Clearwater Models

RED ARMY T-26 TANK (Cromwell)

This is a very small (6 cm) resin model of a Soviet T-26 light tank from the inter-war years. It served from 1931 through the end of the Great Patriotic War. There were 56 variants of the basic T-26 design over a 9 year period.
There are only six parts to the kit. The wheel and track on each side is one part, but was badly warped and had to be straightened by dipping in hot hot hot water then bending back to shape and holding under a book. It is from Cromwell Models of Scotland. I paid $5 at a militaria flea market, which comes out to a little less than a dollar per cm of length.

Soviet T-26 light tank

A real one in winter...

Soviet T-26 light tank

BRITISH RAIL MOGUL 2-6-0 STEAM LOCOMOTIVE (Airfix)

This is an old 1/87 OO/HO scale Airfix model of a British Rail Mogul 2-6-0 steam locomotive. BR Standard Class 4, 2-6-0, designed by Robert Riddles, and operated 1952-1967. 115 were built. The kit is painted flat black overall, with the red striping hand-painted. I originally had a white cotton ball stretched out and streaked with grime to simulate smoke, but lost it. I bough the kit from a new and used hobby store in Minneapolis USA for about $10.

Third place winner in the TRIATHLON category at CAPCON 2017 on 30 September 2017. (with a tank and a ship)

STEEL 4-8-2 STEAM LOCOMOTIVE

This is a folded sheet metal model of a 4-8-2 steam locomotive. It should have taken me 4 hours, but instead it took 15 months. I let it sit half finished for 15 months, then completed the folding in about 3 hours. Think origami railroad.

STEEL RAF DH.82 TIGER MOTH

This is a folded sheet metal model of a DH.82 Tiger Moth training aircraft. The Tiger Moth was a primary flight trainer, and nearly 9000 were produced through 1944. It takes about two hours to complete the flat kit, and you risk cutting yourself on the sharp edges. It is like making origami airplanes, but out of steel instead of paper. It came in the post from China for about $3.

DH.82 Tiger Moth

A real RAF Tiger Moth

RED ARMY KV-1 HEAVY TANK (Trumpeter)

This gun kills nazi scum.

This is the excellent Trumpeter 1/35 scale model of the Kliment Voroshilov (KV-1) heavy tank. It is hand painted with the slogan "Death to Fascism". Over 5000 units were built between 1939 and 1943. The armour was so effective that the invading fascist forces called it the "Russian Colussus". Although prone to mechanical breakdown, the armour and gun were highly effective and a single unit could stop a poorly-armed and armoured German tank force. I bought the kit from an IPMS Ottawa club member for $10. The paint is Vallejo acrylic "Russian Green", with a mud mixture made of Vallejo pigments. The tow cables are actual steel wound wire. It did up very nicely, and placed third in a competition.

Kliment Voroshilov (KV-1) heavy tank

A real one...

Kliment Voroshilov (KV-1) heavy tank

HEIAN MARU OCEAN LINER (Hasegawa)

This is a 1/700 scale Hasegawa waterline series small model of the Japanese ocean liner Heian Maru which sailed from 1930 until sunk in 1944. It was named in honour of Kyoto's historic Hiean Shrine and launched on 24 November 1930.

The ocean liner was used mainly for the Japan-USA (Yokohama-Seattle) route until it was taken over the by the navy as a submarine tender in 1941 and eventually sunk in a torpedo attack in early 1944. It is now a popular scuba diving destination in Truk / Chuuk lagoon. The sister ship Hikawa Maru remains as a museum in Yokohama harbour. This was one of the earliest diesel-powered ocean liners.

I added rigging for extra realism. It is a lovely kit and far better than the bad version offered by another Japanese company. I think it placed third in a local competition, and second in the Ajax regional competition.

Heian Maru

The real one (or at least a postcard...

Heian Maru

STALIN'S SLEDGEHAMMER B-4 HOWITZER (Trumpeter)

This gun kills nazi scum.

This is a 1/35 scale Trumpeter model of a Soviet B-4 M1931 203mm howitzer. It was nicknamed "Stalin's sledgehammer" by German soldiers as it slammed through Berlin in the final days of the Great Patriotic War. Nearly 900 were built, and it was considered a very important weapon controlled directly by the Stavka in Moscow. The heavy gun served with the Soviet Army, and (strangely) with the Cuban military.

This is a great kit and it makes up very nicely. It has a metal barrel and individual link metal tacks (the only time I have bought expensive after-market stuff). It is painted with water-based Russian Green paint. The two shells in the cradle have graffiti on then saying Berlin and Adolf Hitler. The kit and additional bits all came mail order. I won an award for this model.

B-4 M1931 203mm howitzer

A real one...

B-4 M1931 203mm howitzer

Mr. Modeller on a B-4 at Petrograd's Artillery Museum.

In a Moscow winter...

TOPOL MOBILE ICBM LAUNCHER (Zvezda)

This is the new highly-anticipated 1/72 scale Zvezda model of the Topol ICBM launcher vehicle.

The Topol (poplar tree) road mobile RT-2PM 15Ж58 ICBM was designed by Alexander Nadiradze at the Moscow institute of Thermal Technologies. The missile carries a single large-yield nuclear warhead. The truck is the MAZ-7310 or MAZ-7917 body (depending on the exact date of manufacture). The Topol was manufactured at the Votkinsk Machine Building Plant, and entered service in 1985, and was last test fired on 20 March 2014 at Kapustin Yar. This model shows the Topol ICBM launcher as it appeared just after an upgrade at the 3rd Missile Battalion, 697th Missile Regiment, 14th Missile Division, 27th Guards Vitebskaya Red Banner Missile Army of the Strategic Missile Forces (RVSN) at the Yoshkar-Ola operating base in the Russian Federation.

The missile launching tune has the new camo paint scheme, while the older truck body retains the overall green scheme. All 14 rubber wheels are off the ground in a relaxed dropped position, as the truck sits on four metal legs I built from scratch to replace the fake looking plastic legs. Armour kits usually come in 1/35 scale, but as this is a truly massive vehicle, it is about three times the length of a main battle tank, and therefore suitable for a smaller scale kit.

Topol RT-2PM 15Ж58 ICBM

Topol RT-2PM 15Ж58 ICBM at Petrograd's Artillery Museum

Saturday, 9 January 2016