Howdy, folks![:)]
I finally finished that nutty Skif BMP-3 that I’ve been working on for the February issue of Armour Modelling. I’ll post some pix for your perusal once the mag is out.
While the editors of AM haven’t explicitly said don’t post any pix first, I reckon it’s kind of a “dance with the one what brought ya” kinda deal! I have to send the model off to the AM offices tomorrow, but I’ll take a bunch of digipix first.
Then I’ll tell ya about the trials and tribulations of building a Skif kit! We may need to start a Skif builders support group…
The model, however, turned out a lot better than I imagined it would.
Anyhoo, if anyone noticed a sharp decline in my postings in the last 6 weeks, now you know why. Dwight, I hope you’ve taken advantage of this lull to catch up to me!
AND, I’ve caught the BMP bug, bad. Last weekend I picked up the Svezda BMP-1 AND BMP-2!
Well, you can’t just have a -3 in your collection, right? [:D]
I can’t wait to see your BMP-3 when it is finished. We do need a Skif support group. I am about 75% done with construction of the 2s1. I’ve decided to replace the kit tracks, I’m waiting for the friul tracks to arrive in the mail. As for Zvezda, I’m glad they have decided to release the DML modern Russian kits. The plastic has more flash, but they have put in current decals. I have built a BMP-1 as a Syrian vehicle, but haven’t started on either the BMP-2 (did get a new turret today [:D] ) or the BMP-3. What camo scheme did you use on the BMP-3?
Catch-up on you? Maybe if you don’t log on for about a month. LOL. Anyway, I am excited to see this top secret work of yours. I know that it will be another top of the line work (and worthy to be on the cover pages of a modelling mag, too.)
Glad that it’s done. We kinda missed you around here.
Weeelll, hopefully someday I’ll be able to say, “I build models for magazines,” but all I can truthfully say right now is, “I built THIS model for a magazine!”
If they like it, they might throw more work my way. Which I’ll be happy to catch!
I tell ya, just browsing through tons of ref material and seeing all those BTRs and BMDs and whatnot, kinda opened a new door for me. I never had much interest in modern Russian armor until now!
Kaleu, the Svezda Bimps are originally Dragon? Did not know that. Both kits look great in the box, flash/sinkhole/ejector pin mark-free and very crisp. A nice change from Skif, I thought to myself as I opened the boxes.
As for camo, due to time constraints and the fact that I really prefer single-colored vehicles, I did an all-green vehicle. Which was a tough decision, because the vast majority of ref pix show the BMP-3 in a sand / brown (or green) /black camo pattern. I only found about 5 pix (three of the same vehicle!) of all-green vehicles, so my choice isn’t that nutty (just rare). Plus, I don’t know…to me, Russian armor is just…green, you know? Russian Green…gotta love it! Hopefully the weathering I attempted will make it interesting to look at.
Anyway, once published, I shall post pix like a madman and ask for your sharp criticism and sage advice!
By the way, at six weeks, I think this was the quickest build I’ve done since slapping a Revell Komodo Dragon together back in the 5th grade…[;)]
Thanks for the link, Derek! I couldn’t see any pix, but got some good info from the thread (which I do recall reading a while back!). After the Skif experience, I feel like I’m ready for anything!
Allan, I don’t think Armour Modelling makes it very far outside of Japan…I think only a few of the good folk here at FSM have seen an issue or two. It’s a great mag, with excellent photography and great content. All in Japanese, however, making overseas distribution difficult, to say the least.
But if ya see an issue, grab it!
Tiger? Did my esteemed colleagues Eric and Eric say something about a Tiger? ahem Well, um, yes!
…but I still gotta go back and finish my Bovington King Tiger! Shizuoka’s only four months away…I need more mes (plural of “me”)…
I sent my Bimp baby off to the magazine today. Ah, it was hard to let it go…took a billion pix first, though.
I’ll get it back, but sometime around the end of February.
Hopefully in one piece!