Kremenchuk's Heavy Metal
Greetings all!
Believe it or not, this is the first ground vehicle model I finished in my adult life. It used to be that I would only consider flying objects as my potential hobby victims, but as we can all see times are changing...
This model is based on two kits from the Ukrainian company Armory in 1:72 scale: the KrAZ-258 Saddle Truck and the accompanying TZ-22 Heavy Airfield Refueler, trailer. Both kits are primarily resin, with extensive support from photo-etched parts.
I won't bore you much with details, for that you can look In the Group posts for Diorama; here: http://imodeler.com/groups/dioramas/forum/topic/in-search-of-a-better-tittle/
You see, this truck is supposed to be a part of a bigger scene that is still in making, so expect more on come...
Oh, If you are wondering about the title, KrAZ stands for "Kremenchutskyi Avtomobilnyi Zavod", or Kremenchuk Automobile Plant.
Cheers!
Very mice, Aleksandar! I look forward to seeing more like this when you finish your bigger project.
"Potential hobby victims" - brilliant, Aleksandar.
Great work.
Aleksandar, one I've never seen before. Beautifully done! What a great brute of a truck!
Well, this certainly won’t fly, but it’s a magnificent looking beast, great work, especially in this scale.
Great build!
Just viewed your Yak Air 7, great build as well.
Nice, clean build...I like it.
Times are changing indeed ! This build is fantastic ! I like it ...
Big brute of a truck, and you've carried it out perfectly.
Hello Alex,
Job well done. I looked at your WIP and was very impressed with all the detail and weathering you managed to put into this combination.
Regards, Dirk / The Netherlands.
Great work, Aleksandar.
If I were a smoker still, I'd move my cigarette away from the screen.
Thank you all so much!
As I was building this truck, I myself searched the www. for some similar builds and couldn’t find any… Yet the truck is very ubiquitous in military and civilian use throughout the ex - Soviet Union, Russia and Ukraine. I explain this anomaly through a combination of 3 factors: not easy kit to procure, ain’t cheap either and tricky to put together.
As a cinema lover, I can’t stop thinking about Spielberg’s film “the Duel”, while looking at this model. If the director went to USSR to shoot his sophomore film, this would have to be the truck he would have used. And the crazed trucker would be chasing some Lada sedan across a desolate countryside beyond the Urals.
While on the film metaphors and since this little experiment turned nice for me, expect a Russian equivalent of some Mad Max bruiser next, in my ongoing efforts for my diorama setup…;)
Cheers!
Aleks
I agree with the Duel idea.
Great looking truck. Loads of character. Very good looking build Aleksandar.
Excellent - weathering looks great especially in this scale.
Enjoying builds like this really is a kind of therapy. I used to just shake my head--how could I ever aspire to be this good? Now I just shrug, determine to observe, learn, and improve, and enjoy the ride. Alex, this is brilliant work. It shows what determined model building and skill can achieve. What kind of daring-do's are ever achieved by a fuel truck? But you've managed to dignify this thing and show its character.
extremely convincing. Fantastic work.
Hi David,
I really appreciate it!
You are right - this truck never was a hero, unless 20+ very probable years of service aren’t enough. Most often a machine like this doesn’t get much love in scale modeling. Even when it finds its way on some diorama setup, the focus is on the main subject, while such props provide the bulk.
I never before attempted to create a diorama, as I recognized that maintaining the balance at the high level of detail throughout a scene is an enormous effort and even bigger exercise in self-control. But I am now at a point to attempt all that.
Starting on the margins, I am treating each piece as the main subject and hope to keep the impulse. The goal is in the end to point the camera lens at any corner of the scene and be able to focus on something with character and life of its own.
We shall see if I succeed…
Cheers,
Aleks