Miniart T-54-3 Interior done (well almost)

[Mead93]

This kit was a slog! I started back in February and worked on it pretty much every other day for the past 5 months. I had a blast, it’s not perfect, but it’s 100% my best effort to date. Kit was built OOB except for the tow cables (Miniart has way too much confidence the plastic ones won’t break during the bending required to bend them).

I say almost done as I need to reattach two prices, and I think I’ll weather it more when my skills improve. I’m too happy with it right now to tinker with the finish.

I’ve left the turret roof removable (secured with white tack), and all the hatches movable. I’ll post more interior shots of the turret tomorrow when I remove the roof. As well as more overall pictures. Comments welcome!

[metalhead85]

Wow it came great. Great job on the engine and interior. Nice job all around!

[Armorsmith]

Congrats of a fine build.

[Mead93]

Thanks guys! I’m really happy with how it turned out. I learned a ton in this build, and had lots of fun.

[Panzer_modeler]

Very nice build! With just a small bit of weathering it will look amazing!

[kornbeef]

Really nice, I agree with above, just a touch of weathering would make it look ace.

[Armor_Buff]

Nicely done

The brass shells look excellent!

[Mead93]

Thanks man! I used Vallejo brass on them, by far the best brass paint I’ve used. I was pretty happy with how it turned out. Has good metallic flake size and goes on smooth.

[Mead93]

I was planning to do a bit more washes, then oil dot streaking on the front glacis and turret sides, and dusty brown pigments on the lower hull

[Bison126]

Congratulations on the result. I especially like the weather hood for the driver. This kind of details gives life to a model.

Olivier

[Mead93]

Thanks! And too think I almost left it off! I always find it interesting what part of a model draws someone’s interest!

As promised more detail pictures and pictures of the turret interior (in my opinion the best part of the kit)!

[SSGToms]

I like that last shot the most. It shows the smooth lines of the outside of the tank, juxtaposed with the busy interior within.

[Mead93]

Thanks! It really is an interesting shot. Often, at least for me it’s easy to forget the technology that goes into tanks, and how complex they are inside when you only see exterior shots.

I really liked building an interior kit. For someone who has never been inside an AFV it gave me an appreciation for the complexity of these vehicles, and the challenge of operating them. I can’t imagine trying to swing one of those 100mm rounds into the breach in that cramped turret

[Richard_Herrington]

Great work. Those ICM kits can definitely challenge you.

[Mead93]

I’ve decided I will weather this one, testing each new technique on scrap. First up, I applied a filter made from a mix of Winsor Newton raw umber and ivory black. This applied fairly wet, allowed to dry to the point where there was a slight sheen from the thinner, and then it was brushed lightly to blend. I worked on very small areas, so it took a while but it felt more controlled this way. In my opinion it

1. unified the paint a bit,
2. made it flatter and took away the residual sheen from my satin coat
3. warmed the color up and made it lighter green which I was shooting for
4. made details pop a bit.
5. made some of pre shading effort pop back out

The turret in the following hasn’t had the filter/overall wash yet. In my opinion it looks cooler in tone, less blended, and has less detail pop out

[bwilt]

Absolutely beautiful!!
And if you don’t want to do to much weathering, you could always put these figures with it, then the tank would have been kept clean…