Will the auto-loader be stuffing the gunner into the breech?

GMorrison

Will the auto-loader be stuffing the gunner into the breech?

 

Nope... the auto loaders were not introduced until the 125mm gun tanks, the T-64, T-72, and T-80. Before that they had the left handed short statured loaders on their 100mm and 115mm gunned tanks: T-54, T-55,  and T-62.

I can see it now: "Comerade! Are you left handed and small? Have we got a job for you!"

RBaer

I can see it now: "Comerade! Are you left handed and small? Have we got a job for you!"

 

Da tovarisch!

Glacis plate attachment points filled, cleaned up, and ready for parts that will be used..

Inner faces of tracks, road wheels rubber, and idler sprocket wheels bare metal portions painted...

and glued in place one one side....

once the other side is done, then I can paint the outer track faces and glue the upper hull in place...

!

Thanks G!

Today's update...

tracks on both sides... yay!

and the outer surfaces painted... wait for it... Humbrol "Track Colour"... I'm serious, that is the color name... a nice dirty grayish brown...

now all I need to do is dry brush on some steel onto the outer surface and then I can glue the upper hull in place... I also added some more detail parts to the turret and upper hull...

So I have to ask, did you cement the tracks in place? I always add them at the very last, painting the rest of the model as a unit- esp in something like this I hose down the whole thing in Soviet green.

Yes, the tracks are now glued in place. Normally, if I am going for a "field" look, I'll hold off painting until the end. But since the ones I am modeling were operating in a city and fairly clean, I had to paint all those areas properly, as the weathering will be much lighter. I just should have painted all the running gear first, and the inner faces of the tracks before assembly. 

Thanks! I do get in a rut with always doing things the same way, looking forward to seeing how you do this. 

stikpusher

 

 

GMorrison

Will the auto-loader be stuffing the gunner into the breech?

 

 

 

 

Nope... the auto loaders were not introduced until the 125mm gun tanks, the T-64, T-72, and T-80. Before that they had the left handed short statured loaders on their 100mm and 115mm gunned tanks: T-54, T-55,  and T-62.

 

When I climbed into an Iraqi Type 59, it was quite spacious compared to the Abrams and even had more interior space than the old M48 and M60s I crewed.

Looking good Stik, I really liked the rubberband trick ya did. That was slick.

Rob Gronovius

 

 

stikpusher

 

 

GMorrison

Will the auto-loader be stuffing the gunner into the breech?

 

 

 

 

Nope... the auto loaders were not introduced until the 125mm gun tanks, the T-64, T-72, and T-80. Before that they had the left handed short statured loaders on their 100mm and 115mm gunned tanks: T-54, T-55,  and T-62.

 

 

 

 

When I climbed into an Iraqi Type 59, it was quite spacious compared to the Abrams and even had more interior space than the old M48 and M60s I crewed.

 

Really? I remember going into an M-48 and a T-54 or T-55 at Benning at one of the training ranges there when I was in OSUT. I thought that the 48 was roomier inside. But then again, I was no tanker and did not live in them like you did. 

Maybe Rob is short and left handed.

GM, you'd have to ask Rob about that. 

Armornut, the rubber band was good for the halves... a little too much tension for getting the whole thing set up when one half is still drying and flexible....

Gamera, here ya go...

Testors square bottle Steel dry brushed onto the tracks...

upper hull glued in place...

and more small bits glued in place today...

Tomorrow I can start the plumbing of the fender fuel cells , and possibly get the last bits glued on...

Really nice work on those tracks.  I use the same Testor's steel paint on my tracks.

Thank you Marcus... I'll be making mine look something like this... 

no heavy weathering as you can see...

So, on the tactical level, that tank has two big lights. One on the top of the turret and one right in front of the hatch.

Do you know what those do?

GMorrison

So, on the tactical level, that tank has two big lights. One on the top of the turret and one right in front of the hatch.

Do you know what those do?

 

Those are IR projector lights to work with active IR night vision devices. The one alongside the main gun is connected by a linkage and elevates and depresses co axially with the gun. It works primarily for the gunner and his night sight. The other is the commanders and rotates with the cupola for use with a night sight mounted there. 

1st generation type night vision devices required a light source projecting on IR wave lengths to illuminate their field of vision. Image intensification devices and imaging infrared require no such light source to work.

Today's update:

Fender fuel tanks plumbed...

and last bits added to the glacis...

I just need to glue the fuel drums and snorkel tube in place, and add a couple stowage items after painting... about 97% done with construction now...

!!

GMorrison

Maybe Rob is short and left handed.

 

I am a very short person. The M48A5 had ammo storage on the turret floor. The 105 was a bigger gun with bigger rounds. The turret was designed to mount a 90mm and the ammo was smaller.

Hello SP,
Tracks look good and the plumber in you has done a good job as well.
Interesting story with those hardpoints and hydraulic hoses.

Never bothered to think about what they where there for until I read this pice.
And then I realized I have them on my T-62 and T-74. 

Amazing waste concidering that the pictures showing them "in use" are so rare.
Good to see how you follow the reference pictures.

Will you add the damage to the fenders?

Looking forward to see some paint on this :)

Best regards

Johan

Great work Stik and nice job on those tracks.

I am surprised the driver doesn't have his own night vision equipment. We had that type of set up on our FV 432's even into the 90's and 2000's.

Bish

Great work Stik and nice job on those tracks.

I am surprised the driver doesn't have his own night vision equipment. We had that type of set up on our FV 432's even into the 90's and 2000's.

 

Thanks Bish. And yes, I am pretty certain that the drivers the T-55 has a night vision periscope as well. The lights on the glacis are set up with an IR headlamp, and a blackout drive headlamp.

Our M113s had the same set up along with a white light headlamp going back to the origins of that vehicle. In the 50's both NATO and the Soviets were both developing and  fielding night vision systems for their armies. 

JohanT

Hello SP,
Tracks look good and the plumber in you has done a good job as well.
Interesting story with those hardpoints and hydraulic hoses.

Never bothered to think about what they where there for until I read this pice.
And then I realized I have them on my T-62 and T-74. 

Amazing waste concidering that the pictures showing them "in use" are so rare.
Good to see how you follow the reference pictures.

Will you add the damage to the fenders?

Looking forward to see some paint on this :)

 

Best regards

Johan

 

Thank you Johan. The attacment points make sense in that it allows multiple vehicles in a unit to be used for breaching mine fields or other obstacles as long as the add on equipment is present. I'm sure in some supply warehouse somewhere, they had the stuff sitting for just that purpose. The photos show those fittings more commonly seen from the early 70s onward. Just not at the time period that I am depicting here. Although no with the AA machine gun on T-55s. And yes, I have learned to follow reference photos as much as I can. 

No, I am not going to do the damaged fenders on this build. I have found that plenty of the tanks in Prague were had intact fenders as well. I think the ones in the "spearhead" of the action were more beat up than the follow on elements. 

Thank you Bob. After my last T-55 basedproject, I learned that it was best to do all the drilling and plumbing layout before the tanks are glued in place... hindsight in modeling is truly 20/20, and lessons learned can be applied... 

Today's progress... not a whole lot really, but...

Fuel drums glued on to their rack on the rear, and then I added some new strip styrene mounting points for the snorkel tube that was positioned differently on the T-55's in Operation Danube than the kit offers.

Then I swung by Brookhurst Hobbies and grabbed up a set of figures for this

I'm all ready to start slinging paint tomorrow...

stikpusher

 

 

Bish

Great work Stik and nice job on those tracks.

I am surprised the driver doesn't have his own night vision equipment. We had that type of set up on our FV 432's even into the 90's and 2000's.

 

 

 

 

Thanks Bish. And yes, I am pretty certain that the drivers the T-55 has a night vision periscope as well. The lights on the glacis are set up with an IR headlamp, and a blackout drive headlamp.

Our M113s had the same set up along with a white light headlamp going back to the origins of that vehicle. In the 50's both NATO and the Soviets were both developing and  fielding night vision systems for their armies. 

 

That must be the light on the right side then i guess.

I think our 432's were almost a copy of the 113, just with the driver on the other side. We had 2 headlights on each side with the IR filter going on the inside ones if i remember right.

The IR systems go back to the 40's. I think most people know about the German development by the Soviets and western allies were working on them as well.

Nice work there with all the detail stuff and looks like a great set of figures. I've used the Zvesda (I think) set but not these.