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TAMIYA T-72

iambrb

Well-known member
Ok so I wanted to build something that was NOT in a campaign, and I needed to practice my modulation...& this seemed the natural choice! I have had this for awhile. I want to build it as the DDR version prefrably. this is becuase:

1) - My understanding is that the Tamiya engineers used an export/East German model for this, so this of course fits the bill (Saul, that right?)

2) - I really need to adopt & learn the modulation technique, and this is the ideal subject, being green, and

3) - A conversation with some pals at a workplace. (back in the late 80's) One day we were talking family lineage/nationalities, and this one guy stated his family was of German descent. In the group was this one guy that was a tin-foil-hat-conspiracist, and in a completely serious tone he spoke up and said "Yeah, you look German...kinda EAST German...."

So with #3 in mind, I got started!

The box (duh)

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I also managed to scrounge a set of Hasegawa seperate-link tracks, and a Resin barrel from Scotland via Accurate Armour. I have used thier products in the past and they are the best, simply put


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So while the wifey was taking a nap, I put the time to good use! I really like Tamiya models, they just seem to fall together! I was able to get all of the lower hull complete, the wheels partly done/scuffed/assembled as shown, and even the front glacias, minus the tow cable!


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So that is where we are starting out! Going to spend some time with the wifey who is now up! She has forbade me from taking a pic of her, so you have to make do with my cat (Who is also looking for attention, it would appear)


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You got quite a bit done during your wife's nap. I am interested in seeing how the modulation comes out.

Watching this one with much interest.

Cheers,
James
 
Ok so power was out and they sent us home early today (Thanks, Irma!!! :laugh:) and I managed a bit more work in. here you can see, I not only completed the back deck (sorry, no pic! :facepalm ) but I did get the turret started and below, you can see my "Main Gun Surgery" to get the Accurate Armour Barrel installed. It is not as secure as I would like, so once I have the turret complete and ready for final assembly I may run a bit of brass rod thru it to "Lock" it securely in place.


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Here we have the basic test fit, no glue just yet


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Oh guys, I fer-got to mention this! The resin barrel by accurate Armour is a thing of beauty!


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Ordering from thier website in Scotland and having them ship here is no less than, say, the metal barrels you see on Ebay. the nice thing about this is that all of them arrive perfectly straight, no holes or voids, and no assembly either (which with the modern main gun in a thermal sleeve you will have)! Really worth the investment! I am going to buy another one of these 125mm Russian main guns, and although it will be year end before I do so, I am wanting to try thier Mk.V Charioteer and T-34/100 conversions!
 
Making quick work of this one!
:popcorn

Skinny Mike, what I LOVE about the tamiya kits is that they just fall together! This one had a grand total of FOUR trees of parts!

Also guys, have to mention that I will not be doing any of this - this Saturday. Why? Going to be doing stuff with the wife, we will be belatedly celebrating our 15 year wedding anniversay!!!

So note there I said BELATED. So when IS the Anniversary? TODAY!!! That's right! As I type this, 4:20pm, we will have been married 15 years and about 90 minutes, give or take!!! Poor woman, putting up with me all this time! 15 years is the longest have ever done or stuck with anything! And you know the best part? On our 15th anniverary...she let me model!

THAT'S THE KINDA FINE WOMAN I MARRIED!!!!!!


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Congrats on your 15-year anniversary! Well done and yes, you got a keeper! She looks absolutely lovely in that wedding pic, how'd you snag such a gorgeous woman? I'm going on 28 years myself. Your kid has a way with names as well, Tanker is perfect for that great cat.

Keep plugging man! I'm glad you made it through Irma too.
 
So really not too much to report! Where the rear upper of the turret attaches to the lower on this model, there is a whopper of a gap and this, plus the fact that it was like two different textures, plus the lower rear has a destinct 'step' in it I just did not care for, so I hit it with some Mr. Surfacer, attached the long 125mm main gun, and moved it to the "on deck" Position in my room...hope to get more done this week!


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Is going to be neat to get the wheels/tracks on this so I can compare the overall height as compared to the M1A2 under it

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The T-72 is, IMHO, an over-rated tank. it was an easier/less costly version of some of the best parts of the T-64 and the T-62, but it's absolute proliferation across the planet makes it. again IMHO, a neccessity to the Modern Armor builder.

Although it has good capability, I am finishing up reading WAR STORIES OF THE US TANKERS and the modern section shows that the Abrams, along with soldiers who had top notch training made it truly superior to the T-72, but the T-72 is interesting, nonetheless.

I have "in the wings" a Meng T-90, but it would be nice to procure a good 1/35 scale T-80 to fit between those two!
 
So along with my Ontos I managed to get some basic black primer on the tank


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I decided to "cheat" with the modulation, and buy AK Interactive's set here. This is both a good excuse to try this Vallejo paint y'all seem to be going ga-ga over, and learn modulation at the same time, a win-win for me!


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Not sure why you'd say that's cheating. Git'er done. :soldier

i am thinking of modulation wherein you hand mix it all right there in the cup on the airbrush...ya know, like all of y'all! I an not that good, hence my "cheat"

In all seriousness, I am warming to the Vallejo paint, I just wish that Hobby Lobby carried more of it, plus it would be great if they replaced thier stock of Testors with Tamiya!
 
I kind of agree with you on the T-72 and how it is overrated. I think that is just a residual impression from back when this tank first came out and nobody knew anything about it; making it the "boogeyman" for the US Army and others. Still, it is a pretty good tank and I have built several of them; mostly for my Russian army, but also for my Iraqi army and my West German army. I also have completed a T-80 (or three) as well as a couple versions of the T-90. I do believe that yours, when you do them; will be far better and I'm looking forward to seeing them come from your workbench.

Keep plugging on this one; it is looking fantastic so far.
 
Thanks all! Duke, not so sure about mine looking better!

Am finishing a book called WAR STORIES OF THE US TANKERS and there is a section about the push into Baghdad. What each tanker that faced the T-72 is the same, the Iraqis had little training and as such it would not have mattered what they had.

with a LOT of Soviet supplied equipment this seems to be the case. Nonetheless, it is an interesting tank!
 
Not keen on AK my self but its not really cheating as you have a lot of work ahead of you to achieve the results you want. Looking forward to seeing how it goes.
One word of advice though. Although AK interactive paints , Valejo paints and Ammo of mig are all true acrylic paints each brand is different and paints differently. You should be able to use those AK paints straight from the bottle but if you need to dilute them buy the AK thinner. I found the alcohol seems to curdle it some and water isn't as good as thinner. you should also use distilled water for best results. And keep your airbrush tip clean. All acrylics tend to dry on the tip and cause splatters. Of course this is just my observations. If you check youtube, ammo of mig and ak interactive have some very good training videos that help demystify the process. Its definitely not like spraying enamels or Tamiya.
:popcorn
James
 
Not keen on AK my self but its not really cheating as you have a lot of work ahead of you to achieve the results you want. Looking forward to seeing how it goes.
One word of advice though. Although AK interactive paints , Valejo paints and Ammo of mig are all true acrylic paints each brand is different and paints differently. You should be able to use those AK paints straight from the bottle but if you need to dilute them buy the AK thinner. I found the alcohol seems to curdle it some and water isn't as good as thinner. you should also use distilled water for best results. And keep your airbrush tip clean. All acrylics tend to dry on the tip and cause splatters. Of course this is just my observations. If you check youtube, ammo of mig and ak interactive have some very good training videos that help demystify the process. Its definitely not like spraying enamels or Tamiya.
:popcorn
James

WOW did I get a lesson in "hard to use" today! I gave up after the third color and had to break the airbrush all the way down and give it a ultrasonic bath. I MIGHT try it again, but my experience with AK Paint was considerable less than positive!
 
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