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MODERN RUSSIAN ARMOUR USED IN COMBAT - T-80U BUILD update 14th June

Yes but only at dusk when they laugh at each other for about 10-15 minutes. During the day they turn -up and sit in the trees looking for worms and snakes. They keep our place clear of snakes in the summer. Kookaburra's are my favourite bird. Very handsome with loads of personality.
....and yes to a good spot for creativity. I have breakfast out there every morning now.
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Few miles up the coast - Aussie slang for a long way away - these little things laugh in the morning too. I don't mind, I find that relaxing. Looking forward to seeing some Ian magic here mate :popcorn
 
I would so love to go back to Australia. Oh and Ian, you're a very bad influence. I now have a RFM T-80 arriving tomorrow. Looked to good to pass up.
James
Come back and spend some time at my place ☺️. Good choice on the RFM T-80, its a very nice kit and I am loving it as my first modern tank.
Tracks and very well constructed and easy to put together but time consuming - it's slowing me down at present before I can get to the turret work. 🙁
 
A bit more reading on the T-80 while getting through the workable tracks, has shown -up some interesting info.
The T-80 was a direct development of the T-64, built in the Lenningrad plant and becoming the most advanced version in the form of the U before the fall of the USSR. The cost of developement was very expensive, leading to bankruptcy of the contractor in 2002, after which it was handed over to the UVZ for absorbtion. The engine change to a gas turbine was the main reason for this, influenced by intel that the USA was going down that road for their new tanks, except they didn't and proceeded with diesel. The T-80 also never recieved the remote MG for the comander which was used on the final development of the T-64B.
In the post Soviet era, it was further developed into the T-80 BV, then the T-80BVM and UE as modernisations. The tank runs a gas turbine motor which makes it very quick on take -off but high on fuel consumption at low speeds. The track design also has it at a disadvantage in boggy terrain due to the new wheels and tracks having not as much traction as the T-64, which is lighter. It also has very good traction in the soil and mud of the Ukraine[due to its thinner wheels and 2 piece track design without rubber inner blocks]. This actually proved an advantage in the spring and winter conditions for the home team, as they have a large stock of T-64's.
They both have the same main gun.
More T-80's
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T-80BV's
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modernised T-80 BVM's
FVUajoYWQAAbuwv.jpg
images.jpgT80BVMz.jpgT-80BVM.jpg
 
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Tiny steps at this point. Turret is in progress but I am getting bogged down with the idea of scratch building the motor. I was hoping the Amusing Hobby T-80U with the full interior would come out so I could utilise the engine bay but I may wait and put that in later.
Individual linkcompleted with some muddy texture added before the track guards go on.
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I painted the base green in some places that were going to be difficult to get to later, as well as attaching the PE clasps on the track guard boxes and other various small PE parts. I also set about warping and bending the mud guards down from there molded postion, as I won't be attaching the ditching beam, which the original shape was molded over.
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I will need to mod and add a little more detail to that guard mount as the kit is made to attach the full guard all the way to the last panel.
T80U rear mudguard.jpg


Next up the progress on the turret. Again, I have done some painting on the deep wading unit at the back because it will be difficult to get to some of this once I attached to the turret. I also bored out the MG posts, as the mounting hole was too small.
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Awesome work here Ian! :popcorn
You have inspired me to maybe take a crack at one of these. I got the Tiger Models T90MS and found this UAV photo…:hmm:

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Thanks to Mp, Greg and Paul. I just needed to add some green in certain places so that when the airbrush comes out I don't have to get all the multiple angles. It looks ruff because it is, the airbrush work will clean everything up.
The mud on the track is just practicle and will have the most detailed weathering on the actual parts that will be fully observable.
 
Oh to be able to read that Russian crap to know what they wrote. I can usually figure out German and French to some extent, but the Cyrillic just is too different. The German is getting easier to transguesslate the more I deal with it.
 
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