The Price of Liberation

Bob Muckley

This is a diorama showing an IS-2 Stalin of the 2^nd Byellorussian Front supporting troops assaulting German positions in Danzig, Poland, in March of 1945. A German MG 42 machine gun stands abandoned in the foreground, a reminder of where the German lines were a moment before. The first Soviet tank desant (rider) has been shot not 5 feet away from the tank, inspiring the title, The Price of Liberation.

The DML IS-2

The IS-2 is a fine DML offering, being the earlier of the 2 versions they offer. The detail is quite good throughout, although there is always room for improvement.

I added the following to the kit:

• I added The Show Modeling photo-etch set designed for this kit. It includes new fender braces and engine grilles, as well as fuel tank straps.
• I replaced the fine kit tracks with the new, workable set from Fruilimodelismo. They use the new pinned system, which provides superior strength and flexibility.
• I added .030" strip between the upper and lower hull to correct the spacing between the return rollers and the fenders.
• I drilled out the horn, and used silver paint and 5 minute epoxy for the headlight.
• The grab handles were replaced with brass wire. This is easier than removing the mold lines on the kit handles!
• The Jordi Rubio offering replaced the barrel and muzzle brake.

I also articulated the suspension to match the base. The model was painted with Tamiya acrylics, a mixture of their Dark Green and J.A. Green. It was washed and drybrushed with Windsor and Newton oil paints. The numbers are dry transfers from Pre-Size. The tracks were soaked in Blacken-It for a few hours. This produced a rusted effect, which was unexpected, but looked quite realistic. Pastels were used for rust streaks, and to blend the whole tank together with the rest of the diorama.

The Figures

The figures are from a variety of companies, both in resin and plastic. The soldier getting shot is from Jaguar, while the soldier running up behind him is by Warriors. The standing, jumping, and lying soldier are from the excellent new Tamiya Russian soldiers set. The kneeling tank rider is from the DML Soviet Motor Troops set.

All of the figures were basically built stock, with straps from lead foil and electrical tape. They were painted exclusively in Windsor and Newton oil paints, my first attempt at painting uniforms with oils.

The Diorama

The factory tower is a modified Trophy Models item. I modified the shape, scribed new brick detail, and added ladder rungs and shell damage. I used other pieces from the set for the larger rubble. This brickwork was painted with Polly-S paints.

The cobblestone street is a single piece resin offering from Custom Dioramics, as are the individual bricks. I also used their rubble set, which contains bricks, sand, and various debris.

The MG 42 is from DML. It is a superb plastic offering, and all I added were lead foil straps. The helmet, barrel, and Panzerfaust are from Tamiya. I scattered empty rounds around the MG 42, fashioned from brass rod.

This diorama won a silver medal at the 1997 AMPS National Convention in the Intermediate category.

Stalin’s Heavy Tanks 1941-1945 the KV and IS Heavy Tanks, Steven J. Zaloga, Jim Kinnear, Andrey Askenov, and Aleksander Kosshchavtsev, Concord Publishing, 1997.

The Eastern Front- Armor Camouflage and Markings 1941-1945, Steven J. Zaloga and James Grandsen, Squadron/Signal Publications, 1983

The Red Army of the Great Patriotic War 1941-1945, Steven J. Zaloga and Ron Volstad, Osprey Publications, 1989.