Been plugging along with this project slowly but surely. Hundreds of rivets take time afterall! It’s about done though and ready for the caster.For this design I only have two workable pistons (two more are hidden in the leg armor) which lead to an interesting cris-cross design where the upper piston travels through the mid leg support. The foot is on a ball-joint and has detachable ankle armor. This time I made a wider foot for more traction. Not that the KV didn’t have that, in fact I liked it’s variable foot, but this is more specialized and probably prone to less breakdowns. Anyway, here’s the pics. Enjoy!

Now that the KV-2X is available I figured it was time to start my next  X-Series walking tank. (‘X’ for the shape the 4 legs makes from above) This time it’s a German model based on the German Panzer Kpfw.38(t) Ausf. G. This will be somewhat smaller than the KV-2X, but be full of detail. I decided to do the 38 because of the many riveted details on the surface. I thought that would make for an interesting piece. Plus it’s small size is fun as well. I can imagine a swarm of these things overunning the countryside.

Here’s the initial in-progs. I’m trying to improve upon the KV legs by adding a vertical swivel where it connects to the chassis to give it one more angle of articulation. I’m also using one less set of workable pistons per leg, although there remains additional piston detail under the main leg armor segments. I’m also trying to make this look more German-styled as opposed to the very general look of the KV. So far it’s just the main shapes, but soon I’ll be adding detail to the surfaces.

The scene is continuing to take shape. Since the last update I’ve completed the tank and assembling the figures I’ll be using. I’ve also assembled the UC Hardgraph Gundam Arm and will be resting in the wall of the abandoned/destroyed factory.

While putting the scene together it hit me that I could make this a multi-purpose base, something I’ve wanted to do for a while due to limited display space. I have a couple of German rail cars in 1/35 that I’ve been planning to “modernize” and build as scenery or just on their own for kicks. I decided that by adding embedded rails and a loading dock to the scene that I can later build and photograph them on this base instead of creating an all new base for them and thus take up even more display space.

Anyway, I first layed 2 sheets of 1/2″ MDF board to make a raised base. Then I used Basswood as a nice stainable border to clean-up the edges of the MDF and to create a lip for pouring my pavement using plaster of paris. While the Ebony stain and polycrylic finish was drying I sketched my layout on the base and photographed it for later reference. As usual this is subject to minor changes, but is pretty much how the layout will go.  You can see how I later decided to add rails in red and the accompanying dock in blue.

Once dry I added a piece of scrap basswood and a lip of tape to contain my plaster pour. In the plaster mix I added a lot of rip-rap, talus, ballast and sand to give texture later when chipping out potholes. After the plaster cured I gave the base a coat of primer then immediately sprinkled the base with a thin dusting of baking soda then more primer to seal. This gives it a rougher more asphault-like texture.

When cured I chissled out the grooves for the rails and began scribing in cracks and potholes. Since this is a long-abandoned facility, maybe 3 years or so, nature has begun to take back the landscape. Most of the cracks will have weeds sprouting from them and fines/brush will be growing up the walls and arm. I also started making the mold for and pouring the sidewalk. I made a section of factory wall as well and will make multiple plaster casts of that too once my new silicone mold rubber arrives.

I began to create some of the details for the dio as well. First was a sheet of signs which I’ll print out later to use. You can download them here. I also made a cable spool from 1/32″ plywood sheet. Mig productions is sending me their Modern City Accessories volume 1 and 2 and modern street lamps to use for this piece. The set contains dumpsters, street lights, barriers, etc… I won’t be able to fit it all on, but all of it will find its way into future projects. I’ve also had a set of “Modern Diorama Accessories” from Blast Models for years that I’ve been meaning to use. I might throw something from that in. Sattelite dish, fridge, microwave, TV, computer, vacuum…

Here’s all the pics:

I’m in the mood for a tank and diorama and this has been burning a hole in my shelf since it arrived. It’s the 1/35 EFGF M61A5 Main Battle Tank “Semovente” Phantom Element from the realistic Gundam model series: U.C. Hard Graph.

This is a really big tank to say the least. Compared to my KV-2, the KV-2 looks rather small and meek. Lots of fantastic details are molded into the design such as non-slip texture, panels, latches, etc.  Several places allow for open hatches and the rear door could be very easily modified to hinge open with a single cut down the molded center door-seam. The drivers hatch is very interesting as it does not flip open, but rather swivels in a circle to open up. This is due to the low clearance of the twin cannon barrels.

Speaking of barrels, the two barrels are two of only 5 parts that require seams to be dealt with. The other three are the front latches and the underside of the turret. All of these seams line up PERFECTLY with typical Bandai quality. Just snap them together and run some thin glue down the seams. Squeeze and you’re all set.  Most of this kit still requires glue to put it together, but there’s a few snap-fit parts which IMO are in great places and really help line things up for gluing.

The road-wheels and suspension are fantastic. The suspension can be swiveled to allow this kit to sit on rough terrain without any modifications. The road wheels come in three parts each (2 halves and a polycap) and have that typical line of flash down the center that most armor kits tend to have. The easiest way to deal with is is to put the road wheels together then slide them on some brass rod in a drill. Choose brass rod that makes for a tight fit. Below you can see a youtube video of the clean-up process. It made the tedious process of cleaning up 24 road wheel halves into 12 very quick sanding sessions as seen below.

The kit can be constructed with the front/side covers on or off. Both look great, but I’m more partial to them being off and is probably how I will display mine. With them off there’s more room for stowage and you can see the treads and road wheels. Those places always look so great when weathered that it’s be a shame to hide them.

As of now the kit is constructed completely based on the instructions. I could prime and paint it and go from there, but I’m going to look it over some more and see if there’s anyplace worth modifying with leftover PE latches, stowage hooks and whatnot. I’ll be adding a pile of stowage to this thing as I often do. I just love the look of a lived-in, used AFV with lots of equipment hanging off of it. I’ll also be making this into a diorama utilizing the Gundam Arm set and making some factory ruins in the background.

About The Build »

This is a Taco-34 Beetle walking tank from the Japanese Junk Tank Rock series.