Meng Models T-72B3 MBT

[MarkVerploeg]

Hi guys
So i am starting a new build
One of the reasons is that i am building it as part of a buddy build and the other is that i like to work in steps
Or to put it in other words i always build several kits at the same time and then move all of them over to painting

I only have this kit for a couple of days but when i was going through the kit and looked at the painting guides i found one really exceptional camoscheme wich made me want to start right away

But first let's have a look at the kit

Box art


A pretty well filled box














And that is all stuff that is in the box
I like the pe wheel mask wich is a nice touch
The piece of string is a bit of a shame but it is easily replaced with a cable made from copper wire
Other then that the parts all look very nice and i have high expectation for this kit
Mainly because i haven't had a bad Meng kit so far
The tracks look like a ton of work but they are actually pretty easy
They are the same or similar to the ones found in the BMPT and T-90 kits and i have made those before

So i was saying there was a pretty exceptional camoscheme option

Wich is this one
It isn't really a camoscheme but more a id scheme
It was used during the 2015 Army games by the Russian team
A year later they showed up with a similar scheme but they replaced the red with a bright blue


This is a photo of one of the real tanks
It is missing some parts like the mg and the spare fuel tanks on the back of the hull but other then that they are the same as a regular T-72B3
One thing i noticed is that Meng calls for a red brown to be used but this photo (and a bunch more) clearly show it is red and not red brown
I couldn't find the advised Meng paints (AK) so i will use some other paints that i already have

And that is all i have for now
I started building today and the lower part of the hull is finished by now with the exception of the tracks but i will do those later
So now work will continue on the upper hull and then the turret

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

[DoubleDigit12]

Good luck!

[MarkVerploeg]

Thank you
But you don't need a whole lot of luck building this kit
It is very well engineered and so far i have been building it fairly fast
The hull is already about 75% complete without a single gap or seam to fill

[Kevthemodeller]

I'm looking to add this kit to my stash, I'm going to watch this build with great interest.

[MarkVerploeg]

Thanks Kev
I think it is safe to say it is a good kit
So far i didn't had any issues with the build
There is one little mix up in the instruction where they want you to add the top part of the drivers area first and a steo later the upper glacis but that doesn't really work as the glacis has a few tabs that stick out
So i placed them the other way around ,glacis first roof second
But when you start test fitting it will become obvious
All i can say is that it is a very nice kit to build

[SergioSolo]

Cool project! And I'm glad you're sharing your thoughts about it. I saw someone on Facebook who didn't like this kit and mentioned something about some poorly placed ejector marks

[MarkVerploeg]

Cool project! And I'm glad you're sharing your thoughts about it. I saw someone on Facebook who didn't like this kit and mentioned something about some poorly placed ejector marks

Thanks Sergio
So far i haven't seen poorly placed ejector marks but one thing you do ser with Meng is that there is a large half round piece of styrene on some epm's
But a simple sprue cutter is enough to solve that
Maybe there are some of those on the turret wich i haven't build yet but on the hull i didn't found them yet and i already made some good progres building that
But i have 3 days off next week so i guess i will find out then as i expect to finish the construction by then

[Kevthemodeller]

Great thread mate, so helpful keep it up

[MarkVerploeg]

Thank you

[MarkVerploeg]

Hi guys
I think it is time for a update
The hull is now build allthoigh the side skirts aren't glued on yet and the tracks aren't made yet but i will save those for later when the turret is complete
Speaking of the turret that is also started and about 60% build so another update should follow soon

Anyway this is what has been build so far

It starts with the wheels


A couple of parts for the hull like a lower glacis plate and the return rollers


The self entrenching tool was next


Next up the torsion bars and swing arms
You get this clear jig to make sure every torsion bar is kept in place while the glue dries


Some work on the rear plate


And then the upper hull was next
I do have a comment about the i structions here
They want you to place the roof first and the upper glacis a step later
But that doesn't really work because of the way the parts are made
So i would advise to do the upper glacis first and the roof second

a better view of the exhaust


The first sections of the storage boxes where added


The front fenders where added


The the engine deck


Side view of the build up to this point


More progres on the rear of the tank


Some more detailing on the front


The side skirts where made


Some smaller parts where added to the top of the hull


The log and towcables where added
I made some cables by twisting brass florist wires together instead of using the piece of string you get in the kit


And the hull was finished

Like i mentionned at the start of this update i already started working on the turret wich is fairly easy to build just like the hull
Hopefully i can finish the assembly of the kit today or tomorrow so that i can start my entry for the "the end is neigh" build and finish up the remaining builds i have on the go

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

[privatepete]

Hi Mark certainly looks like a nice kit,very clean build so far, are you going to use the picture as your finished paint reference good luck with the rest of the build

[MarkVerploeg]

Thanks Pete
Yes the picure i showed in the first post will be used as a guide
Along with a couple others
As far as i can tell Meng did get the scheme right but not the color
They suggest red brown while the tank cleary has red
And i think i have a red that comes very close to that shade
At the momen i am assembling the tracks so hopefully if i get home early tomorrow i will put the primer on or the day after
But my plan is to start painting next week on several builds
Allthough i need to order some paints for some builds

[Mikele]

Great topic for a model.

Vitaly Kuzmin on his blog has a lot of photos of Biathlon's tanks, i guess it might be useful for the build, especially that you can see the difference between real tank and paint sheme from the kit.

http://www.vitalykuzmin.net/Military/Ta ... /i-tcPwr7q
(in the middle of the page).

[MarkVerploeg]

Thanks for the link
The photo's are quite usefull
I already knew it had actuall red instead of red brown but things like the cream colored part of the side skirts are new to me
It also shows that besides a little dirt this tank was in showroom condition
No paint chipping or anything like that
Thing you would see on a ordinary tank

[Mikele]

It's very likely that those paint schemes were used only at Tank Biathlon, that's why they're both crazy coloured (the red-brown, black, white camo was used as well) and brand-new looking.

The creamy colour on the side skirts may occur because the rubber was not covered with paint very well, but it's just a guess.

[MarkVerploeg]

That was my guess
It isn't the same material as the rest of the tank so a slightly different color would make sense
You can see that on many other vehicles aswell when they have a sleeve over the gunmantlet and part of the barrel

[gaz45]

liking this one mate looks great so far

[MarkVerploeg]

Thanks Gaz
It is a nice kit to build

[privatepete]

Hi Mark may be to late for these

http://www.primeportal.net/tanks/t-72.htm

[MarkVerploeg]

Maybe for a next one
But at the moment nothing gets done at the bench
I tried to start painting yesterday but it was too hot and with 12 hour workdays i'm not always in the mood to do some modelling

[Kevthemodeller]

Maybe for a next one
But at the moment nothing gets done at the bench
I tried to start painting yesterday but it was too hot and with 12 hour workdays i'm not always in the mood to do some modelling

I agree I tried sitting at mine last couple weeks oh my god way too hot and after s days work, nearly 4 hours of commuting it's just not happening.

It's a few beers and a barbe

[MarkVerploeg]

Maybe for a next one
But at the moment nothing gets done at the bench
I tried to start painting yesterday but it was too hot and with 12 hour workdays i'm not always in the mood to do some modelling

I agree I tried sitting at mine last couple weeks oh my god way too hot and after s days work, nearly 4 hours of commuting it's just not happening.

It's a few beers and a barbe

I did a test shot on a piece of styrene sheet that i primed
Almost always do that or on paper but the paint cracked in less then 30 seconds so it just dries way too fast
Even on a figure i had to add paint retarder/flow improver to make it work
And that is brush painting
But at the moment it is cool enough so i hope that i can do something tonight

[digger303]

I am feeling sorry for you poor buggers having to put up with 30 plus days....I can totally understand

[MarkVerploeg]

Most of the times i don't mind as i do the painting at night
But now the long days at work just keep me away from the bench
I wss supossed to have this finished by the end of the month but i doubt i will make it in time for the buddy build that i am building it for
A bit of a shame as i was building a T-62 for it aswell and i don't even have the paint for that yet
Ooh well that is just life getting in the way i guess

[Kevthemodeller]

I know just what you mean, happened to me on the winter build, I've still not finished. Not a lot to do but not finished, we had a heat wave last couple weeks, very uncomfortable, lack of sleep and just too hot for the bench.

[digger303]

I know just what you mean, happened to me on the winter build, I've still not finished. Not a lot to do but not finished, we had a heat wave last couple weeks, very uncomfortable, lack of sleep and just too hot for the bench.

you might like this... http://www.huffingtonpost.com.au/2017/0 ... _22534781/

pom's dropping like flies

[Kevthemodeller]

Unlike you down unders the vast majority of our houses aren't built for these hit conditions. My house was built in the 1930's when things like insulation and air conditioning were unheard off, vast majority of houses still don't have air conditioning.

Plus the type of heat/humidity we get is very different, now having worked in Brunei and the jungles of Borneo, for some years. An area which is somewhat more tropical than Darwin having been there too (Robertson's) well very close. I can tell you mate I'd have rather been there then here last week.

Now what would be really interesting is if you had a week or so of -6 snow and ice.

[digger303]

Unlike you down unders the vast majority of our houses aren't built for these hit conditions. My house was built in the 1930's when things like insulation and air conditioning were unheard off, vast majority of houses still don't have air conditioning.

Plus the type of heat/humidity we get is very different, now having worked in Brunei and the jungles of Borneo, for some years. An area which is somewhat more tropical than Darwin having been there too (Robertson's) well very close. I can tell you mate I'd have rather been there then here last week.

Now what would be really interesting is if you had a week or so of -6 snow and ice.

My house ( Constructed of asbestos )was built in the mid 60's and it wasn't really built for climate conditions either. I have added a AC unit and insulated the ceiling space, added a slow combustion fire and sealed a million gaps around door frames, floors, wall panels and windows. YET It is still damn cold in winter (up to -4 some nights), but with AC nice in summer. I have way too many windows all single pane.

But your older now and the past is a distant memory like Borneo and possibly unreliable.....

[Kevthemodeller]

Perhaps not as old as you think mate, or that distance and totally reliable!

Ah so the Aussie got AC.............................

[MarkVerploeg]

We have a what they call sea climate
Basicly it it is a lot of heat combined with moisture
Kind of sucks to be spraying paint at times

[digger303]

Perhaps not as old as you think mate, or that distance and totally reliable!

Ah so the Aussie got AC.............................

maybe aussie but not silly.....went 30yrs with none, but decided babies and women get a bit distressed. So jussst for them
Now I'm soft....love my AC. You guys should put in heat pumps....can use all year round then.

[PavelZabak]

One reminder for this good build.
Try to fill gap on lower red marked part and with sharp knife take away those molding lines on both sides on mudguard holders.
I know, photos are bigger than real scale.
But I think it will look better after that.

P.

[digger303]

Your right it certainly would.

[Augustus]

It does get cold here in winter as stuff isn't built for it, same as UK houses not built for hot weather, and being POM til moving here at age 32 I love the cold here! When I came over I threw all my warm clothes away thinking everyone would be running around in shorts, T-Shirts and flip flops all year.

Aussies love to eat outside and I find it hilarious to watch them sitting at outside cafes and restaurants at this time of year with great big coats on! Can't be comfortable. Dunno if it's just Brisbane or not, haven't seen it so much elsewhere (I've not been to WA yet).

I would love to move to Tasmania when I retire, that seems the ideal climate to me.

Anyway nice work on the T-72, I started mine a while back but other projects have overtaken it and it's sat on the SOD, I will get back to it, it's a lovely kit.

[MarkVerploeg]

One reminder for this good build.
Try to fill gap on lower red marked part and with sharp knife take away those molding lines on both sides on mudguard holders.
I know, photos are bigger than real scale.
But I think it will look better after that.

P.

Thanks for the heads up
The mold lines are something i missed but the lower part is flat
It is just the mark left from cutting the spruegate

[digger303]

looks good