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Jim Altergott
5 articles

Tamiya 1/35th scale JS-2

April 16, 2021 · in Armor · · 12 · 2.2K

Greetings & salutations my fellow modelers! This is a kit I recently completed. The photography needs improvement. Tamiya starts you with a great basic kit, an excellent launch pad for adding or creating your own extra details, which I love to do with all my armour kits. I added tracks, aluminum gun barrel and various items from a photo-etch detail set I bought a swap meet for $1. I really enjoy building and "beating up" Soviet WW2 era armour. The brute strength, rough look, heavy and sagging tracks, rough weld lines and overall gritty appearance is what draws me to them. I find beauty in their "ugliness" ? I hand painted the numbers and recognition bands on the turret, added weld seam detail with thin sheet plastic, casting texture with Mr. Surfacer 500 and annealed the brass so I can add damage to the fenders, which is a must for Soviet armour in the field! The figures were from the kit, nicely molded. Tamiya has been steadily improving in that area for years now. The stand-alone figure is an old resin figure I bought for $2 at the same O'Hare show that I bought the detail set. Intended to be on the tank, I couldn't find a way to make it look proper, so I went with a base. I used AK Interactive weathering fluids: streaking grime, track wash, rain marks. The first time I tried those products, nice, I like the effect they produced. Thanks for reading & viewing, keep on modeling!

Reader reactions:
6  Awesome

16 additional images. Click to enlarge.


12 responses

  1. Love it ! The "beaten to ###t" look is really nicely done !

    • Thank you very much! Soviet WW2 era armour has become my favorite AFV modeling subject because of the nasty, crude and worn look that vehicles in the field displayed. I love to spend my time weathering and simulating battle damage to all my armour kits. I have recently started to improve my figure painting skills, which I believe add a great level of interest and optical attraction to a tank. Thank you again!

  2. Great job, Jim!

    • Thank you John! I am influenced by your succinct and straightforward build description. I like to know how a model came together, not just photos with a two or three sentence text.

  3. This is a wonderful build, Jim! Painting and weathering are truly excellent!
    Loved all the extra parts info and the in-progress shots!
    I have only built only one armor so far, back in 2006 (and this probably happened as it was kind of a commissioned build!)
    I am slowly motivated to do yet another one!
    Congratulations on your JS, keep them coming!

    • Thank you Spiros. I like your work and your constant contributions to Imodeler. Thanks again to you and all the people that regularly contribute and run Imodeler. It is my privilege to share my work with all the modelers on here!

  4. Great work Jim, always good to see some vehicles and armor here!

  5. Very nice Jim! The paint and weather is fantastic overall, but the crinkled fender and paint work on the turret have achieved an even more exceptional look. Thanks for sharing!

    • Thank you Andrew! The late
      great Sheperd Paine was my first inspiration to build models, especially armour. When I saw his work in those diorama booklets that came with some of the old Monogram kits, I was bitten with the modeling bug.

  6. really nice detail and paint work for a very realistic-looking result.

    • Thank you Tom! I am a fan of your articles. The history and the step-by-step build description you provide gives me a heads up on what to look for and how to make it all come together right. Thank you again ?

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