Schwimming at Kharkov
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Tamiya Schwimmwagen is a nice kit and my second go at it. A simple afternoon build it has no flash and standard Tamiya good fits. A few issues with fitting of larger pieces, namely parts of the hull but they are moulded in such way that joint is underneath the kit and easy to fix with a bit of putty and then covered with weathering. There are other, newer versions of this vehicle available but this one offers excellent price/quality balance. It even has an engine, which I didn't build because setting requires engine hood to be closed. I also didn't build the figure but it's something that will likely come handy later. What I like about Tamiya instructions is that it explains what each part/subassembly is so even if you are not familiar with the vehicle you know what you are looking at and can paint and weather properly anyway. Decals are pretty basic and general, but sufficient. If you want to add specific divisional insignia you'll have to dip into your spares box or buy AM ones. Included are some that look like W-SS insignia but doesn't match any actual insignia. I used them anyway because why not…..
One thing I didn't like was the fact that you need to cut mesh and glue it to kit to get grills. But it's so small and out of the way enough so that even if you make a mess and have problems gluing them it's not that noticeable. Still, I'd prefer PE or even plastic.
Weathering is some chipping, some grime, fuel stains, rust on exhaust and my first attempt at spackle of pigment and water mix topped with some wet effects. I think it came out well enough.
Figures are typical first generation Dragon. Some seam lines, generally good fits, good detail for the medium. I had to make some changes because one set is for 1945 period, but easy ones to make.
Groundwork is pretty simple, two types of paste, some scatter, some vegetation. I decided to play around with church ruin and try some new (for me) methods. Some streaking, some moss, some dead vegetation.......
Overall I'm quite happy with end result.
