Hello everyone!
Well, after a long weekend of planting and yardwork, I've put some paint on her....but first, I added a few more details here...the first being this recess on the turret side---there's a tube coming out of the turret here on the T-42 which also had a very similar turret to this tank--perhaps the same one? Anyway, you can see that tube there--there's a similar one on the other side of the T54. This open recess bothered me just being bare, so I put the vestiges of a tube there. Whatever it is....homing pigeon turret access? 
You can tell that it definitely doesn't protrude like the T42's, but I think it looks better than nothing being there? Interestingly, the kit's DS plastic mantlet cover covers this part up, but it's definitely a component of the turret, if you look at reference photos.
I also screwed up in assmbling the return rollers---I should have only glued the inside ones to the hull, as per my indy track linik strategy....so I cut them in half and glued the inner ones in there. This willl help me align the tracks when I build them.
Finally, I put a hatch pad and a periscope in the TC's hatch. It just looks better if I decide to leave it open, and I may....I have a cool idea for this tanks' ultimate finish...
Painting started with a Tamiya mix of almost Black-green.
Next, a coat of Tamiya XF-62, old school OD. Shaded in my usual way.
I then added about 20% white--I wanted a cold highlight, so I didn't use a tan or yellow which would have made a warmer highlight--and used a mask cut from an index card to do some "modulation" on the front hull.
Then I highlighted the whole model, concentrating on the high points and shading the highlight color down the sides to make a more 3-D rendering of a a paint coat.
Put together, it looks pretty good already.
Next up, decals....and then, a twist...I think it's going to be cool. Think "Korea, 1954; the Armistice fails.." 
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Stay tuned!