55. Day, January 24, 2022


Today I finally found the time for a detailed painting session - and I started with our hero's harness.

First up are the belt and officer's shoulder straps!

In terms of color, I have practically free choice again, because the things were "leather brown" - but in all shades, as these original pieces show...:



I've decided on a new (and therefore light) reddish-brown version, similar to this one...:





My brown consists of these colors...



... where I add very little black to darken and then more skin color to lighten.

I first paint the brass parts very thinly with "Brass" and then carefully line the indentations with a 50:50 mixture of "Black" and Brass, which is applied extremely diluted...:



So werden die Details nicht zugekleistert!

Weil die die Farbe gerade zur Hand hatte, hab' ich auch gleich die Knöpfe der beiden Brusttaschen bemalt.

Am schwierigsten von allem war diese ovale Verstärkungsnaht zu bemalen, die alle Koppel der Roten Armee aufwiesen...:







Cheers

56. Day, January 26, 2022


The second leather strap - which I'll continue with today - is the one from the map or report case!

There were also almost countless versions of these bags, including privately made models that were tailored to the needs of their owners.

Here are a few of these models, which in turn means "free choice" in terms of color!



The leather straps of these - mostly heavy - bags were relatively thin, the bags were heavily used, which means for me:

Unlike the belt and shoulder straps, I painted plenty of leather breaks on the straps.

The colors...:



It continued with the strap on which "Brad Pitt" actually wears his binoculars around his neck.

Our hero will have a camera hanging there, which I still have to build!

Such a camera was a rare and at the same time valuable object in the Soviet Union of 1941 - consequently it was protected and treated with care. That's why this belt has no breaks.

I paint the strap with these colors...



... the fittings are first underlined with silver printer ink - later they are adapted to the camera...:



So much for today...:





Cheers

I've got a Soviet-era map case somewhere in the loft. It is made of "kirza" fake leather, but bound with real leather edging and a leather strap. By comparison, the Wehrmacht one I have is very "Gucci", and the British version is utilitarian webbing. They all work.

Konstantin is coming on very well. I particularly like the contrasts you are achieving with the different items of equipment.

Phil

57. Day, January 27, 2022


It's the last strap today!

With "Brad Pitt" there is a PPS 43 submachine gun attached, which does not fit our hero.



I'm depicting him in the fall of 1941, and this weapon wasn't even on the drawing board then!

The chronologically suitable alternative would be the PPSh 41...:



That's what I was planning to do at first, but I'm doing a frontline correspondent - and the more I thought about it, the less I liked the idea - much too bellicose!

But what else could be hanging on this belt?

I stumbled upon this "backpack" - a typically Russian simple but effective alternative to assault packs that was widely used:



These sacks were made of uniform cloth, the harness consisted of cloth straps originally intended for rifles.

A state comes up with such ideas when it has to arm and equip 1.2 million men within a very short time!

Many of these bags were made by "Frontowiki" themselves, which is one of the reasons why they were available in an almost unmistakable variety of colors...:









Our hero gets such a sack on his back!

Let's see how I will design it. Simonov writes several times in his memoirs that he and his colleagues always grabbed what they could of freshly printed newspapers when they drove from their Moscow editorial office to the front, because the soldiers were literally hungry for news from home and about the overall situation.

So maybe I'll open the sack and leave a stack of "Pravdas" or "Krasnaja Zwjesdas" sticking out at the top.

Let's see...

I paint the belt with these colors...



And right at the end of today I've finished painting the little piece of the Gymnastiorka below the paddock, which I had so far overlooked!





Tomorrow the two awards, then I'll be done with the torso.

Cheers

58. Day, January 28, 2022


The awards that Konstantin Simonow walked around with in 1941 (a few more were added later):



Left: "Red Banner of Labour", right: "Badge of Honour"...:



Colors:



And the awards in tenfold reduction...:





And with this, the torso is done!

Cheers

Excellent work!

59. Day, January 31, 2022


While "Brad Pitt" wears binoculars around his neck in the original version of the bust...



... I would like to give my "Konstantin Simonow" a camera to take with him instead!

But first I have to build it!

I chose a camera of the Soviet type "Zorki" (later "Zorki 1" because there were several successor models) ... a "Leica" replica from 1938...:









Today I'm going to make the basic body of the camera.

The case is modeled from "Fimo" and "baked" in the oven - I previously "engraved" the imitation leather coating glued to the case with an old brush...:



I make the lower and the upper housing cover from aluminum sheeting from plastic scraps - in this case an old start number from a vintage car rally...:



And finally the ring on which the various available interchangeable lenses of the camera were latched using a bayonet catch...:



This ring is made of white metal and was actually the base of a 3.7 cm revolver cannon of my driving model of the SMS "Emden" in 1/100...:





So much for today.
Cheers

60. Day, February 1, 2022


The second step in building a camera is detailing the front of the housing.

First the four characteristic screws (milliput) are created and then the lens - whereby I decided on a "telephoto" with a long focal length.

The lens consists of a piece of aluminum tube with the right diameter, a washer from the tool kit (as a ring for adjusting the sharpness) and the ring around the lens on the front of the lens was ultimately a wall plug in its earlier life.

Finally, the control lever for the aperture - a remnant of a 1:100 stanchion.

I make the lens itself by pouring out the front ring with "UHU" all-purpose glue...:





I'd like to continue, but it's all taking place in a very small space - and a break is better than a damage!

So tomorrow we will continue with the top of the camera.

Cheers

61. Day, February 2, 2022


Today I built the series lens first - it's just more typical for this camera!

Then the "Zorki" was completed.

First, the optics housing (filed resin sprue and plastic sheet) with the viewfinder window (plastic sheet) and the two "magic eyes" for focusing (pinheads).

Then come the controls for the film transport, the shutter release, the self-timer and the setting of the exposure time and the light sensitivity of the film; they all consist of converted white metal parts that were actually intended for ship model construction.

Finally, the additional range finder is placed on top of the optics box. It also consists of two white metal parts - the lens is cast with two-component adhesive.

And here is the finished little marvel - I love it!








Cheers

Amazing work Martin! Your research and follow through is incredible.

Cheers,
Ken

62. Day, February 3, 2022


The mini "Zorki" first is primed today...



... then I start painting.

By patiently drybrushing with these colors...



... little by little the imitation leather cover is created around the case...:



Tomorrow I will continue with the metal parts...

Cheers

Wow! That's what I call scratch building

63. Day, February 4, 2022


Today I finish painting the little camera!

For this I use these colors...:


First, all metal parts are painted with two thin layers of silver.

After the paint has dried, it is carefully washed with a very diluted broth of silver and black (about 50:50). This brings visual depth to the matter!

Third step:

Lens, rangefinder, viewfinder and the two "magic eyes" for focusing are first painted black - and then get a coating of "Gloss Varnisch".

As a last step, I paint the metal parts pointing upwards with "Silver Ink" - to indicate reflections.

When painting, I made sure that the four small screws on the front of the camera housing are clearly visible!

This detail is important: it was the only one that made the Soviet "Zorkij"...



... from the German "Leica" (here Mr. Rommel, who documents his own heroic deeds in France in 1940 with his "Leica" for the family album)...



... differed, which otherwise looked like one egg to the other...:



So, here is my finished "Zorkij" - five days of work, but I think it was worth it...:







Cheers