Little late out of the gate on this one, because frankly I didnt expect much from the build. It started out as a quick build for Todd to paint, but it has manifested itself into a true experiment in outside my comfort zone building. It will probably follow along with some painting and weathering under the guidance of the two musketeers, but I am actually learning along the way... and input is welcome!

So it started out last year at Armorcon when I got this Techmod T-70 and Eduard PE set as a raffle prize. I am not one for Pre Vietnam era anything (although that is developing nicely now LOL) so I had planned on a trade/sale. Then it came to me to slap this thing together and offer it up to someone who might need sacrificial lambs for painting events.... Que Rob and Todd. So, I start just fitting and gluing and doing minimal sanding, and started to think about how much fun it was to just slap something together right by the directions and not lose my mind over seams or gaps. Then this photo etch set starts staring me down... you see, I have VERY LIMITED exposure to PE. Like, almost none. But there it is, daring me to try some slapping that on.... so... here goes!





it had originally started out to stop here and just go with the plastic, but then I saw a video on how to do fine soldering of PE parts, and I had to try it. I was really pleased with the results on the fenders and the metal brackets that I used it on ( I had initially used superglue and was NOT pleased). Once I used the suggestions in the video, which including making shavings of the solder and being very careful with flux placement, these were the results and I have found a new "Must incorporate" technique with PE work.





The last few photos are where I am at today. The turret has received some home made lifting eyes with an attempt to replicate weld lines, the barrel was bored out on the main gun, and the coax was simulated with a hypodermic needle (Being a paramedic has its advantages).







The big stumbling block that I am still dealing with, is what glue is right when? I have come to the conclusion that superglue is not always the right tool for this job, and I am experimenting with clear pva glue, and maybe some 5 minute epoxy in the near future. I always seem to fall back on the CA glue and I never fail to make a mess when I do. Smaller parts that I THOUGHT were well attached have come off and through pure luck (scratched my private parts and lo and behold there was the hinge that I had lost into my shorts!) I have been able to re-install all but one piece. Definitely open to hear what others do to get the parts down just right without seriously overloading with the superglue! Hope to finish it up this week and start slapping some color on. (My goal is for this kit to get me out of the beginner field in AMPS and officially get gold and put myself into intermediate!)

Gator Glue is a handy acrylic glue that is often used to attach small photoetch parts to styrene. It's stronger than PVA adhesive, sets up faster, dries clear, and you have some time to position the parts, unlike cyanoacrylate. Search online, as it's sold by mail (it is NOT the same as Gorilla Glue, a very different product)..

THank you Gerald!!!! I think I saw some of that in Michaels crafts last time I was there!

I think this is the same kit I built some time ago... good luck with it!

As for the glue, I have been using AK Acrylic resin and it's great.

Quick update... color starting but I am not so happy with the results yet, I am new to German Greys and finding that I might have been a bit more heavy handed than I needed too...

I pushed the colors back a little bit today with a slightly darker spray and a wash. It helped alot! I took some more time to drill out the exhausts, put them together and slap them on. Threw a little paint on the bogies to bring them out a bit more. Last little bits will be tools then these tracks (god help me). Dropped it on what WILL BE the base for it.






Dont know why I am digging into this thing so much, but its proving to be a fun challenge, especially learning the photo etch!

Very nice. I've had problems with soldering. Which program did you find?

I watched a video on youtube about it, where the author made couple of key suggestions I had not used before like shaving little bits of solder off the wire and dropping them into the flux paste, placing the flux paste very carefully only where you want the solder, and making sure that the heat gets to both the flux and the solder in enough time to pull it all together ..

Quick update. Camo paint put on and readying the finish for some decals. I will depart from the picture at this point and add some numbers to the turret just because I think they look cool..... !

Just a quick progress update.... the decals were applied WITHOUT a gloss coat ( TRM suggested a good method with set and sol that seems to have worked) then sealed with a matt varnish, and a couple different washes of browns have been applied to tone down the colors. Dreading the tracks, they are link and length, and I have never done a purely steel track before. Anyway, heres to progress!

couple of updates on the T-70 have been in the works.... Most of the link and length track is attached, after much furious frustrations. A couple of scratchbuilt tarps were made to go on the back of the turret, and a base and a couple of figures are well into completion mode..... Probably last ones before I call it done.