T-80 BV (1/35)

[Ernst]

Hello,

I bought this kit some time ago for cheap. It's basically a rebranded Dragon Kit from the early nineties together with zvezda's t-72 offerings. There are several kit reviews online available through scalemates but long story short: it's inaccurate and rather course. Do I mind? Not at all. This is typically a kit you can buy for cheap and the end result looks very Russian. There are some  aftermarket kits but buying those would for me negate the reason to buy this.

The fit is reasonable and expect to be sanding some parts and putty isn't a luxury either. The are only 278 parts anyway. My only 'problem' with the kit is is the decision to have a seam line halfway though the fender that requires sanding and putty. If you're used to gluing kit supplied barrel halves together or aircraft fuselage parts this shouldn't be concern. This minor problem is present on the t-80 b version and the t-80ud version as well.

There are decal/paint options for three versions. One tritone hard edge camo depicted on the box and two green ones. One completely green and one with unpainted rubber skirts. The instructions are clear enough and can be found here for those who are interested.

[Ernst]

Since I cannot find the photo's of the construction I'll have to skip that phase of the work in progress. I can assure you that it was great fun building. Sometimes it's very rewarding to build something simple. This is the primed model with an attempt at the so called black and white technique.

I'm afraid this effect didn't really shine through despite having used vallejo paints that offer some translucency. Perhaps I should have used some glaze medium or varnish to reduce the opacity. This is the painted model with some weathering:

[Ernst]

Hmm, something happened to the layout in the last sentence. The tritone was fun to paint but in spite of the weathering I felt that it looked too toy- like and the green is way too bright. I decided to apply a copious amount of oven cleaner. Once again I was reminded of the advantages of this ancient kit. The photo etch didn't fall of because it wasn't there. The plastic is thick and sturdy so I didn't feel any hesitation when I scrubbed this baby with an old toothbrush. In order to avoid Kermit I choose a more subdued green as depicted on the old dragon boxes from yesteryear. They had a menacing look to it with a blueish hue. I choose citadels waaagh flesh.

The highlights were done by adding some vallejo duck egg green (71009) to the waaag flesh. Waaagh flesh looks a lot like vallejo's gunship green (71014) which is included in their "Cold War & Modern Russian Green Patterns" paint set but is a bit darker. However, they spray differently. The citadel paint covers very well, it felt a bit like spraying lifecolor. I shall return to this observation later.

[Ernst]

The model received a filter of diluted Prussian blue oil paint but these subtle changes are hard to capture on photo on a gloomy day (with my lacklustre photography skills). It does however bind the somewhat over-pronounced  highlights.

What I always like about the soviet cold war tanks is the contrast between the rubber sideskirts with the metal of the tank. So with a selfmade vallejo wash (paint + water) I tried to give some variation to the sides.

[Ernst]

The top half of the picture is just after the first wash but a lot of  the highlighted bolts and (seemingly) metal attachments were washed away. I had to paint those over again. It's kind of a meditative experience to do this but I guess it's a proper hand - eye coordination practice that might be useful later. I Sealed it with a thin layer of highly diluted matt varnish (vallejo) and the result is on the lower half of the picture. I used various shades of blue/grey tints.

 

Thoughts on Acrylic washes

I have a few bottles of vallejo acrylic wash from their "mecha color" lineup because these were less expensive since they come in smaller bottles. I have mixed feelings about them. On the one hand it's convenient to have a dependable mixture at hand  just as with the model air range but on the other hand you are paying paint money for a diluted (watery) product. My own mixes didn't really differ from the mecha wash.

This holds true I guess for the enamel equivalents of other brands. I tried to male enamel washes by diluting humbrol paint with odorless thinner and it worked quite OK. You have the blending properties associated with enamel and a longer timeframe to work with it. The self made enamel washes didn't store very well though. I have a lot of small bottles but after a few months the pigments all sank down to the bottom forming a solid sediment. If anyone of you guys know a way to make lasting enamel washes please do let me know.

[Ernst]

Observations on Citadel and Vallejo Paints.

Here in Amsterdam there's only one proper (small) hobby shop left and it's on the other side of town. Back in the day even a small town usually had two shops with märklin fleischman and a fine collection of scale models but those days are over. There is a games workshop establishment around the corner and their citadel paints can be quite usefull. Many modelers use nuln oil or their paints. The spray can primers are a lot of bang for the buck if you compare it to the competition.

The sideskirts of the t-80 were left black (chaos black to be precise) but I found out that the vallejo wash didn't adhere too well on them. After spraying a thin layer of dark gray on top of the black primer that problem was solved.

This t-80 was painted with citadels whaaag flesh which is a close resemblance to Vallejo's gunship green. I always spray new paints on a plastic (primed) spoon for future reference. This way you can investigate how two or more colors work together.

On the next photo you can see the difference between the two colors under different conditions:

[Ernst]

Observations on Citadel and Vallejo Paints (part two).

In both cases the left spoon is vallejo and the right spoon is citadels. It's the natural sunlight that really highlights the difference that would normally be obscured because I usually work under TL light. If you know an affordable solution please don't hesitate to send a link to a solution. Back to the paint, these two behave differently. I like the both of them for different reasons. Citadels paint covered very well. Vallejo paint coverage is much dependent on the layer beneath it. The spoons that I use for exapmple are always primed in very cheap white primer.

On the t-90 (zvezda 1/35, great kit) from the next example the fuel drums had a base-coat of vallejo's Russian green (71017) but I didn't like it in this instance so I sprayed a layer of gunship green (71014) on top of it. The engine deck is sprayed with the same gunship green but on top of a light tan color shown on the right rear fender.

 

Enough observations right now and back to building, I've got way too much unfinished projects going on. Hopefully this text aligns left.

[JeroenS]

This is looking good Ernst, I like the shading of the green colours. I think I know which Amsterdam based small hobby shop you mean, I picked up something there on the way home a while back. Small but well stocked, although a lot of RC parts. You might be able to solve your text alignment issue by adding an "enter" to the text before inserting an image. 

[Ernst]

2 hours ago, JeroenS said:

This is looking good Ernst, I like the shading of the green colours. I think I know which Amsterdam based small hobby shop you mean, I picked up something there on the way home a while back. Small but well stocked, although a lot of RC parts. You might be able to solve your text alignment issue by adding an "enter" to the text before inserting an image. 

Thanx Jeroen, I appreciate that. Muco used to have a separate electronics shop in the Bilderdijkstraat, just next to Schaaltreinenhuis. The latter was a typical old school smokey trainshop with carpet tiles and a decent modeling section. I support the local brick and mortar shops like Muco. Oftentimes I ended up buying kits that I wasn't looking for but I liked the box art, or it was on sale.

[JeroenS]

I'm lucky, where I live there's still an old school train shop and a very decent brick and mortar modelling shop. I buy there all the time, and what they don't have I buy online. But I think there's nothing like stepping into a smallish store which is packed to the rafters with kits!

[Ernst]

On 10/02/2020 at 11:40, JeroenS said:

But I think there's nothing like stepping into a smallish store which is packed to the rafters with kits!

True, however an expo or a modelling show like this weekend in goes is an excellent opportunity to build your stash and meet some fellow builders. But then again, I'm still building away the kits that I bought more than 2 years ago at Houten.

[Ernst]

So here's a little update, I used a tripod this time hoping the photography improves. I applied another blue oil filter on top of the whole model. Decals have been applied as well. I changed the mantlet cover from luftwaffe green (70823) to well, some brownish tints for contrast. This is a big lump of green so any contrast is welcome. These extra spare tracks on the fenders can use some rust in the future.

 

 

[FrancisGL]

Hi Ernst,

an interesting subject for me, because the Soviet / Russian armor seems to be my favorite (I don't know why really ...).
I have seen the W / B technique, in which the modeler explains how to do it in a TIger, and the result (its result) is overwhelming ....
As you comment and I see that it is confirmed in my thinking, that technique is more appropriate for single color camo (panzer gray p.e.), And not for the tritone camo of your model for example.

You did a great job (and difficult, I imagine) with that technique, and then stay in nothing, after painting the final camo. At least I don't see anything that suggests it.

However, when you have decided to paint the kit in green, IMHO, it has changed radically (at best), along with those black / rubber side skirts, which give a very cool contrast.

On the other hand, as you say, it is a piece of green metal, very monotonous / boring, but with the corresponding washes and weathering, it can be great, because there are a multitude of details to emerge in the model.

In all these tiles, there may be some of different color, as they are not fixed, and may have been "used" or changed ...

I have some bottles of Vallejo Wash acrylic, and it is the first thing I bought when I returned to the hobby. I saw a tutorial on how they were used, and whoever did it, it looked great (and without smells ... lol), but when I started using them, it was a disappointment, because when it was dry, you could see perfectly the traces of the brush , looking "dirty" (in a bad way). I tried to dilute it more, but I had to discard them, and use enamels or lately oils (cheaper (because it is used very, very little each time), and durable (almost forever).
Maybe those little boats were very, very old ... who knows ...

Cheers mate 🍿👍

[Ernst]

14 hours ago, FrancisGL said:

an interesting subject for me, because the Soviet / Russian armor seems to be my favorite (I don't know why really ...).

I have 4 other russian projects running but I've put 2 on hold. There's something enigmatic about those ruskies. They do have a distinct shape. There's many of them, combat proven and they were the baddies back in the cold war.

 

14 hours ago, FrancisGL said:

I have seen the W / B technique, in which the modeler explains how to do it in a TIger, and the result (its result) is overwhelming ....
As you comment and I see that it is confirmed in my thinking, that technique is more appropriate for single color camo (panzer gray p.e.), And not for the tritone camo of your model for example.

I haven't got the book although superhobby scanned a fair amount of pages for their site. Most examples are monochromatic and I personally prefer the effects on 4BO and Olive Drab. The B&W technique appeals to me because of the dramatic effect  that can be achieved with a minimum amount of material. Everybody has white and black in the stash. And if you mess up (opaque paint layer) nothing is lost, you just finish the model the way you would with traditional methods.

 

15 hours ago, FrancisGL said:

On the other hand, as you say, it is a piece of green metal, very monotonous / boring, but with the corresponding washes and weathering, it can be great, because there are a multitude of details to emerge in the model.

You sure pulled it off with the m-47 (fun kit, built it years ago), and the 109👍.

I gave the era blocks a slightly different tone to emulate/enhance the way natural light would reflect on them but you can go wild in terms of different colors like you see on the t-64's and 72's in the Donbass conflict.

 

15 hours ago, FrancisGL said:

I have some bottles of Vallejo Wash acrylic, and it is the first thing I bought when I returned to the hobby. I saw a tutorial on how they were used, and whoever did it, it looked great (and without smells ... lol), but when I started using them, it was a disappointment, because when it was dry, you could see perfectly the traces of the brush , looking "dirty" (in a bad way). I tried to dilute it more, but I had to discard them, and use enamels or lately oils (cheaper (because it is used very, very little each time), and durable (almost forever).

I haven't given up on acrylic washes/filters but I do want to find out  how en when to use them. An excellent video from ScaleModelMedic on weathering with acrylics opened my eyes to the possibilities. Same thing with Night shifts recepe for acrylic dust. But then again, enamels and oils apply easier with more correction time. I like working with oils and indeed, you don't need much of it. And I'm starting to experiment with pigments as well.

[FrancisGL]

1 hour ago, Ernst said:

I have 4 other russian projects running but I've put 2 on hold. There's something enigmatic about those ruskies. They do have a distinct shape. There's many of them, combat proven and they were the baddies back in the cold war.

 

You sure pulled it off with the m-47 (fun kit, built it years ago), and the 109👍.

I gave the era blocks a slightly different tone to emulate/enhance the way natural light would reflect on them but you can go wild in terms of different colors like you see on the t-64's and 72's in the Donbass conflict.

 

 

Hi Ernst, 

 

Interestingly, during the Cold War, the most fearsome adversary was the T80, and some T10M, and what the West could throw heavier, was the Chieftains of the Rhin Army.
Now I have in the RTI section one, although not that exact version (urban block camo).
On the other hand, you mean M47 and M109, which I also have one of each in the RTI section (of the first ones I did when returning to the hobby), or some of yours? ...
Cheers matte 👍

Edited February 19, 2020 by FrancisGL

[Ernst]

6 hours ago, FrancisGL said:

Interestingly, during the Cold War, the most fearsome adversary was the T80, and some T10M, and what the West could throw heavier, was the Chieftains of the Rhin Army.

Hey Francis, I didn't know that. All I had for reference back in the day was a book called "An illustrated guide to weapons of the soviet ground forces by Ray Bonds" and it didn't go beyond the t-72. The book did indeed feature the mighty t-10, what a beast, and the t-64 that I never heard of back then.

In 1968 the dutch army tested the chieftain against the leopard as a successor for the awesome centurion tank. If I'm not mistaken, the leopards mobility outweighed the chieftains firepower in the army's decision to acquire the leopard. Tĥe Aussies have some cool leopard schemes.

This Berlin Brigade is a excellent camo, so is the "children of men" camo but I don't see myself doing that in the near future as with digicam in general. Takes some time to get there🥶.

The m47 by Italeri is a great piece of kit, and it still holds it's ground very well, Tamiya seems to agree. Back in the day when there was only Tamiya and Italeri dominating the 1/35 market it was always Italeri that offered a tad bit more exotic kits. Elefant vs Tiger, m4a1 vs m4a4 (with turret swaps 4 options🤣) and m47 vs m48. Instant nostalgia for reentry into the hobby.

I've put some oil rendering on the t-80, kept it subtle but I've tried to break down the surface in areas. Tomorrow maybe some more touch ups.

Cheers mate👍

[Ernst]

 

The work on this tank got a bit delayed because the smoke grenade pod on the right side of the turret fell off. I suspect the subsequent filters bit through the glue or at least weakened it considerably. It was quite an ordeal to get it reattached and in the meanwhile I spent some time on other projects.

 

Ink

I applied a pinwash using ink: Liquitex transparent burnt umber. A talented Dutch modeler by the name of Marcel Dulong stated  that he uses only 2 inks for 95% of his weathering and I admire his clean style. Moreover the ink could be removed by tamya x20 thinner and since I have Isopropyl (almost the same thing), why not give it a go. I did however thin the IPA down to about 50% because it acts as a paint remover (even better than over cleaner). First I drew lines with water + flow improver to reduce surface tension and then I added the ink on the model which follows the water. Removing errors is a bit tricky but with some practice it can be done.

The workflow differs from enamel/oil washes in that it requires more focus. Despite ink being removable by IPA you'd rather not do it because on another model the IPA bit through the underlying varnished paint, so that's how I got to the 50% dilution. Ink doesn't flow as effortless around details the way oil washes do so that's why I drew lines with water to nudge it a bit. Compared to acrylic washes from vallejo I got the impression that ink is more fine grained somehow. It's difficult to describe and the amount of ink that you use seem to darken it. Long story short, excellent to try out on an old model.

[Ernst]

 

Here are some closeups of the scratches. I wanted to break this big green surface some more and basically just practice my brushing skills and patience. After two hours of listening to a Joe Rogan podcast and wearing magnifying goggles I decided to stop. Maybe later with a fresh perspective I can add some more. And I need to find out what material this tube on the back of the turret is made of. I wouldn't be surprised if it were aluminium, same thing with the boxes on the fender.

 

[Flyingdutchman]

Great color modulation on the green. Looks good to me!

 

Cheers, Evert

[Ernst]

9 hours ago, Flyingdutchman said:

Great color modulation on the green. Looks good to me!

 

Cheers, Evert

Thanks Evert,

It's just two acrylics and some in-between mixtures with a little white added for the ERA blocks. I did apply some van Gogh oils topically.

Cheers,

Ernst

[FrancisGL]

Hi Ernst,
It looks great in my opinion, blocks, although they are a headache, can be a great ally when it comes to seeing something "alive", if you know how to take advantage, as I think you are doing.
As you say, the acrylic grain is the thickest of everything I know (and these Vallejo Wash are very "damn", the enamels are finer when working.
In the past, I used enalmels with a brush, now when I returned to the hobby, I started with acrylics (before there was nothing for modeling), and sometimes I'm tempted to use them again ...

Cheers mate 👍

[Ernst]

11 hours ago, FrancisGL said:

Hi Ernst,
It looks great in my opinion, blocks, although they are a headache, can be a great ally when it comes to seeing something "alive", if you know how to take advantage, as I think you are doing.

 

Thanks Francis,

Those blocks were indeed  a pain when I attempted my tritone camo. My silly putty got stuck in it and it and it blocked the reach of my airbrush. I found them difficult to align properly on the side of the turret but I've come to accept this as a feature now. There's a t-72 in my stash with the exact same blocks. Maybe if I'm in an adventurous mood I'll consider some aftermarket PE offerings. Microdesign is great bang for the buck and the adventure starts with trying to order from them directly since their site is only in russian.

 

11 hours ago, FrancisGL said:

As you say, the acrylic grain is the thickest of everything I know (and these Vallejo Wash are very "damn", the enamels are finer when working.
In the past, I used enalmels with a brush, now when I returned to the hobby, I started with acrylics (before there was nothing for modeling), and sometimes I'm tempted to use them again ...

That would explain very matt/flat results I've gotten so far but it can create nice contrasts on a satin surface. The enamels (and oils) give a smoother finish. At first I used common odorless turpentine from the dutch home depot to thin them down but that left a somewhat greasy residue. Humbrol thinner is better, it evaporates fast though.

 

All in all there's a lot of different products out there. At this point I'm trying to make the most out of what I've got and figure out what's best under certain circumstances. Fast drying times vs smooth finish. I am curious however about those lifecolor liquid pigments and tensocrom, maybe it's best of both worlds. I really like their paint too.  I'll let you know as soon as I've got it but for now I'll have to soldier on with the T-80 that is nearing it's completion.

Cheers mate

[Ernst]

The T-80 is finshed, it's in the ready for inspection section. I've already started a new project (more than one😄), thanks for all te comments and positive vibes.