I do not play Soviets in Flames of War, but I do really enjoy painting their tanks. These will likely hit the Flea Market at Historicon, so I wanted to paint them up just like the picture on the box. I was a little disappointed to find that there were not enough MGs to create the effect as seen above. Drat. I decided to go with two open hatches with MGs and leave the rest closed hatches. The box did include some rare earth magnets, though that was not indicated on the packaging - bonus!
As for the quality of casting, there was VERY little flash anywhere and no problems at all with the parts. I found everything remarkably clean and easy to put together.
Each tank was a little different, with little details to set them apart -- a tarp here, a box there, some bent fenders - nice details to make each unique.
I did not have any spray cans of Russian Green available, so I went ahead and sprayed these flat black to start. I then sprayed the hulls and turrets with Rustoleum Deep Forest Green. I, of course, followed Steven's advice and did not glue the tracks to the hull, keeping them flat black.
I went over the entire hull and turret with Russian Green, and also filled in the green areas of the tracks. Next, a highlight of Russian Uniform, followed by another highlight of a 50/50 mix of Russian Uniform and Khaki. I used German Field Grey to highlight the tracks.
I did a little bit of mud with various browns, but I like to keep tanks for sale fairly clean - the purchaser can always add more. I did add some rust to the fuel tanks with Yellowish Rust, which I think is awesome. I also used a bit of wash to create a "spilled fuel" look.
Conclusion: 9/10 Dead Panzer IV Hs. These we a joy to assemble and paint - very easy. It was nice to get all the decals and magnets in one shot. The only quibble was - yet again - you cannot make exactly what is printed on the box with the pieces provided.
For the second time, I used the CGR Painters Magik Mudd Wash which I find to be fantastic. The guys hooked me up with a bottle gratis at Cold Wars. I used this without a gloss coat and found no issues at all with "water stains" and such - great product.
