T-55A "Marina" (WIP)
![Album image #1 Album image #1](/albums/img/3/5/7/1027357-29367-60-720.jpg)
![Album image #2 Album image #2](/albums/img/3/5/8/1027358-29367-43-720.jpg)
![Album image #3 Album image #3](/albums/img/3/5/9/1027359-29367-16-720.jpg)
Preparing the figure
![Album image #4 Album image #4](/albums/img/3/6/0/1027360-29367-54-720.jpg)
Preparing the figure
![Album image #5 Album image #5](/albums/img/1/1/8/1028118-29367-89-720.jpg)
Glueing…
![Album image #6 Album image #6](/albums/img/1/1/9/1028119-29367-89-720.jpg)
Figure primed with AK grey primer; moulding quality is bad, but the position is very dynamic, I like it a lot
![Album image #7 Album image #7](/albums/img/2/2/4/1028224-29367-95-720.jpg)
Starting assembly - lots of difficult clean up of parts to do
![Album image #8 Album image #8](/albums/img/2/2/5/1028225-29367-48-720.jpg)
I guess this will be difficult to clean up… 🙁
![Album image #9 Album image #9](/albums/img/6/6/1/1028661-29367-27-720.jpg)
And now this: the parts B1, representing the rubber part of the wheel. If I glue them as per instructions, then there is no rim to the wheel and there a huge rubber height on the outside where the rim should be. If I glue them the other way around, it'll fine on the outside, but on the inside (between wheels) will have no space for the tracks' teeth. So, I'm glueing the ouside wheel reversed, and inside wheel as instructed. The inside wheel will be wrong... but will not be seen. What a lousy kit!!!
![Album image #10 Album image #10](/albums/img/6/6/9/1028669-29367-76-720.jpg)
Example of wheels with outside rubber part reversed
![Album image #11 Album image #11](/albums/img/2/6/4/1029264-29367-72-720.jpg)
Well…. I think I’ll use the rubber parts as per instructions after all. Wheels are not deep enough with them reversed
![Album image #12 Album image #12](/albums/img/2/6/5/1029265-29367-13-720.jpg)
From left to right: XF-65, H302, H421 and H330
![Album image #13 Album image #13](/albums/img/2/6/6/1029266-29367-66-720.jpg)
From left to right: XF-65, H302, H421 and H330
![Album image #14 Album image #14](/albums/img/7/7/4/1031774-29367-26-720.jpg)
Assembling
![Album image #15 Album image #15](/albums/img/7/7/5/1031775-29367-65-720.jpg)
Assembling
![Album image #16 Album image #16](/albums/img/1/6/7/1034167-29367-39-720.jpg)
First colors on the figure
![Album image #17 Album image #17](/albums/img/2/9/4/1036294-29367-52-720.jpg)
Bottom structure assembled
![Album image #18 Album image #18](/albums/img/2/9/5/1036295-29367-74-720.jpg)
Bottom structure assembled
![Album image #19 Album image #19](/albums/img/2/9/6/1036296-29367-99-720.jpg)
Bottom structure assembled
![Album image #20 Album image #20](/albums/img/2/9/7/1036297-29367-97-720.jpg)
Bottom structure assembled
![Album image #21 Album image #21](/albums/img/2/1/5/1037215-29367-31-720.jpg)
Found out I assembled the wrong rear part… 🙁
![Album image #22 Album image #22](/albums/img/2/1/7/1037217-29367-98-720.jpg)
…removed parts…
![Album image #23 Album image #23](/albums/img/2/1/8/1037218-29367-13-720.jpg)
…and this is the correct rear for the Marina!
![Album image #24 Album image #24](/albums/img/4/0/3/1037403-29367-89-720.jpg)
Work so far
![Album image #25 Album image #25](/albums/img/7/5/4/1063754-29367-64-720.jpg)
Figure is painted (uffff)
![Album image #26 Album image #26](/albums/img/7/5/5/1063755-29367-52-720.jpg)
Figure is painted (uffff)
![Album image #27 Album image #27](/albums/img/9/9/4/1065994-29367-21-720.jpg)
Priming with Mr Surfacer 1500 Black
![Album image #28 Album image #28](/albums/img/9/9/5/1065995-29367-75-720.jpg)
Primer applied
![Album image #29 Album image #29](/albums/img/9/6/8/1073968-29367-18-720.jpg)
Green (Tamiya XF-65) applied - tried to use the black primer as a way to produce fake shadows... not sure it worked... 🙂
![Album image #30 Album image #30](/albums/img/4/2/0/1078420-29367-11-720.jpg)
Wheels ready
![Album image #31 Album image #31](/albums/img/5/7/9/1078579-29367-26-720.jpg)
First paint applied
![Album image #32 Album image #32](/albums/img/5/8/0/1078580-29367-96-720.jpg)
First paint applied
![Album image #33 Album image #33](/albums/img/4/9/2/1080492-29367-32-720.jpg)
Correct tracks arrived
![Album image #34 Album image #34](/albums/img/4/9/3/1080493-29367-35-720.jpg)
This is painfully slow; for EACH LINK I have to drill all holes (4x) clean edges with a file and then force them with the next one; even after this I break a lot of pins when pushing them… I hope I have enough…
![Album image #35 Album image #35](/albums/img/7/0/1/1082701-29367-99-720.jpg)
Miniart decals applied (the kit ones are completely inaccurate)
![Album image #36 Album image #36](/albums/img/9/3/8/1097938-29367-91-720.jpg)
Tracks ready, burnishing
![Album image #37 Album image #37](/albums/img/6/6/5/1098665-29367-69-720.jpg)
Pin wash with A.MIG-1608
![Album image #38 Album image #38](/albums/img/1/5/3/1101153-29367-69-720.jpg)
Tamiya Flat Brown applied to the resin pins (left), which were not darkened by the AK solution (right)
![Album image #39 Album image #39](/albums/img/8/8/3/1108883-29367-41-720.jpg)
Chipping with Ammo A.MIG-044
![Album image #40 Album image #40](/albums/img/8/8/4/1108884-29367-55-720.jpg)
Chipping with Ammo A.MIG-044
![Album image #41 Album image #41](/albums/img/4/4/5/1110445-29367-45-720.jpg)
“Cleaning” the inside of the track with a 8B pencil
![Album image #42 Album image #42](/albums/img/4/4/6/1110446-29367-94-720.jpg)
Painting the teeth with gun metal
![Album image #43 Album image #43](/albums/img/2/4/3/1112243-29367-25-720.jpg)
Putting the tracks in place - removed an additional 2 links from each side
![Album image #44 Album image #44](/albums/img/0/2/5/1115025-29367-95-720.jpg)
Details of the tank
![Album image #45 Album image #45](/albums/img/0/2/6/1115026-29367-54-720.jpg)
Details of the tank
![Album image #46 Album image #46](/albums/img/0/2/7/1115027-29367-37-720.jpg)
Detail of a crate from the MAIM set
![Album image #47 Album image #47](/albums/img/0/2/8/1115028-29367-76-720.jpg)
Preparing the additional parts for the scene
![Album image #48 Album image #48](/albums/img/0/2/9/1115029-29367-87-720.jpg)
Finished model, will now add the stowage, complements and small base
![Album image #49 Album image #49](/albums/img/0/3/0/1115030-29367-60-720.jpg)
Finished model, will now add the stowage, complements and small base
![Album image #50 Album image #50](/albums/img/9/0/9/1115909-29367-20-720.jpg)
Quality of the printed MAIM chair is not good
![Album image #51 Album image #51](/albums/img/9/1/0/1115910-29367-82-720.jpg)
Quality of the printed MAIM chair is not good
![Album image #52 Album image #52](/albums/img/6/7/7/1117677-29367-13-720.jpg)
Macone base almost ready to go
![Album image #53 Album image #53](/albums/img/0/3/5/1118035-29367-16-720.jpg)
Finished!
Kommentarer
35 5 July 2021, 16:04
![](/profiles/img/26692-411-s.jpg)
Count me in, I am planing to do the same tank and figure. ?
Thx for your hint about the wheels. If you want the tank close to the original, you'll have to look for aftermarket decals. The heraldry from Takom is inverted.
Looking forward for your further progress
7 July 2021, 18:24
![](/profiles/img/29367-876-s.jpg)
Welcome. I didn't about about errors in the decals. What is the "heraldry"?
7 July 2021, 18:37
![](/profiles/img/26692-411-s.jpg)
The white red checkerboard badge. The Takom decal starts with the wrong color
7 July 2021, 19:10
![](/profiles/img/29367-876-s.jpg)
I've been reading the build of Andy Moore in "The Modelling News" and apparently he assembled the wheels as per instructions and painted them... and it seems to work well! Article here, with the photos in the bottom showing the wheels with the rim: themodellingnews.com..hes-takoms-35th.html
8 July 2021, 17:37
![](/profiles/img/29367-876-s.jpg)
Olá Nelson. Nestes estou a usar Slow Dry Cyanoacrylate da Ammo porque as zonas de colagem têm que ficar muito limpas (migjimenez.com/en/au..y-cyanoacrylate.html). Quando posso "sujar" um pouco mais, prefiro usar a Ultra Glue, também da Ammo, porque dá muito mais tempo e limpa-se com água (migjimenez.com/en/au..1935-ultra-glue.html).
24 July 2021, 11:20
![](/profiles/img/29367-876-s.jpg)
Model is finished, moving now to the base (and figure) that will make up a small scene
23 November 2021, 09:22
![](/profiles/img/29367-876-s.jpg)
Thank you @Konrad, it'll be simples, just a figure and a chair with some bottles... maybe a concrete barrier... 🙂 😛
23 November 2021, 13:12
![](/profiles/img/29367-876-s.jpg)
Thanks mates - also contemplating toning down the blue "Marina" letter... not sure... I like them as they are, but sometimes I look at the pics from the real tank and I'm not sure...
23 November 2021, 14:56
![](/profiles/img/29367-876-s.jpg)
Thank you @James; @Konrad, I'll set it aside and decide when I integrate it in the base
23 November 2021, 20:15
![](/profiles/img/29367-876-s.jpg)
Finished; separate albums with the final photos here T-55A "Marina" - no base | Album by RReis (1:35) and here T-55A "Marina" - with base | Album by RReis (1:35)
28 November 2021, 17:10
Album info
This simple build of an out-of-the-box model turned out to be a surprise because of several incorrections in the Takom kit. I later found out that most of the things in the instructions are not to be assembled, and careful study of the existing photographs of Marina is required. The wheels are also very poorly done. The decals and the paiting instructions are plainly wrong. I had to follow Miniart's kit instructions and use their decals, which I was fortunate to be able to source from a friend. Finished photos without the base can be found here: T-55A "Marina" - no base | Album by RReis (1:35); with the base, here: T-55A "Marina" - with base | Album by RReis (1:35)