One of my favorite tanks is the IS-7 and I have kits for this tank in both 1/35 and 1/72 sizes. I can't find time to make 1/35 size kits. So I got the 1/72 size Trumpeter kit on the counter. I plan to finish this kit right out of the box without any additions.
The construction phase of the kit was pretty easy. The most important reason for this was that the tracks and wheels came out of the box in one piece. Not dealing with tracks saved me time.
I placed the machine gun on the tank in an upright position. In fact, it can also be put in a horizontal position folded. I wanted the machine gun to be in a combat position.
There were no holes at the tip of the tank barrel that came out of the model box. I didn't want it to stay that way and started drilling the holes.
When all the holes were drilled, the barrel looked quite realistic. In fact, some kits come out with etched pieces that look like this. But Trumpeter didn't want to use such a piece.
I decided to make a casting effect on the turret of the tank to give the tank a more realistic look. For this I mixed glue into Tamiya liquid putty.
I applied the mixture randomly on the turret of the tank using a sponge. After the putty I applied dried, a very nice casting effect occurred.
When the tank was finished, I primed the entire hull and turret using a gray primer. Primer is a must do application as it reveals errors during construction.
I fixed the mistakes I saw after the primer. Then I moved on to painting the tank. I did not pre-shade as I will be using ready-made sets for painting.
For painting, I first applied the dark green color to the tank using an airbrush. In fact, it is very important to break the monotony while painting, especially if you are going to make a single color tank. Therefore, it is very important to paint in different tones on different surfaces.
I preferred to use Vallejo brand paints. It dries fast and I love the paint tone. The only problem is that sometimes the colors and the paint names do not match. For example, when you buy a soot color and wait for black, you may encounter a brown paint.
In the next stage of painting the tank, I painted the large flat surfaces using the light green color. In this way, the superficial parts appeared light-colored. Such color modulations are very important in breaking the monotony.
In the next step I painted the protruding parts of the tank a very light green. Since these parts are at the top, they reflect more sunlight. Therefore, it is important that they are light in color.
After painting the hull of the tank, I started to paint the details. First of all, I painted the barrel of the tank with soot color. After the painting was finished, I dry brushed in metallic color. I like the paint on the barrel.
After the barrel, I moved on to the tracks of the tank. I painted the tracks in rust color from Revell's Aqua range. After the paint dries, I dry brushed the parts in contact with the ground in metallic color.
First, I painted the machine gun on the turrret of the tank in anthracite. I painted the attachments, such as the bullet box next to the machine gun, green. Then I dry brushed the machine gun in metallic color.
I painted the sticks used to clean the barrel of the tank in wood color. I used Vallejo's old wood paint to give these sticks a wooden look. Then I made scratches on it using oil paint, but they were not very clear on this scale.
There are machine guns facing forward or rearward in several different places on the tank. I painted these machine guns, which I thought were very unnecessary in terms of use, in anthracite. They were so thin that they were broken several times. I finally fixed them and did a metallic dry brush.
I painted details such as shovel and saw on both sides of the tank. I painted the handles of these tools in wood color and the metallic parts in anthracite. Finally, I did dry brushing and the painting phase of the tank was completely finished.
After the painting phase was completely finished, it was necessary to varnish the tank to protect the paint. Normally I prefer glossy varnish at this stage. But I wanted to use a semi-matt varnish for the IS-7.
In fact, there are two reasons why glossy varnish is preferred. The first reason is to keep the decals between two coats of glossy varnish and prevent them from shining. The second reason is that the glossy varnish makes our work easier by creating a slippery surface during the washing phase.
I used semi-matt varnish for the IS-7. Then I waited for the varnish to dry completely. It is very important that the varnish is completely dry. If the varnish does not dry, it may interact with the white spirit used during washing. As a result, the varnish can be removed from the model.
After the matte varnish was completely dry, I realized that I forgot to paint the periscope glasses on the tank. I painted the periscopes on the turret and the hull with the blue-green paints I had.
When the paint of the periscopes dried, I placed the decals on the tank. In fact, the only made example of this tank has no markings or emblems on it. Since the tank I built is operational, I thought there should be markings on it.
I chose the number 980 as the mark on the tank. Actually, I don't know by what criteria these numbers are given. I chose this number myself. I also placed a flag decal on the front of the turret.
At this stage, it is necessary to protect the decals as well. Although glossy varnish was used for this purpose, I continued with the semi-matt varnish that I used at first. I protected the decals between two coats of varnish and continued to wait for the varnish to dry.
I was planning to move on to the washing phase after the varnish had dried. But I saw on the internet that a few modelers made this tank incredibly rusty. So I decided to build a neglected Russian tank. I ordered rust effects online.
The places I originally planned to get rusty were the front and rear fenders and the area above the engine grille. Later, I decided to rust the area where the turret and hull meet. I was going to rust a few places on the turret as well. But I wanted the rust on the turret not to be as much as the hull.
First, I started with the body part where the turret sits. I started with a dark color rust effect and used lighter ones towards the edges. Then Mustafa warned me. Tankers apply oil to these areas so that there is no friction. I also added an oil texture.
In the next step, I moved on to the front and rear fenders. I followed the same sequence in these areas as well. I started with dark-colored rust and gradually lightened the color as I progressed towards the edges. There were sharp lines between the rusty and non-rusty areas in these areas. To prevent this, I did a light wash with rusty washing solutions.
In the parts where the grills are, I wanted rust around the covers and around the grill frames. After applying rust to these areas, I dry brushed the sharp parts of the covers and frames with metallic color. This made the texture look more realistic.
In the turret, I applied rust effect around the covers, around the part where the machine gun is located, and behind the mantlet in front. Again, I washed these areas to blur the boundaries.
When the rust stage was completely finished, it was time for washing. Instead of washing the tank completely, I preferred to do regional washing called pin wash. Because I didn’t want the tank to darken. I did not apply oil paint on this tank.
After washing was done, I applied semi-matte varnish to the tank once again. I did not want to use matte varnish. Because I did not want the tank to be generally dark. So I continued with semi-matte varnish.
After the varnish, my rusty washes were erased. So I had to wash the areas where I applied rust effect again. I did not want sharp transitions in these areas.
After the varnish and rusty wash were dry, I started weathering. First, I started weathering from the turret and started weathering with a sponge.
While weathering with a sponge, I tried to erode the places where the tank crew stepped. If you exaggerate too much, especially in 72 scales, things can get out of hand. Therefore, I did a small amount of weathering with a sponge.
After weathering the turret with a sponge, I dry brushed the metallic areas around the rusty parts with metallic color and polished them with a pencil. Using a pencil really gives a nice look to the tank. It brings out the metal effect that appears on worn-out areas.
Next, I created rusty streaks around the areas where I applied rust effect on the turret. When it rains, the rust flows down. I tried to make these streaks thin according to the scale. They looked good in the end.
I created streaks using ready-made solutions on the parts with protrusions such as periscopes. The streaks I made on these parts were slightly more prominent than the rusty ones. Actually, it would have been better if I weathered them a little more.
I finished my work on this part by washing the entire turret with dust solutions. The color of the turret remained one tone lighter than the body. But I left the turret aside, attributing it to being under the sun.
I started weathering with the grille part of the body. I created soot and dust effects on the parts that allow air to pass through the grille. Again, to prevent details from being lost, I dry brushed these parts with metallic color and polished them with a pencil.
I painted the exhaust outlets at the back of the next tank in rust color. I created soot effects on the tips of the rust-colored paint. Then, I finished the corner parts by dry brushing them with metallic color and polishing them with a pencil.
I created soot effects where the exhaust fumes come into contact with the body. You need to be very careful when creating soot effects. Because if you overdo it, the black color will erase everything underneath. Therefore, I tried to use very little black color and create streaks over it.
I washed the bottom parts of the two gasoline cans at the back with dust solutions. Then, I created oily streaks downwards from the parts where gasoline was filled. Finally, I polished the corner parts with a pencil and finished my work on the cans.
I created dust and mud effects on the inside of the rear fenders of the tank. I also applied dusty washing and streaks to the upper parts. I completed this part by creating mud and dust on the back side facing the ground.
I created streaks from the bottom of the periscopes and protruding parts at the front of the tank. I used both streak solutions and rusty liquids here. I also painted the inside of the front lights in bright colors.
Since the front part is made to extend forward like an arrow, I dry brushed the metallic edges. I also polished the parts where I dry brushed with a pencil. I applied the same process to the front fenders where I created rusty streaks.
I first applied mud effect to the parts of the front facing the ground. Actually, I think I overdid it a bit. It looked too muddy compared to the rest of the tank. Finally, I did a dusty wash and finished the weathering work on the front.
I had already painted the tracks and wheels of the tank in rust color and dry brushed them. I polished around the tracks a little more with a pencil. I also polished the surfaces of the wheels that come into contact with the tracks, but the green color remained prominent because I didn’t do enough.
Since I don’t like to do heavy weathering, I created dust around the surfaces where the wheels come into contact with the tracks. I poured pigment on the body part that remained inside the wheels and dripped turpentine over it to fix the pigment in place.
I first did a dusty wash on the outer surfaces of the tracks. Then I applied both dusty and rusty pigments to the inside. I fixed them in place by passing turpentine over them.
After the washing and pigment application, the wheels started to look too uniform. So, I did another very light black wash. When it became more pronounced, I tried to balance it by doing another dusty wash over it.
I first made rusty streaks on the side surfaces of the tank’s body. Later, I added more streaks with ready-made streak solutions. I also aged these parts by doing a dusty wash.
I thought dust would accumulate around the tools on the body, so I did a dusty wash on those parts too. I polished the corners of the metal tools with a lead pencil.
In the final stage of weathering, I airbrushed mud effects on the sides of the tank that I took with a brush. If you don’t do this application carefully, the whole tank can become muddy. Therefore, I tried to blow it slowly and from a distance.
In the last stage, I checked the tank overall and corrected the places that caught my eye. I did a little more washing on the rusty parts. When I decided it was completely finished, I took pictures of it and finished the model.
I don’t know if it’s because I love the IS-7 tank so much, but this model has been my favorite so far. I put it in the showcase after finishing it and continued my hobby with another 72-scale model.
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