T-72 – Photo gallery
This model shows a Soviet-built T-72 main battle tank, entered into service in 1973 and still in use. It is the 13th model I completed, built in my spare time from September 2014 to July 2015.
The kit is by Revell, model no. 03077, and it represents the version B1, better armored and with several improvements respect to the original version. For increased protection there are also several Explosive-Reactive Armour (ERA) bricks of the type Kontakt-1.
The assembling of this kit is easy; there are few seam lines and virtually no visible ejector pin marks. Only the ERA bricks are a bit more laborious to mount. The tracks are of the "run and length" type, that is with long sections for the straight zones and single links for the round ones. I built everything out of the box, except for the log (used in reality to get out of the mud) for which I used a wooden rod.
The scheme of this T-72 tank model is the one shown in the box cover, that represents a desert camouflage used by Russian Army in 1993. The colors are sand, olive green and charcoal gray.
I made the base painting with an airbrush, whereas i colored the details with a paintbrush; in both cases I used Vallejo acrylics.
After the base color I painted some rust scratches, using the sponge method and a fine paintbrush. Then I made selective filters on the ERA bricks (to vary their color), an oil wash with Van Dyck Brown and a dry brush.
As the last weathering stage I applied Mig pigments on the lower hull and on the running gear. Moreover, I rubbed a soft pencil on the track treads, to simulate the worn metal.
