Andy Moore Posted January 3, 2016 Share Posted January 3, 2016 BTR-60PB Upgraded Trumpeter 1/35 I thought it was about time I got a new year project started and, since this has been sitting in the stash for over a year, I thought I should get it done. I actually picked it up at the time, simply to use a couple of the decals that came with it on my Akatsiya build, to enable me to put a rather obscure reference on the model that, to this day, nobody has ever noticed. Yes, I am that sad. Fortunately, I love these big 8 wheel APCs so I knew I'd build it eventually and now seems as good a time as any. Not much progress so far. Just a few brackets and suspension mounts on the lower hull The kit comes with a full interior but, even with all the hatches open, you can't see that much, so I'll be leaving the internal details out and building it with everything buttoned up. I did think about getting some weighted resin wheels but decided against it. I want this to be a simple, out the box build to ease into the year. I'll probably try the screw through the bottom of the tyre method to give them a bit of a pressure bulge. The only slight mod I'll be doing is to put some turn on the front wheels which will require a bit of modification to the wheel mounts, but doesn't look to daunting. At least the two hull halves are a good fit, which isn't always the case with moulded sections of this size More soon Andy 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trnkepfc Posted January 3, 2016 Share Posted January 3, 2016 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_Lancaster Posted January 3, 2016 Share Posted January 3, 2016 Watching this!! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SaintsPhil Posted January 4, 2016 Share Posted January 4, 2016 Nice, I like the look of these APC as well, if it turns out like the build in your link above it'll be another stunner! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robw_uk Posted January 4, 2016 Share Posted January 4, 2016 tempted by one of these series for the NATO vs Warsaw GB later in he year - may be the PU command vehicle for me (with interior) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dawkuk Posted January 4, 2016 Share Posted January 4, 2016 Oh, I am in a front seat for this! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John_W Posted January 4, 2016 Share Posted January 4, 2016 I have one in the stash and have always been daunted by the full interior. Watching with interest. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy Moore Posted January 6, 2016 Author Share Posted January 6, 2016 Thanks guys Got a bit more progress done on the running gear. As I mentioned in the intro, I'm going to add some turn to the front wheels. This required some light modification to the suspension parts. The drive shafts had the end pins that connect to the wheels hubs removed, allowing the hubs to turn freely between the upper and lower suspension arms. After that it was just a matter of setting them at the correct angle and fixing them. There's a little more turn on the front pair of wheels than on the second pair, and I penciled guide marks on the chassis to help align the hubs The steering linkage also needed a bit of alteration. Fortunately the arm comes in three parts, so it's just a case of gluing the parts at a slightly sharper angle to line up with the turned hub. A lot of this can't be seen with the wheels in place, so you could leave some parts off to make life easier. My original plan was to use the kit wheels and tyres, and add a screw through the base of the tyre to add a pressure bulge/flat spot. A test run seemed to work OK, but I'll need to find some screws with smaller heads that I can countersink into the bottom of the tyre Unfortunately there's a bit of a problem with the tyres. All eight are identical but they all have a very noticeable good and bad side. I'm assuming this is something to do with the way they're removed from the mould. One side is nice and flat, and the wheel rim fits perfectly but the other side is quite distorted and leaves a gap around the rim. The photos below show it better with the good side on the right pair and the bad on the left pair The good side is the same on each tyre, with the tread running clockwise Good side Bad side I've got to use the bad side otherwise one side of the vehicle would have the tread running backwards. I've tried immersing them in hot water, but the vinyl's too stiff and goes back to it's original shape. On one wheel I've superglued the rim to the tyre which has been partially successful, but I'm not sure if it would pull the worst of them in to line. So, at the moment, I've got three choices. Glue the rims to the tyres and make the best of them that I can Use the good side on all the wheels and have one side of the vehicle with the tread reversed Get a replacement set of resin wheels. The last option is my least favoured. The only company that do a suitable set (as far as I've seen) for this version of the BTR-60 are ET, and they're not cheap or easy to get hold of. To be honest, it wouldn't overly bother me to have the tread backwards on one side, but I think I'll try superglueing them first and see how well that turns out. With a bit of mud weathering I should be able to hide any slight gaps around the rims. Apart from that problem it's looking OK with the wheels in place. The turn seems about right, although the second pair may have needed a bit more. I can probably adjust that slightly when the wheels are properly fitted Andy 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_Lancaster Posted January 6, 2016 Share Posted January 6, 2016 Thats a good idea with the tyres! Good work on the vehicle, looking for the ordinary BTR-60PB myself but yeah, brilliant stuff! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt.Squarehead Posted January 6, 2016 Share Posted January 6, 2016 I think you might have a puncture Andy! Following with interest (& to remind you not to neglect the poor vorne). PS - Modelling it emerging from a river might offer a simple solution to your tyre issues. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SaintsPhil Posted January 7, 2016 Share Posted January 7, 2016 That's annoying about the wheels, first thing I'd do is shoot some primer over them to see how bad it 'really' looks. Also Maybe 2-part epoxy might work better than super glue, I've used that before on rubber band tracks. Keep up the good work! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy Moore Posted January 7, 2016 Author Share Posted January 7, 2016 Thanks guys Following with interest (& to remind you not to neglect the poor vorne). Don't worry. The Vorne's having a little hibernation until spring, then I'll give it it's new home That's annoying about the wheels, first thing I'd do is shoot some primer over them to see how bad it 'really' looks. Also Maybe 2-part epoxy might work better than super glue, I've used that before on rubber band tracks.Keep up the good work! Yes, I think I'll give it a go with epoxy. Hate using the stuff as it's so damn messy, but it does stick like the proverbial. The wheel's have poly caps, so they're only a push fit. That way I can swap them down the line if I decide to pick up some resin ones. Andy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy Moore Posted January 12, 2016 Author Share Posted January 12, 2016 Some slow progress on the BTR. I've mainly been adding the multitude of hatches and other bits and pieces to the upper hull. Still got a lot more to add. The glazing for the windscreens and vision slits has been added and, since that is the only internal detail I'm adding, I should be able to joint the hull halves together soon. I'll probably give the vision slits a coat of clear green on the inside, although looking at ref shots, they don't have a noticeable tint There's a whole bunch of tie downs on the rear hull that were moulded solid, so I've sliced them off and replaced them with fuse wire The tyres have all been glued to the rims now. The ones with the warped side aren't perfect but I think they'll do once they're weathered. I found some smaller screws for adding the pressure bulge which work better, so hopefully the tyre issues are sorted now It's now just a process of adding a whole load of fiddly little parts to the hull. I can only take about a hour of doing that at a time, so it won't be quick, but it shouldn't be too long before I can start getting some paint onto something. Andy 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KAYELL Posted January 12, 2016 Share Posted January 12, 2016 Looking good Andy Glad you have managed to 'sort' the tyres out, love the subtle bulge. Tie downs look good, I'm not surprised you can only manage an hour...darkened room and cool beer as a reward no doubt. Cheers K 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_Lancaster Posted January 12, 2016 Share Posted January 12, 2016 Brilliant Work! Giving me a real taste for cold war Russian armour! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James B Posted January 13, 2016 Share Posted January 13, 2016 Looks like a nice kit. I know next to nothing about the BTR-60, is it an accurate kit OOB? Might have to add it to my to do list. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyC Posted January 13, 2016 Share Posted January 13, 2016 Agree with all the above - looking good Andy 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy Moore Posted January 14, 2016 Author Share Posted January 14, 2016 Thanks guys Looks like a nice kit. I know next to nothing about the BTR-60, is it an accurate kit OOB? Might have to add it to my to do list. Well, I've been going through various walk arounds and it seems to be pretty accurate. There's a few simplified details like the tie downs that I've replaced, but that's true for most kits. Dimensionally it seems to be pretty good too, maybe a touch short, but we're talking a couple of mm at most so nothing noticeable. Best thing is it's a really nice kit to build, and Trumpeter have a whole collection of them, going from the original, open top BTR-60 right up to the BTR-80 Andy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SeanM Posted January 15, 2016 Share Posted January 15, 2016 Interesting way of doing the tyre bulges. Must try it... Lovely job so far. Will be watching the rest with interest 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy Moore Posted January 15, 2016 Author Share Posted January 15, 2016 Interesting way of doing the tyre bulges. Must try it... Lovely job so far. Will be watching the rest with interest Thanks Sean. It's not my idea, I saw it first in a magazine a couple of years ago. This is the first time I've tried it and it seems to work quite well, so I'll use it again. It's certainly cheaper than buying resin replacements. I've been slowly adding all the bits and pieces to the hull, and also building up the main turret, which is one of the main changes on the upgrade model, and comes from the BTR-80. It's got a slightly odd construction sequence which I'm going to modify to make clean up and painting easier. The main 30mm gun casing has a pivot bar through it that holds it in place in the mount. The problem is you can't slide the pivot in at the end as it's keyed to connect the main gun with the coax machine guns mounted on the outer edge of the mount. The flattened section goes through the gun casing meaning the casing has to be built around the pivot, which would make the clean up of the casing (which is in two parts) much harder To get round it, and to allow me to build and paint the main gun separately, I'm simply going to cut the pivot bar in two so it can be slid in from either end. That way I can also add the coax machine guns to the outer ends of the cut bars, and paint them up separately too. Incidentally, if you want to see what that turret can do... I've also been test fitting the finished, weighted wheels to the hull. They still need a bit of adjustment to make sure everything touches the ground squarely, which I should be able to do by tightening or slackening the screws. If some are still sitting a bit high, I'll shave a bit off the mounting pin on the hub, so the wheel can drop a bit Still got a lot more details and PE bits to add to the hull, but before the delicate stuff goes on I need to give it all a scrub so it's ready for paint. Andy 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Madhatter Posted January 16, 2016 Share Posted January 16, 2016 only just noticed this thread. Very cool subject Andy, you don't see too many of these around. Great work so far! So, are you going to have this as full dirty, weather beaten or clean? As others have said, the tire idea is really good. If I was mounting the scud launcher onto a base, I'd consider doing that. I have found Trumpeter have really come along way since their early stuff. I have found no real ejector piin marks in any hard to get places on mine. Is this one an early issue or a new kit? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy Moore Posted January 16, 2016 Author Share Posted January 16, 2016 only just noticed this thread. Very cool subject Andy, you don't see too many of these around. Great work so far! So, are you going to have this as full dirty, weather beaten or clean? As others have said, the tire idea is really good. If I was mounting the scud launcher onto a base, I'd consider doing that. I have found Trumpeter have really come along way since their early stuff. I have found no real ejector piin marks in any hard to get places on mine. Is this one an early issue or a new kit? Thanks MH It'll be weathered, but I'm not sure how much yet. Probably just light dust and mud. This one's new-ish. 2012 according to the box, and yes, you're right, the newer Trumpeter kits are much better than the early ones. I've not had to fill any pin marks on this, only a couple of (very minor) sink marks on the engine covers. The fit's been near perfect throughout. Andy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt.Squarehead Posted January 16, 2016 Share Posted January 16, 2016 Looking incredibly clean and crisp Andy.....It does look a very nice kit. PS - The co-ax MG looks more like an AGS-17 30mm AGL to me. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John_W Posted January 17, 2016 Share Posted January 17, 2016 That's a great video you posted. Very good info on the paintwork (badly done) and the weathering. Bookmarked for when I get round to building mine. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy Moore Posted January 17, 2016 Author Share Posted January 17, 2016 PS - The co-ax MG looks more like an AGS-17 30mm AGL to me. Yes, it is. I was just being generic really, when I called them both coax MG's. Main armament's a 30mm 2A42 cannon, with the 30mm AGS grenade launcher on the left, and a 7.62 on the right. All of which are built up now, baring a few details. The pivot bar for the guns has been chopped in half, and each end attached to the respective armament. These will be painted separately, along with the main gun, then slid together at the end. The barrel's have been drilled out but, apart from that, the detail's pretty good out of the box. opening up the muzzle on the 30mm was a pain, but it saves me from having to get an after market replacement Just noticed that I've forgotten to add the MG barrel, but it's drilled out and ready Andy 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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