A War in The East

[Ultravanillasmurf]

Very good.

[Wyrmalla]

Here's two quickies from yesterday.

Well I'd ordered this diecast to turn into a BTR-3. It turns out metal's hard, who knew? I wasn't in the mood to be clipping and filing the roof to reconstruct into a more accurate one, so instead went ahead and turned into a terrain piece. More terrain is never a problem.



I want like a whole column of those things sitting burned out...

This was thrown in with my last order from Kings Hobbies and Games by the owner. I haven't really had a use for it, but it was quick enough to paint. Terrain I guess.

[Wyrmalla]

Something Russian. An obsolete BRDM-2M, now in Seperatist hands.




Typically its after I'm done painting something that I find better photographs of the real vehicle. Some of the details aren't accurate (engine configuration/ size of the skirts). Whatever, the mantra "nobody knows what this thing is anyway" persists.


A blockpost/ convoy vehicle mating the remains of a salvaged BTR-80 with a heavy truck.




The dust effects are way too heavy on this. Blame that on me forgetting how strong that powder is, even if its like a 9/1 ratio of water to it. I suppose the thing's been sitting outside for a while, or we can just say that this thing's from the war in Afghanistan.


And well, this thing's eventually been painted. A Narco Tank / VIED/ Post-Apocalyptic Zombie Wagon.




I was going to give this to a friend, but it seems so universal that I'll keep it just in case something's needed in a game. Originally it was going to be painted matt black (like one of those Narco Tanks), but the rusted look is more appealing (...orange is my favourite colour).

*edit, and damn, I actually removed the spare wheel from the bonnet (looked daft), but forgot to take a picture.

[Ultravanillasmurf]

Very good.

I like the BRDM 2M especially.

[Wyrmalla]

If I have the time I'll start painting the BMPT-72 today. I'm thinking of going for this style of angular camo, but in the style of that older European camo the Russians use.





Maybe with two tones of yellow instead of the black? Hmn, or the black being a minor colour - just to fit in with the tones that the real BMPT-72s have been shown painted in.

[Ultravanillasmurf]

The Osprey New Vanguard on the T90 has some photographs of the bmpt.

[S_P]

Great work- always nice to see improvised armour being modelled

[Wyrmalla]

Well, more stoof! No, it didn't take my long to paint these today (nobody respond with "yeah, you should have spent longer on them then!").

Here's one of the trucks which I picked up from Siberia Miniatures. Its more likely to be a terrain piece than a convoy vehicle, but who knows.



What's great is that as its a toy the doors and bonnet lift up, so the lack of a driver can be explained away as it being abandoned by the side of the road during an attack. Pair this with that wrecked BTR-80 and I have an ambushed convoy.


Probably of more interest however, this futuristic hover craft/ space tank looking thing.




Yes, the soldiers of the future will continue to drink beer (or space vodka. There's a beer keg on the engine deck anyway. ...Um, in the future they also perfected beer which doesn't get warm).

I wound up going for a tan / green scheme with this, substituting the black of that traditional Russian camo for a yellow so as to make it not quite match the older gear. I gave it the usual over done weathering, but laid off much in the way of rust/ grim/ liquid shit as it is still supposed to be a relatively new addition to what my forces would be fielding.

The scheme may also work for greener areas in the Middle East (heh, or "elsewhere" - maybe in games set in alt-history European/ North American settings)?

I'm wondering whether it would be appropriate to provide this to the Seperatist forces, or keep it solely to their more militarised benefactors? Hmn, I'll go for the later, with it being something fancy brought in from outside the country to give the locals a bit of a nip when they don't expect it.

[Ultravanillasmurf]

That BMPT-72 is great. The colours look good.

I would only use it for their masters, just in case the separatists get out of hand.

[Wyrmalla]

Damn, and now I've cleared all the vehicles I'd been working on. Time to start on something new. Maybe infantry, or terrain, or maybe I should look through those boxes of resin? I'm conscious of running out of space for my terrain months ago (but still making more), so I may have to sort that out first.

Unless anything else crops up, I may have a go at finishing off the vehicles for my NDB platoon (which yes, I still haven't actually finished off any full motorised platoons for any of the sides yet). They already have one BMP-2 with slat armour, though I've kind of gone off that at the moment (...tell that to the guys in the field though. "Boo hoo, you want to look pretty, and don't want to get blown up by RPGs at the same time").

Looking about for alternative upgrade packages for the BMP-2 over the years there oddly doesn't seem to be that many dealing with the armour. Most are turret replacements, and one of those is seeming a bit too fancy for the NDF. There is the BMP-2D though, which was brought in during Afghanistan as a heavier armoured variant. I can't speak for its proliferation prior to the dissolution of the SU, or what sort of production it saw afterwards. Regardless, I'm sure a few made their way into the Great Post-Soviet Republic of Somewhereistan.



(That and I need to get me a BMP-1. There's was some nifty packages out there for bringing it up to the BMP-2 standard. I was considering downgrading one of the BMP-2s I had to a 1, to then modernise it, but ...that was a really dumb idea).

[Wyrmalla]

Project update: screw rivets.

Moving on...

I'm sorely tempted to make this. Ah, a non-destroyed version.



Its just so weird that I must have it!

[Ultravanillasmurf]

Is that a BTR or a BMP turret?

[Wyrmalla]

A BMP-1 turret on a Gaz-Tigr. I can't comment on what the circumstances of how this monstrosity came to be, but it was in Separatist hands till an RPG came along I guess (the Tigr only has 5mm armour).

I'm thinking that an intact one would be painted in either regular Russian green, with an old BMP-1 turret. Or in that standard green, with a hand painted camo over it, plenty of grime and rust coming from where they replaced the roof hatch with the turret.

I've seen Humvees with BTR-94 turrets and all sorts of strange stuff, but seeing a Tigr going through the same treatment is perversely interesting.


Spectre predictably don't have their BMP-1 turret in stock, but I'd have to be going to Empress for the Tigr anyway, so may as well pick up a BMP-1 as well. Their BMP-1 is a HLBS 1/48th scale, but it should work. I'm more concerned about then using the BMP-1 with a BPPU (BTR-80A) turret I have in 1/50th scale, as it may look too small. Alternatively there's the BMP-1UD which features one of those 30mm turrets like the BTR-4 has, plus extra armour (I can't confirm if that upgrade's just for the BMP-1 though, as most sites mention its actually based on the BMP-2. It may be its for both/ or re-named to fit that convention the Ukrainians used for the BMP-3/4 i.e it was designed in 2001. Though damn that's so confusing).





(yes that's ERA on a BMP-1. Yes, on a regular BMP-1 that would usually blow the vehicle sky high if hit. Its a modified variant which is made for lightly armoured vehicles)


I am just loving these modernisations. Again, its that kick out of converting a vehicle to fit a given situation which is so interesting.




Mentioning BMP-1s with ERA. This was a fun model to read the backstory of in a modelling magazine a few months ago (summary: bad idea).

[Ultravanillasmurf]

Mentioning BMP-1s with ERA. This was a fun model to read the backstory of in a modelling magazine a few months ago (summary: bad idea).

After the first hit it was probably a much smaller target....

[Ultravanillasmurf]

Interesting 8x8 beyond the top BMP.. large looking turret.

Good luck with the conversions.