I like reading about the Winter War, a very interesting subject. The Finnish put up one heck of a fight, even though they were out gunned and outnumbered. One fact I found interesting was that some of the Finnish troops used snow Skis which aloud them to make swift hit and run attacks that terrorized the Russian troops. The War also made the greatest sniper of all times- Simo Hayha. Simo was credited with 505 confirmed kills with a bolt action rifle and 200 with a submachine gun. Simo did not use a scope for his rifle, all his kills were done with his weapon's iron sight!!

[wappynutter]

Great subject and time perid in the war Andy. I did a Winter war dio about 1 1/2 years ago.. I learned alot about the Winter war durng my research and was very interesting.... check out my dio and builf thread for some idea about how too do some things...

look on youtube there is a movie Called "Talvisota" not a bad movie, it has english subtittles and will give you lots of motivation to build a Winter war Dio.



Build thread

http://www.intscalemodeller.com/viewtop ... winter+war

Reveal thread
http://www.intscalemodeller.com/viewtop ... winter+war

Thanks for the info Sir, I had checked out the build thread and reveal thread not too long ago, forgot to comment and lost the threads in all the forum hustle and bustle... (Nothing stays on page 1 for long!..lol..)
Thanks for re-directing me, and yes the film on YouTube, I have seen it but not watched it... May well do now though..
Thanks again, good luck with the Aerosled builds...

I like reading about the Winter War, a very interesting subject. The Finnish put up one heck of a fight, even though they were out gunned and outnumbered. One fact I found interesting was that some of the Finnish troops used snow Skis which aloud them to make swift hit and run attacks that terrorized the Russian troops. The War also made the greatest sniper of all times- Simo Hayha. Simo was credited with 505 confirmed kills with a bolt action rifle and 200 with a submachine gun. Simo did not use a scope for his rifle, all his kills were done with his weapon's iron sight!!

Thanks for dropping by Sturm, and yes totally agree, the Finnish troops were real good at surprise ski attacks. Greatly outnumbered but well trained in the art of Winter warfare..
The Snipers were awesome for what rifles they used. Apparently the shot soldiers would freeze into the final poses as the circulation was the only thing that kept the cold from freezing the troops. Once shot, circulation slowed enough to have the dying freeze where they fell.. What a way to die eh?... Poor souls the lot of them, and all over land grabbing to protect the Soviet Capital as the Finnish border was only 20 miles away. Russia wanted more land to strengthen its borders..
Thanks again for dropping by... More soon..

[wappynutter]

So after sharing some progress pictures to the Facebook users i thought i had better update the thread for the guys here..
Found a couple more images of the BA Armoured car..











....and so i best get on with the build....



Cut off a couple of parts...















First thing to note is that just like the older Hasegawa kits the plastic is very brittle, scratches easy with the sanding sticks and clean up is a drag...
Parts are real fragile to remove and i have broke a couple removing them from the sprue gates..



Engine block is 2 parts though is not seen once installed..







Rear drive gear etc... Remember... teeny pieces, very brittle...







Mantlet snapped cutting it off the sprue, but here i have repaired it and you cannot really tell.









Removed all the separate doors, panels etc.. and cleaned up as best as you can with such poor plastic...





You can just make out the break on the Mantlet here... top small break line visible..







I had to measure and draw my own lines on to follow to glue on the next few parts as no guidelines etc.. were present..










...and the floorpan comes in 2 halves too??









Starting to look like an Armoured car..







Wheels, rubber tyres... ... Tread and tyrewall detail included...







On with the Chassis and suspension etc...









Arches and sideskirts attached..













Onward with the construction...































.. and that is construction all but finished..
Its a little crude, lacks the all important rivet detail these cars were known for. Some of the moulded detail is a little soft in places but saying that it has built up into a rare little piece of kit. These cars could destroy everything in their path in 1939-40. Sporting the T-26 turret and main gun plus 2 machine guns it could deal some punishment.
Unfortunately these were also woefully under armoured so could easily be taken out with a high powered rifle or well thrown/placed Molotov cocktail or grenade. Later versions of this design faired better later on in the war.
Hope i haven't bored you guys too much. The construction is not very exciting at this scale/quality of kit.
Next time i will finish off the build and get some primer down, maybe even have some figures to build and paint.
Gonna go with the Russian made Zvezda 1/72 snap fit figures from the Art of Tactic range available. Choosing the figures is more confusing, do i go with the 4 man and "Maxim" machinegun set, the standard infantry or the winter Ski troops?? dunno which would be more historically correct...

These 3 choices..

10279984p.jpg

6197.jpg

6199.jpg

What do you guys think??
Let me know your thoughts so i don't mix up my Soviet troops with my Finnish looking troops here...
All comments welcome, any advice or questions feel free...
Stay safe and well, Enjoy your hobby time guys, Until next time...
Happy Modelling.

[panzerman]

Great work Andy. UM kits are tough to build....but they have some rare subjects. I like your idea for the project. Not many modeling subjects are done on that period. Good luck. I'd use all the sets of figures....have a winter melee. Hahaha.
Bill.

[Nige201980]

Great work so far Andy

[Sturm]

Looking great so far! And yes, why don't you use all the figures

[fly1ngdutchm4n]

That is looking great Andy!
Love the nano kits, great subject!

[hansolo]

Looks like a titanic challenge on a minute scale!
But you're doing an awesome job on it!

[wappynutter]

Great work Andy. UM kits are tough to build....but they have some rare subjects. I like your idea for the project. Not many modeling subjects are done on that period. Good luck. I'd use all the sets of figures....have a winter melee. Hahaha.
Bill.

Hey Bill... Thanks buddy. Yeah UM are an interesting manufacturer for sure.. Better than cheap old Airfix, similar to the old Hasegawa kits but with a very interesting kit catalogue if anyone's after oddball vehicles... and of course, all in the Gentleman's scale of 1/72.
I may skip recreating the rivets... 1/72 are so tiny to make and fit...
Figure-wise, I'm still undecided as my display wont be of epic proportions, i am also unsure of uniform colours and winter wear for the poorly equipped Soviet forces of "39". They were not clothed in the Winter whites as the Finnish were. Forces were ill advised, unprepared and under-dressed for such harsh conditions.
Thanks again for dropping by Brother, keep up the good work with those AMPS reviews.. i have been looking.
Stay safe and well..

Great work so far Andy

Thanks Nige, greatly appreciated mate. Will get a decent update up soon..
All the best bud..

Looking great so far! And yes, why don't you use all the figures

Thanks mate, much appreciated and Yeah, I'd use all the figures but diorama space and period accuracy for the Winter War makes me question my figure choices. No white wear on the Soviet forces until the very end, if any at all, plus uniform accuracy is a little sketchy as the Soviet forces were all over the place and very disorganised.
I'll research some more, if you have any knowledge on the subject feel free to share your thoughts bud..
Thanks again... Happy Modelling..

That is looking great Andy!
Love the nano kits, great subject!

Thanks Frans, greatly appreciated mate. Tough war to work with as the Soviet's kept most of the info hush hush and uniform worn and Soviet accounts are sketchy at best. It was like one big mass suicide for the Soviets as they became little more than cannon fodder in the harsh winter conditions. Search out "The Sausage War" and you'll see what i mean... Unbelievable waste of human life the entire conflict..
Anyway, i will see what i can do for a snowy dio, gonna try some of the cheaper home made methods (No not Bicarbonate of soda mix... ), and some of the usual scratch building of foliage etc..
Wish me luck!..
Take care mate..

Looks like a titanic challenge on a minute scale!
But you're doing an awesome job on it!

Thanks Han, appreciate the kind comments bud. I will be extensively checking all of your past builds for any hints or help at creating a snowy white washed armour piece.
I am also loving your scratchbuilding of the Zis 41 half-track... Continued success mate.
All the best...


... and while i am here i will show the completed build up, minus the wheels, of the BA-3.
Pictures are a little unprofessional but you'll see that the side and rear steps are now on, the front and rear lights are also on.
I had to do a running repair on the rear step as it was miss moulded and deformed a little..









That's your lot for now, busy all week but hopefully i will find some free-time at the weekend to make some progress.
Until then, take care, play nice with the styrene..
Happy Modelling..

[Sturm]

Tips on your figure choices: (If you want Finns in your dio) You could use the Soviet ski troops as Finnish soldiers as the Finns wore white coats and looted soviet weapons.
As for the other figures sets, I think you will be safe using either one.

[wappynutter]

Well its been a while, mojo has gone and I'm all busy sorting the kids, training for a new part time job and generally left with little time for heavy build progress.

My time management skills suck too so even when i find an hour or so i spend so long planning and preparing that its time up and i am back with no time on my hands again..

Now what i have finally got around to trying to do today is build a tree...
Yep.... a tree, a Fir to be precise made using a winding contraption i built and a couple of bits of scrap wire and some twine..
The winding machine has been built a few weeks but its only today i have gotten to constructing the trees.
This is my first attempt at building a tree tool and using it to make small trees, then following a guy off Youtube, getting a fairly positive result.

Here is how i built the tool, the tree and finished it..
Thanks in advance for sitting through the poor quality picture collection..

So after finding and following a Youtuber for some time, i finally took his idea and built a tree turning tool..
Some rough off cuts of scrap wood..











parts for the handle..



Glasses and dust mask on..... the MDF dust will kill ya real quick. Scary selfie..



Sorry!.... Hope no one got too nauseous..

Build parts..



A line is cut for the wire to sit in to start the tree off in..



Started to screw the pieces together..



and drilled a hole for the winding hook to pass through.





Handle creation..



Now i will show the first attempt but i found the nails i used were cast and snapped everytime i tried to put a bend in them. I ended up raiding the wardrobe for a clothes hanger later on.... I'll show ya..











Self made Rubber washer..









Melted a biro insert to give a tight snug fit to stop it coming out..



...but every time i bent the tip of the nail it shattered or snapped off so out with the coat hanger..





Barbed one way finish on the end. can push it in but it cant pull back out... Perfect for the winding mechanism.





Time to cut it up..







... and finally cut and bent to a satisfactory finish...







Will it work??
Time to make twine trees....
First i combed out some cut twine..





Wire in place...



A very shaky couple of images next showing the tree building.... Sorry..







A little bottle brush tree..... it worked...



I'll practice half a dozen more in different sizes..









Still need a couple more goes before i add some greenery..

Quick rough old fencing making while i make up my mind about these trees...





White grass tufts too... Some green and white mixed are made later on...



... and more trees...









So i am going to choose my favourites and add some Fir tree greenery...
Products used will be a 50/50 mix of white PVA glue and some Rough Pasture scenic scatter from Jarvis.







I placed the scatter in an empty tub to aid in sprinkling onto the wet branches..







This is that first little tree i made..





Time for a bigger tree in a bigger pot of the glue mix...











Leave to drip a little, using a brush to shape the branches before sprinkling scatter on...



.. and scatter...



















So that was my first go at creating fir trees using a winding jig built from scrap and trees made from cheap twine, wire stripped from electric cable, PVA and some budget Jarvis Scenic Scatter.
Gonna leave them to fully dry then see how i feel about them. Remembering they are going to get a dusting of budget snow effects too in the near future..

As always, thanks for taking a look. Its taken a month to make any progress here and i'm sorry its not much, but i tried.. lol..
Hope everybody else's builds are progressing fine, even my forum time is at a premium at the moment, i do manage to take a peek through the day but logging on and posting is done via the Laptop which doesn't get turned on most days.. I broke the screen on my tablet and my mobile is rubbish for logging on and commenting with.

As always, take care, stay safe, keep well... where ever you are Guys...
All the best, until the next update...
Happy Modelling..

[hansolo]

Wow. That's a pretty ingenious tree rig you made there!
Creates beautiful little trees.

[wappynutter]

Wow. That's a pretty ingenious tree rig you made there!
Creates beautiful little trees.

Thanks Han, much appreciated mate.
I think with a little practice and effort a real nice tree could be made. My trees needed a little more work before I sprinkled but they kinda okay, nature isn't uniform or neat and square.
Here's the 3 practice trees this morning...

IMG_20160219_091851.jpg

IMG_20160219_091829.jpg

IMG_20160219_091818.jpg

All the best , more soon Guys...

[rwsmith14]

Awesome Andy love the trees and the figures

[NonProlificModeler]

That's really cool, Andy! Love the trees and the vehicle is something else. Great choice. Good luck with the build. Jens

[wappynutter]

Awesome Andy love the trees and the figures

Thanks Buddy,the trees turned out really well i thought for just a quick practice piece.
With a little patience and more effort and shaping some fantastic results could be had i'm sure.
Just spent an hour this afternoon practising cheap snow effects on the practice trees, results will follow soon.
Thanks again mate, all the best...

That's really cool, Andy! Love the trees and the vehicle is something else. Great choice. Good luck with the build. Jens

Thanks again Jens, greatly appreciate the kind words Sir. As mentioned above i have been trying cheap snow effects using household items.
Not Bicarbonate though as this yellows and attracts bugs etc.. later on in life.
I'll share my results and methods soon.... busy sitting open mouthed at your Pillar drill scratchbuild on G+..
Stunning buddy, simply superb...
Continued success..


More soon guys...

[OliveDrab]

Very neat subject. Its amazing how small this armoured car really is and great work with the scratch built trees. Looking forward to seeing more

[Sturm]

Mind blowing dio! Amazing work!

[NonProlificModeler]

Thanks again Jens, greatly appreciate the kind words Sir. As mentioned above i have been trying cheap snow effects using household items.
Not Bicarbonate though as this yellows and attracts bugs etc.. later on in life.
I'll share my results and methods soon.... busy sitting open mouthed at your Pillar drill scratchbuild on G+..
Stunning buddy, simply superb...
Continued success..

Thank you so much, Andy! Same to you, my friend! I would give 1/72 a try, if I wasn't blind as a bat. Really admire modelers who can build and paint that scale.

[wappynutter]

Very neat subject. Its amazing how small this armoured car really is and great work with the scratch built trees. Looking forward to seeing more

Thanks OD, much appreciated....
The Car is about 70mm in length so not the smallest i have worked with but must definately no huge piece of kit.. hahaha...
Scratch built tree number 3 has just had a snowy make over, i'll share some pictures shortly.
Take care mate...

Mind blowing dio! Amazing work!

Thanks again mate, got some wintering effects to do then mount it all on a teeny base... More on that soon...
All the best..

Thank you so much, Andy! Same to you, my friend! I would give 1/72 a try, if I wasn't blind as a bat. Really admire modelers who can build and paint that scale.

Thanks again Jens.... 1/72 is a bit of a drag when you have tired old eyes like mine too. I just don't trust myself with the "good stuff" 1/35 scale yet...
Only been practising for like 3 years now.. lol... The problem is i never seem to get any better at it.. hahaha..
Continued success my friend...


So a little more progress to share with the followers..
Finally added a quick coat of primer to see where the build is going. Got some details still to add and then maybe consider a Russian green paint up..
Just a standard auto primer, quick and less hassle while the weather is cold..











Now the real reason behind this post is to share my results of the budget snow effects for 1/72 scale builds.
I opted to NOT use Bicarbonate of Soda as i have heard horror stories with discolouration and bug infestation etc..
Instead i chose the real fine, man made product that is Talcum powder...
Talc is both fine grained, easily mixed and fixed and being a man made chemical substance, shouldn't attract insects or discolour easily..
There are downsides such as dust removal and moisture etc.. but hey... this is a fun little project to learn winter effects on a small scale build using very little cash outlay.
Having a Small child who requires such products does help make this an even cheaper effect, just don't tell the wife i'm using the babies products... lol...

So Hairspray and Baby Talc at the ready..... Lets give it a go..







Using the larger of the practice trees to test the effect on..





My idea was to use this metal strainer but i didn't in the end and just used the shake of the bottle method..



Step 1.. Apply a good soaking of firm hold hairspray...



Step 2. Sprinkle a covering of talc..



Shake to remove excess...

Step 3.. Repeat step 1 applying hairspray. the hairspray makes the talc almost disappear from the branches as it soaks in... but its still there..
Apply the second coat..




Step 4. Sprinkle the talc...



Shake to remove excess...



Further applications as the above steps are applied until the desired snow like effect is achieved..
I did 3 further applications of the talc..











Leave to dry thoroughly...

The scattered talc on the paper gives a very nice small scale snow effect here...







Okay so once dry i placed it next to the other trees and ... well... the effect is fine for the scale, the cost, and the effort required to achieve the effect..















The build up of snow like layers is evident on the close up pictures. A better camera would probably do this more justice but i don't own one..
For 5 sprinkled layers of cheap talc fixed and set with cheap hairspray i think it looks okay. This is after all a Wappynutter build.. lol..

And of course, using both Hairspray and Talc the entire process SMELLS fantastic.... I smell fantastic too!!....
My only problem would be my hands are all talc slippery for a while until i wash them thoroughly..

Anyway, there we have it. Granted it isn't no "precision snow and ice" product, and maybe on a larger scale that would be my product of choice, but for £22 odd for the starter kit this teeny build just didn't warrant the outlay.
For precision Snow and Ice product effects, my forum friend Frans, (The Flying Dutchman),has done a Fantastic job on his build here...

http://intscalemodeller.com/viewtopic.php?f=450&t=16026

Well done Frans it looks the dogs danglies mate....

Right, thats all for now Guys, thanks for sticking around.
More soon, as always comments welcome..
Stay safe, keep well...... Happy Modelling..

[wappynutter]

So just a small amount of progress on the build this week..... Next week will be the same too..... and the week after that..
Been checking out possible basing items, have chosen one and will be updating with another Winter dio instalment soon, but for now i just added some paint etc.. to the Armoured car..
Also added a detail to the rear fenders...







painted them grey primer..



Then chose a green and brush painted a couple of coats while building and painting 1/72 scale fencing..



















... and yes they were the beginnings of the snow tracks that the Armoured cars were fitted with in the snow.. They are still in the crude idea stage but once built and looking right i will share some images..
Not much to do with the car really now as once the details are painted and the wheels and decals put on she'll hopefully get a whitewash winter camo paint up then be finished..
So that's all for now folks, just trying to keep the thread active.
More soon i promise... until then, take care, stay safe and well Guys.
Happy Modelling..

[wappynutter]

Another teeny update with regards to the snow tracks for the Armoured Car.
as i mentioned here..

... and yes they were the beginnings of the snow tracks that the Armoured cars were fitted with in the snow.. They are still in the crude idea stage but once built and looking right i will share some images..

This is what was finally decided..

I took some thin gauge wire from a sandwich bag tie and roughly wrapped around the rear wheels to get an idea...



... and cut some 6mm wide strips of 0.5mm styrene.







... lots of little 2mm x 6mm track pads cut.







I worried about how to fix teeny bits of styrene to a thin wire piece... CA glue and a jig for the first attempt..



Unfortunately they didn't stay stuck too well when the were handled so back in the bag they went...



Until another idea hit me while i slept.... Thin strips of masking tape to create the attach point/hinge effect..
CA glue this and it should become strong and well attached... Experiment time again..













2mm wide strips are cut, plastic pieces are slid under the wire in place, wire is held steady either end with white tac then strips of masking tape are applied to the backs as the next few pictures show....







Tested around a wheel again...



Not very level but hey ho...



Track number 2...







Out with the CA glue that should soak into the masking tape to give a sturdy hinge ..













So i will leave them a while to dry properly then give them a coat of steel paint. These were in real life, nothing more than heavy duty "Snow chains" used in haste to help get traction in the deep heavy snow..

A track side is seen here lay out on the fender and under the fender support like i added to my build in the last post..





Seen fitted here....



That's all for this quick update, nothing exciting i'm afraid.
Until the next time, keep safe and well Guys, Happy Modelling..

[NonProlificModeler]

Aaah, that's just great, Andy! Scratch building is very often trial and error, but being persistant and work on it till there's a satisfying result is the thing! Very well done! I love those tracks! Jens

[wappynutter]

Aaah, that's just great, Andy! Scratch building is very often trial and error, but being persistant and work on it till there's a satisfying result is the thing! Very well done! I love those tracks! Jens

Thanks Jens, those tracks aren't great by any standard but at 1/72 scale.... and covered in snow material, they should just about do..
Found an hour today to pick out some detailing and prime those tracks ready for a metal finish..
Still experimenting with the snow effects, i think my practice tree turned out good enough at braille scale to do the job for the groundwork too!
All the best with your fantastic build Sir...
Happy Crafting.
More soon!...

[rodrant]

Andyy!!! Master of the scratch build in action !

Awesome Andy ! This is modeling skills in high level ! real great the tree , I'm looking forward to see this one complete buddy ! the tracks and all the thread is so nice ! Keep modeling like this , we like it !

so,so nice !

[wappynutter]

Andyy!!! Master of the scratch build in action !

Awesome Andy ! This is modeling skills in high level ! real great the tree , I'm looking forward to see this one complete buddy ! the tracks and all the thread is so nice ! Keep modeling like this , we like it !

so,so nice !

Hahaha... António, your too kind bud... Thanks, much appreciated..
I'll keep picking away at this teeny build...
As is the norm for my threads, it always gets worse before it gets better... Gonna be a shame to whitewash the green tho'..
Display base is an idea in the making, gonna be built on the cheap as is my usual tight fisted way.. Did i ever mention i hate spending money? lol..
I have about 8 weeks left to make good so fingers crossed she'll look the part for 1/72 scale when done..
Thanks again mate, All the best with your on going projects..
Happy Modellings..

[wappynutter]

Okay so i am back with another update. Just trying to get some progress before my life get busy again for a bit.
The Armoured car is built, painted and on all its wheels now so just needs decals, weathering, whitewash and placement weathering.. How i have no idea as i have never painted any winterised vehicles so have no idea what is the methods or techniques..
Back to what i have done then.....
Firstly i primed the rough tracks in cheap auto primer..



Then started picking out all the details... Guns, exhaust, lights, tyres etc...

















Going to use a trick i had seen used to dull the headlight chrome and add a lens effect to the light.. PVA glue blobs..









... and then as dry clear lenses..









Tyres are painted using Ammo rubber and tyre paint.



Tracks are dry..



Lenses look better too....





Rear wheels are assembled ready..





Front wheels are on first..







Tracks got a coat of this auto paint to start with... They'll need a black oil wash to dull them down once fully cured..





All wheels in place just waiting for them to dry..









On its wheels...







Finally some matchstick for scale pictures to finish the post off...













I will attach the spare wheels to the sides once a final paint up is applied.
Next will be some gloss then decalling followed by subtle weathering and chipping. Whitewash and a chip/wear effect to finish with a matt coat maybe... All new problems are faced when adding an extra coat of paint.. I think??

So i am going to leave well alone for a few days/ aweek then see how it all looks before decals.
If anybody has any ideas as to how to proceed please feel free to share your thoughts..
Until then, take care, have fun.... Model Happy Guys..

[NonProlificModeler]

Jaysis, Andy! Before you put those matches next to the vehicle I had no idea how small it is! Once again: Hats off! Haven't done any white washes yet, but there are some cool tutorials on YT. I think Adam Wilder made one, but there are more. Can't wait to see your dio finished, bud!

[wappynutter]

Jaysis, Andy! Before you put those matches next to the vehicle I had no idea how small it is! Once again: Hats off! Haven't done any white washes yet, but there are some cool tutorials on YT. I think Adam Wilder made one, but there are more. Can't wait to see your dio finished, bud!

Thanks again Jens, and yeah this kit is fairly small.. Still not happy with the finish but as i am going to whitewash it i felt that fading, shading and chipping would be wasted on it. I'll decal it up and see how things go.
Checked Adam's YT and found nothing really whitewash related in the couple of videos i looked at. Will scour the YT Universe and if all else fails i know our Forum friend and modelling Guru Mike Coen did a tutorial using Ultimate's new Winter wash which i could order using my £30 1st prize voucher code from December.
More soon Guys... Thanks..

[felisbarcinonensis]

Amazing progress Andy!!! Trees and vehicle are awesome and in such a small scale!!!!

[wappynutter]

Amazing progress Andy!!! Trees and vehicle are awesome and in such a small scale!!!!

Hey Daniel, Sorry mate totally missed the fact you'd dropped by and left a comment... Thank you so much for the too kind comments..
Gotta mess about with the white wash now... Hope it all works out as i have it planned in my head..
Keep safe and well my friend.
Thanks again, more progress soon!...

[fly1ngdutchm4n]

The patience of a saint with eyes like a hawk! So tiny... wow
And your tree making on this scale, is absolutely brilliant!
I mean, making your own tree twisting tool? Awesome
My turn to bow to you Andy

[wappynutter]

The patience of a saint with eyes like a hawk! So tiny... wow
And your tree making on this scale, is absolutely brilliant!
I mean, making your own tree twisting tool? Awesome
My turn to bow to you Andy

Hahaha.... Thanks Frans, greatly appreciated mate. Did you spot the link to your build thread there when i was mentioning Precision snow and ice??
Continued success Sir... Thanks again..

[fly1ngdutchm4n]

The patience of a saint with eyes like a hawk! So tiny... wow
And your tree making on this scale, is absolutely brilliant!
I mean, making your own tree twisting tool? Awesome
My turn to bow to you Andy

Hahaha.... Thanks Frans, greatly appreciated mate. Did you spot the link to your build thread there when i was mentioning Precision snow and ice??
Continued success Sir... Thanks again..

Ha yes! Spotted! Thanks for that mate, appreciate it!
The guys from precision ice and snow asked me if they could use my pictures for publishing in magazines and there website. With all credit to me off course. .. big honour and really proud
The product works for all scales especially the "fine" snow. And I must say that your talk trees look brilliant too! They won't have a rash for years!

Hope you still smell nice Andy!
And keep up the good work!

[wappynutter]

Ha yes! Spotted! Thanks for that mate, appreciate it!
The guys from precision ice and snow asked me if they could use my pictures for publishing in magazines and there website. With all credit to me off course. .. big honour and really proud
The product works for all scales especially the "fine" snow. And I must say that your talk trees look brilliant too! They won't have a rash for years!

Hope you still smell nice Andy!
And keep up the good work!

Hahaha... yeah i still smell good... and all soft like a baby's bottom....

I did spot the Facebook post where you shared and received the offer and praise by the Precision snow and ice team.. Also noted the offer of being rewarded for your troubles.... could be some freebies there i reckon.. Lucky man!..
To be fair though you did pretty much create exactly what the product advertises it can do, with minimal fuss and superb results.
Hats off to you mate, very well done.... Bravo.. I think the entire build is 1st class and is worthy of both much praise and a prize.
Thanks again Frans.... All the best mate..

[wappynutter]

Back again with another update on the Armoured car.
Still very little progress to show but i have made progress on the diorama/vignette idea and also had some figures arrive in the post..
For this update I'll share some decal work and the figure builds..
So for the decal session i laid a gloss coat down... nothing fancy just some cheap auto lacquer..











There are a lot of decal options to choose from but after researching i could find no reference to Car markings for the time of the Winter war.
I found out what cars went where, for what regiment and how many were involved. etc... but only found Finnish markings on armour..



So i chose just the basic Soviet star and a vehicle number to use..



Then applied...





Re-gloss coated to try and lose that huge carrier film edge and left it like this..











These figures turned up....



Gonna use them as Finnish troops attacking the lone Armoured Recon Car..
Only 3 needed...



A real fast snap fit kit..













So i used glue....













I'm not gonna use this figure after i built it up..

But i will use the next 3 built... just gotta change an arm or two on one of the figures..















Right so that's a quick update for this week, sorry for all the out of focus pictures, ( camera chose to focus on the background instead of the foreground figures.. lol.. )... Next time i will document the vignette base build..
Still ironing out all the problems and errors with the winter finish.
Until next time, thanks for dropping by... Stay safe and well Guys..
Happy Modelling..

[NonProlificModeler]

There's nothing wrong with using cheap car sprays! I use mainly car primer and I like the results I get! Those figures look very well detailed, especially for that scale! Looking forward to seeing your paint job on them! They could go as the kids of my 1/35 figures, hahaha! Keep up the good work, Andy! I really like what I see in your thread! See ya, mate! Jens

[wappynutter]

There's nothing wrong with using cheap car sprays! I use mainly car primer and I like the results I get! Those figures look very well detailed, especially for that scale! Looking forward to seeing your paint job on them! They could go as the kids of my 1/35 figures, hahaha! Keep up the good work, Andy! I really like what I see in your thread! See ya, mate! Jens

Hahaha... "I'll just send out the kids to knock out some Soviet Armour.." hahaha...
Thanks Jens.. and yeah they are only 2.4cm tall so not far off being child size on a diorama like yours...
I often try and use cheap auto primers etc.. for speed and ease of use. Gotta be careful though as at this scale details get "lost" if i get heavy handed with the spray past... lol..
My base is still all confused... well not really but it will be a busy little scene...
Quick peek at the base material..



We are of course nearly finished with the base build, just teasing you with this picture...
Thanks again my friend, more soon!..

[NonProlificModeler]

Hahaha!!! Good one, Andy!

[wappynutter]

Hahaha!!! Good one, Andy!

Fingers crossed it will be Jens...
Just to show how serious this tiny piece of log will get here is a mid way picture before trees, snow and ice..



More soon mate..

[NonProlificModeler]

Damn, Andy, That looks great so far!!! Now I'm even more looking forward! I had a feeling you'd come up with a brilliant idea!

[wappynutter]

Damn, Andy, That looks great so far!!! Now I'm even more looking forward! I had a feeling you'd come up with a brilliant idea!

Cheers Jens.... Just busy "Snowing it up" at the moment..
Being 1/72 scale means i get to scale down effects etc...
Been stealing ideas off a couple of table top wargamer displays for the snow and ice effects, should be okay when complete.
Thanks again Sir, all the best...

[wappynutter]

#Really long picture heavy snowy dio making tutorial incoming!#

So Guys, this will be a very long picture filled post documenting my 1/72 scale Winter Vignette display created using everyday items from around the home and garden for free...

I say free because if like me you have young children and a wife, these things can be found around the home..

So i had a plan....



I had a small piece of log/bark..





.... and of course, grand ideas of a snowy winter scene from 1939....



All i needed was the how to knowledge, on a budget, and at Braille scale...
Products required and used are as follows...
Small log/bark piece suitable for display.
Various wire and twine trees and small grasses.
Small scale object to portray rocks etc..
Soil from the garden.
Matchsticks to create an old fence.
Some wax candle...
Talcum powder.
Firm hold hairspray.
White PVA glue.
.... and of course, patience and faith... lol..

I begin by marking out a central area and masking off the surrounding bark to preserve its texture and finish..





Fencing and trees and grasses were made as per the earlier post...











My snow products are as follows...



So first i improved the fencing and added a little damaged piece for effect later in the build.



Gonna be roughly like so...



Trees will go like so....





The fencing does move forward a little later on during construction..

I am also going to need a little off this candle...



Like so...



Again a rough lay out and a slight adjust with the fencing..





Put the rocks and grasses in place ready.. Rocks are just a couple of pieces of gravel..





PVA glue to attach the bits to the bark...



Then we make a start with the ground cover. Keeping it natural, as we all know nothing replicates nature like nature..
Garden soil, PVA and water produce a mud paste to cover the display area..









Sprinkled some scatter, added some fallen tree and once dry gonna trim the grasses...











I have produced the desired crater type hole where the broken/damaged fence is...

Added some tracks..









... and leave well alone to dry for a day or so...

















Its getting cold... think we are in for some snow....
With the cold comes a sharp frost... water turns to ice.... Water in a hole.... with a fence in it...
Now the next trick is an idea stolen and put to good practice from the wargaming community.
I saw this idea on a YT video while searching out snow and ice tutorials...
Thanks goes to the Youtuber who shared this idea..
This is where the candle come into the build.. We are gonna melt some wax and create a frozen puddle..

First off i flake the candle piece to aid in it melting quickly in an old tincan piece..





Liquid wax...



Carefully ( unlike me ) pour into the desired indentation or hole...







Now the method is to leave a minute then spray acrylic lacquer into the wax to produce a frosty look...
Off course i never practised this and blew wax everywhere...



So there is a little clean up required to get it neat... but hey we adding snow effects shortly so its all good!..

Looks kinda frosty and frozen to me.. It is 1/72 after all..





Using a paper template and white tac i mask off the ice in readiness for the snow layers coming..







The weather forecaster is predicting snow tonight...





As with the trees, Talc and hairspray will be used...
3 to 4 layers should give the desired finish... Fingers crossed!.







First a spray...



Then a sprinkle....





... and repeat until the desired effect is achieved..















The trees get the same treatment..





sprinkle and repeat..





... and tree number two...







... and repeat...





Base is dry and awaiting the trees to be glued in place for any adjustments...



















Uncovered the frozen water.....











All the tapes removed now...


























I have just this night coated the bark with 2 coats of future floor wax to protect the natural wood finish and the base is currently drying..
So what do you guys think?? Have i managed to pull off the winter scene using household products okay?
This of course will never be on par with professional products but for 1/72 vignette effects i think it looks okay.
Hopefully some of you guys stayed until the end and found the finish worth the wait, it is a real long post i know... Sorry..

As always, thanks for taking a look, all comments welcome.
Stay safe, keep well... Until the next update..
Happy Modelling..

[NonProlificModeler]

Andy, this was worth every second I spent on looking at the pics! The base plate is beautiful and the way you built up layer by layer was very nicely done. The first "ahaaaa" came with the use of the candle wax! Never saw that and I think the result speaks for itself! It really looks the business. Using the talc to represent the snow seems to be far ahead of what I did in my first winter dio! Okay, I don't have a baby so I wouldn't have thought of it, but now I will! Brilliant idea! I like your dio very much! Can't wait to find out what more you have in store for it! Keep it up, Andy!

[rwsmith14]

Awesome idea for the base !! well done Andy....

[fly1ngdutchm4n]

Wonderful wonderful work Andy
Never heard of using candle wax for ice, love that trick!
I now a trick as well that you can give a try in the future, Use glass glue for making frozen puddles.
When the glue is dry, take tweezers and lift the puddle up a bit. Air will come under it making it mat like there is air trapped under it.
Really love the base buddy, very realistic! Keep up the good work
I'm going to turn up the heat.. I'm cold.....

[wappynutter]

Andy, this was worth every second I spent on looking at the pics! The base plate is beautiful and the way you built up layer by layer was very nicely done. The first "ahaaaa" came with the use of the candle wax! Never saw that and I think the result speaks for itself! It really looks the business. Using the talc to represent the snow seems to be far ahead of what I did in my first winter dio! Okay, I don't have a baby so I wouldn't have thought of it, but now I will! Brilliant idea! I like your dio very much! Can't wait to find out what more you have in store for it! Keep it up, Andy!

Thanks Jens, very much appreciated Sir.... Your kind comments and encouraging words keep me going on this teeny build.
Glad you found the long winded tutorial helpful and inspiring for future builds... If only i could build wash rooms and buildings like you now eh? lol..
Thanks again buddy... All the best to you, hope you enjoyed a beer or two tonight?
Keep well mate..

Awesome idea for the base !! well done Andy....

Thanks Rob, greatly appreciate the encouraging words mate...
Just got to try and get a convincing white wash using the Ultimate Winter wash on my BA-3..
Fingers crossed..
Thanks again bud..

Wonderful wonderful work Andy
Never heard of using candle wax for ice, love that trick!
I now a trick as well that you can give a try in the future, Use glass glue for making frozen puddles.
When the glue is dry, take tweezers and lift the puddle up a bit. Air will come under it making it mat like there is air trapped under it.
Really love the base buddy, very realistic! Keep up the good work
I'm going to turn up the heat.. I'm cold.....

Thanks Frans, appreciate you dropping by and giving your support mate, means a lot.
Candle wax seems to be used for ice effects in a lot of war gaming boards to great effect... Thought I'd give it a whirl in 1/72 modelling..
I had heard of using the glass glue stuff for water once before. I did a similar thing using clear gloss varnish to create puddles and wet effects in a muddy diorama a while back. Thanks for the idea sharing... all tips and tricks are welcome for me....
I enjoyed using the talc in a similar way to you using the precision Ice and Snow stuff.. only mine is only talc so doesn't stick as well and smells all nice and girlie!..
As i mentioned before, on a larger scale, on a better build, possibly Precision Ice and Snow would be my go to product... They seem like good, cool Guys..
Thanks again mate, All the best...

Untitled.jpg

How the base looks tonight after drying some more and getting a couple of coats of Future floor wax on the bare bark surface to protect it a little.
Thanks again to everyone who has taken the time to drop by for a look..
More soon Guys..

[wappynutter]

Okay... So the last post was all about the base..... 'bout the base, no treble.. Sorry couldn't help myself.. lol..
This post i am gonna wash the Car and finish it off to all but the placement weathering...
Will be looking for some honest thoughts on the finish and the use of the scratch built snow tracks..
I'm hoping you guys will like the finish..... with a dusting of snow on the fenders etc... it should look okay.
The pictures don't do it any justice being artificial light and taken on an old camera phone.

Anyways, here is what i have done to date..
Last time we seen the car it was all green and fresh and shiny and toy-like.....



Being very green for a Winter war vehicle, and all new looking, i set about giving a couple of coats of the new Ultimate Winter wash to the car to tone it all down a tad...



All maskol'd off and taped up for a spray of Ultimate..





On high pressure and using an old cheap Chinese airbrush i set off spraying...



Then using a finger started to remove...















Added the wheels and finished white washing them..















Looks okay.... but i wanted a little more off... forgetting the dull down factor when you add a protective coat..
Once i had added a coat of gloss finish i went around adding some subtle pin washes of brown and black just to pick out some details..















Matchsticks for a bit of scale reference...











Flat coated..







Now i just need some input as to wether i should use the tracks i built which are out of scale to be brutally honest, or just go with the wheels and tyres only finish??







As you can see, these are not yet fixed and require a little work to finish them off...
So do i use them or leave off? I am undecided!..

Anyways, that's all for now Guys, been busy getting some colour down on the figures and planning the layout a little...
Only a month left to go but i think i will be finished well in time..
Its the Cosford "Shropshire model show" this Sunday 3rd April here in the UK, i will hopefully be there with the Bro in Law KingDan.
Hope to see some of you Guys there!
Until the next update, play safe, stay safe and enjoy the hobby chaps...
All the best..