Armour sighted!

Hello guys,

I didn't manage to paint another fireteam in the past week, but I did finish painting my T-90 tank. Tank is a Zhengdefu 1/48 plastic kit and is nothing to write home about. I did got it very cheap and Brummie, thanks again for picking it up!

I painted it using craft paints so the quality of work is not spectacular. Technologically advanced tank as T-90 is not something I would particularly need, but as it has tracks and a turret, it will be a proxy for any other tank on the battlefield.

 It's reflectors were actually modeled as closed, but I decided to paint them glowing as I think they really add to the model. Nothing else to add, really.

An "action" shot below, with SAF fire-team using it as a cover.

For those interested in some real life facts, Slovenian armed forces had/have a limited number of tanks that were left behind by the YPA back in 1991, namely Soviet T-55 and Yugoslav T-72, the M-84.

T-55 tanks were modernised into an M-55S. They go better guns, better fire control system and an upgraded armour. As T-55 is the most produced tank in history, these upgrade packages could be sold abroad, but for various reasons nothing happened. As cool as they look, these tanks were by now put out of operational use and were stored.

M-84 tanks, on the other hand, are still in use. They are old and the decision makers are not really sure what do to next. There are some ideas of simply not having tanks, as they are an expensive piece of kit and there are predictions that tanks would be "useless" in future. This, however, is a problem as even if purchase of tanks could be done relatively simple in the times of need, the knowledge of using them would die out. Canada had similar ideas and is now a tank-loving country again.

This is it for  this week. I will hopefully get my second fire team painted by the next week, or I will perhaps play another patrol scenario!

Thanks for looking,
Mathyoo

T-90 and other projects!

Hello,

not much going on hobby-wise here unfortunately, but I can't say I've been too busy overall. Following the post about bunkers, I've started a project that was my first idea for (very elaborate :D) master's degree. I'm outside a lot, marking the ones I know about. The map I will get as a result will then help me pinpoint the locations where more might be. Using this dead simple approach, I've managed to find a couple of bunkers that Italians actually didn't blow up - for reasons unknown as those two are in the middle of the forest as any other and all other bunkers next to them are blown up. I am setting up a separate blog, but there will probably be no posts before 2014 - even less so in English. But once something will be done, I'll certainly let you know!

Other than that, I've put together a sprue of Zombie Vixens I've got from Bryan way back in April. I will hopefully paint them before New year to get me back in the hobby! My ultra modern sculpting project has came to a halt. I have bought some new thin wire (yes, those are the gifts I am buying myself :D), but  I haven't yet used it! Again, I hope thing change soon, as I would like to have weapons finished ASAP. 

To at least do something modern, I've put together a T-90 I've got a while back. Brummie, thanks again for picking it up for me!
It's a Zhengdefu T-90 russian tank. It is made to fit a motor inside, which I didn't dare assemble. I don't need it and it all looks like it might blow up. Which reminds me, according to the internet, Zhengdefu or "Ki-tech" is a Chinese company that steals other company's old plans and makes their tanks. Even box art doesn't show the exact model that is inside (I'm not sure that was the case with T90).

Set up instructions were horrible, so I had to improvise a bit here and there. Somewhere, I've deliberately done some changes, to make the model more sturdy. In the end, I was left with some leftover plastics (like extra 6 couples of smoke launchers for some odd reason) so it's all odd, but hey, I won't complain for a 1.7 GBP or somewhere along that price.

All in all, it's a nice russian looking tank that will have to represent anything from T-50 to T-90 and in between. I am not demanding, it has somewhat low profile (for a tank) and a round turret - so it's good enough until I can find a similarly great deals for other tanks.

 So, here it is:

 The smoke launchers I was talking about. I've set them to rest on the tool box, which made sure they won't fall off every time I'd rotate the turret. The machine gun, by the way, is all weird.

 Front of the tank with turret facing backwards. Nothing much to say that would be of any great importance, I've broken the lamp guards and glued them on regardless...who's gonna know, right? There are some cameras or sensors all over the hull that I shouldn't put on, as you can see.

 A size comparison photo with a humvee I've done way back in the summer. You can see T-90 is enormous, yet smaller than it's western counterparts.

 A close up on the turret. I really wanted to have the commander's hatch opened as I like people peeking out of my tanks, but as it opens forward, he couldn't really reach the machine gun, so I've decided to close it instead.

Well, that is it for today, I hope I'll manage to get some sculpting or painting done at least every second day from now on!

Thanks for looking,
Mathyoo

Parcel from Brummieland!

Earlier this week, I got a long anticipated parcel from mr. Brummie himself! Apparently we're in some sort of competition now, as contents of what he has sent to me is far better than what I've sent to him. He kindly donated me a copplestone casting couple (my first actual copplestone miniatures! :P), and both painted to his usual standard. I especially like the colours on the lady...she  reminds me of Jessica Rabbit, hehe. Armed with a pistol, she's great addition for SA games as a civilian or agent or future gangster wars (I'll get there!). Second miniature reminds me of mr. Poirot from the series, except this one looks more like he is making the crimes and not solving them! He is looking at the time, so I'd assume he either came too early or someone came too late!

The painting style seems a lot like my own, but finished miniatures look nothing like mine. After a while, I've came to figure it must be varnish that does the difference. I use big vallejo bottle of "mat" varnish that dries satin -.-.

Included in a parcel was another small step towards moderns games. Its Russian T-90 tank from Zhengdefu company. Now, all I know about company so far is, they're also called "Ki-tech" and that they steal kits from other companies (and photos on the cover). Tank is 1/48 scale and I think it will fit well with 28mm. I would prefer T-80 or even the legendary T-72 (it has higher variety of uses), but this one isn't bad at all. I found it on E-bay and got myself in a bit of a bid war...came out on top at 1.71 pounds, so I can't complain :P. I have to thank Simon once again for taking time and energy to actually go pick it up in person (seller was from the same city). Thanks, it is greatly, greatly appreciated!

According to the box, you can also get: M2 Bradley, M3 Bradley, Challenger, Merkava, M60 with reactive armour, Leopard, Marder, AMX 30, Type 74 (jap), Abrams, Type 90 (modern jap), T-80U, Leopard 2, Leclerc, T72. What I'd like to get is a marder and leopard, leclerc or challenger. That would give me great excuse to buy some empress brits or eurekas french or germans. I suppose germans would be best, I'd like the IFV. I've decided I'll leave the americans out, making it an european affair. Maybe make the US the baddies for a change? :P

Here are the contents:

Again, nothing too special, but it is a start to a WWW3 game...I'm still deciding if it will be set in Evergreen Fields, the place where everything bad happens or perhaps russian neo communist party has overthrown the goverment and is now sending its most modern tanks to spear the armoured thrust through northern Italy? As my humvees are actual transportation of our tank hunter units...how couldn't that be a great scenario? Now I need to get more tanks and make a long board with hills on both sides to ambush those tanks! :P

A bit of a brag post today, but it got me time to finish painting something for SA and something for zombie apocalypse/moderns, so I'll show those in my next posts!

Mathyoo