Beyond The Sprues

Current and Finished Projects => Physical Models => Land => Topic started by: Story on March 04, 2022, 05:47:14 AM

Title: Ethiopian FIAT 3000 B (1/35th scale)
Post by: Story on March 04, 2022, 05:47:14 AM

Technically, it's a
Carro d’Assalto FIAT 3000 В mod.1930 (L5/30)
One of four FIATs purchased by Haile Selassie's government
(the other three being the A Model, machinegun-armed but those were never fitted).(https://i.imgur.com/80MJiQ4.jpg?1)

For the historical backgrounders, I can't do better than these two blog posts.
https://www.onthewaymodels.com/articles/FIAT3000.html (https://www.onthewaymodels.com/articles/FIAT3000.html)

http://panzerserra.blogspot.com/2018/05/fiat-3000-model-21-1st-serie-case-report.html (http://panzerserra.blogspot.com/2018/05/fiat-3000-model-21-1st-serie-case-report.html)

This recent effort was a rediscovery of two aborted builds, purchased back when these kits were only going for $16@. The 37mm was leftover from a resin COMMANDERS MODELS M-11/39.
(https://i.imgur.com/WtBEWOL.jpg?1)

Should be an easy build, right
https://www.scalemates.com/kits/tauro-model-104-fiat-3000-mod-21-ia-serie--121683 (https://www.scalemates.com/kits/tauro-model-104-fiat-3000-mod-21-ia-serie--121683)

(https://i.imgur.com/pgpYomR.jpg?1)(https://i.imgur.com/yRm50rV.jpg?1)

Title: Re: Ethiopian FIAT 3000 B (1/35th scale)
Post by: Story on March 04, 2022, 05:51:09 AM

This turned out to have short tracks. At first I thought it was me, but no about of pulling or tugging or boiling or attempts at stretching could bridge the gap.
(https://i.imgur.com/aGCPcCX.jpg)

I eventually knitted them together, an exercise so close to ship rigging as to make the veins in my temples stand out. Ugly, huh?

(https://i.imgur.com/QNMtCzP.jpg?1)

There's some resin track about the right size that'll be grafted in to cover up the sins, but if I had to suffer through this exercise so shall all of you in the Peanut Gallery.

Title: Re: Ethiopian FIAT 3000 B (1/35th scale)
Post by: raafif on March 04, 2022, 06:55:18 AM

Know what you mean !  Had similar problems with a Heller R-35 kit ... just have to do the best & sit the model on a very muddy base :icon_nif:

Title: Re: Ethiopian FIAT 3000 B (1/35th scale)
Post by: Frank3k on March 04, 2022, 10:57:35 AM

That Tauro model has driven some modellers insane. I think this is one of the few completed builds I've seen. I have some MPM tracks (both plastic and rubber) for their FT=-17 which may not be exact, but can help fill the gap.