This time I’m going to build a Russian T-90 tank. It is the most advanced main tank of the Russian army equipped with welded type turret called Vladimir turret. The T-90A is equipped with a Vladimir turret, and this turret strengthens its defenses.
When I open the box, there are many parts like the usual MENG kit. When I open a new kit, my cat always comes to check the parts. He may come to see if there are any dangerous goods in it.
The suspension is movable, and I think it’s easy to adjust the ground surface when the track is rolled.
The assembly is almost finished. It’s quite a lot of parts so far. In the past, I have made several plastic models of aircraft continuously, so I feel that there are many parts in the AFV kit.
There are 7 runners in total for track parts. The parts are complicated, so I can’t just cut them off, line them up, and pour the glue all at once like the old Dragon kits. It is a bit wasteful that the upper half of the track is covered with armor even though it is such a spirited track.
The way to assemble the track is the same as when I made the MENG Terminator before. I made it a long time ago, so I reviewed the making process to see how it was, and it seems to be the most efficient way to assemble it according to the instruction manual, which is unusual for an assembly of a connecting track. With other kits, I usually stick double-sided tape on a work mat, put it on the mat, and then roll it all at once, but the tracks of this kit have many parts that make up one frame at a time, and the process is rather complicated with moving parts and fitting small parts from the side.
It is efficient to make 6 pieces of connecting tracks at a time. The jig to insert 5 pins on the side is excellent.
The assembly worked well using about half the parts, but it was too long and the upper part of the track loosened. I don’t have to worry about it because it’s hidden by the side armor, but it would have been better if it was 2 pieces shorter. I rolled it on one side and glued it properly, so I’m a little relieved.
I feel like I could wind the other one better. I think the sagging condition is just right. In the end, there were only a few parts left, but the parts accuracy was quite good and there was not a single useless defect.
(2024/07/08)
The engine is surprisingly fun to make, or rather, I was surprised again by its size.
I glued a lot of etched parts. There is not much space. It fits perfectly in the tank. I wonder if it’s a fire extinguisher or something with round cylinder-like things here and there.
I started working on the assembly of the upper part of the tank body. I’m worried if the parts will fit because pretty big parts are bonded continuously.
I think it’s better to temporarily assemble the top and bottom parts of the tank body before gluing them together and make sure that some rear covers fit properly. It looks cool when the engine is peeking out, but this time I will glue the cover. I don’t usually pay much attention to the engine.
I’m assembling the tank body. There are quite a lot of parts. There are some parts that cannot be seen after assembling, so if you want to omit it, it will be a little easier.
(2024/07/11)
According to the assembly manual, this is the only unit equipped with a drum type fuel tank at the back. I think it’s better to glue the strut and fuel tank together, skipping the order to make the assembly smooth. In another painting example, the Russian Army Guard had some markings during the parade, but the extra fuel tank may be removed because the parade does not require it. In that example, all the supports of the fuel tanks are cut off and the assembly is easy.
I think it would be easier to adjust the parts and fit better if the front and rear fenders and side armor are installed at the same time. I attached the fender first and the parts were dried and fixed, so I had a hard time later.
The body part was finished, so I moved on to the turret. The long gun barrel was divided into about 10 parts and it was hard to put it straight. The unevenness and various details are reproduced, so even just the gun barrel has quite a precision feel.
I have made Russian tanks several times, but there are a lot of parts such as turret equipment and explosion reaction armor. The KV series turret has only about 10 parts, but the current turret has more than 100 parts. This is one of the attractions of the T-90. It will take a while to complete the whole assembly.
I woke up this morning to the news that former President Trump was shot, and I was shocked. Right upper ear penetration? That was a very close call. Trump had a bad day, but a picture like this would make him even more charismatic.
(2024/07/14)
Well, I was struggling with small parts and it was completed before I knew it. The cover of the turret base was made of rubber.
The main reasons for the mess of the turret are the explosive reactive armor in various places, the storage boxes on the left, right, and back, two ammo boxes for anti-aircraft machine gun, and the smoke dischargers on the left and right. The laser detector and night sight near the hatch, as well as the two hatches themselves, have complicated shapes.
Is the double armor only on the front side to protect the driver? I have an image that Russian weapons don’t think much about the people inside, but I guess not.
Russian tanks are stereotypically loaded with drum fuel tanks and logs.
The searchlight on the front of the tank is called the Stora and is an electro-optic active protection system. designed to disrupt the targeting and ranging of incoming anti-tank missile lasers.
The piping of the fuel tank hose was more difficult than when I made a similar tank before. The parts here are also mixed up, so I don’t mind if they are slightly misaligned.
It will be painted soon, but the clear parts are masked with masking sol. Metal parts are coated with metal primer. When removing the masking sol, a lot of force is applied, so parts with a delicate adhesive area are afraid of falling. It’s reinforced with superglue, but I don’t know what will happen. For now, I can’t remove the masking sol until I finish basic painting and sticking the decals, so I look forward to it.
For now, I would like to do basic painting after underpainting with black.
I decided to use these three colors on my own this time. In MENG, there is the paint instruction of AK Interactive, and even if the color name is converted to Mr. Color, there are many cases that it is different from my image. Just like the painting instructions of Trumpeter and Hobby Boss are rather irresponsible, I don’t know much about MENG, so I chose a color that looks cool with reference to the photos of the actual tank.
I like this camouflage painted color combination because it feels like a modern Russian tank.
(2024/07/18)
The T-90A is complete. It is the main tank of the Russian Army. Even though tanks are strong on the plains, there are a lot of drone attacks these days, so the crew inside the tank must be scared. Because the inside of the tank is noisy, it is hard to hear the sound of the drone coming, and the upper part of the tank is aimed at the thin part, so the damage seems to be big. If a drone crashes due to radio interference when it flies nearby, it’s probably safe, but I wonder what’s happening with recent technology.
There are various fine molds on the upper surface of the tank body to increase the precision. However, the number of parts is not so many and the burden of assembling is small. The turret has a lot of parts though.
Tanks during World War II had a lot of tools attached to the body, but this T-90 doesn’t have many. It may be stored in a storage box which is prepared in many places.
I tried various weathering, such as covering the surface of the tank with muddy water to make it dry. I think it’s better to look a little worn than shiny.
This time, the marking is North Kafkaz Military District, 19th Independent Guardian Motorized Rifle Brigade.
The height of the tank is very low. Russians seem to have a lot of tall people, so this might be too tight. In addition, even if the tank looks as complicated as this, there are three crew, and the commander and the gunner play a dual role, so it may be difficult to judge the situation. They may be defeated by the enemy by a narrow margin in a moment’s judgment.
I like this MENG kit because it makes a very precise kit just by assembling the parts in the box. As there are many parts, the price of the kit is rather expensive, which is a disadvantage. If you buy it, don’t keep it in stock forever, but make it right!
(2024/07/20)
