ProfSparks Posted August 31, 2022 Share Posted August 31, 2022 Hi All This popped out while I was looking for something to try green and brown over yellow It's probably going to be some sort of allover green, but who am I to blow against the wind? Anyhoo, instructions show plenty of parts for the 'spares' box Slightly flashy but nothing drastic Five little people, better trawl the figure painting forum Only four sprues of track links But a whole four sprues of ammo in crates The construction starts at a fair pace Most hull and tracks assembled by Stage 6! However, the stages are intertwined so I decided to fence them off for clarity (check out 3 vs 4!) Reet, combining step1 and step 2, but without the PE Hmm, and so it starts... Comments and suggestions welcome Cheers Steve 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hamden Posted September 1, 2022 Share Posted September 1, 2022 Nice start to an interesting project. You could try using hot NOT boiling water to straighten the top of the hull, I'd also glue it in sections a bit at a time using clamps and tape to hold things in place whilst it set. Would probably use 5 min epoxy for strength with a bit of wiggle time for this. I'm sure you'll overcome this minor set back. Stay safe Roger 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robw_uk Posted September 2, 2022 Share Posted September 2, 2022 Nice start... Been tempted by this a few times .. watching your build 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProfSparks Posted September 2, 2022 Author Share Posted September 2, 2022 Hi All On 9/1/2022 at 6:59 AM, Hamden said: I'd also glue it in sections a bit at a time using clamps and tape to hold things in place whilst it set. It was actually quite flexible without the water treatment, and glueing in sections revealed a surprisingly good fit! 6 hours ago, robw_uk said: Nice start... Been tempted by this a few times .. watching your build Don't watch too close... Although MiniArt supply a toothed ring to fit the turret aperture They supply NOTHING ELSE in the way of interior. As I can't imagine the dangling crew legs being able to disguise the complete lack of inner workings, and all the parts are on the sprues for both early and late production T-70 models anyway, I'm going to go the full turreted route and have it pull the gun Another slightly worrying trait is the track links First frame, thirty links off whole, fourteen snapped in transit. Not counting any chickens here, but it might end up in a diorama tight against a ditch or wall... Comments and suggestions welcome Cheers Steve 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stef N. Posted September 2, 2022 Share Posted September 2, 2022 That's a shame about the tracks. Normally Miniart are quite generous with extras so you may be ok. All the best with your build.👍 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Milan Mynar Posted September 3, 2022 Share Posted September 3, 2022 Nice kit, I like early MiniArt kits. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robw_uk Posted September 3, 2022 Share Posted September 3, 2022 Shame about interior AND tracks..... Fingers crossed you have enough My biggest gripe with miniart is they lack of positive fixing of wheels, no nice big pin to attach to 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProfSparks Posted September 4, 2022 Author Share Posted September 4, 2022 Hi All On 9/2/2022 at 10:39 PM, Stef N. said: Normally Miniart are quite generous with extras so you may be ok. The distructions say 86 links per side, and they give you four sprues of 22. Four spares per side means I'll have to do this I'm sandwiching broken links between solid ones along the bottom flat run. They're not matched halves as I'm sure the miss match won't be noticed I may be some time, but at least it'll be good training for those proper track kits when I get round to them. Comments and suggestions welcome Cheers Steve 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProfSparks Posted September 21, 2022 Author Share Posted September 21, 2022 Hi All In between clumps of tracking, I had a look round the remaining tank parts. Two stowage boxes get their moulded hinges and catches removed and replaced with teeny weeny PE Whereas the third gets better moulded handles and catches. I'll probably replace the handles with the couple of spares on the etch fret. More tracks, then a look at the limber. The tyres are made of seven rings sandwiched together round the wheel Which at least gives you quite a deep tread Although I'm not quite convinced on the order or orientation. Never mind, more tracks And they're done! Also the stowage has bling The catches should really have a securing loop, but it's one step too far for this build. On a roll with the PE, I put on the long grille, a couple of handles, and started on the engine vent fins. They're about 2mm too wide, so I'll have to cut them down before bending. Little steps Comments and suggestions welcome Cheers Steve 10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bullbasket Posted September 22, 2022 Share Posted September 22, 2022 Sorry, but you've got the colour of that thumbnail completely wrong. It should be olive drab. Nice work with the etched brass. John. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProfSparks Posted September 22, 2022 Author Share Posted September 22, 2022 14 minutes ago, Bullbasket said: Sorry, but you've got the colour of that thumbnail completely wrong. It should be olive drab. ...it's pre-shading... 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robw_uk Posted September 22, 2022 Share Posted September 22, 2022 That looks great.... The tyre does look wrong in my mind but having done a few of these multi-layer miniart tyres maybe it's correct 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Model Mate Posted September 23, 2022 Share Posted September 23, 2022 multi layer tyres!? That's bonkers..... Even I wouldn't scratchbuild them that way! Miniart kits are great, but they do come up with some "interesting" construction methods 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
THEscaleSHOW Posted September 23, 2022 Share Posted September 23, 2022 28 minutes ago, Model Mate said: multi layer tyres!? That's bonkers..... Even I wouldn't scratchbuild them that way! Miniart kits are great, but they do come up with some "interesting" construction methods the designer probably likes to eat sandwiches 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProfSparks Posted October 10, 2022 Author Share Posted October 10, 2022 Hi All I've been a touch lax with updates on this, even though things have advanced, so here's a roundup... PE bent, lost, found, lost again, put somewhere safe, and eventually fitted. You'll notice the forward stowage box fouls the ?spotlight? thingie? Off it comes then The box will hide the scar. HOWEVER, checking pics on t'Interweb, this was rarely carried stowage (only found one pic of it in place), so check your references. Disgruntled, I had a look at the included 5 man crew Some seams, but the plastic is compliant and easily cleaned. Looks like this machine was manned with 4 7/8 men Don't worry 'bout 'im, 'e's 'armless Back in the paint shop, the Four Horsemen Of The MiG did their thang, followed by washing with The Fifth Horseman Tracks were fitted round the wheels, mostly without breaking apart Then, I thought I'd try out some recently acquired random effects The Powdered Smoke (would that be soot?) went on the engine grilles, but too much oil? I've a plan for that, but first a look round so far She still needs a Flory wash to bring the cleanliness down a notch, and a Matt finish. The gang were mix 'n' matched, and placed about something like this I may put one on the limber, or discard them all, depends on the paint finish they get. Comments and suggestions welcome Cheers Steve 11 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProfSparks Posted October 13, 2022 Author Share Posted October 13, 2022 Hi All Avoiding the next phase of Flory for a bit, I set about the limber. This is quite a kit in itself, but goes together well as long as you follow the instructions. Mostly disregarding that advice to myself, I eventually came to this point after what seemed like 200 parts An executive decision was made here: either try to clean up the frame and risk snapping most of the bars (I'm actually astounded that I managed to remove them from the sprue intact!), or clag them together 'as is' and disguise them with rust, stowage, a camo net, photoshop, or all of the above. Clag 'em and be dammed Anyhoo, with that mostly out of the way, it's the turn of the gun bit. Later. Comments and suggestions welcome Cheers Steve 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Model Mate Posted October 13, 2022 Share Posted October 13, 2022 Lovely little buggy - just ready for a jolly jaunt around the Regent’s park…. Nice work with the rails - they look like a nightmare in thin rubbery plastic 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProfSparks Posted October 25, 2022 Author Share Posted October 25, 2022 Hi All On 10/13/2022 at 6:33 PM, Model Mate said: Nice work with the rails - they look like a nightmare in thin rubbery plastic Yup, they were a nightmare that kept on giving; from cutting them off the sprue without breaking, to cleaning up the sprue gates without breaking (I neatly sidestepped this step by not doing that), to gluing them and their supporting tendrils without reaching for your Vogon iron mallet, to holding them without crushing in at least one dimension. Oh what fun we had. Anyhoo, I put some PVA in the headlamp Sacrificing a couple of small PE parts to the Carpet Gods in the hope that it will dry clear, I started on the final lap, the FK288(r) The sprue was in a different plastic, slightly soapy and sparkly, no part numbers, almost like it was from an alternative manufacturer. However, you could still tell it was from MiniArt The sub assemblies went together without any major mishaps, and everything was ready for paint. I used Vallejo VA71.017 Russian Green 4BO, to give the impression of a new gun being towed behind a non-combat time served T-70 reduced to tractor duties Mmm, shiny... A daub of Flory to take the edges off, a Matt coat for the lot of you, and I think I'll call it quits. For those who haven't forgotten about Tick, Trick und Track, they were patched up a la Frankenstein And given a coat of Vallejo green. I can't remember exactly which green, but I can remember it was slightly lively, so I put on some newly won Humbrol Dark Brown Wash. That was a mistake. A Big Mistake. After a couple of weeks it was still tacky and slimy. I know! How can it be tacky and slimy at the same time?! Panicking, I soused them in Pledge. Apparently to no avail. I'll put them under the Matt coat to see if that does anything remedial Or I may just do this without them. Comments and suggestions welcome Cheers Steve 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stef N. Posted October 25, 2022 Share Posted October 25, 2022 If you have any Dettol lurking about in a cupboard that'll clean the paint off and start again?! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProfSparks Posted November 7, 2022 Author Share Posted November 7, 2022 Hi All On 10/25/2022 at 4:51 PM, Stef N. said: If you have any Dettol lurking about in a cupboard that'll clean the paint off and start again?! I do have some, to be used as a last resort, but the matt and a coat of Tamiya XF-65 Field Grey seems to have sorted them out Black boots 'n' belts, then masked up for hand spraying That was a surprising wrestle, but I got some XF-93 Light Brown (DAK 1942) on regardless Their heads are quite nicely detailed, and a bit of touching up on their sleeves should be a decent start for some skin tone washes. Comments and suggestions welcome Cheers Steve 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProfSparks Posted November 9, 2022 Author Share Posted November 9, 2022 Hi All First round involved some diluted Army Painter Tanned Flesh and Flory Sand Then their uniforms got that MiG Wash for Green Vehicles and their skin got some, er, Light Rust (I'm from Newcastle Upon Tyne, North East England. Everyone up here has a Light Rust wash ) Then they were sat on their mount awaiting a sealing matt coat to finish them off Comments and suggestions welcome Cheers Steve 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProfSparks Posted November 10, 2022 Author Share Posted November 10, 2022 Hi All I'm calling this one done. Not a bad kit, just slightly variable. The tracks were a bit of a pain, but eventually came out ok. Thanks to all who tagged along, see you on the next one! Comments and suggestions welcome Cheers Steve 10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Oddy Posted November 10, 2022 Share Posted November 10, 2022 Fantastic job, I love the weathering. I think my contribution to the group build will be somewhat overshadowed by all the others! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hamden Posted November 11, 2022 Share Posted November 11, 2022 Great result are you planning a base for this? Stay safe Roger 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProfSparks Posted November 12, 2022 Author Share Posted November 12, 2022 Hi On 11/10/2022 at 8:35 PM, Mark Oddy said: Fantastic job, I love the weathering. I think my contribution to the group build will be somewhat overshadowed by all the others! Thanks, I don't think this was a group build, although sometimes it felt like one! And there are no shadows on BM On 11/11/2022 at 7:12 AM, Hamden said: Great result are you planning a base for this? Stay safe Roger Hi, no base planned. Things I build go on the shelf until there's no more room, then it's off to the great big eBay in the sky. Cheers Steve 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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