MT-LB6MB - a newly released multi-media kit (plastic, resin, PE) from SKIF, built by “Art Instructor” :
For more pics, please try my latest page :
http://www.falconbbs.com/model33c.htm
Enjoy!
Looks pretty good, except for the clean track and dirty running gear and hull. That is becoming an Art Instructor trade mark.
Thanks for your comments, Arty. You want some mud and grass debris on the tracks? I think AI can do that. Trademark can be changed. Formerly he didn’t bother making shoulder stripes for guns even in 1:16 scale, but after a user asked about them and I told him so, he’s making some this time.
Either dirty up the tracks or don’t make the hull so dirty, either way is fine. He just needs to be consistent in his weathering. If he is willing to improve that is great.
Looks great! I like the chipping kind of look. By the way, not sure if thats how its supposed to be, but the barrel looked kind of bright too me…kind of like an aluminum color, not steel. Maybe its the lighting, maybe its realistic that way, dunno, just what I thought.
The kit looks great; the MTLB is one of those hard to find kits. Although it may look odd the tracks are not necessarily wrong. Even though the hull and wheel inners may get coated in mud, the tracks tend to stay fairly clean due to the constant friction of wheels and tracks and the fact that the blocks are getting “sandblasted” at 20-40mph. Below are a couple of pics to show what I am talking about. Even tearing through the mud you can tell that the track itself is nice and shinny. In the second pic, the vehicle is absolutely thoroughly coated, yet the tracks are fairly clean.
Once again great job on the build.
Thanks so much for your kind compliments and comments, Ian and deattilio! I really appreciate them!
Ian, I’m not sure what should be the correct color for steel gun. You seem to want darker tone.
deattilio, those are very interesting pictures! Perhaps AI has been doing the right thing with tracks. I wonder what Arty have to say about this. 
MTLB is not hard to find if you know the right source. I think I have all of its variants that’s available as plastic kits. Now AI is working on MT-LB6MA, you’ll see it in a few weeks’ time.
There is an exception to every rule. That is why I always say usually, not never or always.
I will say that the pics deattilio has posted are not the norm, but the exception. Most tracks are not that clean. As soon as the vehicle stops, most of the mud above the tracks will start to fall all over them and they will again be covered in mud. But hey, you can have them made however you like.
Maniac. I’m a little concerned about the pics you’re posting and the responses that you’re giving. Are you getting “AI” to build for your pleasure or ours? If you look at your previous posts you’ll see, “after a user said…” something about the straps on a gun… Just a thought. Kinda gets me that you are paying this guy for others to give input into how to do things right. I’ll be straight up, I would cut “AI” off the pay roll with the constant “issues” being brought up! Gino’s right, the clean tracks and dirty hull is a constant thing. It has to be said that no matter how far or fast a track runs, there will always ben dried/wet mud/dirt stuck in the tracks. Just a thought Maniac!
To me another typical job by Art Instructor. GREAT! I’d go [tup][tup][tup][tup].
Joe [:D] [:D]
CDNTanker, most of all AI build for my pleasure. At the same time, I want to please as much people as possible. I can’t cut AI off the pay roll because I like his works the most. I’ve been posting since 2003 and I can say that so far AI has received more carrots than sticks and more admirers than naysayers, and that’s why I keep posting here.
Panther 44, thanks so much for your kind compliments! I’d say this is a t y p i c a l response here and on most other sites.
The point, which you still don’t seem to get, is not that we want to be pleased with his or your other builder’s models. The reason we give constructive comments is to have him build more accurate and better models since they are being payed for. It is more of an issue of professionalism. I could really care less if you fill your cases with crap.
I reference you back to Crockett’s excellent reply in your M1A1 thread, which you conveniently ignore since it is not what you want to hear…
"I know you are an avid collector, and you just want to share what you have purchased on these and other boards. The problem is, your builder, is at most, an average modeler. It would be different if below average quality was viewed under the pretense of improvement (which is what this forum is really about). We share our work, ask for critique and move forward with those lessons. There are quite a few folks here that have done a commission build or two, and usually, when you are building for a customer, (outside of kit design issues), things should be as correct as possible.
Your personal satisfaction is not the issue. You certainly have the right to pay for the level of quality that pleases you. However, it is irksome for some of us to see this work on the boards, and not offer up what we see as being obvious issues. We are in this for pleasure, but, basic mistakes and obvious blunders in construction don’t really apply to SCALE MODELING.
Plus, there is a certain measure of contempt involved, as it is troubling to see an individual paying for bad quality. There are many builders that can offer a professionally finished projects at competitive prices. To post the low quality work here, is to invite comments that are less than stellar.
Over the years, we have seen you on the defensive more than once, defending the “art instructor”, both with aircraft and armor.
We know you are a nice guy, but you are one of the few members here that don’t actually build. So, there is a little controversy sometimes when you post your builders work, showing the same errors time after time.
You are obviously proud of the models that you purchased. Model builders are proud of what they have constructed with their own two hands…BIG Difference.
From beginner level to accomplished level, we are about scale modeling here on this board. What is a jewel to a collector with hundreds of purchased kits on the shelf, can be a real disappointment to a builder when obvious shortcomings are repetitively posted here.
I don’t think it’s personal, but there is a lot more respect for a really bad model that was built by a member personally, and who is willing to reap the benefits of better, more experienced builders and their advice, than a substandard job that was thrown together for a buck or two.
Just my two cents. Scale modelers take just as much pride in the research required to model somewhat realistically, as they do in gluing and painting plastic."
I couldn’t agree more.