Trumpeter 1/35 BTR-70 – And Why I Cannot Take The Blame For It
The other day it dawned on me I had not posted anything finished in quite some time. This is in part because - well, life and things, in part it is because I have not really finished anything to an extent I was entirely happy with. Which is weird, seeing as I spend almost every day at the bench for at least a couple of hours.
Sounds Like a Personal Problem
Well, although it definitely is, I am in the happy situation of having someone else to blame - namely the other guys from the iModeler team, @editor and @halvarvonflake! The thing is, both these fine gentlemen are very much into aircraft, and are positively divorced from the dirt and muck of your average ground pounder. So at some point - and for the sake of balance during nerdy modeler's discussions - I decided to revert back to my roots and pick up armor modeling again, something I stopped years ago because of acute Olive Drab-burnout.
Actually... it was kind of decided for me, with a couple of armor kits I received for review purposes over the course of last year. And with these kits not being US armor, I would not run the risk of an Olive Drab relapse, I would do what had to be done, and could then go back to my beloved US aircraft and ships. Or so I thought.
Mission Creep
In the past, whenever someone asked me what I build, I would tell them "US stuff - planes, tanks, ships, trying to get a complete collection of their military hardware". British stuff? Nah. German? Pfff... Russian? Well, one kit per year to keep as a kind of marital tradition.
That all went down the drain with Thunder Model's excellent Scammell tank transporter. After finishing that one, it had to get a proper load, so a Valentine it was. But what's a Valenine without a Crusader next to it? And a Crusader of course would feel lonely without its successor... you see where this is going? If not, how about the story of the Trumpeter Tiger I review build, which naturally had to be followed by a Pz.Kpfw.38(t) just for size comparison, and Panzers I and III in the stash to show the technological progress?
What's That Got To Do With Anything?
Glad you asked. When I stopped building tanks, it was mainly because I was not satisfied with the finish of my builds - and I could for the life of me not figure out what to do to improve. They always looked a bit bland, especially the single-color American WWII stuff. So I basically spent the past six months looking at photos, reading books like Mike Rinaldi's "Tank Art", and experimented around with various materials and techniques. Point in case: Trumpeter's BTR-70. I was quite fascinated by Rinaldi's approach of using pigments and fixing them in place with pigment fixer shot through an airbrush. Never had thought of that, needed to try. And I loved it. This simple technique finally gave me the the look I was after when depicting vehicles in a dry and dusty environment.
So yeah, there you go. I feel like I still have a long way ahead of me - and I am afraid you guys will be asked to give your feedback 😀
Well...whatever the reason for the build was - I LIKE IT! Nuff said. 🙂
Thanks Craig!
Good stuff Boris. The more armor the better.
Thanks Anthony - and I completely agree 🙂
Looks great !
Thanks Robert!
Great looking model! 5-gold stars! Which book does Michael Rinaldi cover the pigment technique in?
Thanks James - I got it from "Tankart I", although I would guess it is covered in the other volumes as well.
Looks like a creepie-crawlie to me! 🙂
Very nice work, a very realistic-looking result.
You are right Tom, it has something distinctly creepish-crawlish to it 😀
And thanks!
Amazing work...kudos, Bravo Zulu, fireworks over Disneyland, the works.
Subtle finishes and not too beat-up. People forget these things just have a little minor scuffing and a layer of dust. Sometimes the compulsion to over-weather spoils the project.
Very nice work.
Well pfffftt! Looks like you nailed it! And nothing wrong with creating targets for us aircraft guys!
As an aircraft and ship guy, I find armor very relaxing and refreshing because, I'm just not interested in it enough to where that interest hobbles me. You don't know what you don't know and this can be a blessing. I can build a tank with no thought or worries as to "getting it right." Just build 'em out of the box, weather or don't weather, and get something done that looks good to my eye.
Your build, by the way, is gorgeous. I love the minimalist "diorama" and the subtle rain marks. Just dirty enough, yet quite clean. I like it!