Archer Fine Transfers Soviet WWII Markings
Cookie Sewell
Accessory Review: Archer Fine Transfers 1/35 scale Soviet WWII MarkingsAR 35028 T-34/76 turret markings sheet 1 (7 vehicles) $6.95
AR 35029 T-34/76 turret markings sheet 2 (6 vehicles) $16.95
AR 35030 T-34/85 turret markings sheet 1 (6 vehicles) $6.95
AR 35031 T-34/85 turret markings sheet 2 (5 vehicles) $11.95
AR 35032 KV-1 turret markings (7 vehicles) $19.95
AR 35033 SU-85 and SU-76 markings (5 vehicles) $6.95
AR35034 WWII Czech turret markings $16.95
AR35036 T-34/76 turret markings sheet 3 (7 vehicles) $11.95
Advantages: Good, sharp clear images of some rare items
Disadvantages: Prices may seem high
Rating: Highly Recommended
Recommendation: for fans of WWII Soviet armor who want different options
Woody Vondracek is now branching out into covering Soviet WWII subjects, and for the most part, thanks to DML and former Soviet Union manufacturers, there are now a wide choice of kits available to build and mark. Only the old and obsolete Tamiya Kvs struggle on, but we now have good kits of T-34 Model 43 (with a forthcoming Model 42 from Italeri/Zvezda) and T-34-85, as well as a DML SU-85 and the Alan/DML SU-76.
The prices for these sheets may seem higher than most, but as Woody has pointed out, when you do custom work, the cost of the sheets goes up with each set of screens (color overlay) that has to be used. Hence the prices are $6.95 for one color, $11.95 for two. $16.95 for three, and $19.95 for four.
The T-34 sheets are purpose built for the turrets of Model 43s, and have all of the bends built into them so that they will settle correctly on the sides of the turret. Spelling is very good (I notice this first of all as a Russian linguist my favorite was one years ago which said "For Mat Russia" in Cyrillic. A Russian would have written "ZA RODINU" and not that way in pidgin English!)
Set 2 has Order of the Red Banner markings, which Woody has provided as a combination dry and wet transfer. The base is white and goes on as usual, but the overlay with the colors is a waterslide decal. This cuts the cost down considerably and still provides excellent registration. (Had he done it the other way, with roughly six colors on the banner markings, the price would have killed sales completely.)
The T-34-85 sheets each include Polish national markings, but these are the white eagle and the white eagle in a red circle or lozenge rather than the more common "Checkerboard", but these were the more common WWII ones.
Overall, these are once again excellent value, with some of the stickiest dry transfers on the market today and also very hardy items. Woody continues to amaze me with these items!
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