IS-2

Awarded: Bronze

Users' choice

This gallery has 15.52% of the users' votes.

By: Ilya Cherkashnev

Manufacturer(s): Italeri

Description: Soviet Army, Unidentified Unit, 1944. Painted with Zvezda and acrylics Tamiya. CMK and MiG pigments weathering.

Judge 1: There is a lot to like about this model but then there are few things that seem out of place too. I'll start with the good points; the scruffy white wash looks very good, I really like the combination of chips and colour mapping made in successive layers. The exhausts and smoke stains are pretty good and the decals are excellent. Now for the oddities, I can't work out what the red splashes on the left side of the turret? Rust, blood stains, spilt paint? And the running rusty streaks coming from the cupola spoil also the realism. The mud on the tracks is too orange for Eastern Europe and it's always a good idea to keep the area where the road wheels meet the track free from mud as the movement of the tank keep this area pretty clean. All up you’ve made a nice model from this simple little kit, keep up the good work.
Judge 2: It seems that you’ve used the hairspray technique to paint this tank which is a challenging step since it requires very careful approach in our scale. Still, your vehicle shows pretty good how a worn off winter camouflage can look like. And it seems you’ve made this worn off effect according to some logic. I’d also like to mention good painting of insignia. As for weathering in general, I think, it’s too heavy in places. As far as I can see, you’ve tried to make a wash, but it didn’t raise details up, moreover it left tide marks here and there on the hull. Splashes on the turret look odd (dirty streaks colored like dried up blood?). If it is mud, firstly, it should be of a brownish tone and, secondly, there should be more mud on the hull. Muddy chassis means that some mud should be placed on the fenders. And I’d advice you to add some fuel strains – they look quite impressive on whitewash.
Judge 3: This is a very nicely worn whitewash finish with plenty to keep the eye busy. I'd suggest adding more shadow around the details, it looks especially good when constrasted against the whitewash. As mentioned, some of the streaks look a bit strong and reddish in colour, although this may be related to the camera. Overall a nice effect.