Panda 1/35 Object 279

[bilbo]

Evening all,

I thought I'd better share one of my builds on here, and actually finish what I start for once. I chose this as recently there was a comment about people not knowing the quality of panda kits in terms of fit etc. so what better way to help, than to build one.

Object 279 is a proto type tank built by the Russians, and its shape is meant to prevent it being thrown over by a nuclear blast, but I'm guessing that having 4 sets of tracks maintenance after said nuclear blast must have been a royal pain.

So coming up the obligatory box art and sprue shots:



Sprue shots:






yes, that is individual links, to a tank with twice as many sets as found on a normal tank. I think the design conversation went something like this:

Da, Boris, ze 4 sets of tracks will really mess up the capitalist modelers in the future, its a small victory for the motherland...

There is only 1 option for colour:



And there are no decals, almost makes up for the 4 sets of indy track links....

Panda seem to have a sadistic streak in them, in that they would have you fit all the small knock offable pieces to the 2 hull halves before you join them together.

but I've foiled their plan by gluing them both together straight away (after checking to make sure I didn't need to have glue anything in from the inside) having sprayed the inside black.

Next step is to do the wheels, and suspension, update once that is complete.

[Guest]

I see you have reached the same conclusion I have with regards to why real tanks have odd, awkward or too many bits

Always liked this weird-looking tank since I first discovered it existed, so it’ll be interesting to see what you make of it. Talking of which: will this be finished as a prototype or as a “what-if” in-service vehicle?

[bilbo]

Talking of which: will this be finished as a prototype or as a “what-if” in-service vehicle?

That's a good question, lets break it down....

Will it be finished - I hope so, though my record on this is not the best.....
Will it be finished as a prototype or a what if in service - Again my models, if they get finished, generally only make it to the primer stage so I think that its most likely to end up as the 2nd prototype that only made it as far as getting primer on....

I'm more likely to finish this a prototype if I get it finished as only painting it green is slightly more likely to happen than painting it multi coloured. That said I also have the takom version in the stash, which I I might do as a in service if I'm not put off by the panda offering, part of me thinks it would look nice in digital camouflage, or even in Berlin camouflage.

[bilbo]

not a lot of progress to show for today.

I found a walk around of the only surviving example, initial reaction is that the panda model is overly simplified, and if people were so inclined, there is lots of potential to detail the model further, for example there is a lot of rivet and weld details missing.

walk around: тяжелый танк Объект 279, Центральный музей бронетанкового вооружения и техники МО РФ, Кубинка, Россия (scalemodels.ru)

Todays progress:

This took 25 minutes today, there is a fair amount of flash on some of the pieces that needs to be cleaned up, which given I bought the kit when it first came out is concerning but its not an in surmountable challenge. The sprues are laid out in away that means you have to think in order to get the right pieces, if you're not paying attention you end up with a piece that looks very similar, but is not exactly the right piece.



so 3 suspension arms done, 21 to go.

[Steve Jones]

A great tank to model Dom. Seat front and centre for this one. Good luck

[bilbo]

A great tank to model Dom. Seat front and centre for this one. Good luck

Welcome Steve, make yourself comfy, its going to be a slow build

[papa 695]

Nice start Dom.

[bilbo]

Not much progress to report at the moment, still cleaning up suspension, wheels and tracks.

I have bought a metal barrel to go with this as the kit piece is a 2 part barrel with a significant seam and step that would need to be cleaned up, however the metal barrel has no instructions.



Redline shows where I think I need to cut, so that I can attach the barrel to the turret. I plan on gluing the metal barrel together with 5-minute epoxy. I did think about soldering the metal components together, I think I'd make a hash of it so 5 min epoxy is probably the better way of going.

[Guest]

Isn’t that barrel turned from aluminium? That would make soldering tricky and need special equipment rather than just your run-off-the-mill solder like you would use for brass. Epoxy is by far the safer option, if you ask me.

[bilbo]

Isn’t that barrel turned from aluminium? That would make soldering tricky and need special equipment rather than just your run-off-the-mill solder like you would use for brass. Epoxy is by far the safer option, if you ask me.

No idea it’s metal and I’m impressed I’ve gotten that far, I’ve used epoxy on it and the t seems to be sticking. Will see what it’s like once I’m back from my walk.

[bilbo]

Making more progress on this now,


I've completed the suspension which, interestingly, the instructions tell you to put on the wrong way around, or the part number disagrees with the cad drawing that goes along with it. So I've dry fitted them for now and will see which one looks right a bit later on.



Still not started the tracks, they click together individual links, that require some clean up, and there is also a pin mark in the centre of every track link, which will be nigh on impossible to clean up so I've decided that its actually meant to be there.



I've started and nearly finished the turret.



Panda seem to go in for 'fine engineering' I've had to sand pretty much every connection point so that it fits in. This includes all 8 of part A9, which are the vision blocks on the turret and are about 3mmx1mm and the fitting point is too large,= for the hole its meant to fit in to so it has to be sanded in to shape.


The fit of the hatches is not to great either (though that could be me vs. the actual model...) so will need to spray the interior black before its all sealed up, and boy do they like their tiny parts.



And while I'm on a rant, there is no clear sprue.... so the headlights, vision blocks etc are all molded in the same dark green plastic, oh joy.

[Tim Marlow]

Coming along well despite your problems Dom. The turned barrel is a definite upgrade to the kit offering.

[bilbo]

Thanks Tim, its certainly not for the faint hearted.

Some slow progress, turret is now pretty much finished, I just need to glue on the last 3 pieces of PE, panda PE seems to be fighting back along with the rest of the kit.



I've started on the main body of the tank now:

which brings me to the most pointless piece of PE from 2013:
Now you see it:


Now you don't:


And I've also cutout all the links, 384 of them, so I can sit and clean them tonight, and then try and work out how to assemble the tracks, and paint them. I can now understand why this has sat at the back of a cupboard for the last 7 years or so....

[Guest]

I don’t think I would have installed that round etched screen under the ventilator dome … It seems entirely pointless to me too — etchings for the sake of etchings, more or less. Enjoy the tracks, I know I usually do

[Tim Marlow]

+1 on the etch....absolutely pointless! Tracks, if you make tanks you have to do ‘em.....just get into mindless (or mindfulness!) mode and work automatically.