Hello everybody!

armornut, Gamera - thanks a lot for your suggestions, I thought about them while trying to work out my own way. It took me the whole December, but at last here's the update:

First I would like to say that in the model you actually have to reverse the order present in the real thing - I mean normally you have a green vehicle and you put spots of different colours on it. On the model you start with the spots by masking them and then you put the "base" colour last.

To get some coherent results I have created a plan in CorelDraw to have something to hold on to. I actually only had a not so clear YouTube video (this one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NtcquzZydXs) to work with, and it only shows the machine from one side. No other photos of this camo scheme are available, so I used my artistic licence. What I actually did was to take the patterns from one side, reverse them and put them on the other side, with modifications where necessary.

I have also noiced that people painting the camo were very practical - they carefully avoided painting on the highest surfaces, on complicated features and so on.

And so I started by putting on the first colour - black, or in this case actually the dark grey, Humbrol 32:

As you can see the masking is already on, and I have also masked the window seals, let's see how this turns out. I'm mainly using Tamiya tape cut up in 2mm squares. In places I have already painted patches of brown, where this is better to mask before next colour. And the next colour is sand, Humbrol 121:

The masking is already there on the above photos and the next colour is Brown, Humbrol 113:

The final colour took some matching but I have finally settled on Humbrol 149. I don't know why they went with this untypically green colour, but that's just how the video shows it. And finally the thrilling moment - removing the masks... Bada bim, bada boom:

I'm glad to say this didn't turn out so bad - a few touchups here and there will be necessary, but the painting IMO nicely conveys the spirit of the original, so I'm glad.

Now I'll try to concentrate on details and put it all together.

Thanks for looking and have a nice day

Paweł

     I owe you the thanks Pawel, your visualisation of how the camo was applied, of course your pix help too, show me an easier way to achive the pattern I'm looking for. Man that is AWESOME....now to find where I hid my Scud. LOL

Looks pretty friggin perfect to me. I have no idea when I'll get around to masking the ZTZ-99 but I'll be looking at what you've done here for an example for sure.

armornut, Gamera - thanks a lot for your comments and for your kind words! If my posts here could help you in any way then it makes me very happy! Good luck with your modelling projects and have a nice day

Paweł

Hello!

It took a lot of time, but I have finally managed to pigment the wheels and dirty up the undercarriage to look a bit like my reference, using pigments, but also Humbrol paint applied by airbrush. Dry fitting everything resulted in the pictures that can be seen below:

The thing that really slowed me down was the gyroscope - or the "elefant's foot" like some people call it. This part was top secret for a long time and couldn't be photographed. Now that good photos of it turned up on the net, it can be seen, that Zvezda took a major shortcut here. While in the raised position one could let it pass, in the lowered position like I want to show it, it's unacceptable for me. Let's look at some pictures - first the part out of the box (well almost) with some instructions for it:

The real thing looks like this:

Now something's got to be done about it...

Thanks for looking and have a nice day

Paweł

Oh wow, looks fantastic!!!

And that gyroscope- seriously simplified! Looking forward to seeing how you correct it.

Thanks a lot for your comment and for your kind words! I decided to make a 3D printed part for the gyroscope - this way I can also hopefully help other people building the Topol and not only help myself. Let's see how this turns out. Thanks again and have a nice day

Paweł

 That has to be an older tech gimbled mech gyro, putting it on the ground must give it a reference. Keep it up Pawel, me....still waiting for the 35th. Like what ya got so far.

Hello!

Thanks a lot for your comment and for your kind words! Interesting remark about that gyro - sure must be an interesting piece of technology. Let's see when your 1/35 design shows up! Have a nice day

Paweł

Hello!

I have managed to draw up that gyro in 3D. I was surprised by the speed I got my part - not even a week after uploading the model I was holding the part in my hands. I've just painted it with Tamiya grey primer - without it it's really hard to photograph it -and marked the sprues (to be cut off) red. And here are the photos:

Now I have to detail my baby a little with wire and paint it right colour.

Should anybody want a copy, it's available here:

https://www.shapeways.com/product/GSLQBKMQD/1-72-correct-gyroscope-for-the-ss-25-topol-launche

So what do you say? Thanks for looking and have a nice day

Paweł

What do you say

Yeah, a BIG improvement there!

A huge difference very realistic compared to the kit part. Love following along thanks for posting.

Joe

Hello!

Clint, Gamera, Joe - thanks a lot for your comments and for your kind words!

For now I did some cleanup of the part an I'm adding a few more wires to it - stuff that couldn't be reliably printed. After that I'll start painting it.

Thanks again and have a nice day!

Paweł

Hello!

I've got my gyro detailed with copper and lead wire, painted up and installed. I'm pleased to report, that it fits just fine. Also, a little sanding now and then and two layers of Tamiya spray primer took care of the "grain" left by the printer. The front right corner of the truck now looks like this:

Thanks for looking and have a nice day!

Paweł

Cool, the wiring looks good, super nice work!

 Now that is a real nice gyro ya got there Pawel, I must agree with the others above. HUGE improvement over the kit.

       Could be awhile for the 35th....gotta pay for my new pickup.

Gamera, armornut - thanks a lot for your comments and for your kind words! I'm glad I could improve my model and the computers have made it a lot easier - at the research phase, but also at the design and manufacturing phase. The really cool thing, though, is I can easily share my design with all people interested in it!

Now I'm working on the cabin doors - lots of detail there!

Thanks again and have a nice day

Paweł

Hello!

And here are the doors, like I wrote you. The kit from the Crosshair Models not oly gives you tiny details like the door handles, but also some decals (also tiny) - makes for a nice looking subassembly:

Like you can see on the photo, I have secured the part for detailing by fixing it to a popsicle stick with a piece of masking tape folded to form a "pipe" with the sticky side out. Makes for a very handy handle.

Now there are only the last tiny details left!

Thanks for looking and have a nice day!

Paweł

You are an ambisious fellow Pawel, that is some amazing detail your putting in....especially in 72nd. Just a curiosity why do the Russians paint thier interiors such wierd colors. Love your Topol none the less.

armornut - thanks a lot for your kind words! I'm trying my best. Like they say - a model worth building is worth building it well!

As for the colour we're talking rocket forces here, so they are related to the air force and use similar colours. But why are they so funny? I've read that while the west universally went for grey to make the work of the people inside more comfortable (non distracting, neutral colour), the Soviet air force decided to make the colour slightly mood altering, hence the green tone (optimism, hope) - sounds funny but that's the only explanation I have found online. Maybe someone has a better one?

Thanks for reading and have a nice day

Paweł

   Thanks for the info Pawel, makes sense when ya think about it. OR they did it to give model builders fits trying to match LOL. HAPPY MODELLING good sir.

Oh wow, that's some crazy detail on such a tiny door. Nice work again! 

armornut, Gamera - thanks a lot for your kind words!

I've got one last photo to add as the detailing goes:

Please note the PE guard around the light on the roof (comes from the cabins set), cabin steps made out of copper wire and the ladder that I have soldered from similar wire.

Next photos should now be shots of the completed model, but I'm waiting for the right lighting to shoot them. So please stay tuned and have a nice day

Paweł

Oh wow! Nice, love the mud and dirt on the tires and lower hull. 

Hello everybody!

Gamera - thanks a lot for your kind words! Its a mix of pigment (mainly tires, Vallejo Light Siena) and airbrush dusting (Humbrol sand, 93 or something like that).

And that baby is officially finished, and here are the photos:

I'd like to especially thank Gamera and armornut - guys, without your continuing interest posting here wouldn't be as much fun!

Thanks for lookin' and have a nice day

Paweł

Cool model. Sure is a whopper. 

I like the camo and the mud. 

Nice build, Pawel.

T e d

Oh wow, she is a monster! Any thought about putting her on a base, even just a simple one? Maybe a figure to show how big she is?

Great job and thanks for letting us follow along on your build!!!

Ted, Gamera - thanks a lot for your comments and for your kind words!

Gamera - the base would probably have to be a worn out piece of scale concrete, that's where they usually launch them from. As for the figure - where do you get a 1:72 scale Russian officer? But it will have to do without a base for some time now, I have to optimize the use of display space for now.

Thanks again and have a nice day!

Paweł

Your welcome Pawel, thank you for the nod....I kinda needed it.

    That monster looks really awesome, and your scratch built upgrades really make it pop. It was fun to follow along. Looking forward to seeing more of your work, MAYBE I'll get off my lazy duff and finish some of my projects.