Zvezda 1:35 Russian BMP-2D

[fly1ngdutchm4n]

This is my first entry in a GB ever, so wish me luck!
I'm out way of my comfort zone with this build and It's one of Zvedsa models that I never build before, so this wil be a challenge!
Used on building WW2 so I'm a newbie in this area.

This kit is donated to me by Chief (thanks!!!) so I could enter this GB.


Here's what i'm going to build!

Russian BMP-2D



Less sprues than the kits I'm used too build, but I'm not in a rush mode and got some more research to do on this vehicle.

Wheels and backdoors



Upper hull, turret and fenders



Side, front hooks and woodwork
Thinking of scratch building that wooden crate myself for more detailing..



Tracks
Now this is more my cup of thea gentleman! Love building small parts



Lower hull



The manual
Off course.... in russian
"Zvezda" means "star" ( for all who was wondering that! )



Painting sheme



And here's some background information of this vehicle.



Introduction 1980
Proliferation At least 20 countries
Description
Crew 3
Troop Capacity 7 passengers
Combat Weight (mt) 14.3
Chassis Length Overall (m) 6.72
Height Overall (m) 2.45
Width Overall (m) 3.15
Ground Pressure (kg/cm 2 ) 0.63

Automotive Performance
Engine Type 300-hp Diesel
Cruising Range (km) 600
Speed (km/h)
Max Road 65
Max Off-Road 45
Average Cross-Country 35
Max Swim 7
Fording Depth (m) Amphibious

Radio R-123M transceiver or R-173

Protection
Armor, Turret Front (mm) 23-33
Applique Armor (mm) On BMP-2D
Explosive Reactive Armor (mm) Available
Active Protective System N/A
Mineclearing Equipment KMT-8 mine plow available
Self-Entrenching Blade N/A
NBC Protection System Collective
Smoke Equipment 6 smoke grenade launchers, VEESS

ARMAMENT

Main Armament
Caliber, Type, Name 30-mm automatic gun, 2A42
Rate of Fire (rd/min) 550 cyclic in bursts/ 200-300 practical
Loader Type Dual-belt feed
Ready/Stowed Rounds 500/0
Elevation (°) -5 to +74

The model I'm building is the BMD-2D.
And some minor changes were made on this model:BMP-2D (D stands for desantnaya – assault) – Fitted with additional spaced type steel appliqué armour on the hull sides, under the driver's and commander's stations, and 6 mm thick appliqué armour on the turret. Due to the added weight the vehicle is no longer amphibious. It also has provision for mounting a mine clearing system under the nose of the vehicle. In service since 1982, it saw service during Soviet war in Afghanistan.

I'm thinking of builing this model something like this:



So far so good guys!
I'm not decided on a out of the box build, or adding some PE and figures.
Got plenty of time for this build, and having fun allready!

[Dunhill2005]

WOW!!! This my friend is a really cool tank

[Nige201980]

Wow looking forward to this one for sure.

[Paul]

Brilliant entry, no PE though?

[fly1ngdutchm4n]

Brilliant entry, no PE though?

Funny you ask......
Just ordered a PE set by Emodels! lol

[Paul]

Brilliant entry, no PE though?

Funny you ask......
Just ordered a PE set by Emodels! lol

Brilliant

[bullgill67]

sweet! good luck with the build Frans

michael

[T3hGuppy]

Ooh will be interested to see how this goes together .

[chief5437]

Mate, if you build it like in the picture, it'll be the coolest dio I've ever seen! Hope it doesn't give you too much trouble! Lol

[Coen]

Chief donated that?
Chief buddy... you're a Zvezda!
haha. That was well done Dude. I love this community!

Frans. If your past work is any scale to judge by, this will be a piece to put on the mantel.
Of course he ordered PE... he's Frans!!!
hahaha.

[schweinhund227]

Lots of Courage you have my friend...

good luck !

Can't wait for more updates....

[good2us1]

What a challenge a head of you, but a cool choice, can't wait to see your progress!!!
You'll do good!!! Good Luck

[fly1ngdutchm4n]

Thank you all guys for the good luck wishes.
I'm waiting for my Photo Etch to arrive from Emodels, Than I will start on this build!

[fly1ngdutchm4n]

Hi guys!
Here's a litle update of what i'm doing with this build.
I haven't put a knife to any sprue yet...
I'm waiting for my AM stuff to arrive.
It contains PE, so I can't start the model without it.

But what am i doing while waiting then?
The same as I Always do: research!


And I found a awesome video of this BMP.
It's the BMP 1 one this video, but it's similar to the BMP 2.
Here's what Wikipedia said:

The BMP-2 is broadly similar to the BMP-1. The most significant changes are:
A new two-man turret armed with the 2A42 30 mm autocannon and the 9P135M ATGM launcher capable of firing SACLOS guided 9M111 "Fagot" (AT-4 Spigot), 9M113 "Konkurs" (AT-5 Spandrel) and 9M113M "Konkurs-M" (AT-5B Spandrel B) anti-tank missiles.
The commander now sits with the gunner in an enlarged turret.
Seven troops are carried instead of eight.
Two rear infantry roof hatches instead of three.
Slightly improved armour.

And here is the video! Enjoy!

[youtube]v2Qo5HOuHeo[/youtube]

[wappynutter]

After seeing your previous work Frans......
I know this is going to be AMESOME......
I will be watching this build very closely, its gonna be another PE masterclass I just know it...
and super donating Chief....... Such a giving, open, friendly community on ISM....
So glad to be a member....

[ModelingMatt]

It don't get no more cold war than a BMP. When I was in the army we would practiced shooting at a wrecked one with LAW and M205.

[fly1ngdutchm4n]

It don't get no more cold war than a BMP. When I was in the army we would practiced shooting at a wrecked one with LAW and M205.

wow... that's awesome!

[fly1ngdutchm4n]

After seeing your previous work Frans......
I know this is going to be AMESOME......
I will be watching this build very closely, its gonna be another PE masterclass I just know it...
and super donating Chief....... Such a giving, open, friendly community on ISM....
So glad to be a member....

Thank you very much for your nice comment
And I agree about this Awesome forum.
Very giving, open and friendly community on ISM

[fly1ngdutchm4n]

Hello fellow modellers!

Here's a small update:

My photo Etch for this model is arrived, so I can start building!

A whole bag of tiny parts that I love so much...



I also ordered some figures for creating a little dio.

It's a Zvetza AFV, so Zvedza figures it's going to be!



Never worked with Zvedza before, i'm used to a better quality figures, but what the heck, this is going to be fun!

Zvedza 1:35 tank crew




These figures are looking ok, there is the normal cleaning up to do. A seem all over the side of the figures, but that is what Tamiya has too.
They kinda look like Tamiya figures, not bad at all...

Time to build guys, wish me luck!

[Nige201980]

This going to a fun watch mate.

[Coen]

Nice PE Fran's, an excellent addition to your BMP.
I've seen these figures before. I always thought that the detail was a bit soft on them. Comparing them to Tamiya figures make sense. Tamiyas older figure are terrible. Overscaled lumpy with giant boots. Haha.
These look a lot better though they should build up really good.
Under your skilled hands I would imagine that they will look fantastic.

[T3hGuppy]

Looking forward to you starting on this one.

[fly1ngdutchm4n]

Update #3

Made a start on this model now

First I washed the sprues in soap water to get rid of all oil and stuff from the manufacturer.
I let it dry on my wifes laundry rek.. . She does not know it, for she's not home now. Don't tell

A mans laundy



After washing and drying, I examined de parts, and there is a lot more flash then I tought...





So it's sanding then! I don't mind, it just take longer...

I made a start at the lower hull.
There is a grid at the backside of the hull to let the water trough that is thrown backwards by the tracks.

Water grid


source: Central Museum of Armed Forces, Moscow, Russia, by Vladimir Yakubov

So I had to cut a the corners out.



Reworked corners


And replace the badly molded grids for shiny new ones.

PE grid



Result







That's it for today guys!
Tomorrow It's weekend, so a lot of sanding will be done!
Have a great weekend fellows

[T3hGuppy]

Damn those look nice.

You really got a talent for PE.

Do you use a PE folding tool?

[Coen]

And so it begins......

[fly1ngdutchm4n]

Damn those look nice.

You really got a talent for PE.

Do you use a PE folding tool?

Thank you!

Yes, I have a folding tool.
It's the folding bug from the small shop in the U.S.
You can find it here in a "how too" that I wrote:
http://www.intscalemodeller.com/viewtop ... =63&t=2313

[T3hGuppy]

Damn those look nice.

You really got a talent for PE.

Do you use a PE folding tool?

Thank you!

Yes, I have a folding tool.
It's the folding bug from the small shop in the U.S.
You can find it here in a "how too" that I wrote:
http://www.intscalemodeller.com/viewtop ... =63&t=2313

Ahh cool cheers dude.

[fly1ngdutchm4n]

Update #4

Today I'm finishing the lower hull. No PE for a while, but did run into some problems.
The suspension is one of them.
According to the manual the suspension would be placed between the sprocket.
But when I would use the partpins and holes like I should, the suspension blocks the sprockets.
On the photo you just see one half of the sprocket, so I would have some more room fixing it.

Suspension/sprocket error



So I drilled a new hole, filled the old one, and moved the suspention a bit further to te right.

Problem fixed



And this is the hull so far.

Lower hull


Next thing to do are the tracks.
No rubber thingies, but loose links.

Track links



And here is how to fix them.



Yeah right... with glue.
Did that, been there, not going to do that again!
These are not the Magic tracks from Dragon (there awesome) so I'm going to rework them.
Hudge fan of workable tracks, especially Friul.
I'm not getting Friul tracks, but I'm making these puppies workable.
So after some minor cleaning, I started drilling.
All the way through, and both sides.
Had to be very carefully not to break those tiny pins. And I had to drill straight. Not 100%, but 99.9% will do...



When that was done, a Small piece of wire went through.

Almost workable



Glued the end with a drop of CA, and cliped the wire.

Tataaaa! Workable tracks





Got a lot more drilling to do, and it's a slow progress, but I think this would be great for this model.

See ya next updat guys!

[spruecutter]

Great work and a really interesting build thread.

[fly1ngdutchm4n]

Great work and a really interesting build thread.

Thank you!
Having fun building and writing this thread

[Coen]

I've done exactly the same thing to two of my kits Frans. It's a hell of a lot of work but the pay off is awesome. My hat is off to you sir for trying this. Fiddly business to say the least.

[HamilkarBarkas]

This will be a big challenge, i have this kit somewhere but never felt like finishing it as its simply dreadful - my biggest respect for you! With all those extra details and your competent approach i´m sure it will be a gem

[schweinhund227]

My God !!!

you are certifiable ! *in a good way *

W I C K E D job on the tracks... who would have thought of that ???



so much work on such an Oldie !! keep it up we are watching !!!

[fly1ngdutchm4n]

I've done exactly the same thing to two of my kits Frans. It's a hell of a lot of work but the pay off is awesome. My hat is off to you sir for trying this. Fiddly business to say the least.

This will be a big challenge, i have this kit somewhere but never felt like finishing it as its simply dreadful - my biggest respect for you! With all those extra details and your competent approach i´m sure it will be a gem

My God !!!

you are certifiable ! *in a good way *

W I C K E D job on the tracks... who would have thought of that ???



so much work on such an Oldie !! keep it up we are watching !!!

Thank you very much gentlemen!
I don't know how old this kit is, but it is a good thing that I got some PE for it.
The kit has low details, but that is my challenge to make this oldie one for the mantle piece.

[wappynutter]

Wow Frans, you gonna kick this old, unloved and lacking in detail kit into shape sure enough mate.
Watch out BMP the photo-etch master is gonna work his magic..
Well done so far mate, will be following this build closely..

[fly1ngdutchm4n]

Wow Frans, you gonna kick this old, unloved and lacking in detail kit into shape sure enough mate.
Watch out BMP the photo-etch master is gonna work his magic..
Well done so far mate, will be following this build closely..

Thanks Wappy!
Old kit indeed, the instructions are dated 1989
Working my magic on it... a lot of magic... lol

[good2us1]

I've done exactly the same thing to two of my kits Frans. It's a hell of a lot of work but the pay off is awesome. My hat is off to you sir for trying this. Fiddly business to say the least.

This will be a big challenge, i have this kit somewhere but never felt like finishing it as its simply dreadful - my biggest respect for you! With all those extra details and your competent approach i´m sure it will be a gem

My God !!!

you are certifiable ! *in a good way *

W I C K E D job on the tracks... who would have thought of that ???



so much work on such an Oldie !! keep it up we are watching !!!

Thank you very much gentlemen!
I don't know how old this kit is, but it is a good thing that I got some PE for it.
The kit has low details, but that is my challenge to make this oldie one for the mantle piece.

WOW!!! Frans, really nice work, like Norm said, WICKED!!! Can't wait to see it done already!!!

[fly1ngdutchm4n]

Update #5

It's a small udate, but i'm taking one step at the time.
No "pedal to the medal" for I got plenty of time for this difficult build.

I have taken a break of track drilling and building, after ruining 5 links and breaking 3 micro drills...
If it's turning out to be almost imposible to do, I will glue them.

Decided to set my mind on doing something differend, so I have made a start at the back doors.
Folding PE again.

Un Modified door




Modified door



And here the door is in place.
Some touching up is needed on the hinges, just ordered some perfect plastic putty, for everyone is giving great comments on it, so i'll give it a try!



That's it for now guys, see you next update!

Frans

[bullgill67]

fantastic attention to detail

michael

[fly1ngdutchm4n]

fantastic attention to detail

michael

Thank you!

[Coen]

It always amazes me how much such a tiny amount of PE can do so much.
Marvellous work Frans
You are the PE king!

[fly1ngdutchm4n]

It always amazes me how much such a tiny amount of PE can do so much.
Marvellous work Frans
You are the PE king!

Thank you my humble citizen, ye is correct sir, for it's incredible what what ye can achieve with PE.
I thank you for ye who says this nice comment!

King Frans of PE city

[Emilliano]

Great work and a really interesting build thread.

Thank you!
Having fun building and writing this thread

You can say that again mate ...it surely is evident that you are having a fun build at the same time keeping to the modelling discipline(Attention to detail) Keep up the Awesome work

[longlance67]

this is a very fun build its a lot of fun to watch it take shade



great build



Shane,

[fly1ngdutchm4n]

Thank you all for the nice comments fellas!
Really enjoying reading them
I have managed to free one hour tonight for another small update, so here we go!

Update #6

Just to show why I like PE so much, here's a example.
I'm going to replace the old molded hot air outlet from the engine.

Original hot air outlet from the kit


Bad, bad details...
There is no hot air coming out of that outlet!

So, time to replace it with some folded pieces PE.



Placed the mesh cover on top of it.


Finished outlet


But wait! Is the mesh cover upside down?
I placed it like the manual said, but I had my doubts...
So, time to do research again.
Here's the Original outlet, and gues what? It's not upside down...

Original outlet

Central Museum of Armed Forces, Moscow, Russia, by Vladimir Yakubov

Phewww...

So here's the result of one hour of labour.

Hotair outlet


Next: Handles. A lot of tiny handles...

Cheers guys!

[Coen]

I've always guess that you were full of hot air Frans... hahaha
Nice work buddy. It's all in an hour's work.

[fly1ngdutchm4n]

I've always guess that you were full of hot air Frans... hahaha
Nice work buddy. It's all in an hour's work.

You sound like my wife...

Haha! Thanks Coen.
Happy building!

[Nige201980]

great work frans love it

[Paul]

That outlet looks superb, you cannot argue that pe makes a huge detail difference to a model

[Coen]

It will also make you want to smash your face with a slipper.