I have started on a dio about the Ukraine war showing the valiant Tractor BDE “recovering” a Russian BMP-2. So far, I have the tractor detailed and reworked to fix some of its issues since it is a 1/32 Ertl die-cast and plastic piece.
This is what I stared with.
It is a German Fendt tractor that is used in Ukraine, as seen in the below pics.
Fendt Tractor in Ukraine 21035×582 124 KB
Fendt Tractor in Ukraine 11280×720 136 KB
I took it apart and began improving it. First, I cut open the door so you could see inside. I also replaced the oversized steering wheel with one from the spares box. Next, I painted the floor and seats black and the rest of the interior parts a sand color, including the inside of the window frames since the “glass” is one piece and you could see the green paint from the outside. I then detail painted the dash and controls on the sides of the seat and added a few warning placard decals.
On the outside, I cut off the rubbery exhaust pipe end and replaced it with a piece of hollow plastic tubing. I then cut off the out of scale handle on the rear attachments and drilled out the ends to better represent the attachment points. I drilled a vertical hole through the rear parts for a tow point. I will insert a pin in it later. I also removed the orange beacons and replaced them with a couple clear ones that I painted orange. They are slightly better. I added the mirrors from a 1/32 die-cast truck and scratched the grab handles on each side. I also painted the whole frame flat black as it was weird, glossy dark grey color. Lastly, I painted the clear lights and the red/white tail lights. I also copied a Ukrainian license plate and printed it out, then added it to the rear.
Here is is so far.
Next up is some weathering then getting started on the Trumpeter BMP-2 w/interior.
I like the fact that you’re using what’s available without any extra expense. That tractor looks very good. I’ll be looking forward to some more WIP pics.
I have been working on the abandoned BMP-2, but didn’t take many in-progress shots. Here it is with the interior mostly complete.
It is pretty much out of the box. I added a few extra pieces such as a fuel can, a few ammo cans and a blanket to give it the lived-in look. I also added the fire extinguishers, a few boxes and bags up front, axe, tree saw, and three missile reload tubes for the 9M113 Konkurs ATGM. Lastly, I added a few hoses to dress it up.
The turret needed a lot of work. Trumpeter greatly simplified it. I fixed some of it, but it could use a lot more work. First, I added the half-circular ammo locker across the back of the turret that Trumpeter missed. I built it out of sheet styrene and added ribs on top. I also repositioned the control handles from the floor (basically) where Trumpeter had them to in front of the gunner and raised up the gunner’s sight so it is in front of him as opposed to at his knees.
The upper hull interior. I added a couple cables that will go out to the doors.
Lookin’ good! So it’s a 1/32 tractor mated to a 1/35 BMP-2?
My pops always told us: forget the tanks, the BWP (that’s the way the first BMPs were called in Poland) is a real fun to drive! I don’t know about BMP-2, but does it have fuel tanks in the rear doors, too? Because that was one weird feature of the original BMP.
Respect for tackling the interior! Good luck with your build and have a nice day
Yup, 1/32 tractor and 1/35 BMP-2. I have mixed scales often. As long as they are not the same vehicles and you keep all accessories and such the same scale, they work together just fine.
Yes, the BMP-2 has the same fuel cells in the rear doors and the center fuel tank that the troops are sitting against/on. Seems like a recipe for disaster to me. I definitely wouldn’t want to be in one when it gets hit.
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