Terminator!

[Massimo Tessitori]

Hi Otto,
Frankenstein? Sort of... I was so many years ago. Recent kits are so superior to those to what I was accustomed that I don't dare to modify them if I am not obliged to.
A lot of years ago I made some extended conversions, for example I transformed a T-62 of Tamiya into a T-55 by scratchbuilding a new tower, cutting-and gluing the hull etc.  No resin pieces, it still didn't exist on the market. Nowadays, if one tries to make a scratchbuilding of such a thing, you can be sure that a new kit will be released before the work is end. Except for a HF-27, I hope.
Regards
Massimo

[otto]

This is the current status of the Terminator. I am not completely sure if the sand patches are correct: they look more or less like this on some pictures and more green on other ones. I used Tamiya Buff, then brushed with oil green paint to make it more green. I will think about weathering after completing the tracks. I plan a snowy diorama and, looking at pictures, the tank doesn't appear very dirty and weathered.

[Massimo Tessitori]

Hi Otto,
the model looks very good. Colors are convincing, even if I can't be sure because of the different look of many photos.
For what I can read on the instructions of many kits of Meng (The T-90A) the lighter color can be both what they call 'egg green', a darker shade, both what they represent as a light beige-grey. I wonder if the colors are really so different; few photos seem to show the extreme shadows that they draw on the instructions sheets, while the most of them seem compatible with the color of our models.
It would be good to ask someone on Russian forums, it should be easy to answer for them.
Regards
Massimo

[JP]

Nice looking vehicles!  I have to admit probably 20% of my kit stash is made up of tanks. 

[otto]

I discovered that my Terminator had the two front wheels different from the others (censored). After gaining several centuries of purgatory, I made the new spokes with plasticard and my cutting plotter, then I glued them on one of the kit wheels after removing the material in excess.


After some refinement with putty and Mr.Surfacer, I made a silicone mould and reproduced four resin copies, to get two twin wheels. They are not perfect, but snow will be a perfect make-up!


The following picture shows two new wheels and one of the original ones.

I made a small tree with copper wire and placed a resin stump with some Mininatur plants on the base. The snow is made with Tamiya paste, spreaded with Prochima Snow Effect fixed with hairspray.



Pictures and movies of the tank show that, despite running fast, a layer of snow sticks almost exclusively on top surfaces of the rear. I reproduced it by spraying Prochima snow, filtered through a laboratory sieve and mixed with Gunze flat clear. I bought for this purpose a cheap (23 ?!) airbrush with 0.2, 0.3 and 0.5 nozzles. To allow you making messes like this, it's mandatory having the tank directly above the nozzle. Warning! Use propanol, Tamiya, Gunze or other CLEAR thinners only. Supermarket alcohol will give you a beautiful pink snow!

[Massimo Tessitori]

Hi Otto,
looks a great work. Any modification to the wheels is very difficult because of their symmetry, but this seems well respected on your master.
The idea to spray Prochima snow with a cheap airbrush is interesting, I have to try it on some test model.
Regards
Massimo

[otto]

The Terminator is terminated!
I added a resin Russian soldier from Black Dog and a German Shepherd dog coming from a Tamiya box dedicated to farmyard animals. I am not a great figure painter, so I took advantage of Simon Antelmi's tips from his "Military Figures for Dioramas" (Static Model Manual N?11). I used the airbrush to paint the main surfaces of the figures, while the details are brush painted with acrilics and oils.


This project gave me the chance to try several techniques, from scratch-building tiny parts to complex camouflage, from figures painting to making a tree. The tree is perhaps the weakest point of the diorama, as it lacks  the smallest branches. But, as a first attempt, i will not yield to temptations that could end in a mess and I will live with it.






My next job will probably be a WW1 biplane (my first love!), but I'll be back soon with Soviet flying stuff!

[Massimo Tessitori]

Hi Otto,
I like your diorama. The BMPT and the figures look extremely well painted.
The tree looks convincing, but it is positioned in such way to hide the other models from the front of the diorama.
Regards
Massimo

[otto]

Thank you Massimo.
I chose the tree position after evaluating several options. This is the layout which allows all the elements to stay on a base small enough to fit with my shelf. It's an unorthodox diorama, where the main character (the tank) is not in the foreground: you have to look inside or behind to appreciate it. All in all, I quite like this.