GPM 353 T-34/76 mod. 1940

[hirondelle]

I thought I'd grab 5 mins to cut out a square part.

Didn't see the problem til it was too late. (Assuming the gray parts are the inner faces of the hatch & I don't see how it can be otherwise).

Ultimately it will be covered but the gray inner skins could have been cut to match the correct side had I noticed.

Disappointing!

[dje]

there indeed lot of problem in this kit; the good point for me is now I can see where you struggle for when I'll decide to finish mine

The glue from gpm ? that's my primary glue, You have to get to use it, it not suitable for tiny part for example but for me the best for edge glueing, and better, you can "rubber" it from paper, perfect joint.

Wheel on t34 were interesting. Evolved over time between series and were made by different factory with different cast, not including spare part and reused on field ! Having several type on a tank wasn't odd. From memory there's at least 5 types.

[hirondelle]

Hey dje.
Yes I was hoping to give you a few tips

There are more variants of the T34 wheels than on later tanks as far as I can see. Many other models seem to share the design form used on the KVs.
I quite like the wheels that are on the Halinski T34, but I have enough to do for now

Here is some more info on building the turret, it is a frame/skin mismatch & you need to be inventive.
I assembled the frames then :-

1 - cut top skin along the plate join, glued at rear (not front); I then glued the other 1/2 of the part from the 'C' back onto the roof, leaving the edge near the join unglued
I didn't glue these meeting edges down until I had matched them up. There is a part [234] which will also mask this cut & the small change in the camouflage pattern that results.
2 - for the turret wall outer skin I attached first at the ends (at the 'tooth') to anchor the position & then only glued the top-most edge to match it to the roof. This skin will flare out from the frame at the bottom.
This way avoids wrinkles & you can decide whether to cut it to make it a tight fit etc. I think it is quite tidy without extra work & can also be padded out from the frame to make it more 'solid'.
The underneath part [194] can be extended out to match the skin edges above as req'd. This part is normally concealed so it is a bit easier to hide.

(See the attached pics.)

For the drivers hatch, if I had glued the front panel of [46] on first I would have noticed the problem quicker I think. Not sure if I need to remake it as I think it will be closed. Will see.


As I am slowly cutting out parts I noticed the [153]s are all the same color. But it is the rim of different colored wheels. :(
This is another odd oversight as [151]s & [152]s have been nicely edge colored to match the wheel faces.

So I've decided to make some corrections. I did a test print & it seems to be in scale (or close enough!!).
I have made an edit which has correct orientation of [46b] & [46c] & the sampled colors of the wheels have been added to a number of [153]s. I have tried to make this look 'brushed over' the factory green. I may add some 'zapas' to this sheet once I know what else is needed :D

I am attaching this sheet of corrections & will update as/when necessary.
Hopefully this will not upset GPM or the author! I can remove the file if so.

[hirondelle]

I managed to start on my road-wheels.
Whilst making the first one I've found the following assembly order is working best for me. Experts won't need this kind of info but it was something that has taken me (a non-expert) a while to figure out. I'm detailing it to give newbies a clue on how this can work.

- build the rims with [151,152,153]. [153] is set off center, I marked which is the 'wider' edge as this is the outward facing rim. The norrower inside facing step acts as locating ring for the conical plate [149,150].
I used the technique of first bonding each strips ends midway along the next strip helping me to keep the alignment & tension true when later wrapping around each band & fixing.

- insert rim into former(s) [154]. No need to glue it yet, it's just for making & holding the shape whilst the conical [149,150] part is fixed.

- move the formers [154] to the edges of the rim (you need to leave a fraction of a mm either side - the width of the thick printed line on [151].)

- fix one side tire face [156], also gluing the former in position to the rim. When this has dried you can do the other face & adjust it to fit the width of the tire tread [155]. The tread sits down inside the 2 faces on top of the formers. This is why you need only one part fixed - you will need to make small adjustments to get an even spaced channel for the tread width.

When you have 2 tire/rim assys you can fix them to former [146], the 2 center plates [148] then help hold it all together.

[hirondelle]

After an extended illness-stopped-modeling hiatus I managed to find the energy to assemble those 10 road-wheels I'd cut out over a year ago.

Having dug them out of their dust filled tray I started in on putting them together.
I actually found the repetition enjoyable, maybe cos I need to find out how to use my hands & eyes again :P

No major issues, quite like the design. Now have the hub domes to do -petals- 1st one is in the pic - which the build on GPMs page omitted. Petals are tricky but if they work out they are nice.
Then I am going to try the suspension/mounting arms before doing the 2 drive wheel pairs.

Hopefully it won't be another 12 months between assemblies!!

[rockpaperscissor]

I'm glad to see you got back to this project. I'm sorry to hear of your health setback. From the last photo, it's clear to see that you've regained your hand/eye coordination. The wheels came out very good.

[hirondelle]

I appreciate the support rockpaperscissor

I've managed to do a little slicing & dicing during the holidays.
Decided to attempt the intermediate track plates, each having 9 parts & requiring me to learn how to cut out 1280 small rectangles for this batch :D
Tried out a new Jap knife - I like the grip & weight & it cuts well. Having a whetstone was necessary for all those unsquare rectangles I was making tho. :P
It went from making a A4 computer punch card to confetti.
As recommended elsewhere, making the small cuts whilst leaving the sheet intact is a big help. I then cut off rows & made the individual confetti.
This somehow felt quite therapeutic, not that I did a terrific job of it but I am finding it kinda fun.
The first finished link is in the last pic attached, I found a silver sharpie & decided to try that for the edges.
I found a few pics of some later T34 'waffle' track which has given me a few pointers - the fact the 'tooth' is hollow wasn't clear to me before. Those track sections are still to come.
I got to thinking about the tracks raised surfaces (the bottom grouser elements) & whether to leave these off the track plates that will be at the bottom so the tank sits on a level surface. ( i.e. like a waterline model ---mud-line in this case). This would save some work but will it look better with the 'uneven' profile of the grousers...?
No track fatigue yet but I can see it will get easier after the first 150 or so (total req'd = 160).

I also decided to do the 'legs' - suspension arms, axles & buffer blocks.
I suggest anyone who attempts these doesn't cut the tabs off the wraparound strips [138 & 135] as I found the colored area to be a little short & needed the white length + a bit of color to work as intended.
The arms themselves have the axle mounting hole cut a hairs-breadth from the edge, so I decided to cut them a little thicker, adjusting the hole on the formers to match, for strength.
The rolled axles are just the right diameter for the wheel hubs, but I decided to deburr the hubs by hand twisting a drill bit thru just to make sure there is nothing to stop the axles sliding in snugly.
I haven't mounted the legs yet, I discovered that whilst the 4 rear-most units are marked to ensure an even slope of the arms & thus wheel height, the first one of the group has nothing to show proper angle. I will mount the others 1st then see if I can place these front elements with the same angles & keep the wheels square.

[jaffro]

Friends of mine who see my models for the first time often say I must have a lot of patience. Maybe I do, but I don't think I could even contemplate cutting out track links by hand (says the guy who's currently cutting out parts for 42 wheels).

My hat is off to you for persisting with it, I'm sure there will be a huge level of satisfaction once they're done. Looking forward to seeing how it progresses.

[hirondelle]

Thanks for stopping by Jaffro.
Track-links - Life has got in the way so now it's a bucket list thing :P & I am gonna try to keep going.
I think it is also about discipline, I'd looked at the pages/piles of parts & always thought hell no! Then I gradually got brainwashed by the beautiful work of people like Johnny, KC Stephens, Milan & Enrico (& too many others...) & decided I have make myself try it.
Adding tread to those big wheels doesn't look like a job for the faint-hearted either!
As you must of seen with your neat MaZ+SCUD, the trials seem to lead to a major sense of accomplishment when it works out.
Never got this kind of a high with non-paper models, assembly/paint is good but not like actually creating.
I did think I need to add your model to my pile & then I saw this Vomag & 88


Pre-release at the moment but unusual wheels + weapon = temptation So I could be gong over budget again.

*
Unfortunately not done a lot last week but decided I'd try the rear deck panels (I'd seen a 40's pic of an early T-34 with only the central engine cover in place & decided to see whether I should copy that or do the full set of 4).
There is a potential gotcha with the engine cover - the 4 rounded corner pieces [26] are handed so unlike me, builders should note which is which!

Also added the 10 buffer blocks to the chassis, was hoping to add the wheels then wondered about how much trouble I'd get into with the work on the hull if the wheels were all attached.
Hopefully I'll have some time this week to push further along.

[hirondelle]

One more pic of the rear deck.