Hobbyboss 1:48 - Russian KV-1 tank 1941 - in progress

[Rob]

This is this 58 year old’s first ever tank build and my first contribution to this forum.

A couple of months ago, during a visit to my favourite bricks and mortar model shop (The Hobby Box in Uckfield, East Sussex - chock-full of plastic kits and other modelling goodness and well worth a visit ) I was smitten by Vulcan’s 1/35 kit of the Vickers Light Tank Mk VI. Once home and inspected it all looked a bit complicated - lots of diddy parts, photoetch, metal springs and rods, tiny track pieces, etc. So, I though I might start with something a bit more straightforward. On ebay I found the subject of this post - a 1/48 Russian KV-1 heavy tank which was for sale at a bargain price due to a damaged box (still available here...
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/HBB84810-D-Ho ... 19dadb5ba6)




On arrival the box appeared to have a bit of water damage (and smelt a bit musty) but the contents were fine. The kit built up very nicely even in my clumsy fingers and it is now in the state shown in the photo. It has had a coat of Vallejo primer, a base coat of a Tamiya mix to represent the 4BO colour (06 parts XF-61 Dark Green + 02 parts XF-49 Khaki + 02 parts XF-58 Olive Green) and a lighter top coat on upper areas (the mix with some XF-04 Yellow Green). The tracks were painted with a mix of vallejo Dark Grey and little Mahogany Brown.

This was followed by a clear coat, the addition of the decals on the turret, a pin wash of dark brown oil paint (not too happy with this and I have now ordered some AK enamel wash and will try that) and the start of some mild chipping. It all looks a bit stark at the moment and there is still much to be done by way of weathering and pigments but it is getting there and I am pleased with progress.


Another post will follow shortly to show the figures I will use with this kit

Thanks for looking
Rob

[Rob]

Part 2 - the figures

I like to paint figures and think they help to add scale to a model. I was happy to find a half price set of Mig Production’s 1/48 Russian tank crew and a start has been made on them - again the photo shows a work in progress with much to be done.

I will add updates to tank and figures on completion.

Cheers for now

Rob

[spruecutter]

Nice clean work on both the tank and figures.

[Coen]

Rob... this is first rate work buddy.
I think that you'll probably be happy when it's done. It looks awesome as it is now.
Those figures are spectacular for 1/48. Then best that I've seen at that scale.
The paint job you've got going there is excellent as well.
I think it will be a treat having you around Dude.

[T3hGuppy]

Looking great dude.

Those figures are very nice so far.

[Rob]

Thanks - I'm chuffed to bits at the nice comments!
The figures do not really take much painting - they are excellent castings which need little by way of enhancement. The paint is applied in thin layers on top of a base of black primer (sprayed all over) and Tamiya white (sprayed from above only) - the pictures below tell a better story. The figure illustrated is the lower portion of the sawed in half commander figure (Arthur?). The paint is Vallejo Model Colour Russian Uniform and Camo Black Brown for the boots. They have been thinned with a drop of Vallejo Glaze Medium, which maintains pigment integrity at highly reduced levels, and Vallejo's own thinner. The thin paint (coloured thinner rather than thinned colour!) applied by brush (unload excess from the brush onto a bit of kitchen paper before adding to the model to avoid flooding) allows the easy retention of the highlights and shadows formed in step one. The next stages on the figures will be to block in the remaining colours and pick out edges and recesses with lights and darks. More pics will follow.

Cheers for now
Rob