Rye Field T-34/D30 Self-Propelled Howitzer now in possession so will be building that - used in Yom Kippur war
The clip in question.
Wonderful Dio, I just wish he went into a bit more detail on his build so I could steal ideas 
Translation of the video description according to google translate:
"Building a T-55 of the Rhodesian Armored Corps had been a wish of mine for a long time, and when MiniArt released the matching Polish T-55 kit in 2019, which also contained the Rhodesian version, I was one of my wish big step closer.
The T-55 from Miniart is a very special kind of kit: You are literally struck by the number of injection molded parts and individual parts. The assembly is therefore not child’s play and quite demanding, but the components all fit together well and the result is very detailed and consistent. I painted the model with acrylic paints from Revell, oil paints and earth from my garden were used for aging.
The characters were a challenge of their own. First I had to find suitable figures that I could convert into Rhodesian soldiers with as little effort as possible, as this 1/35 scale topic is not served by any manufacturer I know. The tanker is based on a WWII US Marine mechanic from The Bodi, the shooter is actually an Australian dog handler from the Vietnam War by Callsign Models. A few adjustments were necessary in each case to represent the soldiers reasonably correctly. The crocodile is from MAIM and was used without any changes.
The diorama consists of a wooden board to which several styrofoam sheets have been glued. I glued balsa wood panels to the outer edges. The terrain was then cut to size and the styrofoam was covered with a thin layer of mortar. Then the area was further shaped with modeling clay and then coated with a mixture of earth, wood glue and water to represent the ground. The plants come from MiniNatur, Fredericux Rex, Vallejo and DioramaPresepe. The acacia comes from Coniferi Silvis."
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need to start NOW… impatient man that I am… well can wait until Monday I suppose
I’m the same way. Happily, for this one, I have a bunch of things on my table I need to clear off before I’ll have room.
Same here. I have 3 campaigns I’m in the middle of builds for , 1 I haven’t even started building and then 2 that start on March 1st (including this one). Need to clear my desk ASAP.
have some painting to do tomorrow/Saturday (priming and white on Pz III) so that will keep me out of mischief
I am in the same boat as you guys. Final weathering on my Lend Lease build, 2 others in the paint/weathering queue, one in building phase and another to be started… suckers for punishment aren’t we…
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We’ll be using GMT for the start time, so 24 hours from now we’ll be live. Please post your start pic then and then, have fun! I’m looking forward to this one.
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T-34 D/30 has so many holes to open up I have had to order new drill bits!!! tomorrow…
And we are now live! Look forward to seeing everyone’s builds! I’ll post a pic of my T-55 still in its cellophane in the next day or two. Not sure I’ll start on it soon.
My entry. A box packed full of sprues. My polish built T-55 which will be painted up in the colours of the Rhodesian Army. Hopefully will get started in a few days.
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Nice. I’m doing a Polish production T-55 also, mine in Iranian service (captured from Iraq). I’m really looking forward to it (both yours and mine!)
Here is my entry - RFM 1/35 T-34 D30 Syrian 122mm Self Propelled Howitzer of the Yom Kippur war
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That is a very interesting vehicle! I can’t wait to see how it takes shape!
I took a deep dive into the instructions last night and I have to say I am a bit intimidated. The instructions are insane. I thought Trumpeter tank kits were dense but yikes. Despite there being no interior, this is easily the busiest, most detailed vehicle I will have built. I have used Pontos PE sets on 1/350 ships that were less detailed and in depth than this.
Study your references closely because there are not a lot of callouts between the different marking options in the instructions. You just have to kinda know which versions to use.
This will be a challenge certainly not a quick build. I can’t wait!
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If you’ve never done a MiniArt T55 may I suggest you build the lower hull before you do the running gear. The bottom pan is very flimsy and makes it very difficult to align the running gear parts. Adding the sides and rear plate stiffens the pan and makes alignment easier and more certain. Good luck.
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I’ve somehow never built anything by MiniArt (or ICM it seems). I will take all the help and suggestions I can get. Thank you sir!
There is this online build I’ve studied some: The Modelling News: Build Guide Pt II: 1:35th scale T-55A EARLY Mod. 1965 from MiniArt - Turret & top of the hull details
The link is to part ii but there is a part i you can get to also. And there is a Tiran build thread on this forum with a lot of interesting additions to a standard kit.
They are a handful. My first MiniArt T55 build can best be described as tedious. Lots of small fiddly parts. Overengineered to be sure. It does turn out nice in the end but I am not convinced the effort was worth it in terms of time and aggravation. I have a second kit Czech production, that will sit for awhile till I muster the gumption to have a go at it. Till then some relaxing Tamiya builds.