I bought this kit back in 2004 and built it out of the box. Eight years later, I took the model out of the cupboard and it renewed my interest in it. Now I discover that Airfix have re-released the kit. Since it uses the same mould as its predecessor (with the exception of plastic colour and decals), I decided to just contact Airfix for spare parts instead. I only requested parts for the 85 mm turret (don't want to be greedy and ask for the entire kit).
The parts.
All ready for painting. Comparing the new turret with the original on the right. I was unwilling to paint the old turret as I had already applied decals on it. The same went for the 76 mm turret, though I chose not to request for those parts.
For a while, I thought perhaps I won't paint the turret because it looked very nice on its own. But not so much when its on the tank. Since both the old and new instructions show the tank as painted in dark earth, I decided to use Tamiya's dark earth (RAF) spray paint. I previously used it on Tamiya's 1/48 Brewster B-339 Buffalo, so I didn't want to waste it on just one model.
Done. Missed a few spots time and again, but I managed to cover up most of it without re-coating it too much.
Then I decided to paint the road wheels with Tamiya flat earth, just to make it match with the turret a little better. If I ever put either of the old turrets back on the tank, then the painted wheels can simulate mud instead. I could have spray painted the entire hull with dark earth as well, but then the old turrets would not match as a result, and the rubber tracks were already glued together.
I also notice Airfix has re-released the MiG-15 (another kit which I also bought in 2004). But since it uses newly tooled parts, 'modifying' the old one is a lost cause.
