Replicating a photograph: the liberation of ‘s-Hertogenbosch, part 5

Two posts in one weekend and it’s stowage time! Apart from painting, adding the stowage is probably my favourite part of building tanks. Stowage is great for personalising your vehicles and for making them look ‘lived in’.

Re-examining the photograph I noticed that the bit of the turret with the number 35 painted on it was not the back of the armoured bustle for the radio, but actually a stowage box mounted to the back of it. I could’ve purchased a resin kit, but decided that I had spent enough money on this project and instead scratch built one. I used the plastic from an expired Toyota service card, so depending on how you look at it this is either the cheapest or the most expensive bit of customisation ever. For the hinges I used thin cardboard glazed with super glue, which will hopefully make it less absorbent when it comes to painting. The large stowage box on the rear of the engine deck was made in a similar fashion.

The rolled-up tarp I made using some toilet paper soaked in watered-down wood glue. I then shaped it and added creases and the like using the back of a paint brush. The creases don’t show up in the pictures particularly well, but I’m assuming they will after a coat of paint. I let the glue dry overnight and then gave it a coat of clear furniture varnish to strengthen it. I also added two more boxes made of bits of resin sprue with cardboard hinges, which were again glazed with superglue. Ropes securing the stowage were made with a bit of pretty pink embroidery thread kindly provided by my wife.

Finally, I also added the gun travel lock. I forgot how brittle resin is compared to plastic, so when trying to cut it from its sprue it broke, sending the bottom portion flying off into the void never to be seen again. I did a pretty poor job of filling in the gab with some Miliput, but I hope it won’t be as obvious once everything is painted.

I also added stowage to the front of the tank, but I forgot to take a picture of it. It’s pretty straightforward though. Just some spare track links and a spare road wheel that came with the base Tamiya kit.

The last part construction-wise was assembling the crew. I felt a little uncomfortable hacking off their limbs to make them fit inside the tank, but they look great. I’ve got a bit of filling and filing to do on the joints, but that pretty much wraps up the build. Next up, painting!

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Little Tanks & Tiny People

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