Global Scale Modeller

Next on the build list is one of the latest additions to the stash - the BTR-60!! I confess to having a wee touch of OCD in that I am building them in model series - BTR-60, BTR-70 and then BTR-80.



First then - the history of the type:
The BTR-60 (BTR- Russian БТР) is the first generation of Soviet 8-wheeled armoured personnel carriers - with typical Russian imagination for naming things the letter BTR stand for Бронетранспортер, quite literally literally "Armoured Transporter" it replaced the BTR-152 which resembled a US M3 halftrack but with 6 wheels instead of 2 wheels and 2 tracks and was open above exposing the crew and troops to air-bursting shrapnel, grenades etc. It was first seen in service in 1960. The development coincided with a decision to convert the existing Rifles and Mechanized Infantry ("tank riders" into the now familiar Motor Rifles division. As is typical with Militaries world wide the development of replacements for the BTR-40 and BTR-151 followed two very separate paths. One would result in the BMP-1, the other gave us the BTR-60. Two design bureaus worked on the initial project - Gaz and Zil. the specifications laid down were basically that the vehicle should have:
* all wheel drive,
* at least two turnable axles,
* independent suspension,
* mobility and fording capabilities allowing it to operate alongside tanks.
* have amphibious capabilities
Initially the Gaz design remined open topped and although the Zil design was technically superior the Gaz design was chosen as it had few technical leaps involved and was thus suitable for mass production. The open topped design was designated BTR-60A and carried a complement of 16 troops. However the need for an armoured roof was reinstated and this model became known as the BTR-60PA and had a reduced complement of 14 troops.
The BTR-60 was unique in its day in that the configuration from front to rear ran Crew - Troops - Engine - which it was found presented other problems in that the only way in and out for the troops was through the roof hatches and climbing up the side of an armoured vehicle carrying a weapons and all the kits was a slow process - something that was not addressed until the BTR-80.
Another quirk forced on the design by the then levels of technology was that the Gaz-40P engine producing 90 Hp was underpowered for the weight of the vehicle whilst the next size up, the YaAz-250 producing 250 Hp was too heavy.... Only in Russia... So the BTR-60 wound up with TWO Gaz-40P engines side by side. the one on the right provides power to axles 2 and 4 whilst the one on the left powers axles 1 and 3. The engines being designed for truck were working at the extreme upper limits of their abilities and breakdowns were far too common. The complex design also had knock-on effects when vehicles were cycled back through base workshops for servicing. Despite all this the BTR-60 remains in service to this day with carious armies around the world although the Russians replaced it with the BTR-70 in 1972.

The Kit
The box contains 19 sprues, some of which are multiples and are well packaged with more fragile parts having additional protection in the way of being wrapped in styrene foam. There are two small PR frets included as well as "rubber tyresDecals are provided for 3 vehicles - 2 plain Russian Green, all with Guards MR Division insignias, one of them being a 1969 May Day parade whilst the third is an early Afghanistan version with tricolour camouflage. I am thinking I will go for the May Day parade one. Colours are given for either Mr Hobby Vallejo, Model Master of Tamiya - but for the exterior only. Interestingly the instructions call for a light green interior whereas the usual Soviet colour is white
At first glance the mouldings seem to be clean with no or minimal flash and hidden ejector marks I will find out more as the build progresses. Stay tuned!
With the kit came a set of "weighted" resin wheel, metal gun barrels and a much more extensive set of PE. Very impressive, very much a nightmare in the making given my skills with PE

Box Contents










































Extras that came with the kit

Looks like a very nice kit. Why did it come with so many extras?

Stokesy44 wrote: Wed Mar 31, 2021 8:24 am Looks like a very nice kit. Why did it come with so many extras?

Some one was selling off a part of their stash - I got VERY lucky indeed.
A big vote of thanks to Digger for helping me out in this endeavour - couldn't have done it without his help.

Got cracking on this one - and typically step one was filling in unwanted holes. I get the feeling this lower hull is going to be common between the -60 and the -70 at least. Maybe even the -80!!



Having got this done we moved to step two. I opted for the earlier version as I think I am going to do the final paint scheme in the MayDay parade colours of green with white detailing (Scheme A in the painting and marking guide).
First step was to cut 12 parts A8 off the sprue - teensy little pieces that I almost needed a magnifying glass to see... Started to clean them up once they were all securely in a deep pot - and the first one pinged out from between my fingers... Took 20 minutes searching the floor by fingertip and bright torchlight to find it. Put it on the cutting mat, reached for the TET - and it vanished again..
No amount of searching turned it up so I was resigned to a lost part this early in the build. The other 11 cleaned up nicely and went on nicely as did the parts D9 and D10 and - surprisingly - the two small photoetch grilles at the rear. I set the lower hull aside to set properly and started to clear up - for some reason I moved the scanner on my right - and there was the missing part A8!! Salvation!!
I got that little b*gg*r on before it could go walkies again.



Step 3 is going to have even more teensy little bits just begging to feed the carpet monster so fingers crossed they don't make it!!

Damned carpet monster struck again tonight - and this time the search was unsuccessful. I've been cutting these tiny brackets off into a high sided pot so keep them safe and stop them bouncing out. Unfortunately one of them just caught the edge and bounced onto the worktop never to be seen again...
This is what went walkies - Part A14 - all 3mm of it....



One of 4 matched items - reading ahead through the rest of the lower hull instructions it looks like they serve no function other than decorative so that at leas is a relief - and they are well hidden behind the hubs and wheels when all is done.

RangerNeil wrote: Mon Apr 05, 2021 11:31 pm Damned carpet monster struck again tonight - and this time the search was unsuccessful. I've been cutting these tiny brackets off into a high sided pot so keep them safe and stop them bouncing out. Unfortunately one of them just caught the edge and bounced onto the worktop never to be seen again...
This is what went walkies - Part A14 - all 3mm of it....



One of 4 matched items - reading ahead through the rest of the lower hull instructions it looks like they serve no function other than decorative so that at leas is a relief - and they are well hidden behind the hubs and wheels when all is done.

Bump stops ?

digger303 wrote: Tue Apr 06, 2021 12:01 am <Snipped>

Bump stops ?

Possibly - although they are only on the two sets of rear wheels, not the fronts. Its odd- steps 2 to 4 are all these teeny little brackets that seem to serve no purpose other than driving me mad with fear of losing one. Like I just did!! Most could have been included in the actual lower hull moulding.
I'm going to have another look on the floor today and check the box content/instructions for the -70 and -80. Its possible these parts might be on the sprue but redundant as Trumpeter look to have used the same lower hull mouldings.... Can I be that lucky??

RangerNeil wrote: Tue Apr 06, 2021 12:00 pm

digger303 wrote: Tue Apr 06, 2021 12:01 am <Snipped>

Bump stops ?

Possibly - although they are only on the two sets of rear wheels, not the fronts. Its odd- steps 2 to 4 are all these teeny little brackets that seem to serve no purpose other than driving me mad with fear of losing one. Like I just did!! Most could have been included in the actual lower hull moulding.
I'm going to have another look on the floor today and check the box content/instructions for the -70 and -80. Its possible these parts might be on the sprue but redundant as Trumpeter look to have used the same lower hull mouldings.... Can I be that lucky??

Shock absorber mounting points ??

digger303 wrote: Tue Apr 06, 2021 12:42 pm

RangerNeil wrote: Tue Apr 06, 2021 12:00 pm

digger303 wrote: Tue Apr 06, 2021 12:01 am <Snipped>

Bump stops ?

Possibly - although they are only on the two sets of rear wheels, not the fronts. Its odd- steps 2 to 4 are all these teeny little brackets that seem to serve no purpose other than driving me mad with fear of losing one. Like I just did!! Most could have been included in the actual lower hull moulding.
I'm going to have another look on the floor today and check the box content/instructions for the -70 and -80. Its possible these parts might be on the sprue but redundant as Trumpeter look to have used the same lower hull mouldings.... Can I be that lucky??

Shock absorber mounting points ??

I thought it might be that - but they appear in step 8 and use the brackets part A8 - the first bit I thought I'd lost but found, No sign now of this missing one.

This may sound incredibly stupid - but losing that tiny little part has done a Belgrano on the building Mojo....
I keep looking at the box but cannot bring myself to restart the build....

Don't think about it too much, I'm still missing a full wheel. Build around it and it might turn up.

The next steps completely block access to that part of the vehicle hull Digger. Which is what makes it even more ridiculous. But I know what you mean.

So - after 10.5 hours of decanting boxes for Amazon today I decided when I got home to crack on and try to put the carpet monster behind me. It worked - sort off. I thought if I advance a few steps and work on the interior then come back to the suspension it may do the trick - as I say it sort of worked as I didn't reckon on just how tired I was!! Luckily the interior parts are rather larger which came in handy as three of them bit the carpet too!! Anyways - here is tonight's progress:

Nice progress. What's worked for me in the past is losing a second piece and then finding the first one while looking for the second.

digger303 wrote: Wed Apr 28, 2021 11:37 pm

Of note are all the little white dots - holes in the kit that needed to be filled!! It will look better with some paint on.

RangerNeil wrote: Thu Apr 29, 2021 8:06 am

digger303 wrote: Wed Apr 28, 2021 11:37 pm

Of note are all the little white dots - holes in the kit that needed to be filled!! It will look better with some paint on.

Just e-mailed Trumpeter to see if I can get a spare sprue "A" from them. Until then I will carry on with the interior and the upper hull.

RangerNeil wrote: Tue May 04, 2021 12:21 am Just e-mailed Trumpeter to see if I can get a spare sprue "A" from them. Until then I will carry on with the interior and the upper hull.

That's the spirit Sir.

No word yet from Trumpeter on a spare sprue A.....
Anyways - tonight I got the airbrush out and gave the interiors a coat of primer. White for the upper hull and turret and grey for the lower. Looking at photos on line it seems - conveniently that below the hull join its grey inside with green flooring and fittings whilst above the hull join its gloss white.
had the devils own job using either airbrush. I cleaned both of them thoroughly after the last use but although I could feel and hear air coming through no paint was coming out. I stripped them both down and recleaned them and managed to get a partial flow of paint - not what it has been. Only thing I can think of is those tiny nozzles are not fully clear and need to be soaked in cleaner for a while then something pushed in to clean them completely. Can you get brushes small enough to fits those nozzles??

RangerNeil wrote: Mon May 10, 2021 1:09 am No word yet from Trumpeter on a spare sprue A.....
Anyways - tonight I got the airbrush out and gave the interiors a coat of primer. White for the upper hull and turret and grey for the lower. Looking at photos on line it seems - conveniently that below the hull join its grey inside with green flooring and fittings whilst above the hull join its gloss white.
had the devils own job using either airbrush. I cleaned both of them thoroughly after the last use but although I could feel and hear air coming through no paint was coming out. I stripped them both down and recleaned them and managed to get a partial flow of paint - not what it has been. Only thing I can think of is those tiny nozzles are not fully clear and need to be soaked in cleaner for a while then something pushed in to clean them completely. Can you get brushes small enough to fits those nozzles??

You have to be pretty careful as the nozzle can develop a split and that will never work again.
Scott put us onto dental tools...........https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/25353499446 ... 1195.m1851
They are made of paper and become soft fairly quickly, but don't do any damage.
A shaved tooth pick is also useful also ultrasonic cleaners and as a last resort a cleaning broach. Must be extremely gentle using this.
https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/20324592455 ... WMQAvD_BwE

Thanks Digger. I'll give the slimmed down toothpick a go today. Its annoying as whenever I finish I clean the brush using water and cleaner then blow it through with cleaner before putting it away.

BTW - I got an email from Trumpeter today - they have got a sprue and requested my address details to calculate shipping. So good news there!!

RangerNeil wrote: Mon May 10, 2021 11:30 am Thanks Digger. I'll give the slimmed down toothpick a go today. Its annoying as whenever I finish I clean the brush using water and cleaner then blow it through with cleaner before putting it away.

BTW - I got an email from Trumpeter today - they have got a sprue and requested my address details to calculate shipping. So good news there!!

I put Lacquer thinner through it then a milder cleaner such as Ultimate or VMS, but I find with my H&S brush nothing but a nozzle and needle strip down will do the job as paint sticks to the front of the needle seal and must run down the needle after cleaning partially with a through blow back and blocking the nozzle....does that make sense ? It's a pia cause it's a beautiful brush but for this pain in the butt flaw. I think they have designed it with the seal sitting back a little creating a slight tunnel and paint just builds up there waiting to be a problem.

Neil, speaking as one who has had more than his fair share of Sprue issues this year, I will never forget Sprue E
I feel your pain.
I purchased some years ago, a small wired, Vacuum with a fine internal filter in it. It means that parts lost can be hoovered and found quicker than using a large Domestic Hoover and seriously damaging even the small parts.
Nice to see your in touch with Trumpeter and they should be able to send you a Sprue. I do hope so, as I do remember my MoJo was devastated and really dented.
Hope all sorts soon.
DW

Donkeywalloper wrote: Mon May 10, 2021 3:33 pm Neil, speaking as one who has had more than his fair share of Sprue issues this year, I will never forget Sprue E
I feel your pain.
I purchased some years ago, a small wired, Vacuum with a fine internal filter in it. It means that parts lost can be hoovered and found quicker than using a large Domestic Hoover and seriously damaging even the small parts.
Nice to see your in touch with Trumpeter and they should be able to send you a Sprue. I do hope so, as I do remember my MoJo was devastated and really dented.
Hope all sorts soon.
DW

Cheers DW - much appreciated. Can you remember what the vac was that you bought? I suspect it may be worth investing myself.

Got the paint out again tonight - but using a conventional brush this time. The lower hull was given a coat of Tamiya XF-66, the floors were given a coat of Vallejo #017 as these were the closest match to images of BTR-60 interiors on the web - like this one:


So this is the progress to date:

First day off work so a little bit more done on the BTR interior. Floors are now in place, the side fittings are in place in the lower hull - just need painting.
Heard back from Trumpeter in China - a replacement Sprue A shipped to me here in the UK is $10 - so I paid up and now I sit back and wait to see what turns up.

Good news about getting a replacement sprue and some steady progress so all good......cross your fingers about BF and that sprue

Sprue update - got this from Trumpeter today:

From: Trumpeter service [joanna@trumpeter-china.com]
Sent: Mon 17/05/2021 09:01

Re: RE: About spare part of kit #01544 A

Dear sir

I have received your money, And will arrange the shipping as soon as possible. Ths!


However, as the outbreak is still ongoing, it may take a long time to wait. Please be patient.

RangerNeil wrote: Mon May 17, 2021 10:18 pm Sprue update - got this from Trumpeter today:

From: Trumpeter service [joanna@trumpeter-china.com]
Sent: Mon 17/05/2021 09:01

Re: RE: About spare part of kit #01544 A

Dear sir

I have received your money, And will arrange the shipping as soon as possible. Ths!


However, as the outbreak is still ongoing, it may take a long time to wait. Please be patient.

I've been ordering some stuff from Aliexpress and if it is in stock post is quick until it gets to the transporter and it can take a while to actually board the plane then it gets stuck at Singapore then at customs. Upshot is about 6 weeks is normal, but sometimes you can be lucky and only 3 weeks.
best of luck.

A bit more progress today... Still working on the interior todays project was the seating. Each front seat was made up from 6 pieces of polystyrene and 2 pieces of PE:



You can see the pieces here as cut from the sprue and awaiting tidying up. Completed seat (less the PE) is in the background.
The two rear seats (I forget to take photos- sorry!) were made up of 3 pieces each - pad, back and frame. In the photos below you can see the seating dropped into place as a dry-fit as well as the rear bulkhead that needs the gloss white applied. Doesn't look much but that's going on for 6 hours work........





Before the seats get fitted permanently there are a number of control boxes to fit and the steering column - probably that will have to wait till Sunday now as tomorrow sees the start of another 4 day shift pattern at Amazon!

Looks good Neil. Yes some things can take a lot of time and there isn't much to show for it afterwards and I thought it was just me. The seats look good a nice bit of creasing from long use and the paint looks the part too.

It's looking really great!

This kit is amazing with the full interior, very good built!

Spent a few more hours on the beast today - bit of therapy after being pushed, poked and prodded at the hospital including an MRI (I absolutely hate those machines!!) Was going quite well - then ran out of CA... At a point where every other part was PE.... Damn!!! So tomorrow its off to Poundland (for the wife!) to get one of their tubes - or even a card of them if I'm lucky.
Meantime - the seats are all now in. Rest of the lower hull instruments are ready to go in - just needs the CA to stick them onto the hull. Then the inner lower hull will be complete.



I also made a start on the inner upper hull but ran into the same problems with the lack of CA. The radios etc. are made but the mounting brackets are all PE so that ground to an abrupt halt.



From there I moved onto the turret, making up the inner workings - KVPT breech, ammo boxes in their mounts etc. - and again ran into the same CA problem so had to call a halt for the day.



Preview of the hulls in place - still very much left to do.

Terrific work and the details are looking crisp.

Coming along very nicely Neil, I'll be following along

The interior is looking very nice. Sorry you lost your momentum with the lack of ca glue.

The wife managed to bag a card of 5 tubes of CA from the local PoundLand store for - wait for it - £1..

So having spent the day sorting spare Saab parts out of the garage and then getting 2 classic Saabs that have been sold because there is no room for them in the new location ready for pick-up tomorrow morning I cracked on tonight. Finished most of the breech assembly for the turret and folded the PE brackets for the instrument and got them stuck on as well as the rear of the hull. Just need to paint the instruments now and the lower hull interior is finished.. Like-wise the turret interior. I think tomorrow will see a coat of gloss white go on the inside of the upper hull and turret then the final bits of the turret can be painted and added then I can call that finished and move on to fitting out the interior of the upper hull. I'm quite happy with the evenings work.

Turret Interior


Various instrument/radio assemblies


Rear of lower hull

Very nice!

Got some more done today. The lower hull interior is 99% complete - just got to put the set backs on the seats behind the driver/co-driver ones. Upper hull interior is about 9-% complete. Turret interior is 100% complete, just needs a bit of chipping/scratching on the PKT and KVPT breeches and ammo boxes.
Interestingly this is the same turret arrangement that was fitted to my OT-90 - the KVPT can feed from left or right so the Czechs put the 14.5mm ammo can on the KVPT side of the cradle... I used the ammo can colours from my vehicle as there was no guidance given in the instructions - Light Green for 7.62 mm, Dark Green for 14.5 mm.











I have a problem though.... I put this piece on where the instructions seemed to indicate - and its sitting too high thus fouling the upper hull... I need a way of breaking the CA bond and then positioning it lower down the arch.

Some very nice work on the interior in particular the turret position.

digger303 wrote: Wed May 26, 2021 12:34 am Some very nice work on the interior in particular the turret position.

Cheers Digger. Kind words are much appreciated!
Works on hold now for 4 days because I'm back at work.Good news though - a package arrived from Trumpeter today - with not just 1 Sprue A but the whole set!!

RangerNeil wrote: Wed May 26, 2021 9:53 pm

digger303 wrote: Wed May 26, 2021 12:34 am Some very nice work on the interior in particular the turret position.

Cheers Digger. Kind words are much appreciated!
Works on hold now for 4 days because I'm back at work.Good news though - a package arrived from Trumpeter today - with not just 1 Sprue A but the whole set!!

Ha ......a whole new kit and you'll still be missing a part from one of them
Damn good attitude from Trumpeter though.

I'm with Digger, that turret position looks amazing!

Thanks for the kind words guys, means a lot to me!!

Cracked on with a bit more today - I think I am now about halfway through the suspension build!! The mojo is starting to bubble away again - missing part is now in place and the rest of the tiny little blocks are in together with the bump stops and the drive shafts - see photos below. Lucky I got that spare set of sprues because as I snipped the last of the 4 rear shafts off it snapped in half with one piece apparently vanishing into the ether - not a sign of it anywhere. I get a feeling this kit is going to be famous for doing this to me...
Anyhow - this is the progress today after finishing the domestics dumped on me by the wife.







This is the next stage of the suspension for tomorrow. so I think I need to get some primer then colour on first and let it dry before detailing the drive shafts as it looks very much like they will be enclosed by the upper and lower wishbones.

Cor I love a fancy suspension