Winter SU-76

Warlord’s SU-76 model, slightly modified, in a winter paint scheme.

The model didn’t go together all that well, and I wasn’t that keen on the way the compartment was built so attempted to throw a tarp over it.  I used green stuff and it looked really nice when I went to bed, but the next morning it had sagged.  It’s ok I guess.

I wanted to try a winter finish as an experiment.  I followed Steven Zaloga’s tips in his build of a winter SU-76.  His was in 1/35 and he did a lot more work on it than I did, but I followed the basic method of using toothpaste to cover places where I wanted there to be wear, paint it white, rub off the toothpaste, and voila – a worn winter camo look.  It came out pretty well, but I’d like to try it some more as I think it can be even better.  It’s probably a better technique on a larger model because I find it difficult to do a good job with small amounts of toothpaste, but perhaps practice will make perfect.

I then did the lower part of the model by painting it khaki grey with some brown on top of that and occasionally up onto the rest of the model.  I finished off by painting the bits on it, the tow cable, the tools, and the exhaust.

It seems de rigeur to make exhaust pipes rusty.  I wonder how realistic that is really.  It does provide a nice contrast on the model.  I used a little bit of pigment at the output of the exhaust for the blackening from smoke.