1:72 Armored Train "Stalinets"

The real subject

An armored train is a fighting vehicle firmly tied to the track: an armored locomotive hauls cars with armament and with space for infantry. Machines of this kind appeared at the turn of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, were widely used in the First World War and in the fighting that followed it in eastern Europe, and came back again in the Second World War. The track gave them the carrying capacity for heavy armor and armament, but at the same time it held them to a single route that could not be left.

What kind of kit this is

An unassembled plastic kit in 1:72 scale. The parts are on sprues; before the build, cut them off, clean up the mating surfaces and try the main assemblies dry. With railway subjects watch two things: the sides being truly vertical and the running gear being level. A car that leans shows at once on straight track.

Building and painting tips

Armored cars are large flat areas on which every fingerprint and every unsanded seam stands out. Apply an even base in thin coats, therefore, and only then bring out the rivets and the seams by shading. The most dirt belongs on the running gear, the wheels and the couplers, that is where dust and grease collect on the real thing. The roof and the sides take at most a faint touch, otherwise the model loses its scale.

Who it is for

For modelers who collect ground vehicles in 1:72 scale, and for builders of dioramas, because a train offers a rewarding basis for a scene with track and a station building. The model is supplied unassembled and unpainted; paints, glue, filler and track are not included in the package, unless stated otherwise.