Zvezda 1/35 GAZ 233014 Tigr with Kornet A/TK missiles

[Dave Ward]

As my Armata is approaching a finish ( just washes & final sealing coat pending ), my thoughts turn to the next build - yes, it's Russian, it was a toss up as to whether this was posted in the softskin or armoured section, but this thing does have kevlar type armour & anti-mine protection................

I have made the basic Gaz Tiger by Meng, a couple of years ago - a nice little model.........................

I'll put up some sprue & detail shots soon, and I have to say I'm surprised at some of the fine mouldings.............
Dave

[Jim R]

Hi Dave
A Russian Humvee :tongue-out3: I think I'm right in saying that Zvezda kits are very variable in quality. Recently they have turned out some good stuff.
Watching with interest.
Jim

[Dave Ward]

Jim,
the latest Zvezda models are VERY nice, good crisp mouldings & plenty of detail - the thing that could improve them is the addition of PE! They also attempt to use scale thickness plastic for multiple brackets etc, which makes for very fiddly and too fragile assemblies! One welcome plus is the strong double boxes used for packaging - important in today's mail order market.
Zvezda do offer the instructions to download from their website for their models, so you can see the complexity before you buy. I've just downloaded them for their yet to be released 'Bumerang' APC, the latest models have colour profiles


That is one I will be keeping an eye out for........................
Dave

[Guest]

Interesting that they indicate both their own paints and Tamiya’s, but their own only in Russian and Tamiya’s only in English (and what seems to be translations from Russian at that: X-10 is called Gun Metal and XF-59, Desert Yellow, for example, off the top of my head).

[Guest]

Jakko, it must be a theme for them as the 3 Zvezda kits I've built were the same, with their own colours listed in Russian, then either Tamiya or Humbrol in English.

And Jim, even though I have limited experience I'd agree with Dave, the old BTR-80 I did was poor, but the two newer kits I built were excellent quality with good fit and crisp detail & moulding. I'll be making more of them for sure.

Sorry for the interruption Dave, but I'll be watching along with this :smiling3:

[Dave Ward]

Andy,
no problem. Sadly, Zvezda are still selling their earlier models, alongside the new, and their reputation suffers because of them.
You have to be careful, for example the 1/35 Zvezda Su-100, 2 versions - #3531 , 1993 tooling
& - #3688, 2018 tooling, both still commonly available. The earlier one is basic & lacking detail, the latter really good. Download the instructions to make sure!
Dave

[Guest]

Ooh, thanks for that as it's one I'm looking at for the future. Santa is bringing me their T-35 first though, which I know from you is one of the good ones

[Dave Ward]

Some detail shots of the Tigr sprues - a few whispers of flash here & there, but nothing to worry about
Chassis & bodypan - no engine ( like the Meng version )

I thought that there was a bad moulding on the hubs, but I realised that it was the pipe for the central tyre pressure regulation system
Dashboard ( there are decals for the instruments )
A few assorted details
A nicely moulded mg - not used in this version! ( there are two other boxings )
The reason for this version, 8 of these sprues, the missiles
The vinyl tyres - solid & quite heavy.............

Mesh for the radiator ( works better than I expected ), Clear parts, decals, and a small self adhesive foil for the mirrors
It looks pretty good, but the question will be, does it fit together? I'll find out soon enough
Dave

[Dave Ward]

An hour or so's work, and a lot of progress - as usual a bit of edge preparation, and careful removal from the sprue.................
The fit is absolutely spot on, just click into position, and wick in the TET. Some pieces have half-moon pins, so you can't get them the wrong way round - really useful. Only one moment of panic, when I couldn't find a load of parts. I found that sprue B had been cut in two ( to fit the box, I assume ) - only one bearing the 'B'..................
Dave

[Dave Ward]

Chassis & bodypan united - A very snug fit, a lot of jiggling to get them together, don't really need any glue, as they won't come apart by themselves!

Looks suitably busy - in the process the towing hook seems to have gone AWOL, I'll have to find a suitable replacement.
All the undersides will be primed & sprayed satin black - as all Russian wheeled vehicles seem to be............
Dave

[Dave Ward]

Not a lot of benchtime,but I managed to put the dashboard together & paint it
The instructions show the bottom part of the dash to be white, which is far too stark, so I opted for a pale grey - the instructions also show the steering wheel on upside down.......
Dave

[Dave Ward]

Tyres prepped & painted with my usual kebab method - rather glossy, but after some weathering, some matt varnish will kill that
The pop-up missile launchers sit in two fabric bags when popped down.............
How much will be seen is rather debateable, but still............
All bits for the internals ready for priming, where needed. The 8 tubes are the reload missiles - they have to be reloaded externally. Tyres & hubs assembled
I had thought of assembling the bodywork & painting the camo, before uniting top & bottom, but I realise that you wouldn't be able to get the body over the chassis.
Dave

[Jim R]

Hi Dave
Well that is looking nice. Chassis is really nicely detailed.
Jim

[Dave Ward]

The chassis detail is 'sensible' , the bits visible are nicely done, the other sides are hollow, or devoid of any detail......................
Dave

[Dave Ward]

I found this on YouTube.......................

Dave