Best Tank that Never Was - Part 3!

[Jakko]

Somebody pointed out that it would have had a cable reel and connecting points for field telephone wire on the back, so I really had to add those too. The AFV Club YPR kit includes a reel, so that was easy, but I had no idea what the phone connectors look like. Luckily, though, I happen to own the 1983 edition of the YPR 765’s technical manual, and that includes a section about them:

They’re really just three sheet metal covers over two connectors each (telefoonaansluitingen means “telephone connectors”), and once I knew that, I could look at the parts in the YPR kit I’ve been using for the turret and some other bits, and found the ones that represent these things. I measured them up and then just cuts three bits of plastic strip to the right size, without bothering to add any more details because those would be on the underside to keep them out of the rain. On the YPR those are sort of visible because they’re on a sloping armour plate, but on my Piranha they would be on the backward-sloping rear plate, so I didn’t see a need to add the connectors. Also, I put a back plate on the AFV Club cable reel holder so it fits above the right tail light:

And with that I’m really done building this vehicle Tomorrow, I’ll be going to a modelling show/meet at a local museum, and will of course be taking this one along.

[Jakko]

On the advice of someone more knowledgeable about Dutch armoured vehicles than I am, I added mesh over the grilles on the engine deck, because this was a feature of all Dutch troop carriers. I used mesh from Tamiya kits I built in times of yore:

It may appear that they’re a bit wavy, but that’s an optical illusion caused by interference between the lines of the grilles and the grid of the mesh.

When that had dried, I sprayed the whole model Mr. Aqueous H78 Olive Drab (1), which is a near-perfect match for RAL 6014 with which the Dutch Army painted its vehicles:

The paint is still a bit wet in this picture, and maybe a little thin on the roof because the airbrush was running on fumes by the time I was done, but I’ll fix that later where it needs to be. It has reminded me why I prefer tracked to wheeled vehicles, though Getting paint into all the nooks and crannies of the suspension was a lot of work.

[BootsDMS]

'Love it Jakko - this really is looking very good indeed.

[BootsDMS]

A bit more work on the base and a test positioning:

[barkingdigger]

Brian, Vlad called - he wants to borrow your tank!

[BootsDMS]

Coming to the final phase now; I have to incorporate the figures and add all to the base:

The gin? Well, I’ve been trying to get an order processed with Accurate Armour all day - to no avail!

[rfbaer]

Gin always helps.

[BootsDMS]

Sure does Russel; lesson one - kill the pain(!)

[Terry1954]

Snap! I can get orders in my basket but when I come to pay … complete hang of everything for ages. When I go back in hours later, nothing there. I’ve sent a message on their internal system telling them what I’m trying to order, to see if they want to make some money that way!

[BootsDMS]

In fairness I did send a rather querulous email late Fri evening; to their credit they answered it saying they were having problems, but I think the interest (from customers) has overwhelmed them a bit.

I plan on sending another email early tomorrow with a list of all those kits/accessories I can’t possibly live without, with a view to sending them a cheque once they’ve calculated the postage/articulated truck costs.

In the meantime back to the gin(!)

[barkingdigger]

It’s sad knowing we’re at the end of the first-gen AM parts party. Sure, there are plenty of new companies out there, but it still hurts when the Old Guard fade away! Especially if they do it before you can get your last order in…

Still, I’m sure their kits will crop up on Evilbay, complete with ridiculously-inflated prices!

[BootsDMS]

And today Comrades, the lunch menu is:

Borscht (in an insulated container which the crew have brought with them).
Bread from State Bakery No 11 (the wrapping paper making an ad hoc tablecloth).
A tin of gherkins – from Canning Factory No 73.

The Private slicing the loaf (and charged with drawing up the rations) has forgotten to bring along a ladle so is using his mess kit lid as such; he’ll probably receive a punch from his Commander shortly.

And the crew commander, well versed in the harsh realities of Soviet military life, has brought along a bottle of vodka, just to ease the sting of existence.

“Vodka?” I hear you ask; well, when I was working with my esteemed Intelligence Corps brethren in HQ BAOR back in the day, I recall from the many BRIXMIS reports we received (BRIXMIS being the Brit liaison mission given to buccaneering around East Germany), how often the reports would say something on the lines of, “Praporshchik so-and-so smelt strongly of vodka”, or "Captain X smelt strongly of alcohol”, so the SNCO vehicle commander is just doing what Soviet soldiers do to get through the working day.

All items shown to be matted down shortly. A modelling note: Soviet messing kit appears to be practically identical to Wehrmacht ones so that’s what I’ve used, from a Miniart kit.

[BootsDMS]

I forgot to mention that the food container came from FoxHopp Models - with a ladle.

[BootsDMS]

So, after a hard morning’s thrashing all over the training area, the T-74 has come to a halt; the engine is switched off, and the hot metal slowly cools, ticking as it does in the sudden silence. The three crew disembark, easing their cramped limbs and reaching for the inevitable cigarettes. They begin to prepare their meal, the bulk of which is in an insulated food container, and consists of borscht (too much of a cliché? Well, it was all I could think of). This is augmented by a loaf of bread which one of the crew is slicing, and a tin of gherkins, all spread on the ground on the waxed-paper the Army-issue bread was wrapped in. Their mess kits are ready for the meal (Soviet ones seem to have been a clone of Wehrmacht ones so that is what I’ve used). There is also a bottle of vodka. Vodka? Well, I recall from the endless BRIXMIS reports received when I worked in HQ BAOR, how often it was remarked that “Captain so-and-so smelt strongly of alcohol”, or “the Praporshchik reeked of vodka”, so bearing that in mind I placed a bottle amongst the crew. Needless to say, the project officer is nowhere to be seen.

One of the crew’s helmets is still connected to the tank’s radio and is nearby in case the project officer, or worse, the political officer, wants them; I’ve no idea whether or not one can hear sufficiently well enough from a Sov headset remoted out but I went with the idea anyway.

I also have no idea if any connecting cable within a tank was as long as I’ve shown it, however, I imagine that during trials there may well be the requirement for say, an observer to be connected to the tank radio while, for instance, gun trials are underway, if only to listen in and ensure the correct drills and orders are being made, so I’ve gone with the extended cable concept.

Anyway, whilst technically a What-If, here we have it; very nearly the shape of things to come, or at least back in the late 70s/early 80s, whereby, as its designer Morozov, opined, “NATO will have puppies” – as indeed they might have!

And that folks is that; the idea was to portray the tank as if it had reached prototype stage, and given the relative sparseness of Trumpeter’s model, (which, remember, was a model of a model) was quite enjoyable as I tried to reason what would/could be added where.

Over to you.

[SSGToms]

Great build and nice scene.

[Johnnych01]

Nice little scene Brian. Put together really well and looks just right. Great work.

[BootsDMS]

Thanks fellas - always nice to hear!

[Jakko]

Slowly getting closer to finishing this by spraying highlights onto the panels:

[frank]

Nice build and scenario.

[BootsDMS]

Thanks Frank; It was an easy enough build - once I’d added Trumpeter’s own separate tracks - and deciding what it might have ended up like was great fun.