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T-15 Armata IFV


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This is Panda's new T-15 Armata, the IFV stablemate to the T-14 Tank, which I finally finished just before Christmas after a prolonged build that nearly saw me throw the thing in the bin on more than one occasion. I won't say it's a terrible kit, because it isn't, but there are so many frustrating little niggles with it, that it just became a pain to build.

 

The upper hull was so warped that I had to use a G-clamp when joining it to the lower hull, and most of the parts were covered in flash and heavy mould lines that ran straight across details.

The instructions bore little resemblance to the parts in the box, and when they did they were often so badly drawn that it was hard to tell where parts needed to go.

Then we have the photo etch. A lot of the etch parts needed complex folds but, unlike any other PE fret I've ever used, Panda didn't bother to etch any folding lines onto the parts, which made it almost impossible to get accurate, clean bends even using a bending jig.

 

It's a shame really because the detailing is very good. It seems like the initial design work was done to a very high standard, but then the tooling, instructions and packaging was done by a bunch of monkeys.

 

From the box you just get the option for the May day parade scheme with the orange and black St. George stripes, but the included decals are more yellow than orange, and out of register too, so I went with a hypothetical operational scheme.

 

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Thanks for looking

 

Andy

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Great job Andy, i love your weathering effects!

About Panda, i have their M-ATV, it's a good kit well detailed, but the engineering of parts is too complicated and plastic too much soft...
It's a sin, their subjects are very interesting, like BMD and Armata families

 

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Andy I think I have managed to spot a mistake with your model photos it says 2016

 

Come on now it is 2017 thought you would have sorted that  :whistle:

 

Another cracking build by the way.

 

beefy

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As for now, I'll pass on Pands's kits: almost every one of them seems to have serious issues. Despite this, yet you've managed to build a piece of art out of it. Now, that is class I do not have...

 

 

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Thanks everyone

 

On 09/01/2017 at 00:38, Scanlan said:

One of the best painted AFV's I've ever seen....I might give up.

 

Thanks Scanlan. Don't give up though! There's nothing that special here. Just a basic camo scheme, with a load of gunk plastered all over it :)

 

Andy

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