T-72 Progress - In the Home Stretch!

I've being trying to finish up all of the rest of my East German T-72 tanks over the past few days in between other projects (non-Team Yankee) that I'm working on. The turrets have been going a little slowly - partially because I decided to wait for some actual 1.0mm styrene rod to finish up the modifications to the smoke launchers detailed in my previous blog entry. The styrene arrived early last week and I've managed to get all of the smoke launchers updated - now the wiring begins!

I start by drilling a couple of small pilot holes for the brass wiring. This ensures I have a steady base to work from when I'm bending the wire around the smoke launchers. I glue the wire in with a thin super-glue, and once dry bend it around the launchers. The net effect is the turret looks sort of like a bug until I get the wires bent around (see below).

When I took this picture, I only had about five or so of the 15 turrets completed, but I'm now up to nine with only six to go. In the photo below you can also see the hatch modifications with new spotlights added.

In the meantime I've primed the tracks and hulls of all of the T-72s, along with a few friends that were also effectively naked at this point.

Once the T-72s are done, the few upgrades needed to my rank and file BMP transports begins in earnest. It should (hopefully) go quickly as there are no fundamental modifications to the standard AFVs - only the addition of a few details on the front. I still have a few command and observer vehicles to work on, but those can come along as I have time.