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Badger's next build - 1/72 T-55 (model 1958) and 19 other friends


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9 hours ago, sardaukar said:

 

Oh no what have I done 😮  . I read mixed reviews too, tracks a low point it seems, however it does come with an engine and at a tenner I couldn't argue.  Well at least it is better than the horrible italeri t-62 kit, but that's a whole other rabbit hole.

Don't worry about it - I need little encouragement at the best of times 😆!

 

I had been wanting to give it a try anyway and like I said I have some spare tracks etc.

 

It will also fill a gap in the line up of variants between the earlier versions and the later ones.

 

The T-62 is the old Esci one which came out when the cold war was still going on! It is hugely overscale and is pretty much useless.

 

Trumpeter did some, but they are of a "quickbuild" style with a lot of simplifications. I have one somewhere and intend to have a go at correcting some of the issues one day.

 

There are some full resin kits of the T-62 but no definite plastic one yet, which is a shame as we have numerous T-64/72/80/90 from Revell, Trumpeter, Zvezda and Modellcollect.

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2 hours ago, badger said:

Don't worry about it - I need little encouragement at the best of times 😆!

 

I had been wanting to give it a try anyway and like I said I have some spare tracks etc.

 

It will also fill a gap in the line up of variants between the earlier versions and the later ones.

 

The T-62 is the old Esci one which came out when the cold war was still going on! It is hugely overscale and is pretty much useless.

 

Trumpeter did some, but they are of a "quickbuild" style with a lot of simplifications. I have one somewhere and intend to have a go at correcting some of the issues one day.

 

There are some full resin kits of the T-62 but no definite plastic one yet, which is a shame as we have numerous T-64/72/80/90 from Revell, Trumpeter, Zvezda and Modellcollect.

 

I bought a trumpeter t-62 without researching and was horrified at the way they have dealt with the turret ring overhang. Plus trumpeters habit of using photos of their 1/35 kits on the 1/72 boxes, put me off buying any others, however they do seem to be a truly mixed bag when it comes to the 1/72 kits. The esci/italeri kit is possibly worse, while getting the turret ring right the hull and roadwheels are horrible. Like you I plan at some day to try and fix the trumpeter t-62, but that will need a razor saw, styrene card, donor parts from a t-54/55 kit and a lot of filler and patience.

 

I did get an ace t-62m and Tiran 6 which should be better than both the above. 

 

I fancy trying a type 69 build it needs some research beyond adding some fender headlights to a t-54/55 and the fan housing on the back.

 

I'd really like to see modelcollect tackle the t-54, 55, 62 families with their loads of variants. You'd think even zevezda would have done this by now. And who knows we may seem more from AMMO/Takom.

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Fingers crossed for Takom as they have just announced the T-54 (they molded it for Ammo) on a transporter.

 

On another note my Blackdog Tiran conversion arrived today! Great service from them once again.

I offset the high postage (brexit consequence I fear) by ordering a couple of sets, and was delighted to discover a very useful free gift and a nice pen inside.

20210719_231929

 

A quick check of the Tiran set shows all the parts are there, plus at the bottom a number of extras including a full set of turret machine guns, mudguards, spare tracks links and some stretchers. The spares box will greatly appreciate these.

20210719_231858

 

Much as I'd like to dive straight in and start this, I can't as the base kit is 250 miles away at a mates and the metal barrel is still in the Ukraine, so it will go on the back burner for now.

 

Sadly thats all the progress tonight as have been busy with DIY jobs today.

 

More soon

Ben

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Progress!!

 

The T-55 Model 1965 has had the commanders cupola grated on from a Revell kit as it needs the radiation armour on this build. I have cut out the loaders hatch and have a cunning plan as to how to replace this as I don't have the early forward opening hatch amongst my spares.

I've also filled the holes on the turret for the grab rails and will replace these with wire.

20210721_233845

 

Moving on the the T-54 Model 1951. This has had the gun barrel reattached. Again.

This time using araldite 5min epoxy so hopefully it'll stay attached.

20210721_233852

 

The Enigma has seen a bit of work attaching the armoured counterweight on the rear of the turret which had turned into a bit of a stumbling block.

20210721_233905

 

The Italeri kit should be arriving tomorrow from Jadlam so I can see what I've left myself in for with that.

 

More soon

Ben

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The Italeri kit has just arrived at the Badger lair and I've had an initial inspection.

The good news is the wheels look usable and the turret looks a better shape than Revell, although I need to compare it to the Trumpeter one.

 

The tracks are rubbish - very simplified and toylike. These will get replaced with some spare resin Model Miniature ones.

 

The turret is missing the radiation padding between the cupolas, but this may not have been fitted to all. However cupolas and loaders hatch have the radiation protection so this omission is a bit odd. Easily corrected by using a piece cut from a spare Revell turret roof.

 

The machine gun is fairly basic and may get replaced with a Trumpeter one (I've ran out of Revell ones).

 

I'll have a better look at it later and may even start some construction.

 

Ben

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Couple more points on the Italeri kit:

 

Gun is missing the mantlet cover fitted to all T-55s.

Ammo box stowage is missing from the turret sides, as are all the tie down points.

 

I really don't like how the turret lifting eyes are inserts into holes in the turret.

 

On the plus side the Romanian markings seem accurate based on this screengrab from a youtube video of Saber Guardian 2019 exercise.

2021-07-22_02-56-32

 

More soon

Ben

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A quick photo to illustrate the turret shape differences.

 

Revell on the left, Italeri in the middle and a Blackdog resin copy of the Trumpeter one on the right.

The Italeri and Trumpeter are very similar which is good news. The Revell one is clearly wider and more round which is very incorrect.

2021-07-22_03-41-56

 

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A couple of hours this afternoon has led to this:

2021-07-22_08-00-35

 

I have replaced the stowage boxes and fuel tanks with Revell spares as these had better detail. I'm also replacing the turret hatches with Revell as these have interior detail and the drivers hatch as this seems too small.

 

The engine is a little basic, but I'm hoping with some wiring up it will look the part as is a nice inclusion.

The kit has it mounted much too far back, I've referred to some photos and a Miniart full interior build I found on the internet to figure out where it should go. As the transmission is attached this then ends up in the wrong place. There is a fair bit missing from the transmission area anyway so I decided to close the larger rear access panel.

 

So far I'm not hating the kit but with a bit more effort it could have been spectacular which is disappointing.

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This is where I'll leave off for today. I've managed to get the road wheels fitted this evening.

2021-07-23_12-30-43

 

Went with the Trumpeter spares I had as the Italeri ones were quite flashed up and would not fit together as the mounting point on the rear wheel simply wouldn't fit in the socket on the other wheel.

 

The axles were a pain as the mounting pin is too short to securely fit to the hull. Italeri also try and key them so they sit at the correct angle but the moulding is so sloppy the axles just spin making setting the ride height quite challenging

 

I've also glued the inserts with the lifting hooks into the turret. These are overscale and will be trimmed off, filled and some Trumpeter spares used instead.

 

The mounting pins for the engine have been removed so it can sit further towards the front of the tank. With some ignition leads and a little more detailing it should look fairly good under the hatches.

 

Finally Italeri have used a strange, hard plastic for this kit. Very reminiscent of the old Airfix Chieftain, Sheridan and Leopard.

 

More soon

Ben

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Great work Ben. Have Black Dog moulded the turret hatches in the closed position? Shame if they have. Looking at that Tiran conversion, I wonder if they can be persuaded to do the same for the Tamiya kit in 1/48th.

 

John.

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4 minutes ago, Bullbasket said:

Great work Ben. Have Black Dog moulded the turret hatches in the closed position? Shame if they have. Looking at that Tiran conversion, I wonder if they can be persuaded to do the same for the Tamiya kit in 1/48th.

 

John.

Hi John

Thanks for looking in. Yep sadly the hatches are moulded closed on all the Black Dog conversions. I contemplated opening the loaders hatch when I corrected the Enigma to have the machine gun but haven't got suitable figures so closed it in the end.

 

It might be well worth an ask about doing it in 1/48. They have a range of 1/48 sets so it would fit in.

 

Busy making some silicone moulds at the moment to try casting my own parts. Have ordered some resin to give it a go. Main item is the rear intake grilles from the Italeri kit as I need several sets of these to correct the Trumpeter hull. 

 

More soon 

Ben

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Mouldtastic!!

2021-07-23_02-54-09

 

The parts are tacked to the thick foil (actually a pie dish) and then covered with two part silicone putty which dries in minutes.

Once my resin arrives (I only have clear in) I can hopefully then cast up as many of these as I need.

 

A clue as to a future T-55 project can be glimpsed here as some of these are under the moulds in the above photo

2021-07-23_02-54-42

 

More soon

 

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19 minutes ago, sardaukar said:

Glad to see the italeri kit being of some use. I like to see the cross kitting.

It's been a strangely satisfying build so far sorting out all the problems and trying to make the best out of it.

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Lots of progress on the Italeri T-55 today.

2021-07-23_11-01-01

 

Turret has had the commanders hatch and periscope section replaced with Revell spares that were more accurate and better detailed.

 

Mantlet cover, again Revell, has been added and will need filling at some point.

 

Lifting eyes have been added at the front from Trumpeter spares - still need to do the rear along with various other fittings that Italeri have missed off.

 

Lower hull is now complete, having had towing brackets, fuel drum mounts (the drums are not fitted on the real tank I'm modelling), and the idler wheels which were a pain to fit.

 

Upper hull has had spare Omsh track links added from the spares in the Blackdog Tiran set that arrived last week (I said they'd come in useful!). The rear grille covers have also been fitted.

 

Engine has had the final parts, the exhausts, added and is ready for paint.

 

More in a few days as I'm away this weekend visiting family (and hopefully collecting the two Trumpeter kits from a mate).

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Back home tonight complete with the two Trumpeter kits from my mate.

 

I may also have ordered 3 more revell ones off ebay as they were going cheap!!

 

Too late now but I'll update the build plan tomorrow.

 

I've also been having serious issues with the Blackdog Tiran turret as it is way too low and appears to be missing several mm from the bottom edges. It also doesn't sit level on the hull.

 

I've taken some photos which I'll upload tomorrow and have a fix in progress but its late now and I'm back at work in the morning.

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The updated build plan:

 

T-54

 

Trumpeter / Black Dog T-54 Model 1951: Almost finished, fuel lines on external tanks to add plus some small details. To be built as Soviet tank.

 

Ammo T-54B: Hull and turret built, adding small details. To be built as NVA tank in Saigon.

 

Trumpeter T-54: Just acquired. To be built as an IDF Tiran 4 with 105mm gun using Blackdog conversion.

 

T-55

 

Trumpeter T-55 Model 1958: Original build in this thread. Built, painted, decaled. Just need to finish off the base and figures and weather the tank. Built as Soviet tank in Prague uprising

 

Revell T-55AM with KMT-6 mine plow: Built and painted in base colour. To be built as East German tank.

 

Modeltrans / Trumpeter / Revell T-55AM2B Kladivo: Built and primed. To be built as Czech tank.

 

Trumpeter / Revell T-55A Model 1965: Hull built, turret conversion under way. To be built as a Soviet tank.

 

Trumpeter / Black Dog T-55 Enigma: Hull built, turret fitted. To be built as an Iraqi tank.

 

Trumpeter T-55 with KMT-5 mine rollers: Just acquired. To be built as a Finnish tank.

 

Italeri T-55A Model 1970: Mostly built, needs gun barrel and some small details. To be built as a Soviet tank.

 

Revell T-55AMV: In the post. Will get Trumpeter turret and home cast ERA blocks and laser sight to become an AMV version. To be built as a Soviet tank (tbc).

 

Revell T-55A Model 1981: In the post. To get Trumpeter turret, laser sights and smoke launchers. To be built as Soviet Navy tank.

 

Revell T-55AM2 Merida: In the post. To get Trumpeter turret if the Revell additional armour will fit. Needs laser sight adding. To be built as a Polish tank.

 

That's the plan as it stands. I have all the kits (or they are on the way). There's a couple of barrels coming from various places and some resin to cast my own ERA blocks so once they arrive then things can really get moving.

 

In the meantime I'm going to try and finish building the Ammo T-54, Trumpeter T-54, Italeri T-55 and the Enigma as these are all pretty close now.

 

More soon

Ben

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Some progress on the Italeri kit tonight but before we get to that I'll explain the issues with the Black Dog Tiran turret.

 

I tried fitting this last night to the hull of the Trumpeter T-54 I collected from a mate. It was immediately obvious something was wrong as the turret was much too shallow.

 

On further inspection the bottom of the barrel (not the mantlet - the barrel!!) hit the hull roof. As the Blackdog box lid shows this there is obviously something wrong with the turret height.

After a detailed inspection I noticed the turret was shallower on one side than the other, but the whole thing was way off (kit turret on the left).

20210725_231315 20210725_231350

 

I was reluctant to bin it, as it was expensive. I did ponder cutting the Tiran fitments off and attaching them to the plastic kit turret but this looked very challenging

 

In the end I decided that I would need to resculpt the lower turret. Mrs Badger was having a look at this point and asked if I could attach anything as a former to give the correct shape. Inspiration hit and I pulled out a spare Trumpeter turret base.

This was the correct shape, and once the ring for attaching it to the hull was removed, fit nicely over the resin mounting area of the Blackdog turret.

20210725_233520

 

I then spent a fair bit of time getting the height of the Blackdog turret set correctly, using various spacers (bits of sprue) between the resin and the plastic base to both raise and level the turret.

20210725_233504

 

Once this was done I applied copious amounts of superglue, let it all dry and smeared on some greenstuff filler, poking it into the gaps between base and turret.

 

I estimate I have had to raise the turret by at least 3 or 4mm, particularly on the left hand side.

 

I sanded the greenstuff down this morning and applied a coat of vallejo filler to smooth it all out. I am now much happier with it. It may still be a fraction of a mm too low at the front but I can live with it now.

 

Not sure how or why this has happened. All the photos of the built up kit on Blackdog's website clearly show it so it isn't just a bad casting. He has other T-55 sets with turrets in and these don't have the same issues.

 

Having said this, I am also struggling to find anyone who has built a Tiran using the Blackdog set.

If I ever build another I'll investigate the Model Miniature conversion instead as I really can't recommend the Blackdog set now.

 

On a happier note my mate also gave me a single metal barrel, so the Italeri kit now has a gun. I've also been adding some more details, mostly using Revell bits. The log on the rear is from the Revell T-80 I think as the Italeri one is about 1/48 scale in thickness.

I've filled the front grab rail mounting points on the turret as the supplied rails are way too short. I'm also part way through replacing the commanders sight for a more detailed one.

20210726_214840

 

Not too much more to do on this now.

 

Back soon

Ben

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Nice rescue on the black dog tiran turret. I have that kit in the stash and just dug it out for a look and it has the same issues yours does. Would love to see a pic of yours all filled.

 

I dug out my other conversion kits to compare and they all seem a lot better around the turret base at least. I have a model-miniature bulldozer tiran and a modelltrans t-55 samovar (tiran 5sh I believe) the turrets on both are crisper around the base and the height looks fine, although I haven't built either yet.

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8 hours ago, sardaukar said:

Nice rescue on the black dog tiran turret. I have that kit in the stash and just dug it out for a look and it has the same issues yours does. Would love to see a pic of yours all filled.

 

I dug out my other conversion kits to compare and they all seem a lot better around the turret base at least. I have a model-miniature bulldozer tiran and a modelltrans t-55 samovar (tiran 5sh I believe) the turrets on both are crisper around the base and the height looks fine, although I haven't built either yet.

 

I sadly didn't take any photos of the turret with the greenstuff but here are a few with the vallejo filler still to be sanded down. It gives an indication of how much I have had to add to the base.

20210727_091816 20210727_091758

 

20210727_091740

 

The Trumpeter turret base was attached to the bottom of the circular resin lump Blackdog moulded on the base to allow the turret to be inserted into the hull. Luckily this was "about" the right height (I tried measuring against the Trumpeter turret but it was quite challenging due to the complex curves). I then used bits of sprue with the identifying letter on from the Trumpeter kit to raise the resin turret to the correct height.

This worked fairly well, however the Blackdog turret is moulded with a slant so required so careful levelling. The photo of the turret base shows some extra greenstuff added to support the whole thing.

20210727_091832

 

On the whole I am much happier with it, and it looks a lot better. It may still be a fraction too low, but this would be at the top of the front of the turret and impossible to correct. The section under the mantlet is now the right height, so the gun sits correctly, and the rear of the turret lines up well against the original kit one.

 

The blue blob in the background of the photo is my attempt to make a mould of the Trumpeter turret for future use.

 

More soon

Ben

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Well the mould seems to have worked ok. There's some dimpling caused by the silicone sweating slightly but these will be raised on the resin cast so can be easily sanded smooth.

2021-07-27_05-09-28

 

Most of the casts I want to make are destined to be converted anyway so this will be little extra work and will save having to buy Trumpeter or Italeri kits just for the turret.

 

I've also cast a Blackdog mantlet as it has the cover Trumpeter missed.

 

Just got to wait for the resin to arrive and I'll give this a go.

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  • badger changed the title to Badger's next build - 1/72 T-55 (model 1958) and 12 other friends

Interesting stuff. Having gone through my blackdog kits they do tend to throw in extra parts when something looks deformed or broken, but that is usually hand rails or other accessories. Not the whole turret 😁. The fix looks like it is coming along nicely.

 

Out of interest can the Revell turret be corrected? I suspect this would be a massive pain to do and may end up destroying any detail. At this rate you will have a collection of unused Revell turrets.

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