" In Defence of the Homeland ". Tamiya 1/48 scale Soviet KV I. By Paul E. C. Keefe Jr..
KV I Construction:
a. Partial applique armor added from unused parts included in the kit.
b. Elmer's Carpenter's Wood Filler used for weld beads on upper glacis plate
armor.
c. Wire used to connect headlight and horn to conduit on upper glacis plate.
d. Fourth storage box added from a second kit.
e. Two spare track links added to right front fender. 'Held' in place by bolt head.
Washers made from plastic rod.
f. Unditching log made from a wooden dowel. Textured with an X-Acto saw blade.
g. Tarp is tissue paper coated with Elmer's white glue.
h .Braided sections of cord provided in kit for tow cables, replaced with twisted wire.
Hawser ends rescribed with a broken pointed X-acto knife.
i. Turret hatch's inside handle made from wire.
Painting: (all acrylics)
a. An over all coat of Polly Scale Soviet Green, applied by brush.
b. Delta Ceramcoat White slopped on with an old beat-up detail brush.
c. Brown, tan, and earth yellow colors, dry-bushed and as washes for dirt.
d. Browns and oranges brushed on and as thinned washes for rust.
e. White and varying shades of green washes to fade edges of white wash.
f. Elmer's Carpenter's Wood Filler used for mud and snow.
g. Tracks rusted to show the vehicle has been sitting in place, in a wet environment
for some time.
Diorama Construction:
a. Based on a photo on page eighteen of 'Images of Kursk' copyright 2002, Brown
Partworks Limited. Book provided by Steve Wolbert of Rosenhayn N.J., USA.
The KV I was substituted for a T-34 lying in ambush in the picture.
b. The tractor shed was constructed to copy the real one in the photo as best as
I could with what knowledge I have learned in carpentry.
c. The framework and sheathing are cut from balsa and bass wood. All pieces were
painted and weathered before assembly.
d. The 'X' braces are secured to the sheathing with bolts made from plastic rods.
Thicker rod as outside washers. Sheet plastic for large square washers. Plastic hex rod for hex nuts, and rod for the threaded shaft.
e. The roof is covered with sheet plastic simulating zinc-plated steel sheets. This
is then held down by wooden strips secured with wire for nails.
Carriage bolts made from plastic as above.
Carriage bolts made from plastic as above.
f. Where the sheets overlap, Elmer's wood filler (painted black) as tar.
g. Plastic tubing represents a smoke stack connected inside to a Tamiya oil drum,
modified as a stove/heater (not seen in the photos). h. Plastic sheet and rod used for the hinges on the broken back door.
i. The spider webs are terry cloth threads thinned with sand paper.
Attached with Polly Scale clear flat.
j. Balsa and bass wood used for the trim, the relocated back door, the fence to the
right of the structure, most of the wood covering the tank's lower hull, the lean-to
protecting the outside oil drums, and the doorway between the structure and the
short fence to it's left.
k. The short fence, oil drums, both wagon wheels and the 'tractor' tire inside the
building (tread sanded smooth), are all from Tamiya.
l. The shed straddles a 'concrete pad' made from sheet plastic. A 'concrete' apron
sits at the entrance, made in the same way.
m. The snow drift was built-up with styrofoam as filler.
n. The groundwork, snow, ice, and dirt, are all from Elmer's wood filler. To accept
tank track impressions, the Elmer's was mixed with fine saw dust to thicken it into
a clay-like consistency. All were painted appropriate colors in acrylics. Dry-brush-
ing and washes were used to blend it all together. Semi-gloss clear, in several
coats was applied over the ice.
o. Hemp rope was used for the weeds. Left in it's natural color, brown washes were
applied to deepen it's shadows, giving a more three dimensional appearance.
The 'figures':
a. Two crewman are represented. The commander and the driver, both closing
their respective hatches.
b. The commander's left hand is a fist drilled through to accept a new wire handle.
It's painted red-brown as a leather glove. The sleeve is painted tan to represent
a sheep skin coat.
c. The driver's hatch is almost totally closed. This needed only a fist to pull it closed.
Made as above, this was also painted as leather.
d. The fists and arm came from scrounging through Tamiya figure sets.
e. I prefer not to use figures in my dioramas. When I feel that they are needed, I try
to minimize them as much as possible. I believe this makes my work look more
realistic.
The wooden base:
a. An inexpensive craft base made from five sections of scrap wood. Each section
was painted to mimic the shed's appearance of unpainted oxidized wood.
b. Semi-gloss clear was used as the finish.
c. The name plate is .020'' sheet plastic painted Polly Scale Soviet Green. The title
" In Defense of the Homeland " is a decal from the kit.
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