T-14 Armata Zvezda

Hi all
this will be my last model in 2022. Not sure I can finish it though as I will have to do some 1/1 scale work in my new home. Model building will certainly not be my number 1 priority (and missus one as well :smile: ) in the coming weeks.

Quality is Zvezda current standard. Nice detail, nice cast, good instructions. Assembly starts with the turret and fit issues come quite quick certainly because of the complex shape of the turret and the part design.

Anyway the kit is buildable but you need to pay some attention to the parts cleaning first and their alignment afterward.

Here are some pictures of the turret in progress.













Olivier

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Quite a complex start Olivier… Nice work though :+1:

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Following with interest, I have this beast assembled and waiting for paint.

Keep an eye for the fit of the front hull side armor panels and the light guard details/alignment, I had some issues there.

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Thanks for the hint Nikos. :+1:

I’ve made some progress on the beast. The turret is nearly done. I still have to glue the gun barrel. The aerials will be glued after the painting. The putty is mandatory to fill the gaps in front of the main sight.



The hull has been started. Unlike what the instructions state I’ve assembled the both hull halves before adding any details.




Olivier

6 Likes

Very nice Olivier… It’s building up well. Thought about the final look yet ? Parade finish or one that’s been on the area and driven about ?

I have assembled the suspension not without a surprise. The first swing arm base is fully flat while all the others have a raised part resulting in a misalignment of the arms in the vertical plan. So I deleted the raised parts.




@Johnnych01 I’m still hesitating about the finish. I’m a bit bored of the parade finish as I already have a couple of vehicles painted in it. However I’m not sure the 3 tone camo is actual as I have never seen any T-14 painted that way.

Olivier

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True, but there are so few of them, it may only ever appear in green ?? You could have a bit of artistic licence and go with a subtle 2 or 3 tone but faded … and like a trials vehicle ??

Cannot tell if this is true or graphics

and how about a dusty look

and this is a screenshot from a training video, I want to paint my build in a similar fashion. This photo also shows the fuel drums at the back

Some more:

how about a mix

image

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Looking good for the 3 tone :grin: :+1:

I guess you’ve convinced me to go the 3 tone way. :smile:

Olivier

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image

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Is this the 1/72 kit, or do they have one in 1/35?
:grin: :canada:

This is the 1/35 model.

Olivier

Hi Olivier,

That’s my T-14.
Inspiration from T-80 in artic camo seen during parade.



Stay safe
Pierre

10 Likes

Green for a winter camo?
Russians have odd camo ideas.

Not really, in fact, it is very effective (not that i’m at all on side with anything the Russians do).

Look at a winter landscape, anywhere other than the Antarctic tundra, and you will see that its far from an unbroken white vista. If you assume that the countryside generally contains many different shades of green and brown during the times of year when it isn’t covered in snow, then you will understand that this type of camouflage makes perfect sense.

In fact, if it was ‘all white’, it would stick out like a sore thumb.

Check the rubber on the third roadwheel (counted from the front)
The track also follows the slight variations in the ground, this is usually missed when doing graphics

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White snow
Brown tree trunks
Dark green pine/spruce needles
Black for the shadows under the trees

Light green for summer leaves is the only colour that should be left out

Winter ‘Splinter’ camouflage is actually a largely universally adopted scheme, and not just on vehicles. Our rifles were similarly camouflaged for Arctic warfare training in Norway.

In fact, winter splinter camouflage is a very basic and effrective scheme, i’m suprised that anyone is suprised by that.

Take for example, WWII German Night fighters. The obvious solution would be to paint them all black? But then they, like the RAF had discovered to its cost, simply displays a horrible black target against a night sky that was never completely black. Hence they adopted the light blue ‘mottled’ schemes for almost all their night fighters which proved to be extremely effective.

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