An absolute beauty!

This is looking good, real good! Cant wait to see the finished product!

Hisham- Thanks for stopping by mate!

Philippe- Cheers, I'm glad you like how its going.

Zare- Thanks for the comments my friend, much appreciated.

Updates!

As I said on my last update I had started working on the tank again. I needed to tie it into the base so I decided to add some dust first and I broke out the pigments using Dark Mud and Europe Dust to add a layer around various places- I looked at various references to find the areas of greatest dirt and you'll not be surprised to find this was mostly around the tracks. This coat of dust was sealed in using thinner.

Once the dust was on I decided to add some mud, albeit not a massive amount as I wanted to depict a fairly crisp Autumn day. I mostly used AK's Dust Effects mixed with small amounts of plaster/wall filler and spattered this on- mostly around the tracks, wheels and some on the sides as I had seen in references. After this I just went and added a little AK Dark Mud to represent a few damp areas around the running gear.

























As you can see in the pictures I have also added a few other things to the finish. Fuel spills were added with AK Fuel Stains and various bits of engine dirt were added with AK Engine Grease. Black Smoke pigment was used around the engine grilles and some other deposits were laid down here and there including some damp steaks.

The final things to add were some leaves from Treemendus fixed down with PVA and to run a pencil across a few surfaces to get that shiny worn metal look.

The base also had some final touches added to it. I started by creating damp green deposits around the moss on the wall- this is simply green oil paint (a bright green grass color) and some AK Streaking Grime which is then brushed on and stipled out with a brush with a little thinner on it.





The saplings were also added in as well as a few shrubs beneath them and some smaller leaf litter.









A little AK Dark Mud was also applied to the track areas to represent some damp areas. This was then followed by an application of fresh leaf litter.



All that was left to do then was to put the tank on the base and screw it down.






























And that is this build log pretty much finished. I say 'pretty much' because I still have to add two tank crew figures to the turret. According to PMMS, ICM are set to release a new set of Soviet tankers from the 1980 period and that would suit me. If they don't release it soon enough I'll find something else and I'll get the finished pictures up here but that will be very much on the back burner for now.

All that remains to be said is a very big thank you for the fantastic support and encouragement that you guys have offered throughout this build log. I've said it before and I'll say it again- Armorama makes better modellers because of the support you guys give and I'm very much humbled by the way in which you've stuck with me through this build.

Thanks and happy modelling!

-KARL187-

Really superb Karl! You must be mighty proud of that, the autumn atmosphere is superb, absolutely love it!

It was Autumn in Russia...

A superb job Karl! I'm always impressed by your artworks!

Excellent job, Karl, love it, the ground work is superb.

Top marks for this.

Malc.

Karl,

this is really inspiring! I admire your groundwork skills, looks damn nice!

Keep up the great work.

Best regards,
Andreas

Rob- I'm glad you like the setting, this was, for me, the hardest bit- to try and get it looking like autumn.

Mauro- Thank you for the comments my friend- it means a lot to me and I'm humbled you consider it to be an 'artwork'- thanks!

Malcolm- Many thanks for your kind words mate- as I said to Rob- I'm very glad you guys like the groundwork as it was the bit I was most worried about doing.

Andreas- Thanks for stopping by and taking the time to comment- I'm glad you like it!

Hi Karl,

this is an impressive and outstanding work. A true master piece of art.

The only thing I personally do not like about the whole diorama is the wall. Just seems too plastic and shiny.

sweet work Karl - the whole ensemble is looking very very fine ! You got to be happy with this one - big well done

best
Mark

Karl this is awesome, the tank and diorama look amazing.
-Seth

Nenad- Thanks so much for your comments, I'm glad you like the way it has turned out. I do see what you mean about the wall being a bit shiny- I wonder whether if its something to do with the way I've photographed it or if it is something to do with the weathering products I used- I'll have to take a look at it and see if there is something I can do about it.

Mark- Many thanks for the kind words mate. I am definetly happy with it- my first time doing an Autumn scene and working with that many leaves!

Seth- I appreciate the comments my friend, thanks for checking in!

Models and dioramas like this are the reason why I love coming to this site. Simply stunning!

Zare- thanks so much for the kind words, much appreciated. I must say I too love this site for the sheer variety of the amazing builds that people come up with- there's always something different and interesting to see!

Very nice build !

S

Karl;
Excellent Job!! The small dio came out great. Scenic additions are top notch!!. Good job, composing the scheme.
Cheers.
Todd

Steve- Thanks for stopping by!

Todd- Many thanks for your comments my friend- it certainly took me a while to work out exactly what 'composition' I was going to go for- luckily the Mini-Art base was quite versatile.

I must say it again: Wow...WOWEE!
What a poetical scene, very nice and sensible build, you should at the very least do a photo review Mark.
Thanks for sharing.
Phil.

Thanks for the comments Philippe!

Nice work Karl, top notch work fella, are you going to add a crew to the T-64?


Dan

Hi Dan- thanks for checking in mate, I appreciate the comments. And yeah I plan to add a crew- ICM are, according to the PMMS website, releasing a 1980s era crew soon that would suit me so I will wait a wee bit and see if it comes out. If not I might go with the set that you used for the T-64 or I might go for something else if I find anything that suits. I just need two figures for the open turret hatches.

I'll be keeping an eye out for any updates Karl, must say that its looking fantastic fella, some quality building and painting,all in all it id say that it's bang on.

Kind regards

Dan

this bit needs pinning ! many thanks Karl - I knew you would have the answer as this is also missing from instructions of the latest t-74b 1974 kit

many thanks
Mark

Hey no problem Mark, glad I could offer some help on that bit !

just wandered onto the Russian side of he forum to look for some builds to nick ideas from and this one was the one I looked at - must say that this is stunning - love the tank, the figure and the base.

will wander back when I have more time to look at the painting & weathering techniques - have used oil paints on aircraft and my sd.Kfz 10 has a very boring single colour scheme, crying out for this level of variation....