Dave Ward's Zvezda 1/35 MSTA-S 152mm SPH

[Dave Ward]

The upper hull is complete, apart from the skirts, and the clear parts......................[ATTACH]312778[/ATTACH]
The tiny parts for the headlamp guards etc need a fair deal of care in removal from the sprue, but fit well. The barrel stay is moveable
[ATTACH]312779[/ATTACH]
I'm going to treat the MSTA_S as two separate kits for the present - the hull & chassis as one, and the massive turret as the other - for priming and camo painting
Dave

[Guest]

Looking at those photos, I’m wondering how the driver can see anything useful out of the two side periscopes when the travel lock is in use.

[Dave Ward]

Jakko,
I assume that when the travel lock is in use, the driver will be 'heads out'. Folded forward, it's out of view[ATTACH]312797[/ATTACH]
I bet a real problem is the length of the barrel, keeping it clear of obstacles, especially on narrow roads!
Dave

[Guest]

Dave.
Dam you always make tracks look easy !:smiling:
Very nice progress, looking fwd to see how you get on with those seams in the barrels, I find it hard to get rid of the smallest seam line.
John .

[Dave Ward]

John,
the way Zvezda have engineered the suspension and roadwheels make this an easy track build. The sprockets are keyed, so you have a fixed starting point, and the precise track links/runs follow on round from there - of course, if you wanted to show the suspension going over bumpy ground, you'd be in a real mess - but what percentage of modellers want 'working' suspension and tracks? ( You won't see the top runs anyway, they're hidden by the skirts ).
The barrel looks to be pretty good - I was afraid that it wouldn't dry straight - but it is.
I think that a metal barrel & muzzle brake would cause problems with weight, anyway, I don't think there is one available!
Dave

[Dave Ward]

The upper hull was primed, allowed to dry, then basecoated
[ATTACH]312830[/ATTACH]
The paint is AK Real Color - it needs a lot more thinning than other paints - I ended up about 5:1, before it sprayed well! Once that was sorted, it went on smoothly, and covered well
[ATTACH]312829[/ATTACH]
I'll leave this overnight to really dry.............................
Dave

[grumpa]

Awesome kit David, and nice clean work.
Will keep an eye on...:thumb2:

Jim

[Dave Ward]

Upper hull camouflaged...........................
[ATTACH]312900[/ATTACH][ATTACH]312899[/ATTACH]
Chassis and hull united[ATTACH]312901[/ATTACH]
I can now put this aside, and start on the second part of the model - the turret.
There are a number of MSTA-S videos on YouTube, including a short one of inside of the turret, when loading & firing. Given that there is absolutely no interior in this model, it's just for interest. You can see how the stories of Russian autoloaders loading a man's arm may be true!
Dave

[minitnkr]

Some great work on a beautiful model. PaulE

[Dave Ward]

Work on the turret. It's flatpack - it needs careful assembly, but the fit is pretty good
[ATTACH]312956[/ATTACH]

The barrel assembly - I've gone out of sequence, because I wanted to make all the seams good - like this, whilst able to handle.
[ATTACH]312955[/ATTACH]
This runs up the centre of the mantlet, and is extremely visible, and would be fiddly to smooth out when assembled to the barrel ( dry fitted )
[ATTACH]312954[/ATTACH]
I had a few moments of concern, as I couldn't fit the assembled mantlet over the breech end, but a few minutes of careful jiggling, and it WILL fit.
As my model will be in travel configuration, then the barrel will rest in the steady, but I can't see any way of securing the elevation, in firing position - the pivot being right at the breech end. ( That's for someone else to find out.....).
Dave

[Dave Ward]

The basic turret shell complete - The fit was very good, just wicked TET into the joints
[ATTACH]312967[/ATTACH][ATTACH]312966[/ATTACH]
I thought there was an error, with plates overhanging, but looking at photos of the real thing, that's correct.
At this point in the build, I'm thinking, what's next?
I'm going to go for this - it's been begging me for attention since I got it.............
[ATTACH]312968[/ATTACH]
Revell reboxing of the ICM original ( got it at a VERY good discount, as is my custom :thumb2: )
Dave

[Jim R]

Hi Dave
Missed the start of this - sorry. Caught up now. It looks a lovely kit and you seem to rate it highly. Fit and detail is great and Zvezda seem to have put a lot of thought into it. I assume it is a newish kit from them. Camo looks great. Looking at that gun I think 'size does matter' :smiling: :tongue-out3:
Jim

[Dave Ward]

Jim,
the MSTA-S dates from 2017. Zvezda really stepped up their game, from around 2012, before they were a typical clunky East European maker. Their first real beauty was the T-90
[ATTACH]312975[/ATTACH]
As you would expect Russian subjects are covered, The large 2016 T-35 was my next Zvezda 1/35 model
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Zvezda have released variations of the Sd.kfz.251 .........................
[ATTACH]312973[/ATTACH]

There's no slide moulding, or PE parts, but are still comparable with major Far East makers. ( Their 1/ 48 aircraft, like the La-5FN & the Pe-2 are very good as well! )
Dave

[Dave Ward]

After a benchtime free weekend, it's on with the turret. It seems that you add loads of handles, brackets etc etc, for a few hours, and it doesn't look much different from when you started!
[ATTACH]313184[/ATTACH][ATTACH]313185[/ATTACH][ATTACH]313186[/ATTACH]
At least the gun gives a good handle! Some of the hand/footholds need cleaning up - it's easier to do when attached to the model. I've yet to add the indirect fire sight, the heavy AA mg, and the folded shell conveyor - this has over 30 parts alone. Also missing are the tools, spare track links and other minor bits that will be added after the camo painting.
The fit is still very good, some of the smaller parts are delicate, and some of the ingates are large, but care and a sharp scalpel work wonders..................
Dave

[Dave Ward]

The AA mg is assembled, quite tricky, due to the small parts.
[ATTACH]313314[/ATTACH]

Now, the shell hoist.......................................... This is a VERY tricky assembly, tiny pins, thin pieces, and rather vague instructions. I've spent a couple of hours trying to piece this together,[ATTACH]313315[/ATTACH]
I've broken several bits, had to remove, or replace others, and it's still not finished - the folding section still has to be fitted, that will hide some of the problems!
I feel that in this assembly, Zvezda have tried to do too much, the limitation of scale small parts has resulted in a flimsy structure. Moulding separate parts in one piece would have made this stronger ( and easier ).
At the moment, I've dropped CA on all the joints, and will leave it overnight to dry.
Dave