I found that I really enjoyed scratchbuilding so much that I thought I'd take a whack at building a whole AFV. I picked the SU-76M and no sooner had I started then that gorgeous scratchbuilt 1/16th SU-76 showed up on the forums. I know my attempt has no chance of turning out that good so I figure I should just nip the comparisons in the bud.

As far as I can tell (and please correct me if I'm wrong) there seems to be some variation on the actual tanks built in regards to some of the smaller details like engine exhausts and what not. If I am incorrect then you professionals will hate me for creating a hybrid tank that never existed and for that I apologize

So here are a few work in progress shots for my 1/35th scale SU-76M:



As you can see its clearly no where near complete but I'm happy with the progress, all fabricated with styrene plastic card. I intend to use other materials as the project progresses.






The angle of the picture as well as the lighting source distort the true shape a bit but it is more or less balanced other then the front left fender which slopes down ever so slightly. The driver's door isn't entirely finished as I still need to finish the hinges. I think I got the dimensions fairly close to the original but I'm wondering if the driver's door is either a bit too far down or just too short in height.






Just a slightly blurry shot from the back. The rear end needs a lot of work still but before I can go any further I need to recurve that left rear fender. That back plate looks uneven because its just sitting in their for fitting.

Constructive criticism is always welcome especially in regards to dimension and overall accuracy but go gentle on me, I'm an amateur :-)

This looks like a very good start. Keep us updated

Cheers
Erik

WOW! that's cool! keep it up. I am an AFV idiot (most of the little AFV detail knowledge that I have is concentrated on my M36 that I am correcting now) so you could have stuck a jet exhaust on there and I wouldn't know the difference!
Great job!

Super job so far. Keep the pics coming!

Please keep us posted on your progress. It looks great so far.

I've made a bit more progress in my SU-76M project. As always feel free to give some constructive criticism.


I built up more of the superstructure and added the fighting compartment which will be canvas convered in the final version because I don't think I have that level of ability yet to do a whole interior.



Obvious in this picture and last, the 76.2 mm ZIS-3 gun and gun mantlet are missing, I intend to make them from scratch too but I'm still working on a method.



This is the back of the fighting compartment with the door and hinges finished. Plus you can see why the fighting compartment is getting covered with all those chicken scratches and ugly bits and whatnot.



Lastly this is a pic of a few more of the additions since last time. It's not quite finished yet (vents, exhaust pipes and mufflers missing) but it gives a good idea what the finished version will look like.


The tracks are going to be a real problem since I don't have access to (or money for) resin casting I'm going to have to scratch build each track and, god forbid, each track link as well as the roadwheels, suspension and all the other associated whirly bits involved. I'll post more pics as I make further progress.

Exelent work Thiazi, in these moment the only criticism is over the frontal Hatch, is too plain, in the real afv have moore volume, and look, have two tipes, the first one with uper periscope and other without this, only a frontal "¿hole?", (sorry my english), remember is the same chasis of the T-70 enlarged.
Thanks for sharing
Horacio

Thanks Horacio, the front hatch has been a problem for me since day one because I lack reference pictures of it. However I have found a book in the local library that has better views of the front end of the vehicle and I hope to rectify that soon.

Looks better and better. Are you going to thin the edges of the plastic on the edges of the fighting compartment? Keep em coming!

I'm going to go for a canvas cover so I can avoid all the intricacies of that whole area as I don't think I'm at that high a level of scratch skill. I think I'd just die if I had to do all that internal detail. :-)

You are really coming along with this project. The fit of your pieces are perfect from what I can see. I am enjoying the progress photos. Keep them coming.

Its been a while since I last updated the progress on my 1:35th scale SU-76M. A lot of detail additions in this update and as always constructive criticism is welcome.



First up is the muffler system which I have to say I'm happy about, by my own admission its not perfect but it turned out better then I had planned. The mufflers are just rolled sheet styrene and the pipes are copper wire, the gauge might be a bit too large but it looks about right according to my references. I also added an antenna collar.




These two pics are just showing the top deck. I scribed the deck and added a good number of rivets (I'm no rivet counter usually but I figured this time I'd make sure the number was right). I also added fuel tank and mechanical covers and some details on the superstructure.



Here is just an overview of the progress so far. Not a lot to say about this one.



The tail end is getting more detail as well. I added a rear lamp and a grill which took a bit of "fnegling" but it seems to have worked out alright. I also added two brackets on the fighting compartment in one of the two styles I have on my reference pictures. When I actually get to the point of putting on the tarpaulin I'll decide whether to use the other style which might give the tarpaulin (and by extension the fighting compartment) a bit more volume.



And here is a straight on overview of most of the changes. One thing I'm sure you guys have noted already was the lopsided hinges on the front hatch. That was a bit of a botch job but I'm already onto rectifying it.

Next up is banging out the ZIS-3 gun and corresponding parts and then getting a start on the suspension and drive systems. If I've made any glaring mistakes or you'd just like to give some suggestions I welcome all criticism openly.

You have an eye for scratch. Don't give it up. I am enjoying this build a lot.

This update is basically focusing on something thats been a thorn in my side since I started this project: the gun.

The SU-76M mounted a ZiS-3 76.2 mm gun in a tear drop shaped mantlet and I couldn't for the life of me figure out how I would go about contructing it. Well through a great deal of jerrybuilding I managed to work out a decent way. I won't bore you with details (unless you ask), needless to say it involved a mechanical pencil, cardboard stock, a large amount of sanding and more fingertip cuts and expletives then I'd care to count. :-)



Here is just a profile shot of it. NOTE: this picture makes the barrel look crooked but it only looks crooked in this one picture, I have no idea why since I've taken measurements that show it isn't.



This is just a top-down view to give an idea of overall size in relation to the rest of the vehicle. I've painted the gun and mantlet olive green just to give me an approximation of what the final product will look like (obviously though the green is too dark).



And the last shot is just to give an idea of how the whole gun fits in with the rest of the superstructure of the SU-76M.

Last thing to point out is that the manlet is missing a rounded barb on the front plate above the barrel. I'm still looking for the right guage wire to simulate that but other then that the ZiS-3 is practically complete.

As always, I appreciate contructive criticism or else I'll never learn.

Just found this post. Fantastic job!

How did you make the gun barrel?

Mor pics and info please.

Thanks for the kind words.

As for the actual construction, it is a case study in scrap building ( I said scrap not crap :-) ):

The mantlet I made by using a thick carboard stock and forming it around two pens of various sizes to simulate the slight teardrop. I then capped the face of the mantlet with a plasticard front. The actual barrel is just a piece of sprue from a Classic Airframes kit that happened to have the exact diameter of the ZiS-3 barrel in 1:35th scale.

The muzzle I did in two parts. I made a short plug of plastic that would be the first step of the expanding end and then I broke open the neck of a plastic mechanical pencil that was the same diameter of the end of the muzzle in 1:35th scale. I carved that up with a razor according to the specs and sanded it all down until it more or less looked right. I stuck all that together and glued it into the larger mantlet piece already assembled on the superstructure. The last touch (not including the rounded barb on the mantlet face plate) was the access panel on the right side of the gun made with card stock glued down on the side of the mantlet.

Here are a few pics. There are triangular plates on the top of the fighting compartment that are crooked but thats only because they haven't been sanded and trimmed down yet. And as always, there still needs to be a bit more "beautifying" that needs to be done particularly around the base of the gun:

Really nice work Thiazi...

Charlie

Great job on this one.
I did one years ago so I know that this a great job and well better then mine.

It is fun.