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ZSU 23-4 V1 Shilka

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Back again, after a rather long absence from Armorama spent modelling Warhammer figures, George has finished another Cold War classic: Dragon Model’s old Shilka SPAAG. George writes:

The ZSU 23-4V1 Shilka you’re seeing had been lying half – built in my stash for some years until I finally picked it up and decided to finish it over Christmas. Yes, it’s an old kit and it can’t compare to the latest offerings from Meng and Hong, but I tried my best to turn this into an attractive model nevertheless. The build was OOTB with the addition of a Tamiya T55 searchlight, a copper rope and Hasegawa reflective decals on the driver’s vision block and the gun sights. After priming the tank, I used the the “Black & White technique” and pre-shaded the vehicle in monochrome. At this point it got its first hairspray layer. After chipping off the highlights (light greys, whites) in exposed places, I sprayed on the green camo using four different, highly diluted AK interactive Russian greens. I’d seen white “invasion stripes” (more precisely aerial recognition markings) on a Shilka deployed during the Ogaden War and decided that this would add a nice contrast to the overall green paint job. The white stripes got their extra layer of hairspray and were again partly scratched off later. I took some liberty concerning the historical accuracy by adding a gun cover plate that only the later Shilka versions had had, but then again I’ve read that it was regular practice to “update” older versions during maintenance overhauls and I tried to reflect this by painting the plate a different hue of green. The weathering process included AK interactive, Ammo of Mig and Mig Productions enamel washes as well as Citadel water – based products. I dry-brushed some prominent parts & edges & tools and gave the running gear & belly a light dusting with Vallejo pigments. Lastly, I decided against sealing off the model with a flat coat because I wanted to preserve the rather glossy look of the turret "cheeks”, as seen on real Shilkas. That’s it – I hope you like it!
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About the Author

About George Hartwig (Kybernaughty)
FROM: BAYERN, GERMANY

Like many, I started out as a kid with Airfix and Revell planes. Growing up near the Iron Curtain at the height of the Cold War meant that German and US AFVs were a regular sight in my hometown. Drawn to tanks, I soon splashed out on Tamiya and Italeri AFV kits...... many, many years later... I re...


Comments

Very impressive work on the kit. well done!!!
JAN 27, 2019 - 04:55 AM
Very nice work!
JAN 28, 2019 - 12:44 PM
George, looks exceptional! Sometimes these older kits are more fun and turn out even better like yours! Keep it up!!! Aloha, Bill
JAN 28, 2019 - 02:12 PM
A really good end result, particularly the excellent weathering effects that take it to the next level. Great job. Tnx for sharing.
JAN 29, 2019 - 01:45 AM
A really nice job of a particularly nasty beast!
JAN 29, 2019 - 06:52 AM
Nice Job! Was this the Dragon #3521 kit? I was thinking about building this one for the AAA Campaign.
FEB 02, 2019 - 04:44 PM
Hi all, thanks a loooooot for the encouragement, I really appreciate it. Yes, it was the old Dragon kit! I've got another one in my stash, finally I know why they were so cheap - somehow the dimensions don't feel right, at least compared to Meng's Shilka. Anyways, I'm glad that you like & that it was worth the effort. BTW, it's a Soviet vehicle that was deployed to Africa during the Ogaden war (I found pictures on the net).
FEB 05, 2019 - 03:05 AM