Zvezda 1/35 BTR-70, 1980’s Soviet Afghan War

[Stikpusher]

I started this kit (barely) several years ago, but sidelined it for some now unremembered reason. I pulled it off the sidelines last summer and got more done, but again sidelined it due to some issues with the wheels. A couple months ago, I pulled this back to the front of the line, knuckled down on this beast, and finally finished it up yesterday. I took photos then, but the lighting was poor and they did not come out well, so I took new ones this morning.















I built this mostly out of box aside from the addition of some stowage and replacement of some broken parts with brass wire. I also replaced the kit tires with some resin AM wheels due taking the kit tires for my Dragon BTR-80 due to the Dragon rubber tires splitting shortly after installation. Painted with Tamiya paints and I tried mixing my own pigment colors using artist pigments.

Thanks for looking. Comments and critiques are welcome.

[keavdog]

Nice job Stik! I built a DML version of this way back when - yours looks way, way better. I like the weathering and the spatter. Did you do the brush flick technique? I dabbled in armor years back and really liked the wheeled vehicles due to the fact that you don't have 100 road wheels to paint. Looks really good.

[Stuart]

Well it may have taken a few years but that was well worth the effort Carlos - it looks spot on. I do like the weathering you've done, with even the big splats of mud on the roof - excellent stuff.

Superb work!

[LyleW]

Looks quite menacing! Always wondered about tires vs treads.

[Floki]

After all that time you got a great looking build out of it in the end, thanks for sharing it with us.

[Stikpusher]

Thanks guys. For looking in and your feedback. I am pretty happy with how this turned out. My biggest beef with the end was with the resin wheels. The holes were not properly centered, so unless all the wheels are positioned just so, I get one or more not touching all at once. Part of that was me, and part was the wheels. Ah well....

Nice job Stik! I built a DML version of this way back when - yours looks way, way better. I like the weathering and the spatter. Did you do the brush flick technique? I dabbled in armor years back and really liked the wheeled vehicles due to the fact that you don't have 100 road wheels to paint. Looks really good.

Keav, this kit is basicly a clone of the Dragon/DML kit. With the exception of coming with better tires. That’s why thy fit on my Dragon BTR-80. And yes, it is nice to not have to paint so many road wheels. Yes, I did use the brush flick technique for my splatter. I just need to figure a better fixative addition to the water. In this case I used white glue, which led to bigger droplets.

Well it may have taken a few years but that was well worth the effort Carlos - it looks spot on. I do like the weathering you've done, with even the big splats of mud on the roof - excellent stuff.

Superb work!

Stuart, in the end, the randomness of the mud splatter came out looking ok. More than once on this build I was not happy at how this was looking at the end of whatever session. But after letting things be as they were and coming back the next day or later with a fresh eye, I was content with the previous results. Time was my friend here... except for the excessive sideline delays.

Looks quite menacing! Always wondered about tires vs treads.

That they do. Tires do give excellent higher speeds, especially on roads. But tracks are better cross country off road in most cases. Not as fast, but more capable.

After all that time you got a great looking build out of it in the end, thanks for sharing it with us.

In all honesty, I probably needed the delays to get it looking as it came out. My skills evolved and improved over that time period.

[Tojo72]

Really like it,good work on the subtle weathering and spatter.
Have had my eye on a Trumpeter BTR-80 to match with my Stryker,they are mean looking.

[Stikpusher]

Really like it,good work on the subtle weathering and spatter.
Have had my eye on a Trumpeter BTR-80 to match with my Stryker,they are mean looking.

Thank you Tony. I have heard that the Trumpeter BTR kits are very nice. That would make a nice adversary set. (can’t say enemies because I don’t think that the Stryker and BTR have gone toe to toe in combat... yet) I hope to see you build them.

[BorgR3mc0]

Cool model Carlos! That BTR has that whole “red menace “ vibe that I remember as a kid in the 80’s.

[Stikpusher]

Cool model Carlos! That BTR has that whole “red menace “ vibe that I remember as a kid in the 80’s.

Thanks Borg. I know exactly what you mean. To me, the “red menace” was exemplified by two machines- the T-72 and the Hind gunship.