T-34/85 (D5T gun)

Awarded: Silver

By: Vladimir Grigoriev

Manufacturer(s): UM

Modifications: Aluminium foil was used to make fenders, handles of fuel tanks and a cover of the gun mantlet. Grab handles are made of wire. The canvas roll is made of paper.

After-market parts: The barrel is by Modelpoint.

Description: The model depicts the vehicle of the famous tank column "Dimitri Donskoi" that was built on money raised by the Russian Orthodox Church. The column entered the service in February 1944, so the model depicts the vehicle of February-March 1944. The model is painted by Zvezda acrylics and artistic gouache. The inscription on the turret is made with a red liner. The model is weathered by Winsor & Newton products: oils, dry pastels and gloss varnish. Sennelier oil pastels were used to weather the tracks.

Judge 1: As I can see on the pictures it's a clean and accurate build job, and you added some nice home made details too. The white wash is very well done, and the other weathering too. I would mention only two things. The first is that the exhaust, and the spare traks seems to me too brown. I would use some more orange color for these. The other is that on the turret is much more white than on the other parts of the vehicle. It seems like the turret is from an other vehicle. So it's a nice model, well done.
Judge 2: Very nice winter scheme. As for the pre- painting judgment, a complete view of the kit would have been favourable. Painting and weathering looks good and appropriate, very realistic worn off scheme. The running gear looks a bit not well defined. Some more pinwash would also have helped a better higligth of details.
Judge 3: A nice dirrty tank! Clean build (thought it would be nice if there were more in-build shots). Weathering is very good, though I would only suggest more graduation of dirt between the wheels/tracks and the areas on and just above the fenders. Use of more pin washes would be good, but otherwise a very good build!