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BTR-80 hull + T-72 turret = BTR-72 tank destroyer


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I did this profile for the BTR-60/79/80 thread over on Whatifmodelers.com. A BTR-80 hull with the turret of a T-80 MBT.

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Here's what will be involved in building this beast.

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As can be seen I use the relatively recent 1/72 Trumpeter BTR-80 and the turret of the also relatively recent Revell T-72M1. The BTR-80 uses a grand total of 67 parts (all parts are shown above), but looks rather nice. The T-72 also looks very nice. Wonder what I'll do with the extra hull.... :cheers:

This is what it looks like out of the box...

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...and about an hour later it looks like this.

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The troop compartment had a raised roof, which had to go. Also expendable was the old rotating assembly for the 14.5mm HMG turret. I also deleted most of the firing ports. I only kept those for the driver or radio operator (probably the latter). There'd be no room for infantry to use them anyway, as that's where the ammo would be stored.

The part in white styrene was to be rectangular and follow the lines of the BTR roof, but Revell's T-72 turret has a rather large rotating assembly, which necessitated the bays (hope that's the right term :)). That's one thing that's not readily apparent when modding profiles. :lol:

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So, this is where I'm at. Hope to do some puttying and sanding later today. After that, the assembly will be pretty straightforward with assembly of the rest of the BTR and the turret - and that's that. Jeremy over on Whatifmodelers suggested a big muzzle brake. I'll look into that as I think it's a pretty good idea. After all, it uses a turret with a gun designed for a 40+ ton tank on a 13 ton APC. :whistle:

Stay tuned for more pics later today....

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Thanks, Mario and Jon! :)

Has the MGS version of the Stryker been fielded yet? :D At first I didn't like it, but its looks sure are growing on me.

A bit of an update. Was busy today so I the putty hadn't cured yet. But since I promised pics here are some that show the general layout of the vehicle once assembled (hull bottom and top aren't glued yet). The turret is still pretty nekkid, as there were some seams to be puttied. It will look a lot wider and longer once all the bits and pieces are attached.

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Profile shot:

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I will probably add a "big-arse muzzle brake" TM later on. :wacko:

Due to the camera angle, the turret ring bays don't seem to extend as much as they really do.

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Movable turret:

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It's been a nice project so far. The fit of the Trumpeter parts is great. Some caution is needed with the rear two "axles". The first part to be installed has an A shape to it. The / and \ of the A need to have some plastic shaved off about halfway down to allow the second part with the springs to fit (will make sense if you see it). So watch out there! :lol:

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Thanks, guys! :banana:

Assembly is just about done. Just some little bits and pieces and it's off to the paint shop.

LOL, thats less what-if than you think! <...>

Yeah, I know. Saw that pic over on whatifmodelers as well. But I actually came up with the idea myself (well, I was inspired by the Italian Centauro). That leaves us with two options. Either I'm a kick-@$$ tank designer OR the Cubans hired people building plastic kits to design their armoured vehicles! :( Either is option is both funny and scary at the same time.

A couple of days after I had finished modding those profiles I searched for data on the AT-16 (another crazy whif idea, maybe more of that one day) I came across this pic:

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2S14 Zhalo-S with an 85mm gun. So the concept of a highly-mobile tank destroyer obviously seems/seemed attractive enough to warrant trials and even production.

I just hope these (Centauro and MGS) won't be seen as cheapo replacements for MBTs.

Edited by ChernayaAkula
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???

Moritz is building it :)

And he's almost done! At least the assembly is now complete!

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The "big-arse muzzle brake"TM is evident. I sandwiched two pieces of the white styrene I used for the hull insert (actually train modelling sheets for making roads or concrete surfaces, but they're cheap) to make a thicker slab and cut it to shape. Then I used a hacksaw to cut in the gills. They're a bit irregular, but I'm happy with it. Not the world's most-advanced muzzle brake, but it should be effective. :cheers:

Close-up:

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Profile:

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The muzzle brake only lengthens the gun a tiny bit, as I cut of one segment where the muzzle brake now sits.

Top shot:

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I thought I'd retain the handrails. Something for the crew to lash their stuff to.

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The turret was a joy to assemble. Even the IR searchlight didn't pose much of a problem. Only one of the stowage boxes was a bit tricky to fit.

It's just missing the ubiquitous Dushka 12.7mm MG - and a paint job. :) I'm still leaning towards the sand and olive drab with black stripes.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Thanks, guys! :pray:

<...> so i take it you got your modeling area and bench all set up now? <...>

No, not yet. But I thought "what the heck" and started modelling on my normal work desk - which looks like a right mess now. :lol:

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  • 3 weeks later...

I have a 1/87 scale Roco M-60 turret in my spare-box and would like to mix it with a 1/72 or 1/76 Puma SdKFZ (or however these WW2-tanks are called). Don´t want to spend much money on this project.

HAJO

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^ Whoa! :thumbsup: Puma hull and M-60 turret should look cool. I though about putting a Leopard 1 turret on a Luchs 8x8 chassis. With both of them phased out of Bundeswehr service, lots of hulls to play with to make an air-deployable big-gunned vehicle when you can't (or don't want to) deploy the real 'eavy metal.

I like it Moritz! That muzzlebrake looks sinister!

Thanks, Frank! :worship: Yeah, the muzzle brake is a bit over the top, but being so narrow and high, I guess the vehicle could use all recoil-lowering forces it can get. Especially for off-centreline shots. I thought about adding some thin plasticard on top and bottom of the muzzle brake to make it look less wild.

Edited by ChernayaAkula
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Well, I thought about using a Luchs-chassis, too. But, like I said, I don´t want to spend much money (Pumas are cheaper). And as a former Leo1A5 gunner a project like yours is simply blasphemic to me... :woot.gif:

HAJO

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