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SP Designs Thread
Jacques
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Posted: Saturday, September 01, 2007 - 01:09 PM UTC
Ok, as promised, a thread just for the SP Designs manufacturer. The only reason I am willing to do this is that I help out the owner/producer Sergej Paksjutov as a volunteer. That means that I sell the kits for Sergej for no money or commision. He gets all the $$$ and I get to help him produce really good kits.

I met Sergej when I ordered several of his kits through "mail Order" from the Ukriane in 1998 or so. What I recieved were some excellent kits...cast in fiberglass resin (Polyester). With my help he is now casting using some of the best Polyurethane Resin and using some of the best RTV Rubber for molding. (Thank you, Thank you. )

I am always looking for constructive criticism and any help in kit improvment that I can pass along, as well as praise for good work that has been done. And I DO NOT want to gloss over any problems with the kits...I build them too and note when there is a area that is not up to par or is too difficult to deal with...The Engine deck of the T-80 conversions, for example, can be a bit, er, tricky to deal with.

That said, here is the link to the SAAM Website were you can find the kits.

So, anyone, feel free to comment away.
Reiter960
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Posted: Saturday, September 01, 2007 - 07:47 PM UTC
Alright, now I have way to plan my hobby spending strategy a little better.

First of, thank Sergej (Sergey?) and you for delivering numerous kits to build up good model of T-80's U series, as this tank is quite popular among, hm-hm, many modelers. Another thanks for continued work to improve already accurate turret. Though I would like to see Kontakt-5 blocks molded separately as well as some earlier models of the tank (T-80B). Miniarm promised to release some T-80 toward new year (though he came under heavy criticism for his pricing on dishmodels forum recently), so there maybe a good opportunity for SP Designs to seize more market and recognition. Also, I think it would be good idea for SP Designs to plan on coming out with some auxiliary sets like NSVT or KORD heavy machine guns, towing hooks (so far there isn't single Sterne kit that has them accurate enough, besides he already has molds for them as part of larger sets) or Kontakt-1/3 ERA. It's amazing no one, too bad modelpoint is dead, makes them with all those T-72 and T-80 kits screaming for hiding simplified detail and rising overall appeal.
chefchris
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Posted: Sunday, September 02, 2007 - 04:16 AM UTC
Jacques,
Thanks for the post. I have bought some of the SP designs stuff over the years and his quality sure has improved. I think its an excellent value and for many items the only game in town - so to speak.

I eagerly await the Black Eagle and T 80U Upper hulls

I'm sure I'll also need some T62 stuff to get ready for the upcoming Trumpeter release!

Chris
Jacques
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Posted: Sunday, September 02, 2007 - 07:58 AM UTC
Good ideas on the HMG's and Towing hooks. I will run it by him. If nothing else you can "spot order" specific parts through me...I e-mail him what I want, he sends me back a price. But I agree, he may make a fair amount just on detailing bits.

Good suggestion.
fireontheway
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Posted: Sunday, September 02, 2007 - 12:28 PM UTC
The only thing I think of when I see "SP Designs" are "air bubbles". If I had a dollar for every air bubble that was in the kit that I had ordered, well I could have come close to buying the real vehicle. Jacques, I don't know if you remember when I sent you pictures of the turret for the BTR-3u, but it had the thumbprint in it, plus the hull was badly warped. In the end I did'nt even finish the project I was so pissed. Maybe this guy has improved his product but it will be a long time before I take another chance on him just because of the cheaper price. This is a hobby that normally helps me relax, I don't need it to raise my blood pressure.
Jacques
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Posted: Sunday, September 02, 2007 - 03:16 PM UTC
Hey Tim,

Was there a reason I did not get you a new turret? I thought for sure I had sent you a new one.

As for the Upper hull, as I stated, that goes with the territory of one piece upper hulls. Warping of resin pieces that large and thin is pretty much a given. However, using a hot hair dryer or boiling water will fix the warp, so lonag you ARE CAREFULL and do not burn yourself. I have un-warped several SP Designs upper hulls including the old BTR-3U one.

That said, you should not have to deal with excessive air bubbles or thumbprints and that is why I am here as a volunteer, so you have someone to go to with legitimate complaints and questions and get a response in a reasonable time.

While I cannot garuntee I will get you a air-bubble free casting (though it is being worked on) I most certainly can get you one without fingerprints! (I think sometimes Sergej works himself a bit too hard.)
Reiter960
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Posted: Sunday, September 02, 2007 - 04:20 PM UTC

Quoted Text

The only thing I think of when I see "SP Designs" are "air bubbles". If I had a dollar for every air bubble that was in the kit that I had ordered, well I could have come close to buying the real vehicle.

Worn out RTV I guess, his new sets are virtually bubble free except for some small ones on complex detail. I got a question for Mr. Duquette, some time ago SAAM announced T-80B turret and hull being in casting process, are these sets still coming or should I get T-64 turret and exercise my sculpturing skills? LOL
fireontheway
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Posted: Monday, September 03, 2007 - 02:11 AM UTC
Jacques, yes you did get me a new turret, "Thanks" again. And I did take most of the warp out of the upper hull, but it never totally left. Which then caused fit problems from there on. The DML kit I was converting did'nt help either. The troop doors in the mid hull never fit right no matter what I did to fix them. The SP gun barrel also looked like a snake going over several logs, so I tried to fix that also. It never looked like it did'nt have a droop in it even when it was complete. The turret lacked the crisp detail and every time I thought I was done filling in holes, I'd prime again & there they would be again. I was done, and to top it off I did'nt use the correct colors when I painted it. It was and still is a big let down. I'll save the kit & either let my sons demo it with an M-80, or I'll take it to the range for target practice.
Jacques
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Posted: Monday, September 03, 2007 - 02:23 AM UTC
Ahem...addressing new turrets:

The T-80B turret was something that Sergej was very hard at work with this spring as a master. Then things started to get complicated as he looked into hollow casting turrets. Then, setting up the molds for such turrets got harder.

And then he started to get some really large orders for existing kits and his small amount of free time evaporated.

That said, the T-80B hollow cast turret is still something he is planning to do, but in conjunction with some new T-64 turrets (T-64A, T-64B with and w/o applique) so there will be a delay while it is all being set up. Probably the summer of 2008 is a good goal. I know we all want a accurate T-80B turret, so I will keep pushing.

In the que to be produced in 2007 is:

T-80U Upper Hull
"Black Eagle" T-80U turret
BREM-4

There may be others, but I do not know about it.

As for the air-bubbles, it is mainly from switching over to a new resin as the older stuff he used was "discontinued" after Hurricane Katrina (Producer couldnot get the right chemicles from the refineries and just stopped production???) So we are working with some of the best casting resin on the market right now according to other casters, but I think it was probably designed to be pressure cast to work with easily. But Sergej is working on alternative casting methods that, like George said, seem to be removing the air-bubbles as well.

Jacques
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Posted: Monday, September 03, 2007 - 02:29 AM UTC

Quoted Text

Jacques, yes you did get me a new turret, "Thanks" again. And I did take most of the warp out of the upper hull, but it never totally left. Which then caused fit problems from there on. The DML kit I was converting did'nt help either. The troop doors in the mid hull never fit right no matter what I did to fix them. The SP gun barrel also looked like a snake going over several logs, so I tried to fix that also. It never looked like it did'nt have a droop in it even when it was complete. The turret lacked the crisp detail and every time I thought I was done filling in holes, I'd prime again & there they would be again. I was done, and to top it off I did'nt use the correct colors when I painted it. It was and still is a big let down. I'll save the kit & either let my sons demo it with an M-80, or I'll take it to the range for target practice.


My guess is you did not get one of the kits with the new barrel that has plastic rod glued to it for a more prototypical look? The current offering? I don't remember what you did?

Isn't this a kit you bought off of eBay a while ago? I'm not trying to pin you down, just want everyone to know that there are kits out there that do not go through me...there are resellers in the UK, Russia, and Mexico at last check...but I only know the gentleman in Mexico and I cannot vouch for any of them.
fireontheway
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Posted: Monday, September 03, 2007 - 02:54 AM UTC
Jacques, the kit you show as an example is the one that I ordered and the one you sent me. I did not order from E-bay. The main gun is just like the one in the picture except it does'nt look like a wet noodle. I tried to straighten it with heat as best as I could, I then used brass rod as the support structure for the gun. But it still looked wrong. You can see that in the example that gun is even bent towards the left. I understand that even with the warnings you give on the quality, but this kit is not good. Sorry but you opened the Forum, I just happen to be one guy that is'nt sold on SP Designs.
Jacques
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Posted: Monday, September 03, 2007 - 05:08 AM UTC
No problem Tim, I understand. I just want to make sure I get everything right as I have dealt with a lot of people and sometimes I get my stories crossed.

Ok, the kit you ordered was directly from me and came with a thumbprint and many air-bubbles. The hull and main gun were excessively warped. You did recieve a replacment turret. You were still frustrated by the kit and prefer not to buy SP Designs stuff due to building issues and air-bubbles. The quality of the DML kit also played a role.

Ok, sounds like the SP Designs stuff is not going to help relax you while building, that is ok. I think the experience Tim has had is a warning that these kits are not "shake-n-bake" and so you need to be prepared to do some work on them. If you are like Tim and do not want to deal with these issues, then SP Designs kits are not for you.

And I do want to thank you Tim for bringing this up. Too many times companies (And some reviewers) only trumpet the positives of a kit and do not deal with the difficulties of a kit. Stepping forward sometimes takes some guts. So thanks.

Now, for all of you out there on the fence, the only way to find out if these kits are good or not is to try one out...

I think, on the side, I will start to finish up my older version of the BTR-3U. After I finish the SU-100.
Jacques
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Posted: Tuesday, September 04, 2007 - 01:07 AM UTC
Hello Marcel,

Yeah, I have not updated the future list because Sergej has not decided if he is going to go through with them or not. Many of the kits have been started as masters and for one reason or another they have been put aside. One example, the T-55 Marksman. Sergej needs pictures of the roof to finish it correctly, and he needs to figure out a way to cast the turret so it is not a solid chuck of resin. Rather than tinker with it constantly, he put it aside until "inspiration" strikes him while he keeps casting kits.

Or so I am told...

But for the MTU-20, I would not hold your breath. While it may see the light of day, I doubt it will be anytime soon.
marcb
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Posted: Saturday, September 08, 2007 - 04:52 AM UTC
Are there plans by SP designs for a T-72 turret with coincidence rangefinder, a T-72G or T-72B Super dolly parton, like this one?:
http://www.armyrecognition.com/Russe/vehicules_lourds/T-72B/T-72_B1_RU_1.JPG

Jacques, I'm not getting the way Armorama does this, please copy/ paste the link into a new window's adresbar. Thanks.

Another thing that might be a good seller is a spare tire with rim for the BTR-70/ 80.
Jacques
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Posted: Saturday, September 08, 2007 - 05:39 AM UTC
Hey Marc, could you redo the link...all I am getting is a place.url.here link!
Jacques
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Posted: Saturday, September 08, 2007 - 10:00 AM UTC
Glad you figured out the picture operation...!

I will pass along the suggestions. I think he is considering a T-72 turret, but I am not sure which one. I do know that he will be offering a late T-72 glacis with the angular fenders.

As for the spare BTR-70/80 rim, I will pass that along too.
Wingtsun
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Posted: Saturday, October 20, 2007 - 01:10 PM UTC
Hi Jacques

I was wondering if there was likely that SP Designs will release the Black Eagle kit and the T-80B kit sometime in 2008? I have two Skif kits waiting for them to be released.
Reiter960
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Posted: Saturday, October 20, 2007 - 02:18 PM UTC
Eagle and upper hull would be great gift from Santa.....
Jacques
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Posted: Sunday, October 21, 2007 - 03:05 AM UTC
Right now Sergej is working on the T-80U upper hull as his main project as well as working on improving his casting techniques. After that, he is working on improving his T-64 kits and third he is working on his Black Eagle turret. Those are the priorities.

That said, I am NOT going to let him forget about the BE turret, but it may take time. Patience.

The T-80B turret will be a project after the T-64 turrets are finished as the T-80B will be based on a T-64 turret.

Other kits I know he has as partially finished masters are: BREM-4, Finnsih Marksman, M-84, and a rework of his Zoopark-1M artillery radar. Not sure when they will see the light of day either.

The big time killer is casting for companies in Russia...his stuff is VERY popular their, so he spends about 2 weeks a month just casting for them. That leaves little time to cast for me and to work on masters. Success is slowing him down!
Reiter960
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Posted: Sunday, October 21, 2007 - 09:48 AM UTC
Oh nuts, now I have to beg comrade Discover for a T-90A sets What do you mean by Finnish Marksman, is he going to make figures too?
todorovicandreas
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Posted: Sunday, October 21, 2007 - 10:28 AM UTC
Hy!

Wow, sounds very promssing! All the best by realizing all those fantastic conversions/kits. Really look forward to the BE and M-84.

@ George. The Finish Marksman is a mobile anti-aircraft-system, based on T-55´s chassis.
Have a look, it´s a beast of a machine Source is from militaryphotos.net



Best regards,

Andy T.
ninjrk
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Posted: Tuesday, January 08, 2008 - 02:10 PM UTC

Quoted Text

Right now Sergej is working on the T-80U upper hull as his main project as well as working on improving his casting techniques. After that, he is working on improving his T-64 kits and third he is working on his Black Eagle turret. Those are the priorities.


The pics of the work he's doing on the hull look really, really nice. I'm still amazed that none of the former Eastern block model companies are doing new-tool T-80's and T-90's but SP Designs will do just fine for me until then.

Matt
Reiter960
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Posted: Tuesday, January 08, 2008 - 02:44 PM UTC

Quoted Text

Hy!

Wow, sounds very promssing! All the best by realizing all those fantastic conversions/kits. Really look forward to the BE and M-84.

@ George. The Finish Marksman is a mobile anti-aircraft-system, based on T-55´s chassis.
Have a look, it´s a beast of a machine Source is from militaryphotos.net

Best regards,

Andy T.

Heh, silly me. Looks like Finnish millitary is in awe of George Lucas' films.

Most of these companies do not have sufficient hardware to reproduce accurate hull and cast turret of all Soviet MBTs. Zvezda announced T-90 but there was no way their approach to reproduce overall appearance and detail was no where near work done by Miniarm, so they dropped it. The upper hull is going to save a lot of time for those struggling with Skif kit. Jacques, is it going to be pressure cast and have newly mastered glasics? Also, what is Sergej's intension with the T-64?
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