Trumpeter 1:35 T-62 ERA Model 1972

[MarkVerploeg]

Hi guys
This will be the build thread for my T-62 with ERA model of 1972 in 1/35 scale by Trumpeter
It's not quite my usuall build subject as i don't do modern vehicles that often
And this one has quite the funny reason for getting it
I was watching a youtube video by the Mighty Jingles where he was commenting on a World of Tanks replay featuring a player that was playing his T-62A
While i was watching i thought :hey those look kind of cool
Maybe i should get a model of one of these tanks
So i first started to look for some pictures of real T-62 tanks to see if i like it enough to get a kit that is way out of my comfort zone
And several pictures showed tanks covered in ERA blocks
Besides looking cooler then a plain tank it could offer a nicer platform for painting and weathering too
Not all these blocks need to have the same color after all
And so i went shopping for a couple of russian tanks including a T-62
And i found a big bunch of Trumpeter T-62 kits
To my suprise the ERA version wich is one of the older ones was also the cheapest of the bunch so that made choosing even easier

And this is the kit i got

The box art


Hull tub and turret shell


Upper hull and lower turret ring


Fenders and all kinds of stuff that go on the fenders


Side skirts for the ERA blocks
I think these are larger then the regular side skirts but i could be wrong


Various parts


Engine deck


Wheels without a molded on tyre


Seperate tyres
To make them look a little worn down i will sand the ribs of the tyres



Track links


A bunch of small sprues
The gun looks pretty good


Sprues with the ERA blocks


Decals and photo etch


A pretty nice metal barrel
There is no rifling inside but i don't know if this should be a smooth bore gun or not


Instructions and painting guide
I already noticed i need to order paints but i had to do that already for another build so that won't be a problem

I wanted to start building today but so far nothing is done yet
But i hope to get some work done soon

Take care and happy modelling
Cheers
Mark

[arilo76]

Good luck with that and keep posting

[MarkVerploeg]

Thanks Antonio

[ElCapitan]

Looks like a decent kit. Good luck with the build!

[MarkVerploeg]

Thanks Rob
Didn't get a chance to start builing it yet but i will get to it during the next couple of days

[SergioSolo]

Great choice! Looking forward to seeing more progress

[MarkVerploeg]

Thanks
I hope to post it soon

[MarkVerploeg]

Hi guys
So i have a little update for this build
Today i have been working on the hull of the T-62
Wich is okay
The large parts have a good fit but some of the smaller have some design issues like the sides of the storage boxes wich are larger then the fronts
But also some hooes that i needed to drill according to the instruction but those where the wrong size and location
But that will be shown later on in this update


Work starts with the wheels just like almost every tank
But i skipped this and started with the hull


I had to check the instructions but they made a mistake
The towinghooks are not mentionned in the instructions but they are on the A sprues
Besides that this was a easy part of the build


The sides of the final drives where fitted (hooks still missing)


Then it was time for the upper plate of the hull
On the sides you can see the sets of holes i had to drill
And there where some holes that needed filling


The holes where supossed to be for the rows of bolts
But the locating pins didn't fit so i ended up cutting those off and glueing the parts straight on the hull


The hull plate has a great fit in the hull tub
It could be friction fitted but i glued it in anyway


The panels for the engine deck
For some reason they give you pe grills and then let you cover them


Again a very nice fit in the hull

Next step are the fenders and large side skirts wich i am building at the moment
Once those are finished it is time for the ERA on the hull amd then the hull should be about finished

So that is all i have for now
Thatnks for stoppimg by and having a look
Take care and happy modelling
Cheers
Mark

[digger303]

I know this is coming together as a great build.

[MarkVerploeg]

Thanks Digger
It is a pretty nice kit but with a little bit of extra attention it could have been even better

[MarkVerploeg]

Hi guys
So i think it time for a update
By now the hull is build and i started with the turret
So for now i will show the second part of the hull construction


Right after the basic hull the work moves on to the fenders
These go together pretty well but some of the sides of the storage boxes where higher then the fronts of these boxes
But the overall fit of the parts is good


Then the side skirts where build
The large blocks on the sides needed some holes wich are marked on the back of the panel
The single blocks that are on the angled part on top don't have any locating pin or hole so in order to get those in the right place you need to fit the big ones first and then use those as a guide for the now harder to reach small blocks
A bit of a shame they did it this way but then again not that hard to make either
They could have made it easier would be my point


The other side
One point with the spare fuel tanks though
The real ones are made by welding 2 halfs together and they have a edge that sticks out ,that is the part they weld
But the kit has the fairly big sprue gates on this edge so that was a bit of a task to clean
But molding limitations happen aswell


The ERA blocks on the front of the hull
Again no locating pins or holes so that was a nice puzzle
The 2 small blocks in front of the driver where the worst as they are angled but the instructions don't mention this so at first they where blocking the drivers periscopes
But with a little moving around it can be done even though it is all a bit fragile with the blocks being supported by 1mm thick pins


Finally the fenders and side skirts where glued together
These will be painted as seperate parts and will be flied in place once the tracks and wheels are fitted


Amd a small start was made on the turret
So far the fit of the turret parts is very good
By now i started to make the frames for the ERA on the turret front
This looks pretty difficult but so far i didn't jave any problems with it
I simply glued the top bracket on the turret wich has some nice cut outs for these parts and once they are dry i glued the bottom bracket to the top part and hull
There are no loctating holes on the bottom of the turret but there is only one way to make them fit so you can't so it wrong either

And that is all i have for now
Next time the work on the turret should be finished so then the construction part of the build should be completed
But like almost every modern tank there are a lot of fittings and various other parts on the turret
Allthough i think it looks harder then it really is
And even though i have my opinions about some parts of the kit that i think could be better i still enjoy the build
The kit is good allready i only think they could have made it even better
And i think they borrowed Dragons instructions manager as there where about 10 mislabeled parts so far

Thanks for stopping by and having a look
Take care and happy modelling
Cheers
Mark