REVIEW: Academy 1/35 German T-34/76 747(r)

German T-34/76 747(r)
Academy Kit
1/35 Scale
Kit # 13502
Suggested Retail $49



The Soviet made T-34 was a massively produced tank that weighed 27 tons and could reach speeds up to 53 KM/h. The Germans captured them and re-used when they had the chance.

In September of 2000 one of these German T-34’s was pulled from the bottom of a lake near Johvi, Estonia using a Komatsu D375A-2 Dozer after 56 years of sitting a the bottom of the lake. Here is a link to the complete article. It is quite interesting to read.

http://www.rense.com/general75/germ2.htm

Looking at the T-34 they recovered it looks like it fits the description of Number 3 in the Versions (Unidentified Unit East Front Karellia 1942/43) you can build. This would definitely makes sense since Estonia is southwest of Karellia and about 450 KM away.

In reviewing the kit, there are 4 options for you build.

READ MORE...

Video: Building the Academy Models 1/35 Magach 7

Here is a full build video from our good friends at Andy's Hobby Headquarters



You can check out Item# 13297 MAGACH 7C kit here:

http://www.modelrectifier.com/product-p/13297.htm

FULL VIDEO BUILD ACADEMY F-4J PHANTOM II

Check out this video from our friends at ScaleModelAircraft showing a full build of an ACADEMY F-4J PHANTOM II model kit.



You can check out the kit here:
https://www.modelrectifier.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=12529

Product Review: F/A-18C "VFA-82 Marauders"

Check out this recent review by IPMS/USA

Reviewed by: Pablo Bauleo, IPMS# 46363
Scale: 1/72
Company: Academy
Price: $30.00
Product / Stock #: 12534

Academy has re-issued their 1/72nd F/A-18C this time as a “Special Edition with limited availability” featuring a striking decal set –printed by Cartograph- to show the aircraft “300” from VFA-82 “Marauders” known as “Aflac” for obvious reasons. ...

Read More:  http://web.ipmsusa3.org/content/fa-18c-vfa-82-marauders

What you should know before buying a sound decoder...

Our technology makes them better…

Some decoders offer just 12 functions, MRC decoders deliver 28.  That means access to more functions while running, more choices of bells, whistles or horns. To assure maximum enjoyment and minimum tedium, our decoders allow you make changes on the fly. This avoids the hassle of stopping to reset a CV every time you want to change a horn or bell. These changes can be accomplished by simply using the function buttons. Our advanced decoder technology makes it easy to run your railroad. 

MRC Decoders Give you More...

More memory, more sounds, a difference you can hear… at this writing, our memory chips have four times more capacity than the nearest competitor.  This lets us put up to 34 different horns and 14 different bell sounds on a single chip, plus multiple prime movers, so you can pick the one that’s right for you. Our cutting edge decoder technology means we can do more. More memory means we don’t have to skimp on realism. If it’s in the real world, we’ll capture it for your real-life layout.   

Our Advanced Decoders Are Easy To Enjoy

Tiny drop-in sound decoders with matched speakers…

MRC’s engineers and tech experts are model railroaders. They understand that while building a railroad is a labor of love, it takes enormous time and effort. That’s why every decoder and system we make is designed to make life easier for you. It explains why no one has more convenient, easy to install, drop in sound decoders than MRC. These include our incredibly small, one-piece, dual mode N Scale on-board decoders, complete with mounted speakers.  

Want to change speakers? No need to test your soldering skills on a delicate PC board... because all our HO decoders have plugs for easy speaker change-outs. Just unplug one speaker and plug in another. MRC’s powerful speakers, aren’t just paired with any decoder. We make sure speakers are matched to decoders. The results are crisp, genuine sounds that elevate your model railroading enjoyment. 


Sound Facts About Decoders

Why are our decoder sounds so loud? Because we have nothing to hide… we’re not ashamed of our sounds. Each one was recorded from real locos on a real railroad. And not massaged in a studio. We want you to hear it all… the clanging, moans, groans, hisses and squeaks. We want our decoders to express the symphony of heavy metal that signals a genuine loco is at work… including all the ambient sounds of a real railroad.

On the other hand, decoders using distorted, synthesized sounds don’t want you to hear everything. Look at it this way. You can always lower our sounds if you like. But when decoders have been programmed to maintain low volume you can’t ever raise it enough to  hear the real sounds of a working railroad.

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Find out what the competition doesn't want you to know about MRC sound decoders 

Decoder Facts

• MRC offers by far the widest range of sound decoders
• Each decoder comes with matched speakers
• MRC decoders operate with all NMRA compatible DCC systems
• Our O, G, HO and N scale decoders fit in most popular locomotives
• For maximum realism, our sounds are recoded trackside from working engines, we don’t use computer generated or studio enhanced sounds

Decoder Differences
Real Digital Sounds from Real Prime Movers… ahhh the tricks of the trade. Some decoder makers record train sounds at idle and then play them back at a faster rate and higher volume. It sounds like the loco is actually notching up and picking up speed… when in reality all they’ve done is modify the same idle sound 

At MRC, our sound engineers go trackside and record each loco at its various speed notches. If the loco has eight notches, which most do, we record the eight notches in sequence as the RPMs are actually increasing. Our decoders allow you to hear a diesel motor actually change pitch relative to engine speed and load. When we say the sound is an actual SD45-2 with turbocharger or a specific GE or Alco loco, you can rest assured it’s for real. 

Among the Shades of Green

Among the Shades of Green

If you are new to building scenery or an old hand at the craft, a good place to polish up your skills in adding scenery to a flat, open field.

Not only will this exercise quickly change the look of your layout but is also an example of tricking the eye into seeing more than is actually there. 



To get started, seal the area with flat earth colored latex paint. This is available at every paint and home improvement store. Custom mixed quarts and gallons can be mixed to order or for smaller jobs, many stores offer paint samples in smaller sizes for only a few dollars. One can also use acrylic craft paints that are sold at craft stores. This paint will provide a base for additional layers of scenery materials that will be applied in stages. 

With the base coat dry, apply an even layer of full strength scenery cement and sift a thin layer of earth colored fine turf into the glue. A light misting of water with a few drops of liquid detergent over top of this layer will help the glue penetrate the turf to firmly affix this starter course. An alternative for this base coat of turf when covering a flat surface is to cut a piece of earth colored grass mat material to size and glue in place. 


The field will start to come to life when a thinned half glue and half water mixture of scenery cement is applied over the earth turf and a light coat of moss green is sifted over top. Make certain to leave some open spots and vary the depth of the green turf. Mist over this first green layer with the spray bottle with the ‘wet’ water and allow it to dry.

Mist the field with the spray bottle and very lightly sift a thin layer of grass green turf followed by an equally thin application of yellow turf to provide high lights. Work from the front of the project to the rear adding more of the darker green to the foreground and more lighter highlights towards the rear. This will simulate have the eye sees closer objects as being darker and object farther away are usually seen as being lighter.

Mix up a spray bottle with four parts water, one part scenery cement and a couple of drops of liquid detergent. Now lightly spray the glue mix over the entire field. While the field is still wet randomly scatter some dark green coarse turf to simulate those random darkly colored weeds that seem to spring up in almost every field. Over spray this layer with the glue mixture as well. 




At this juncture the field has taken shape. The variety of colors and textures not only adds realism to the scene but also creates the illusion of size and depth. The various shades appear to have added relief to an otherwise completely flat surface. The next step is to add additional detail to the field with the inclusion of larger scrubs and bushes made using foliage clumps and by adding some trees along the edge plus a simple fence constructed of fancy tooth picks and rust colored thread. Tall grasses created by the use of JTT detachable wheat and flower bushes flank the right of way to clearly define open fields from busy main line. The different colors and textures along with a few other details will enhance the realism of an otherwise simple scene. 
Author:George Riley

This article is from "Detailing Scenery with MRC - JTT Landscaping Tips and Techniques.
CLICK HERE to download the entire magazine.



Materials used for this project

• 95128 Fine Earth Turf or 95411 Golden Straw Grass Mat
• 95134 Burnt Grass Ground Cover Turf fine
• 95132 Yellow Straw Ground Cover Turf fine
• 95138 Dark Green Ground Cover Turf fine
• 95008 Grass Green Ground Cover Turf Medium
• 95137 Moss Green Ground Cover Turf Coarse
• 95139 Dark Green Ground Cover Turf Course
• 95146 Blossom Flowering Turfs Medium
• 95057 Light Green Foliage-Fiber Cluster Coarse
• 95058 Medium Green Foliage-Fiber Cluster Coarse
• 95581 Detachable flower bushes
• 95579 Detachable Wheat Bushes
• Saplings (1 pack ea.)
• 3 or 4 Assorted JTT Trees

Detailing Your Scenery

The Devil is in the details...

More than any other facet of model building, the construction of scenery provides the vehicle that not only adds an additional dimension to one’s models, but also enhances the realism of each subject. Scenery helps place each miniature creation in its ‘natural’ environment. So whether one is constructing a model railroad layout, building a military diorama, working on a school project or assembling a doll house your efforts can be improved by adding scenery to the project.

Effective scenery is not difficult to create. It requires only simple tools and construction techniques to complete any scene from the simplest to the most complex. While there is some ‘art’ involved in its application, most effective scenery only involves observation of the scene that one is attempting to capture and as is the case of any great model, attention to detail. 

Adding the details could not be simpler when using JTT Scenery products. All of the tedious tasks have already been done when using JTT plants and trees, all one has to do is ‘plant’ each item as it would appear in the natural world. Even large areas can be detailed quickly with the wide array of ground covers and other scenic products available from JTT. 

In order to help the novice get started as well as give some inspiration to those with more experience, this book is designed to provide a series of easy to complete projects using basic materials along with JTT Scenery products. Each project not only includes a complete list of materials used in its construction but also includes a number of easy to follow techniques for creating realistic scenery for any type of model building. – George Riley

This article is from "Detailing Scenery with MRC - JTT Landscaping Tips and Techniques.  CLICK HERE to download the entire magazine.

Creating a Realistic WWII Vignette with JTT Scenery Products

The following is an  article by Big Bill Schwarz, president NJIPMS

Creating a Realistic WWII Vignette with JTT Scenery Products 

My club, NJIPMS here in New Jersey does group builds about once a year. This year’s theme (2012) was 1/48th scale OTAKI models. The theme was to see what could be built out of these great old kits. The model pictured here is an OTAKI KI-44 TOJO. I usually put my models on a base to show perspective and natural surroundings. I wanted to show a remote pacific island in WWII. With the help of JTT Scenery, mission accomplished.

My base was made from a round wooden clock mounting base. After prepping and sanding the base for tooth to put the scenery on, I used carpenters glue and laid down the plank base on which the airplane sits. The planks are coffee stirrers from the dollar store which I stained for visual effect. Now comes the fun part. The initial ground work was laid down using Celluclay, tinted with tan latex house paint and mixed with white glue. I spread it on the base with an old knife, stippled it with an old paint brush and wiped off the edges. This gives a natural, uneven look to the ground. At this time, I also added the various JTT palm trees and hedges.  

Next up was a layer of diluted white glue on the ground to lay the turf on. I used a mixture of fine tan ballast, some shades of green turf, and around the trees and shrubbery I blended textures of foliage to simulate dead leaves and plants. When that was dry, I added the various flowering plants and some different brown turf textures to blend everything together. When that was all dry, I shot a clear flat coat tinted with a bit of khaki paint to tone down and blend in the colors. I was happy with the result. I mounted my TOJO and the base was complete as was the WWII pacific island theme. The pilot adds the final touch and he even has his Samurai sword.  

All of the products used on the base with the exception of one palm tree came directly from JTT Scenery Products. The palms, the hedges, the flowering plants, the sand colored ballast are all in the catalog. JTT has a broad line of trees, plants, hedges and scenic accessories. They are extremely easy to use and with a little work they’ll help you create the scenic environment you want to achieve. I recommend the use of JTT Scenery Products. I have been modeling for 30 some odd years and have used a lot of products for my vignettes and I would rank JTT Scenery Products right up there with the best. Look into their line of products and have fun. I certainly did.

 

Flowering Meadows and Grassland Landscaping

The following is an  article by Tom Staley, owner of Tom’s Train Station, Raleigh, NC.

Among the JTT scenery products introduced this year are two great items, flowering meadows and grassland landscaping, both of which are part of the Landscaping Detail Series.

Red

Yellow

Purple

The flowering meadows come in red (0595604), yellow (0595605), and purple (0595606). The grassland landscaping comes in green (0595601), wild (0595602), and golden (0595603). Now, you might not get excited until you open the packages and put it in your hand and start to use it. Versatile, they can be used in hundreds of places.

Both the flowering meadows and grassland landscaping come on 5” x 7” sheets. This allows you to glue the sheets directly to your layout. And being no two sheets are exactly alike, you can place the sheets next to each other and still attain realism and create maximum interest.  They also work in a random pattern.  I like cutting several flowering meadows bushes out of a sheet and gluing them randomly around my layout.  The three colors will make your layout landscaping pop out and look great. Because the bushes are different heights, they not only add beauty, they also give your layout a depth dimension.

Green

Wild

Golden

My favorite one was the green grassland landscaping (0595601).  All I had to do was to add a fence to it and add some cows and I had great fenced cattle pen.

The two products are easy to use and give your layout a neat look.  The hint of colors on the bushes is just another one the details that gives you that professional look.  You will get attention, I promise.

JTT has kept the cost affordable.  So don’t miss out on this new product…another must have!!
  

My tip of the month is an easy one for planting JTT fruit trees.  Place some of the available loose apple, orange, and lemon fruits on the ground under the trees, this will give a more authentic look to your orchard

Using JTT Sunflowers and JTT Corn Stalks.

Using JTT Sunflowers and JTT Corn Stalks.

JTT’s series of scale trees and landscaping continues to blossom with new and unique scenery products, including flowering hedges, corn stalks, sunflowers, tomato plants, fruit trees, grasses and more. These and other introductions have led to requests for techniques and ideas for creating more realistic layouts. This is the first in a continuing series… we’ll start with an article by Tom Staley on using JTT Sunflowers and JTT Corn Stalks.

I have been doing landscaping and teaching scenery classes for many years. When JTT introduced sunflowers and corn stalks, I was like a kid in a candy store. I always wanted to put sunflowers and fields of corn on my layout and now I can.  Both the sunflowers and corn stalks are available in HO scale at 1” and in O scale at 2”. Mixing both scales of sunflowers gives you a natural look. It enables you to mimic nature by showing both young and mature plants in the same area.

What I especially liked about both the sunflowers and the corn is that they look so real. Talk about putting the “WOW” in your layout, this will do it.  They are colorful, affordable and available. If you think about it, most modelers have too much green on their layouts. Adding JTT sunflowers with their yellow, brown and green hues, and bright, detailed corn stalks give you color, realism and pop. They add interest to your layout.

Landscaping Tips You Can Use

Prior to planting the sunflowers, sprinkle JTT leaves on the ground where you plan to place your sunflowers. Then make a 50/50 combination of white glue and water and mix well. Using an eye dropper put several drops of the glue mixture on the leaves. You’ll see the leaves darken providing a true, earthy look.

Before planting JTT corn, rake some leaves to make small, raised rows. You may want to put a few drops of alcohol (found at the drugstore) on the rows. Modelers refer to this as breaking the tension. Then, using an eye dropper, apply white glue. The alcohol helps the leaves absorb the white glue delivering more natural looking results. Once the leaves are prepared, you can plant your corn.


Putting sunflowers around old buildings, bridges, windmills and in your gardens is one of the easiest things you can do to add authenticity to your layout. Anyone, regardless of skill level, can do this and get excellent results.

Visit your local hobby dealer and start adding JTT scale landscaping and scenery products to your layout, you’ll be delighted with the final results.

A Tiger in the Grass

JTT landscaping, including trees, flowers, hedges, corn stalks, grasses, gravel and more have become popular staples for hobbyists of just about every stripe... Model railroaders, dollhouse crafters, students with school projects, architect’s and others. One key niche where MRC-JTT Scenery Products has proven invaluable is plastic modeling for scale military and automobile dioramas. Matt Wieczorek sent us some photos and info on one of his JTT augmented projects.

A Tiger in the Grass: A quick project.



As I started to put a 10” x 6” display case around my Italeri 1/35 scale Tiger Tank, I started thinking something was missing. Then it dawned on me, the Tiger called out to me to add something else. I began thinking about a setting, creating a scene. Then it struck me, the Tiger would look good if it were laying in wait in a field of tall grasses.

With that thought in mind, I went to work with JTT landscaping products. I used the three items listed below, to create a very simple, but effective environment.






First, I painted the base flat black and let it dry. I then coated the base with some diluted white glue, and sprinkled on JTT’s Autumn Blended Medium Turf #0595108. While the base was still wet, I added the tank and rolled it back and forth into the base to leave some track marks. Once the tank was in place, I fixed it with white glue to keep it there. At that point I added some covering to the tracks and around the wheels of the tank. I left this dry overnight, and started on the next steps.

I took some of JTT’s tall field grasses, Golden Brown Field Grass #0595085, and Natural Brown Field Grass #0595084. I mixed them together in my hand then cut them into different sizes so they would look natural once planted. When I had some at the right lengths, I dabbed the bottoms into a pool of white glue, and placed them randomly around the tank itself. In the end, I achieved the base look I was going for. I also added some more of the ground cover in the areas where I needed to fill in bare areas spaces. This worked well. Now, I have a Tiger in the grass waiting to pounce.

An Italian Fighter Blends Into the North African Desert

An Italian Fighter Blends Into the North African Desert

I wanted to build a World War II Italian Fighter plane.  Being of Italian descent, and having an uncle who served in North Africa with the American Army in 1943, I have taken a special interest in this theater of war. The model chosen is a Hasegawa 1/48 scale Macchi C.202 Folgore. I wanted to create a desert scene where the subject plane blends into the base… which is the reason camouflage paint schemes are used. This model won a First place in the Air Category at our October monthly meeting and is in the running for Model of the Year in the air category.    

I started with a 10” inch semi-oval wooden base. I covered the entire base with white glue and applied a layer of Golden Straw Turf #0595116 and Yellow Straw Turf #0595118, then waited 24 hours for it to dry. I then applied a layer of Fine Tan Gravel #0595304, using diluted white glue which I sprayed on the base. After this dried, I applied Dark Green Foliage-Fiber Clusters #0595068 in small, tight patches using thick white glue. I then added a 6” Royal Palm Tree #0596010 and a 9”, slightly cut down Palm Tree#0596009. I planted them by drilling holes and then applying CA glue. I think the finished product speaks for itself. I had never used or built bases for my models before. These easy to use JTT Scenery Products made “landscaping” simple. 

In the future, I expect to present all my models on finished bases.

A German Panzer Races Across Poland in 1940

A German Panzer Races Across Poland in 1940 

                         

As a member of NJIPMS, I participated in a group build of a 1/35 scale Tamiya AFV. I chose the Panzer Type 2 Ausf F. I usually don't put my models on a base, but thought that this would be a good time to step up my presentations. I wanted to create a scene of a tank racing cross country through the fields outside of Warsaw, Poland in September, 1940. 

I used an oval-shaped wooden 8” base. I applied white glue and added Burnt Grass #0595121, Moss Green #0595122 and Forest Green #0595094 Turfs. When they dried on the base, I used thick white glue to add Dark Green Foliage Fiber Clusters #0595059 and Natural Brown Field Grass #0595084. I then drilled a hole in the base for a 6" Ash Tree #0596058. 

All the products I used were from JTT Scenery Products. I am proud of the finished product. Thanks to JTT Scenery Products and Model Rectifier Coporation with their fine line of easy to use products, I can see my Panzer tank in action rumbling through Poland

1941 T34/76 Russian Tank in the Ukrainian Countryside

Articles and layouts by Vince D'Alessio, member of NJIPMS

1941 T34/76 Russian Tank in the Ukrainian Countryside

As a member of NJIPMS, I took part in a group build of a Tamiya 1/48 scale AFV. I chose the T34/76 1941 version Russian Tank. This model recently took best out of the box at the Hudson Valley Historical Miniatures Guild Contest. This is my second attempt to build with a base. I chose a wooden pine 11” by 8”. My concept was to capture a vision of the T/34 in motion, moving into position to cut off the German advance through the Ukrainian countryside.

I first applied white glue to the base. Then I added Ground Cover Turfs, Soil #0595113, Earth #0595128, Golden Straw #0595116 and Burnt Grass #0595120. They were allowed to dry for approximately 24 hours. I then added Blended Turfs Green #0595105 and Autumn Blend #0595107. 

I sprayed finely diluted white glue on top of this and allowed it to dry for 24 hours. Next, I wanted to add gravel to the edges of the base. This was done by applying Earth Medium Blend #0595311, again sprayed with diluted white glue and allowed to dry for 24 hours. I then placed Flower Bushes #0595505 using thick white glue to position them. Next came two trees, a 5” Live Oak Tree #0596043 and an 8” Pine Tree #0596027. 

I planted them by drilling holes and applying CA adhesive. I am very happy with the finished base, as it adds yet another dimension to this award winning model.