Beute T-34/76

[wbill76]

After carrying out the usual bench-clearing and cleaning ritual when a previous project is finished, the next victim was selected out of the stash and work began. This particular project is going to be relatively straightforward and I chose it mainly because I want to do some experimenting with white wash techniques and a Beute T-34 provides the perfect opportunity for it...that and the fact that it's coming up on winter by the calendar so timing also matches.



This kit has the photographic instructions that show the actual model already painted and build in different stages so it's essential to pay extra attention to the steps as parts tend to magically appear in position and can be missed if not careful. I started with Step 1 which calls for the assembly of the road wheels, drive wheels, and tensioning idlers. Each of these parts has multiple nodes and sprue connection points as well as mold seams present so there was substantial cleanup work involved in terms of careful trimming and sanding before they were all done.



Step 2 begins work on the lower hull and installs the suspension towers as well as a couple of parts for the drive housings. It's important that these all sit at the right height and are level with each other since the suspension swing arms install into them in the next step.



Step 3 adds the swing arms to both sides and also installs the idler arms and the bases for the drive wheels. The MK set includes some adapters that allow the drive wheels to remain rotatable so I added those first before installing the bases and wheels into position. The MK set also includes little shims that are added to the idler arms to provide some tension so they will stay in place unaided and allow the idler wheels to be adjusted for track sag later on. This is a nice touch and the shims were just a shade too tight so I carefully sanded them down after they were glued to the arm mounts until I could move the arms without too much force while still having enough friction to remain in place and hold their position.





That brought me to Step 4 which adds the hull underside details and the rear hull curved plate. As is common with DML instructions, there's an error in the tow point parts, they are reversed in terms of the part numbers and the sides they install to. Some finger pressure was needed to close up small gaps with the drive mounts but nothing major.



Steps 5 and 6 call for the installation of the wheels and tracks and that of course will come much later so they were skipped for now. Up next will begin work on the upper hull.

[danb.]

Nice start there Bill this brings back memories of when i started my DML T34 such a good kit and fun aswell only downer is the wheels with all the clean up like you say keeping an eye on this one

Dan B

[bigjohn]

Nice choice Bill. Looks pretty straight forward. Looks like you half the battle won already!

[406 Silverado]

Great little Kit this one, built it a few years back. Off to a great start Bill, usual MK tracks eh.

[TRM]

Nice one Bill!!! I have one of these on the bench...only a conversion of another T34. I got lucky, as I picked up a set of resin AM wheels from Steve Reid...no cleaning (lazy I guess). I might be needing some tracks so I will be watching this!! Looking forward to seeing your progress!!!

[wing_nut]

Well., it's almost not German. Any early thoughts on which white wash technique you are going to play with?

[wbill76]

Thanks Dan!

BJ, this one's got a low parts count at 400 parts including the tracks so it should build up relatively quickly as a result.

Rob, yep back to the ol' MKs since the kit supplies only static indies.

T, this is the first DML T-34 that I've built and so far no major problems...just a little bit of flash here and there. If you want the kit-supplied tracks I'd be happy to send them your way.

Marc, that's true! As for the WW techniques, I'm working with enamels so will be playing around with a combination of things in terms of airbrush methods, washes, dry-brushing, etc. that I've used on previous builds but never combined in a single finish. It doesn't have a name or snappy title like 'hairspray' so I'll just call it the 'whatever works' method for now.

[TRM]

From what I seen from my DML T34, these are solid kits!! Appreciate the offer on the tracks....the kit has the Magic Tracks but I am tempted to pick up some MK's or even Fruils as they will sag better for what I want. can't wait to see you pop the top on this one!!

[eastrock]

off to a great start, bill

Spud would like to see this

cheers!!

[bbd468]

Hello Bill,

Nice kit choice - im really looking forward to this!

Gary

[bullardino]

Nice choice, Bill. This is substantially the same kit I built, with the same AM tracks

It'll be fun to see it built by a master

[wbill76]

T I kind of figured that's the route you'd go...my kit has non-Magic indy links so they will go into the spares bin as you never know when they might come in handy!

ER, thanks and I agree!

Steve, thanks for the pics link, very interesting...looks like I might be doing some more foraging in the spares bin for some additional items to add to the exterior and rear! That particular vehicle looks like it's been a "beute" for longer and received a repaint including camo.

Luigi, thanks as well! Your build had some influence in the choice so you will get partial credit regardless of the outcome! ;D

[tobias5555]

looking good so far.

[wbill76]

Thanks tobias, appreciate the interest!

Dicky, I like your label but would shorten it to just 5W for ease of use! Take whatever seats you can get, I hear this bunch likes to crowd the ropes whenever they can. The MK sets often include nice little goodies like the adapters and shims to make life easier but you never know just what's inside unless you have used that particular set before. Sometimes the parts are designed for different kits but can easily be adjusted/adapted to a current kit too depending. Clever folks those MK designers!

[spud]

Very nice as usual Bill.

[deafpanzer]

Russian armor?!?!?! Yes you have definitely lost your mind! Nah, it will be a fun build to follow for sure.

[reserve]

So, Soviet Armor, eh? Nice change of pace, I think you'll have a good time with this one. Looks strack, as usual.

Regards,
Mark

[wbill76]

Steve, that's very true about Beute's...some served for a very long time and underwent extensive modifications...this is my second Beute Russian, the first was the re-armed KV-1. My secret though is that I once was hooked on Russian armor (built a Trumpy 1/16 T-34 and had ALL of their KV-1/2 kits at one point in the stash as potential victims) but the glow faded sadly.

Spud always good to have you along!

Andy, the mind went a loooooong time ago...

Mark, figured you would like this particular choice given your current marathon project! I always like to ponder the stash and see what stands out and this time the T-34's number came up...it's been very patient after a long wait in the stash. ;D

[wing_nut]

Bill... catchy names for a technique don't make 'em look good. Skill like yours does.

[wbill76]

Thanks Marc! Like the way you think...I still say your Marder III M build is one of the best WW over DY finishes I've seen.

[wbill76]

The latest round of effort focused on the hull and Step 7 deals specifically with the upper hull and the engine deck details. The option is provided to use either PE for the main intake screen or a part with the screen molded on and I opted for the PE. The upside to the PE is that it's much better in the detail department obviously but the downside was that the kit had a gaping hole underneath it that needed to be filled. I blanked off the opening with sheet styrene and added some louver flaps to fill the space. On the real T-34 there were only 2 flaps but I needed to use 3 parts to get the right angle/depth look once the screen and cover are installed. I also removed all the unnecessary molded on detail from the hull sides at this stage and added the rear engine deck plate as called out in the instructions.



The instructions incorrectly direct you to install the PE screen from the underside of the cover when in fact it should fit flush on the top. I annealed the screen over a gas flame and used the underside to shape it into the correct curve, then glued it in the correct topside position with Gator Grip acrylic binder glue to ensure I got it lined up right. Then the four bracing straps were added using small amounts of CA gel to complete things.



Step 8 deals with the hull glacis plate and adds the hull MG mount and driver's hatch along with the front tow points. I left the locking pins off the tow points for now as I want to explore some options in terms of installing the tow cables later on.



Step 9 is a big step as it joins the upper and lower hulls together and also adds the glacis plate. I joined the hull halves together first and then installed the glacis. I also cheated a bit and added the curved bow cover from Step 12 in the form of part C3 to make sure everything worked correctly. I also noticed at this point that I had overlooked the bottom plate that mates up with C3 that was supposed to be installed in Step 5.

The fit between the glacis and the upper hull was mostly good but some putty was needed at the top join. I also added some flame-cut texture to the sides of the glacis plate with the tip of a #11 blade and used putty for the weld seams that are supposed to be there as well.



Step 10 returns to the rear hull and adds the small access hatch and the exhausts along with some other small details. Fit issues here with the lower curved plate required some putty attention as well.



Step 11 adds the storage boxes and radio antenna pot to the right side. These are tricky to place correctly as no guides are provided and only the photos in the paint/finish guide show them post-installation. Spare tracks were left off for now as they will be painted and detailed later. Once the boxes were in place, the rear box was used to ensure symmetry on the opposite side and I also assembled and installed the jerry can rack from Step 12 since their placement is linked. A couple of jerry cans were used from the spares bin and some judicious thinning was needed on the racks before the two cans would fit correctly.



Last but not least, Step 11 also adds the rear Notek convoy light. I used 0.5mm diameter solder to wire up the conduit for the Notek light and some 'fingers' of left over PE from an Eduard fret for the brackets.



Still more work to do with the exterior in terms of the tool brackets and remaining front hull details before starting in on the turret.

[eastrock]

Bill update looks promising especially with the correction details

[bigjohn]

Looking good Bill. Looks like this one is gonna be a fairly quick build.

[wbill76]

Thanks ER!

BJ, yes it's a fairly straightforward effort in the build department...not a whole lot to this kit to begin with which is one of the reasons I chose it since that leaves plenty of time for the painting and weathering process which is what I wanted to focus on for some 'sperimentation.

[406 Silverado]

Another great update Bill. You'll be done in no time now.

[bullardino]

Great job, or, better, fantastic job

We came to the same conclusion on the flaps, I used three ones too, because three looked right and consistent with what can be seen on the reference pictures.

The instructions fooled me about the mesh, luckily you were smarter than me.

The overall appearance is great, you're making me wish to buy another one...

[TRM]

Great update Bill!! Nice fix(s) to!!! I have one similar on the bench myself...making me want to push everything aside and have at it!! These do seem to fall together...can't wait to see some color on this!!!

[wing_nut]

I know those "fingers" oyu are talkijng about. They do come in handy at times.

[deafpanzer]

Catching up here... looking good! Looks like you got your mojo back, huh?

[tonylee-Rest In Peace]

Hey William are you going to custom mix your colors?

Tony