Thanks, Louis. I may have to start sub-threads on this, building 3 or 4 models at once. I hope you like what develops.
Thanks, Spiros. I usually find armor more relaxing, although the details can get pretty challenging, if you want to get it exactly right (see update below). At least there are no clear parts to mask.
Thanks, Chuck. The DML T-72 is a good model. Glad you had the inspiration to dig it up. The Tamiya T-72 is more challenging then I thought as I add resin and photo-etch. It's getting close to painting stage, though (see below).
Here is my latest update on the T-72. It has been quite time-consuming so far. First I need to blank off the gaps that Tamiya left that let the light show through from the hull.
I realize the tracks would partly cover this and also the skirts, but I had to fix it. You never know how the gap could peek through in the end when it is too late to fix it. It was tricky to fill without distorting the shape of the hull but I went about it carefully with no issues in the end.
Next was to add as many of the details as possible on the hull and pretty much empty the sprues.
I was constantly looking at pics of Iraqi vehicles in figuring out what to glue on and how. The Tamiya kit is surprisingly accurate in details but I will be doing work on the turret (see below). The fuel drums are placed, rather than glued while I finish other major work. It is good to be able to strip the model down a bit before painting and not have too much sticking out to break off.
The resin turret has been the major challenge. There is a ton of etch, which is really difficult to glue to resin with superglue.
Many hours of work so far and to come. I have also modified the build suggestion to use Tamiya parts instead of the etch or resin in key places mainly because the etch is too weak to hold parts on (and sometimes the Tamiya part is actually more accurate!).
Thus I have had to experiment and modify the tool box clamps, test fit, break off and re-fit many times. The buckles on the rear box were maddeningly intricate to bend into shape (many bits launched all over the work area and long periods of searching but they finally came together. They look quite nice, in the end, I think. I did not change the buckles on the other box, which are of a different type, but I did redo the mounting posts at better scale thickness (just test fitted for now and not glued on).
I was getting more skilled by the time I did the commander's hatch searchlight, which went together much faster.
I am currently working on the smoke grenade launchers. I took these for the Tamiya kit but had to reshape the bases to get them to fit at the correct angle on the SBS turret. I figured out how to arrange them using close-up photos of real T-72s.
This also dictated scratch-building the ignition wire harness from styrene rod and stretched sprue (for the fine wires to each tube). It is a slow process to get this detail attached to the resin turret with superglue (without breaking it) but it is working out OK now. BTW, I had all the launchers fitted before I found that the angle was wrong. so I broke them off before re-fitting them correctly.
So, that's it with one pic to sum up.
More work to do on launcher wiring, which I will finish with more flexible wire solder. There is also another harness on the other side to do. Phew. At least this is shaping up. Not too long now before I start painting, then adding screens and some some fine details best left to after the painting and weathering process.
