Takom 1:35 KV-5

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Canuck2016
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Takom 1:35 KV-5

Post by Canuck2016 »

Good day all!

This is Takom's 1:35 KV-5. I don't know if this vehicle was ever operational, but it certainly looks interesting!

I read a couple of terrible reviews for this kit, but so far I'd say it's going fine. The hull is an inverted bathtub, ie the top, sides, and front are all one piece, and you just have to glue on the rear and a featureless flat rectangle on the bottom. Nice not to have to worry about fitting, filling and sanding where it shows!

My only complaint so far is that the torsion arms don't fit very definitely into the holes in the hull. I plan to line up the wheels as best I can using a ruler while the glue sets.

Cheers!


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iggie
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Re: Takom 1:35 KV-5

Post by iggie »

Crikey that things got more turrets than a sand castle!
It's looking really good so far; the steel plate edge detail on the turret looks especially great
Best wishes

Jim
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Canuck2016
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Re: Takom 1:35 KV-5

Post by Canuck2016 »

iggie wrote:Crikey that things got more turrets than a sand castle!
It's looking really good so far; the steel plate edge detail on the turret looks especially great
Ha! Yes, it's a beast all right!

Thanks, Iggie! Takom did a very good job moulding the edges. Aside from painting them, I didn't modify them in any way. I painted the model dark brown followed by a layer of hairspray, then highlights of Tamiya Desert Yellow and a top coat of Tamiya Flat Green. I chipped the edges with a brush dipped in warm water to expose the brown, then added a thin wash of reddish-brown artist's oils into the joins for a rusty look. Finally a quick swipe with a soft graphite pencil on the raised edges to simulate worn metal. Easy and quite enjoyable! ;-)
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PTB11
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Re: Takom 1:35 KV-5

Post by PTB11 »

Outstanding weathering!
Regards, Paddy.

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general rocket
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Re: Takom 1:35 KV-5

Post by general rocket »

Nice job so far.
Keep it up.
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PGAS
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Re: Takom 1:35 KV-5

Post by PGAS »

Love your weathering Fred. That hairspray technique really looks authentic. I am going to have to try it someday. I'd be curious how it would work in 1/72 scale.
Paul

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DavidWomby
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Re: Takom 1:35 KV-5

Post by DavidWomby »

What a beast. Beautifully weathered as others have said. Very impressive.

David
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Re: Takom 1:35 KV-5

Post by Canuck2016 »

Good day all, and thank you for the kind words of support! :)

I finally summoned the courage to assemble the running gear on the KV5, and I think I may have run into some of the fit issues which led to the bad reviews I had read. This is disappointing as everything else on this kit fit beautifully until now!

The links on the torsion bars have hexagonal pegs which are supposed to fit in corresponding hexagonal holes in the hull. I had hoped this would ensure a nice, positive fit, but it turned out to be quite the opposite. In fact the arms would only go part way into the holes, after which they stopped dead and flopped around at crazy angles in all three axes before dropping out altogether. I tried reaming out the holes and filing down the pegs for a better fit, but it didn't help and I feared making the fit even more sloppy. Given the length of the hull and the eight (!) road wheels per side I thought any misalignment of the wheels would be very apparent, and might interfere with the fit of the tracks later.

For Christmas my good lady gave me an Advent calendar and (after eating the chocolates) I had happily saved the plastic insert which was rectangular and had a raised lip around the edges. I used this as a jig to keep the wheels in line by placing the split in each road wheel over the lip, then dabbed some Tamiya Extra Thin Cement into the joins. It worked well enough, but it was still a nuisance trying to keep everything in place while the glue set!

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Re: Takom 1:35 KV-5

Post by Canuck2016 »

With the wheels in position and tolerably straight, it was on to the tracks! These are individual link type, not my favourite but fair enough given the distinctive sag on the tracks of KV-type tanks.

I was greatly heartened when I found that the links simply clicked together, and for a moment I though they might be the "working" kind. But hope turned to despair as I found they would also spring apart quite enthusiastically as I worked my way along the track. Any intention I had of clicking an entire run together then adding cement was gone, and I had to move along gluing it section by section, then draping it over the wheels before the glue set. To make matters worse, the links fit together snugly along one edge, but push apart along the other edge which means that the track develops an insidious lateral curve if you're not careful. Again, with such a long hull you couldn't get away with this. I had to keep pressing the ends together while the glue set which sometimes caused the middle section to buckle upwards, and the whole thing to disintegrate. Plenty of colourful language ensued.
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Re: Takom 1:35 KV-5

Post by Canuck2016 »

Here are the tracks (partially) in place. The good news is that Takom has moulded these in dark grey plastic with a matte finish, so they look pretty good even before painting. And I'm pretty happy with the way the sag worked out. But the fit issue was to raise its ugly head again!
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Canuck2016
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Re: Takom 1:35 KV-5

Post by Canuck2016 »

Here's what I'm talking about. The split in the return rollers is too close to the side of the hull (see the pink arrow). This means that the inner edge of the track is pressed right up against the hull. It does fit, but barely, and I'm sure it's not realistic.

I don't know how I could have avoided this, short of filing down the edges of the tracks, or maybe inserting a spacer in the return roller, but the problem didn't become apparent until I installed the track and by then it was too late. Aaaargh! Well, the good news is that it will be covered by the fenders later.
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Re: Takom 1:35 KV-5

Post by Canuck2016 »

More minor grief. The split in the idler wheel doesn't line up with the splits in the road wheels (see the pink lines). I'll take the blame for this, as I could have pressed the idler further into position on its axle. But once I pushed it into place it jammed, and I feared breaking the axle if I tried to take it off. This turned out not to be a huge deal as I was able to bend the track to fit, but it looks a bit goofy from the front. Another solution would have been to file down the guide horns on the track where they meet the idler since they'd be hidden anyway.

If anyone here undertakes this kit in the future, I recommend filing down the idler axle a bit so the wheel can get seated a little further in (ie closer to the side of the hull)!
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Re: Takom 1:35 KV-5

Post by Canuck2016 »

Finally, there is very little space between the upper run of the track and the undersides of the fenders (see the pink arrow). They fit together OK, but they're touching, which once again I'm confident isn't realistic.

So there you have it. I hope these dire warnings may be useful for anyone else who wants to try this kit. I don't wish to be too negative, as the problems are surmountable, the rest of the kit has been an absolute gem, and it's certainly an interesting subject. Overall I've enjoyed this build so far, and would still recommend Takom's kit! Cheers!
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Re: Takom 1:35 KV-5

Post by ShaunW »

This is seriously good work, Canuck and I've found it very interesting to read how you have approached and dealt with the challenges that the kit has thrown your way. In particular the advent chocolates wheel alignment jig is very imaginative!
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Re: Takom 1:35 KV-5

Post by Clashcityrocker »

So we need to wait until December to get hold of a wheel alignment tool :) A little over 9 months away :shock:

Nigel
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