After completing my SU-122-54, I decided to add another vehicle from the same family to my collection. This time I chose MiniArt’s T-55A NVA (kit 37083) and lets a build this beautiful model.
As expected from MiniArt’s recent releases, the kit is very well detailed and enjoyable to build. Very few modifications were required, apart from replacing a couple of the finer headlight wires with thinner wire for a more realistic appearance.
One of the highlights of this kit is the extensive amount of external equipment and stowage details. Another welcome feature is the RMSh tracks included in the kit. In my opinion, they are noticeably easier to assemble than the earlier OMSh tracks, which usually require a considerable amount of patience and effort to complete.
For this project I plan to keep the finish relatively clean. The tank will be painted in the characteristic East German NVA green and weathered only lightly. I have decided against a winter camouflage scheme, as I think the T-55A looks attractive enough in its standard finish and does not need to be hidden under a layer of whitewash.
I hope you will enjoy following the build. Comments and suggestions are always welcome.
Nice, and I agree on the color.Those darker wheels are noticeably different. Intentional depiction of wheels from two different real world manufacturers?
Base color:
XF-67 NATO Green — 50%
XF-58 Olive Green — 25%
XF-4 Yellow Green — 10%
XF-2 White — 15%
Highlight color:
Base mix
XF-4 +10%
XF-2 +10%
XF-18 Medium Blue +5%
Road wheel rubber:
XF-69 NATO Black — 75%
XF-63 German Grey — 20%
XF-2 White — 5%
Filter:
Blue — 50%
Green — 30%
Black — 10%
Panel line wash:
Grey
(The wash is not visible in the photos yet.)
I’m not entirely sure if I nailed the exact NVA shade or not. Once the model is fully finished with all the weathering, filters and final details, I’ll post the completed result and you can be the judges.
Personally, I feel the color could perhaps be a little more saturated. It turned out slightly paler than I originally expected, but I’m curious to see how it looks once everything is brought together in the final stages.
That was not intentional. All the wheel rims were painted using the same color mix, but the lighting and photography seem to make some of them appear darker than others. Looking at the photos, I can definitely see what you mean.
The idea of depicting replacement wheels from different manufacturers is actually quite interesting, though!
I must admit I get confused over the NVA colours. I believe there were 2 iterations: the first being a pale grey/green which is certainly what I recall from the 70s. This was followed, and I don’t quite know when by a more vivid green, which I believe you have depicted on your model.
