Miniart T-55A Early Mod. 1965 - 37016 Full Interior

[edjbartos]

Hi Guys, This is my first work in progress, i've picked a miniart T-55A early mod. 1965 model. This is the second Miniart model i've had, in fact i bought this first from Creative Models at their 40% discount about 18 months ago for around £30, which was amazing value for money. However when i opened the box and looked at all the parts my first thoughts were, this is too much. So i bought the Panzer III ausf C also from Miniart which i built instead so i could get to grips with the Miniart way of doing things.

 

The T-55A is quite a complex kit, its in my stash and has to be done some time, so why not now. The kit has 1304 parts with 95 sprues, 2 etch sheets and 3 decal sheets. 

 

This is the box cover, showing a 55th Marine infantry Division, Pacific Fleet of the Soviet Navy, Ethiopia 1980. This is the version that i will hopefully try to complete in the way distant future by the look of the amount of parts.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The instruction book looks really well done and it takes 104 stages to complete the model. The first 8 stages complete the engine assembly. This is typical of their instructions.

 

 

 

Here is a  picture of the assembled engine with holes drilled in the manifold ready for the lead wire.

 

 

 

 

 

Lead wire in place, now all ready for painting.

 

 

 

 

Here's a few photo's of the completed engine.

 

 

 

Now on to the base, just another 96 stages and about 1200 plus parts to go!

 

Ed

 

 

Edited June 3, 2020 by edjbartos
forgot to mention my name

[vaoinas]

Don't be appalled of the amount of details or the numerous steps required to complete the model.

So far you are doing great.

 

The engine looks lovely with the additional wiring and all the details painted out.

 

 

Kristjan

[edjbartos]

Thanks Kristjan, no, i really enjoy the building part in model making, so this is perfect for me, no matter how long it takes.

[Jasper dog]

Outstanding work on that engine, looking forward to seeing how the rest turns out.

Good luck

Darryl 

[robw_uk]

thats a great start to what looks like a good kit. Always interested in interior builds so will follow this one with enthusiasm...

[edjbartos]

Thanks guys

 

Stages 9-13 is starting to work on the base plate, as shown below:

 

 

The assembly of the torsion bar suspension system is quite involved but ok, the only issue i had was that i had to drill out the holes in the base plate as the torsion bars would not fit through.

A couple of pictures showing the assembly up to stage 13 which include rotary floor and driver controls.

 

 

The base with the dark grey base coat ready for drivers seat, ammo and other parts.
 

 

 

 

The next stages are the ammunition shells housed in their cases, drivers seat and other panels.

Ed

[robw_uk]

flip thats a detailed baseplate.. and great work. Do you advise painting as you build it up as you are doing?

[edjbartos]

For the interior in this case definitely. The way miniart do things are in modules, you do several of these seperate modules then fit them together in the end. So i think it would be easier to paint as you go along, as there are a lot of fine detailing that needs to be done and access would be easier this way. I normally build first and paint last, so this is a bit different for me. For this model initially you need to build and paint as you go along until the main body is assembled and then you can mask off the interior.

Edited June 6, 2020 by edjbartos

[Graeme]

Looks great - I have one of these in the stash but am working on their B-type buses at the moment.

 

just for info, as I can’t tell from the pictures, but the fuel injector pipes that you have added to the engine, should in reality all be the same length (so the same amount of fuel is delivered to each cylinder), not like spark plug leads on a petrol engine which can be any length (within reason)

[edjbartos]

Thanks Graeme for your reply, yes I initially cut them the same length. The trouble i had was bending the lead wire which was so soft they started to buckle. If i was doing this again i think i would use copper wire possibly.

[Bullbasket]

Excellent job on the engine. Nicely weathered. 

 

John.

[Stef N.]

I did the late model 65 of this kit and the only real problem I had was the torsion bars and suspension which you have dealt with well. Another warning, sort of, is when you get to the tracks be prepared to take a few modelling sessions on them. They take a while to clean up and assemble but are worth the effort.

 

Great job so far and good luck for the rest of the build.👍

[edjbartos]

Thanks for the warning Stef, i may call on your help when it comes to the tracks on the best way to assemble.

[edjbartos]

The next stage, 14 and 15 deal with shells and their stowage, lots of little fiddly parts, good job i've got laminate floors, i'm spending half my time searching for the parts that ping off my tweezers!

Photo shows the shells housed in the storage racks. Will weather this when i've glued this to the base.

 

 

 

I've now fitted the drivers seat and bucket, just need to weather the green boxes behind the seat. 

 

[robw_uk]

nice work....

[Andy350]

I started the same kit last year, and you'll probably finish this before me.  It is a really detailed kit, it really is.  I have just built the turret base, before moving onto the turret.  You engine is excellent, it's a shame that the kit has you hiding this, some build with the engine removed on display.

 

Good luck I am will watch with interest.

[edjbartos]

Thanks Andy, i have to agree with you that it is a really detailed kit even more so as you go further into the build. The turret looks stunning, hope you get on ok with it.

[edjbartos]

Stages 16-20 involve putting the  base modules together, now i need to do some weathering to the turntable and other areas of the base.

 

 

This is the left hand side of the hull, will now start on the other side.

 

 

[Jasper dog]

Some skilled and detailed modelling going on, looking really good.

 

Atb

Darryl 

 

 

[robw_uk]

stunning work....

[edjbartos]

Thanks for your kind comments guys

 

Ed

[edjbartos]

An update on this project, lots of shells to paint and fitting to their respective locations.

Stages 21-24 cover the right hand side of the tank,
 

 

Stage 25 adds shells to the side of the engine mount.

 

 

Stages 26-29 cover the rear side of the compartment.

 

 

Stage 30 fixes the walls to the base plate, before this stage the base plate is so thin that it flexes every time you pick it up, once the sides are in place everything is nice and tight now. It is really neat the way Miniart have fixed the back plate to the engine mount, its like a little jigsaw puzzle. The side wall took a fair amount of time to fit, needed to sand areas down in order to get a good fit. The engine is not fixed in place yet as i just put it in to see how it fit.
 

 

 

 Its starting to look the part now. Quite a few more parts to fit on the inside now before i fix the left hand side.

 

 

Ed

[Jasper dog]

Superb workmanship. Work of art already, be a shame to hide it all away, engine is tremendous. 

 

Great work

 

Darryl 

[robw_uk]

That is gorgeous I must admit.... I plumped for the SU-122 initial build with interior so will be back to look for tips/tricks

[edjbartos]

Thank you so much for your comments guys. I have dry fitted the left hand side and put the top part on so you can still see a lot of the inside. The engine will be the problem, i know that i can have the hatches open but i'm hoping that the engine top panel can be removed to expose the engine.  On the Panzer III i did from miniart i didn't glue the top part of the turret which meant that you could remove the top part to view into the inside. I'm hoping that i can do something similar here. We will see.