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Яusso-Soviэt Forum: Cold War Soviet Armor
For discussions related to cold war era Russo-Soviet armor.
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SAA T-72B3
SEDimmick
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Posted: Tuesday, August 08, 2017 - 12:15 AM UTC
Another option for side skirts...I used them on my T-64 build

https://freetimehobbies.com/1-35-tetra-models-russian-t-90a-side-skirts-set-for-meng/

m4sherman
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Posted: Tuesday, August 08, 2017 - 12:39 AM UTC

Quoted Text

Another option for side skirts...I used them on my T-64 build

https://freetimehobbies.com/1-35-tetra-models-russian-t-90a-side-skirts-set-for-meng/



Are the skirts brass?
grunt136mike
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Posted: Tuesday, August 08, 2017 - 02:20 AM UTC
Hi Guys;

As for the Glassis there are Three options that you could use, Miniarm, & SP Design make resin replacments. Altho you have to cut away the Doner kit's front glassis, or you can just Grind away the Doner kit's Glassis plate. Grinding away the front plate is really not that difficult if you have A Moto tool & grinder bit. It just takes A lil-time; And using extra fine grit sandpaper for smoothing the surface ! Which I have done on three of my Tamiya T-72s !
As fot the Gun Mantlet cover; I rarely stay with the kit's cover. I File the cover smooth and then cover the Mantlet with Tissue soaked in A White glue & water solution which I form out with A Tooth-pick making folds & creases and then let dry for A couple of days, when dry it will be very Stiff or Hard and takes well to paint.

CHEERS; MIKE.
JSSVIII
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Posted: Tuesday, August 08, 2017 - 03:51 AM UTC

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John and Randy,
an option for fenders would be thin copper sheet, good sized rolls of .0035" thick can be found in any of the big box craft stores. Its advantage over, say, aluminum is that creases and wrinkles can be worked out completely. Press a piece down over the kit fender and work into the details with a sharpened wood dowel or the like.

Sean


Sean,

Thanks for the tip. That would work for the flat sections of fenders, and I'll give it a try on the beat up T-72B in the works. I've made T-34 fenders in the past using thin brass and aluminum, but I never found any good thin sheet to work with. Keep in mind that's before the internet!

It's the front curved fenders that would still be a real pain to do. I think stamped parts would sell, at least to me.


Thanks for the tip Guys, I may just try forming some fenders myself, I had not heard of that thin copper sheet before.
m4sherman
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Posted: Thursday, August 10, 2017 - 08:27 AM UTC
Just about got the turret finished. I added a Magic Models antenna. The rod is a very thin spring steel, and defeated every attempt I made to straighten it, so it has an artistic bend. I'll try a different wire if I use one of these again. They look nice, are a little pricy but I could not find them anywhere else.

Some of the wiring to the lights and smoke launchers show up better in these pictures.

The mantlet cover has a retaining wire across the top. I cut off the molded wire, drilled holes in the mounting lumps and added a copper wire strap.

On the hull I started sorting out the rear plate. I noticed that the early T-90's had more of less stock T-72 hull fittings with only the spare tracks fitted, and the T-72 type tracks. All the T-72B3's seem to have the double pin tracks and the later hull fittings.





Still a lot to do.
JSSVIII
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Posted: Thursday, August 10, 2017 - 03:25 PM UTC

Quoted Text


Still a lot to do.


Making some good progress though Randall, nice work.
m4sherman
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Posted: Saturday, August 12, 2017 - 09:58 PM UTC

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Still a lot to do.


Making some good progress though Randall, nice work.


Thanks,

Maybe this is already been seen, but I found it a few days ago. Sweet:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-dfa_t-4Wjo
JSSVIII
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Posted: Sunday, August 13, 2017 - 12:47 AM UTC
OOPS!!!
m4sherman
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Posted: Sunday, August 13, 2017 - 07:34 AM UTC

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OOPS!!!


My first thought was WOW! Saweeet!

Back to the hull. Added welds to the added front armor, replaced the electrical lines using solder, and those cylinder things by the el lines. I had to replace the 4 bold heads over by the turret ring, and the bump stops by the drivers hatch.

I don't want to add anything else until I get the fender boxes and fuel tanks on. My fender support parts are finally on the way from Shapeways.

After studying a lot of T-72's I've noted that the factory welds are very smooth, and almost invisible in places, while the welds to add ons and the upgrades look like welds done by first week on the job welders.

SEDimmick
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Posted: Sunday, August 13, 2017 - 07:25 PM UTC
No, they are PVC type plastic. They are flexible like the real ones.

m4sherman
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Posted: Sunday, August 13, 2017 - 08:15 PM UTC

Quoted Text

No, they are PVC type plastic. They are flexible like the real ones.



Thanks for the reply, I'll check those out.
m4sherman
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Posted: Monday, August 14, 2017 - 04:57 AM UTC
The fender supports came in today. All in all not too bad. I had to make a few changes, more to fit the models than anything. These are intentionally generic and will need to be fitted to the model. They fit the Meng fenders well.



m4sherman
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Posted: Monday, August 14, 2017 - 10:03 AM UTC
More nick nacks for the T-72. The things on the ends are the lower supports for the unditching log, or as close as I could come up with based on the only good picture of the thing. I guess the holes are for the same type of straps that hold on the fender boxes and fuel tanks.

The other parts are the bases to the fuel drum holders. Those are actually on a round sprue. That seems like the best way to tree them up.

Chances are Shapeways will have issues with these, but maybe not. If they do it will be the holes. I'll make the holes smaller if I have to, and they will have to be drilled out.

They must be on vacation, or short handed, or have too many orders. A week turn around has become about 2 weeks.

m4sherman
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Posted: Tuesday, August 15, 2017 - 06:53 AM UTC
Hmmm, while looking for something else I found 2 other version of those unditching beam holders. I'll have to rethink them. There are few good pictures of those things as they are covered by the beam, and no one seems to want to take a picture up in there.

Meng left off the attachment flanges for the upper rear hull grill. I made them from plastic strip, and added some welds. That's another thing Trumpeter did a better job on. The pictures a little blurry, lousy camera.

I put on the skirt mounting rails and the rear fenders so I could see how the fender boxes fit. When the revised fender supports are in I'll get the boxes and fuel tanks on.

While I don't like how Meng did the rear lights and tow cable supports (big holes in the side armor), I did discover some of the iffy looking fit to some of the parts is better than how the real tanks look.

Now that Mengs branched off into the Panther world, maybe Trumpeter will step up and do some early T-72's.

With the Meng build waiting for Shapeways to get busy, I'll do some work on the Trumpeter T-72B 1998 build.

m4sherman
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Posted: Saturday, August 26, 2017 - 09:48 AM UTC
I managed to get nothing done until the Shapeways box came today.



I think the parts came out very well. There is one problem, the mounting tabs on the base parts are a little big. I will make a change and get these available later in the week.

I test fitted the Meng log and it mounts on ok. I got the left side lower mount on crooked. XXXX! I'll fix that later.

I plan on leaving off the arched supports that the drums rest on. Just a few more things to add and the rear hull will be done. Not much left to do over-all, but I have been avoiding the tracks.
Blucop
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Posted: Monday, September 11, 2017 - 07:49 PM UTC

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I really wish Live Resin would get into the 125mm barrel game. An all resin barrel with clamps molded on would be worth whatever they charged.


They're already overpriced, don't feed the monster.
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