I’ve always wanted to make this Somua S35 tank someday, so I finally started it.
The explanation of the actual tank and the paint guide is in color, so it looks quite gorgeous.
I thought it would be troublesome work because the wheels are small, but it was easy. Almost the wheels are behind the side armor.
Both the big parts and the small parts fit very well.
(2020/02/15)
The making moves to the characteristic round body.
I have been assembling the snap-fit kit of several track sets, this time the Somua S35 was the easiest kit to assemble. Since each track is small, precision is required even more, and even so, it can fit tightly and move smoothly.
It is rare to see tracks separated from runners in Tamiya.
When all the parts are connected, each part is bent slightly semicircular.
It was designated as 102 pieces per side. When I rolled it, it was not enough. I will need about 5 more. I have enough tracks, so I think I can wrap them without any problem. There is no side armor to hide, so it would be a tragedy if it wasn’t enough. Like the Sherman I made before, it has to be replicated with molding.
(2020/02/17)
I ended up with 106 tracks on each side and 5 tracks left. First of all, I am glad that I could wind the tracks properly. This quality snap-fit track is welcome to apply to all of Tamiya’s AFV kits. It is also fun to make.
French tanks often have chains like this. The rest is to assemble the turret.
There are many hatches in many places.
(2020/02/19)
The tank assembly is finished. The body surface has a slightly uneven texture like a cast turret.
I heard that the figure was made by 3D scanning when it was released. The mold is very good including the face. It’s almost as good as a third-party resin head.
It also looks like a Japanese. It looks cool with a tank.
(2020/02/22)
When I put the figure on it, it looks like this. The rest is paint. I am thinking of whether I should use a brush or an airbrush while masking.
I masked the headlights and put mud on the bottom of the tank.
Using the black surfacer. This time, the boundary of camouflage painting is clear, and it’s not such a big tank, so I’m going to brush it. In the case of brush-painting, the Model Color of Vallejo is easy to paint, so I will do it with this. I will use 70826 German Camouflage Medium Brown instead of XF-64 Red Brown, 70890 Reflective Green instead of XF-58 Olive Green. XF-21 Sky because I do not have a substitute color and I have Tamiya Acrylic. The black line on the border is XF-69 NATO black, but since there is no Tamiya acrylic now, I think it is matched with the Vallejo 70862 Black Gray.
I don’t know how it is in other countries, but in Japan, one agency monopolizes the sales of Vallejo and it is difficult to buy more than Mr. Color of Creos. The price is a little high.
I painted the Tamiya Acrylic Sky. The belt on the Sky part is not so wide, so even if you use Tamiya acrylic paint with a brush, you can use retarder to paint beautifully. Why is Vallejo’s Model Color easy to paint with a brush? Does it contain a lot of paint retarder from the beginning?
(2020/02/24)
Red-brown is also painted. Even if I painted with a brush, the unevenness didn’t stand out. I thought I wouldn’t need a black surfer, but it’s surprisingly good because it’s difficult to paint the complicated parts with a brush. It can’t be helped that the part brush cannot be reached.
I finished all the basic painting with a brush. There may be some small parts left unpainted. As for brush painting, I think Vallejo has a better performance than Tamiya Acrylic. It might be difficult to understand after weathering.
I’ve finished pasting the decal, so I think I’ll just do the weathering.
(2020/02/26)
The Somua S35 is completed. This time, everything is finished with a brush.
About 400 of the S35 were produced before World War II began, from 1936 to May 1940 when France was occupied by Germany. It is said that the production cost was high at that time.
The basic armor was 40 mm, and the maximum part of the turret was 56 mm. They used a lot of casting for the turret and the body of the tank, so it had a strong defense. The rounded body has sloped armor, which also contributes to excellent defense.
The 47 mm anti-tank gun was powerful at the time, defeating many enemy tanks when the Germans invaded Belgium and France. After the surrender of France, about 300 Somua S35 were captured. It is evaluated by the German army as a tank that can be used without any major renovation.
The marking is tank number 56 of the 18th Dragoon Regiment.
There were three crew members, but only one in the turret and the commander had to command tanks and operate main guns and machine guns, which was troublesome. This reduces actual combat capability. It can be said to be a common weakness of French tanks at that time. It is a compact and cute turret, but it is inconvenient.
One 3D scan figure is attached, so I painted it together.
I think it is easier to paint than a normal injection kit. He wears a brown leather coat characteristic of French tank soldiers. His eyes were too big, I suppose.
Brush painting is sometimes interesting. It’s difficult to make a subtle gradation like an airbrush, so I hope I can get a good texture with weathering, but it was a little too dirty. I personally like rust and the shine of the chain on the back.
(2020/02/28)
