Zvezda 1/35 T-35

[Deleted member 7181]

With a couple of aircraft under my belt it was time for some more armour. I got this as a Xmas pressie from Zoe along with the Lightning, so decided to crack it open, and immediately regretted it.



Looks like it had a hard life in the back of the couriers van as a few parts on the sprue were broken, and 3 of the return roller axles were smashed off the main hull. I managed to find 2 of them so they were glued back on. The broken sprue parts were still in their bags so managed to find and fix all of those.

Lots of bits to deal with, including 4 identical sprues of wheels & suspension. Oh joy.



The damaged hull



As usual for Zvezda assembly started with some subs. This time it was these grilles, covers and hatches for the engine cover. The exhausts were just flat with instructions to paint the outlet black, but I hollowed them out the best I could. Might try a bit more now they are fixed in place and easier to handle.



The support for the main turret needed a bit of persuasion and some filler. Will sand that down once it's gone hard and might need to add a bit more



There were plenty of weld beads moulded into this section so where the parts didn't quite meet I added some tiny styrene rod which I'll "sculpt" later, but it tidies the joint up nicely. Sorry about the awful picture!

 

[Dave Ward]

Did this a couple of years back - watch out for that frame aerial!
Dave

 

[Deleted member 7181]

Cheers Dave, I remember you giving me a similar warning when I built the T-28.

Any other major hiccups that spring to mind with this kit?

 

[scottie3158]

Andy,
Count me in for this.

 

[Jim R]

Hi Andy
Front row next to Scottie.
Jim

 

[Deleted member 7181]

Welcome aboard chaps.

 

[MikeC]

I'm looking in, tea and biscuits I hope, not been fed since tea time...

 

[JR]

At least they gave you a tub hull Andy, the KV and the SU 100 had a 3 part hull and the KV was warped.
Will take a seat .

 

[Mini Me]

453, we're all a little warped, otherwise we wouldn't be here!!!

 

[grumpa]

Always wanted to do a T35 don't know bout a Zvezda kit though, Good luck with it.

Jim

 

[Deleted member 7181]

Good to have you all here, I'll see what the missus can rustle up in the way of refreshments.

 

[papa 695]

Just sat down Andy, ready to watch.

 

[Dave Ward]

The Zvezda T-35 was new tooling in 2016, it's detailed & fits together well & looks impressive when built. Recent Zvezda kits have been on a par with Far East makers, they suffer from memories of past simple clunky models. Their 1/48 & 1/72 aircraft models are very good & their modern 1/35 Russian AFVs are superb ( having made the Armata, the T-90, Tiger Kornet ).
There aren't any surprises in assembly, I remember the plates that support the side skirts being a bit fiddly, but that's it, the link & length tracks fitted VERY well
All that running gear is sadly hidden by the side skirts! Andy, hope you don't mind me slipping in a picture of my build................
Dave

 

[Deleted member 7181]

Welcome Ian.

No problem at all with the picture Dave, and thanks for the info.

The T-28 was similar, lots of detail in the running gear that got completely hidden.

 

[Steve Jones]

The Russians are coming!! What a beast of a machine!! Will sit with the rest of the rabble. Got the heater on in the shed yet?

 

[Deleted member 7181]

Good to have you along Steve. With all the bodies now crammed into it, the shed will be warm as toast in no time!

 

[Deleted member 7181]

Glacially slow progress on this by my standards, but we're still moving forward. Much of the time has been taken up with minor adjustments to the fit and filling/sanding. It's not that the fit is in any way poor, I'm just going a little further than maybe I need to, reminding myself it's the process, rather than reaching the finish line, that this hobby is all about.

Anyway, enough flannel.

The guns and mantle for the medium turrets went together. Lots of small detail parts on the inside which will never bee seen as the hatches will be closed, hence me not bothering to fill the joints. They will get painted though.



Hard to pick out in the photo but the hatches were moulded as one with a shallow groove between them, as seen on the left. I deepened this groove almost all the way through so it's more in keeping with the outer panel gaps (the one on the right).



And with everything together. The barrels are just dry fitted for now to make painting easier. They are made up of 3 "rods", so no seam line down the middle, but they needed the mould parting line cleaning up and a bit of filler between each section. The muzzle end was moulded with a decent depression, but I drilled it out much further. The gap around the mantle still needs attention.



And the small turrets. As with my T-28 I'll be fitting the MG's from the inside once painted. Again, hard to see in the picture but a few hours of sanding and filling were lavished on each of these to get the fit just right, and the exposed edges of the plates were finished with a very course grit sandpaper to give the flame cut look. Hatches still need a bit of work here to get them to sit down correctly.



Fitted these bits to either side of the main turret support structure. They look like some form of fuel or oil tank and have what appears to be a jack fitted to them. I also added some of the tools, which I'm sure I'm going to regret when I get around to painting.




And a quick dry fit of everything I've done so far.

 

[scottie3158]

Andy,
Looking good so far mate.

 

[Mini Me]

Mr. (rivet) Jones is correct. This thing is a Beast. Nice progress so far and I have moved to the back row by the door as JR keeps drooling on my shoes and making audible grunting sounds while flicking his Bic. Posted myself as Corona Virus watch...

 

[Deleted member 7181]

Thanks Paul & Rick.

As usual I'm at that point of what to add, what not to add, when to start painting, what won't I be able to reach later, that kind of thing. I'm hoping all that will become clearer as I get more builds under my belt as it's been a real head-scratcher up to now.