Russian Tank Destroyer SU-100 w/Weathering Master Set

Published on
August 15, 2011
Review Author(s)
Scale
1/35
MSRP
$30.95
Product / Stock #
89791
Company: Tamiya - Website: Visit Site
Provided by: Tamiya America - Website: Visit Site
Box Art

This kit is an acknowledged reissue of a kit first issued in 1966. In those days, for you youngsters out there, the big thing was motorized kits, especially armor. Accuracy was not terribly important, as long as it looked cool squeaking its way across the carpet. Usually black, the rubber tracks were stretched around the running gear and off it went. This kit is that kit, minus the stamped metal gear box, motor(s), and wired control box (no RC, kids, just levers and wires).

Consisting of two sprues of dark green plastic, a separate upper and lower hull, 2 solid metal axles, and a sprue of poly caps, this 78 piece kit is truly a weekend project. The tracks are not the old black rubber bands, but rather their second-generation one piece vinyl tracks, where the ends are joined by heat flaring pegs. The sprue attachment points are quite thick. Use small wire cutters, and leave the delicate sprue nippers for another day. The decal sheet is not a 60’s relic, but very thin, well registered, and quite opaque. Markings are included for 2 Russian, 2 Polish, and 1 Vehicle from the United Arab Republic, which used many surplus Russian AFV’s.

Beginning with the running gear, construction rapidly progresses through the steps, your building speed limited only by how much you want to clean up/fill seams and gaps. The gun barrel is a case in point, being the only one I have done where 150 grit sandpaper was the abrasive of choice to start with. The real star of this kit is the weathering set. Why this is touted as a set for Russian tanks is unclear, the colors being red earth, sand, and soot. The colors are of a consistency resembling your significant other’s make up. Included is a double ended applicator, one end bristles, the other foam rubber. The more vigorously the color is rubbed on the surface, the more pronounced the effect. I chose to pose this vehicle knocked out and abandoned, stuck in a ditch. The photos show it with two German soldiers walking by, as I also received them to review at the same time as the SU-100. Modifications were limited to bending the front fenders, and cutting out the bottom of the cupola. I scored thru the bottom of the roof seams to crack the corner loose and deform it. I used a section of the kit rack on the damaged side , and some left-over Model Kasten T-34 track links to build the sagging/thrown section.

The model was painted with Tamiya acrylic paints, followed by some oil paint washes, then the weathering set was used for the dust, grime, and burnt areas. The base is simply a piece of 2 inch builder’s Styrofoam, with simple ground cover, and celluclay/plaster road surface and mud.

This was a fun refresher from 4 month projects with hundreds of parts. This is definitely a beginner’s kit, although a bit pricey perhaps for younger builders. Accuracy is lacking, but it does look like an SU-100, so it is more of a painting/finishing excursion. I enjoyed the build for all that, and my sincere thanks to Tamiya and I.P.M.S for supplying my review sample. My review scale – 3 ½ out of 10.

Thank you to Tamiya America and IPMS/USA for my review copy.

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