Good day guys!
First, some information about me, I’m quite a beginner (in fact!). I started modeling back in 2008, but after two sets (Zvezda Gaz-AA, Heller Impreza WRC), it stopped. Last year I decided to start this hobby again.
First I chose the Tamiya kit, I think everyone knows it well. It is a beginner friendly kit, good fits, not complicated to assemble. True, the turret shape is not completely accurate, and there are repair kits available, but I didn’t want to invest in an expensive resin kit at first.
I’m sure I made a few mistakes during the build, but with practice we improve.
For example, I struggled quite a bit with the smoke dischargers, small parts, unpracticed hands…I don’t think I got the angles right.
For priming I used Tamiya’s grey surface primer, while the base colour was Tamiya TS5. The other colours were also applied with Tamiya paint, and for the finer details (I know many people are against this) I used AK markers.
I would like to breathe some more life into it and practice some techniques. I’m planning to do some wears with dry brush technique, and some washing and dusting. I plan to use AK liquid dust and AMMO dark brown wash.
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In parallel with the construction, I also started a small vignette.
I imagined a concrete base. For this I used jewel concrete, a product of PentArt.
I scratched in the pattern and cracks while it was still wet.
I wanted to give it a little colour after drying, but the paint wasn’t thin enough, so I realised I had messed up a bit…
So, to tone it down, I used some concrete dust and a damp brush to try to improve the colour. I gave it a little sanding, then tried to tweak the overall effect a bit more with a dark brown wash and some pigment.
I’d like to fill in the dilatation gaps with a bit of dirt and some grasscloth.
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I like what I see so far.
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Glad you decided to get back into the hobby.
It looks like you built up the T72 very well. Keeping it out of the box and not adding anything is a good plan to use it as a base level kit to get used to modelling again.
The finish looks nice and once tracks are on, it will be a great little first build. From here you can progress with other kits and start looking at sensible after market items to suit your needs and how comfortable you are working with it all. Same goes for paint, learning new techniques and products to add to the kits you build.
The display base is a nice idea, again, keep it simple and then once you get new ideas or find out ways to improve on them, you can include those in future dio bases.
Great work so far.
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Looks light years better than my first T-72 build for sure! Nicely done. With a little practice the muscle memory returns for working with smaller parts like smoke dischargers. Lining them up on the money is tedious for very experienced modelers. I can’t wait to see more! The base is an excellent idea.
Welcome back to the hobby as other said.
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For a first armor model, that is an excellent result. You made the right decision, to start off pick Tamiya and build out of box. Then when you’ve perfected out of box builds, move on to aftermarket items. Cut your teeth on these basic Tamiya builds and you’ll get good, fast.
There’s nothing wrong with using AK Paint Markers. I’m a 50+ year modeler, and I think they are a fantastic product. I bought the whole big box and have been finding many uses for them. They’re great. Naysayers can just miss out.
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It’s a nice kit, & I was thinking about picking up another one…
IIRC it isn’t that the kit is inaccurate, but it models a fairly rare variant. I did my previous build in East German markings, to match one of the variants.
Damon.
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I think that your construction and painting look very good. These “vintage” Tamiya armor kits can still be turned into real gems. Your base is also looking very good and realistic.
Tom S.
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Nicely done.
This is my rendition, as a New Iraqi Army T-72M1.
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