1/35 Apocalypse tank

[Frank3k]

This is a build of the Border Model Apocalypse tank from the Command & Conquer: Red Alert 2 game.



I never played the game; my only connection is that I know the actress that played Lt. Zofia in the game. She lives in our old building.

If you see this kit on sale - get it; it's (mostly) a fun build and can be (mostly) built without glue. I glued together the assemblies that hold the road wheels, because they were a bit loose on my kit. The kit build bops along at a fun pace until you hit a screeching halt at steps 5 & 6, where you have to build the link and length tracks, of which there are many, many links. The tracks are supposed to be press fit, but there's enough tension on the tracks that they'll pop apart without gluing.

The tracks should go in one direction on all four runs - I screwed one up and had to redo it. The easiest way is to remove (or don't attach) the arm that holds the road wheels, then build the tracks and before the glue is set, drape them around the drive socket and road wheels:



I eventually finished all the tracks and can put the bottom half in a safe place:



The tank comes with three red LEDs and a touch sensitive pad that works well. My plan is to build all or most of the tank before I decide how to modify (and eventually) paint.

Going is the red hammer and sickle at the front - it's going to be filled in and maybe ERA blocks added. I may remove the архангельский casting marks next to the driver's compartment.

I'll also modify the blade up front - either use the mine clearing blades from an M-1 Abrams or just remove the vertical blades.

I may replace the twin guns with a single one as well although that will take some delicate surgery.

[raafif]

Looks good so far.  Can't wait to see more 

[Buzzbomb]

Very interested to see how this goes together.

I just know I am going to say "Mammoth Tank Ready" every time I go into this thread

[Old Wombat]

If you can't just let your hair down & be silly with this kit, there's nothing that you can let your hair down & be silly with.

Enjoy the build, Frank, & let your imagination run free!

[raafif]

If you can't just let your hair down & be silly with this kit ...

Frankly I'd be extremely serious with this kit ... just cries out to make it articulated.

[Frank3k]

I briefly thought about articulation - looks workable if you look at the lower hull. The upper hull is another matter. Thick plastic and the turret ring is right over the articulation point. I'm about 3/4 of the way done with the basic assembly... this is a BIG tank!

[Story]

I'll just leave this here.
http://beyondthesprues.com/Forum/index.php?topic=1791.0

I briefly thought about articulation - looks workable if you look at the lower hull. The upper hull is another matter. Thick plastic and the turret ring is right over the articulation point. I'm about 3/4 of the way done with the basic assembly... this is a BIG tank!

I've seen some universal joints about 1 - 1 1/2" diameter *somewhere*, plastic household appliancey related but I'l be damned where. Went down that rabbit hole of looking at potential salvage when I dumped into the link above.

ETA: dumpster dive something like this
https://www.swisco.com/Universal-Joint/pd/Replacement-Window-Operator-Accessories/39-338?gclid=Cj0KCQjw_r6hBhDdARIsAMIDhV9A-kBz_26qnD-bqUsb9O6lju1tdzZahDZN0pMlqHXGRzFxzs6rurkaArnyEALw_wcB

[Frank3k]

Almost done with the OOB build:



It has lights; I haven't installed the two on the hull yet:



It has a touch triggered switch just under the top of the turret. It works well and it's a clever design. These switches are dirt cheap and since they're not mechanical, last forever. I may change that LED to a white one.

Big tank!



Story - articulating this tank is probably a soul and motivation killing task. I thought about the Meng Toon tanks - a couple look like they could be connected into a similar looking tank. I don't know how big they are - if they're big enough for 1/35.

[Frank3k]

Answered my own tangential question. Here's a great armor blog with a top notch build of a Meng Toon Matilda. He shows it next to a 1/35 figure at the end. May be possible to turn a couple into an articulated tank.

[GTX_Admin]

 

[apophenia]

Great start Frank!

This got me thinking again about how the Apocalypse turret would look with a single gun (although not recommending such a mod here).

-- https://beyondthesprues.com/Forum/index.php?topic=351.msg207342#msg207342

[Buzzbomb]

No dithering here.. this is coming along very nicely.

I do like the look and the vehicle offers a heap of basis to do other things with

[raafif]

Nice !   Didn't realize there's an open "mouth" at the front of the hull - maybe a different plough would show this off better.

[Frank3k]

The open mouth is because once pushed together, it's hard to pull the hull apart, especially if you don't want to damage the plastic. Other than a few bits that I've had to or will glue, I'm happy with leaving this tank pressed together.

I modified the searchlight by putting in a white LED. I played fast and loose with the white LED current requirements, but since the voltage is OK for a white LED and I'm not leaving this thing on all the time... I'm not going "professional" on it.



"This is my Apocalypse tank. There are many like it, but this one is mine."

The hammer and sickle made a reappearance as I sanded that area smooth. I'm still thinking about adding ERA blocks or making something like the raised surface on the Object 279:

[Old Wombat]

Mig-AMMO put out an "Anti-Slip Paste", to make anti-slip surface textures on aircraft & AFV's, if you stipple that on with an old, stiff brush you'd get a good cast finish on the hull if the tank.

However, I'm pretty sure you could get a similar result using Tamiya putty or the like.

[Frank3k]

This one is done, as far as the OOB build.

I put some Tamiya extra thin thinner on the sanded down parts and pushed a thick foam backed sanding brick against the soften plastic. Looks OK under some primer, but it may need another round:



I really don't like the vertical blades on the original dozer blades. I modified the mounting and I'll have to add a couple of pistons and other supports... plus fix the broken off tooth on one of the blades:



The rear looks OK. The small fuel barrels look like they would make nice targets for a Ukrainian drone pilot:



top view:



Next up is the rebuild. The lower hull only needs painting and some sort of support for the mine clearing blades. The upper hull needs cleanup work; I'll probably replace the fuel barrels with... something.

Most of the work will go into the turret:
- The rear basket has to go (or be modified)
- The dual barrels will be converted into a single barrel - I'll measure and print a replacement mantle.
- The side missile launchers will either be replaced or reduced in number
- the armored cheeks (with the smoke grenade launchers) will be closed up. I'll find or print replacement smoke grenade launchers, because these guys look like small mortars.

[Ramba]

Coming along nicely. Looks a lot better without the hammer and sickle.

[Frank3k]

Yeah, it dials down the ridiculousness of the tank by quite a bit.

[Old Wombat]

External fuel barrels are fine, Frank, they're there to refill the internal tanks.

You can only fit so much fuel inside the armour & if the barrels are hit, or even catch fire, it's on the outside of the armour.

Therefore, while it may look impressive, it's no danger to either the tank or the crew.

[apophenia]

Looking good Frank!

... if the barrels are hit, or even catch fire, it's on the outside of the armour...

Yep, just some 'diesel armour' to help protect those honkin' great mufflers! 

[Ramba]

With all the changes you are going to do and with your 3D printing prowess, could you print up some extra road wheels, return rollers and tracks to make it continuous, full length tracks instead of split into two separate tracks?

[Frank3k]

There may just be enough links to do that, but I think that would exceed my "motivation budget" on this kit. Converting the turret to a single gun is going to take a few hours of measuring and CAD time, plus printing.

[Ramba]

There may just be enough links to do that, but I think that would exceed my "motivation budget" on this kit. Converting the turret to a single gun is going to take a few hours of measuring and CAD time, plus printing.

I used to do mechanical and civil CAD for a living and yes, CAD gets tedious.

[Frank3k]

I'm bad with clearances - which is always an issue with 3D prints, especially resin ones. So it's: design, print - "damn! doesn't fit!" Sand, sand, "it would be easier to shave off a bit from the design" back to Rhino 3D, print..

[Buzzbomb]

The small fuel barrels look like they would make nice targets for a Ukrainian drone pilot:

Or they could just harrass to keep the constantly vehicle moving and wait for the exhausts to do the job for them 


Really like this basically OOB  build there is so much room for full on Whiffery. Very much looking forward to what you do next around the turret.

[Frank3k]

We installed solar panels a couple of weeks ago - the actual install was pretty quick, but the drywall repair and cleanup (so much dust... despite the plastic covers in the work areas) took a while. The panels are still waiting for one part and the inspection, but that should be minor.

With that out of the way, I finally got some bench time. I drew up a single gun mantlet and decided to do a quick, medium quality print in PLA to see if it would fit (and be worth printing in resin).

Here are the parts:



While the parts were printing, I took the turret from a Tamiya T-62 that I'll be cannibalizing for this build and put it on the tank:



Looks OK.

I think it greatly improves the looks of this tank:





I'm tempted to print the adapter in ABS in higher quality, glue on some Meng bolts and call it a day.

The barrel is slightly smaller in diameter than the T-62 barrel.  I'm not happy with the Apocalypse tank barrel - it's less apocalyptic and more minor inconvenience; the strange tube running along the top doesn't seem to do anything useful and the bore evacuator is tiny (if there is one). I may just chop off the T-62 barrel from the bore evacuator forward and add it to the new barrel, just forward of the green ring/clamp about half way down the tube.

I'm also closing off the embedded grenade launcher holes in the cheek armor and I'm considering either leaving it as is or adding an extension to go towards the rear of the turret, covering up where the missile launcher tubes were.

[Ramba]

The single gun makes a huge difference. It looks great. The T-62 turret also looks good.

[raafif]

The tube along the top of the barrel may be part of the thermal sensing to measure barrel deflection due to heating when prolonged firing.

Looks good but I prefer the T-62 turret on it.
 

[Old Wombat]

The tube along the top of the barrel may be part of the thermal sensing to measure barrel deflection due to heating when prolonged firing.

This is much along my line of thinking; that the tube or armoured cable running along the barrel is a deflection sensor, as a barrel with snow or ice on top can be curved upwards, while a barrel sitting in the desert sun can flex downwards.

Thermal sleeves are a cheap & easy way of minimising this effect, by maintaining a more even heat around the barrel, but it doesn't eliminate it. A sensor along the barrel to tell the firing computer how much & in which direction to adjust for barrel deflection wouldn't be a stupid idea (I'm not sure that there aren't already some systems for this already out there).

[Jeffry Fontaine]

@Frank - Your decsion to go with a single main gun was the obvious path to take.  This could also give you some room for a coaxial weapon such as a machine gun or auto-cannon.  There would also be enough room for an optical sight of some kind to be added to the new space made available. 

[Frank3k]

Thanks, guys. It looks like some T-90s now have the equivalent of a muzzle reference system (MRS) like the M-1 and other western tanks, so that may be what the cable on the barrel is - a deflection check. The M90 looks like it has a similar cable, but it's close to the barrel, not raised.

I ordered some turned metal barrels for the T-90 and T-72 (for another model) so I'll see if they fit this tank -  for comparison.

I printed the side cheeks/mantlet sides in ABS and I'll sand them down smooth. They clip onto the original single barrel attachment and I used a piece of sprue with the right diameter to act as the turret pivots. It'll look good.

@Ramba - the T-62 turret does give it a brutish look. I'll stick with the current turret, though.

@Jeff - there's room for a coax gun on one side and optics on the other. I'll add those.

I'm going to replace the large wooden box and the fuel barrels with parts from the T-62. The brown box definitely has to go.

[GTX_Admin]

The tube along the top of the barrel may be part of the thermal sensing to measure barrel deflection due to heating when prolonged firing.

The tube reminds me of the liquid cooling on the Russian AK-130 automatic naval gun.  I suspect it was just done on this kit for the appearance though as thermal sleeves and barrel deflection systems look different.

[Frank3k]

I added cheek extensions to cover up the area where the AA missiles were located. This is a fast/low rez print in ABS to see if it needs any major changes before I print it in resin:

Top view looks OK:



Closeup with everything just lightly pushed in or held on with poster putty:

[Ramba]

Those cheek parts look really nice! They definitely make a huge difference in the overall look.

[finsrin]

Those cheek parts look really nice! They definitely make a huge difference in the overall look.

Yep - is the right move !

[Jeffry Fontaine]

@Frank.  Definitely looking much better now with the corrections to the turret. 

[Buzzbomb]

Masterwork... great move Frank, that really changes the look and in exactly the right way

[Old Wombat]

 

[apophenia]

... This is a fast/low rez print in ABS to see if it needs any major changes before I print it in resin...

Rapid prototyping in scale! Nice 

[Frank3k]

I printed the side cheeks in resin and also built the Aber T-72/T-90 barrel (with some mods):





I'm going to skip the smoke grenade launchers. The ones in the kit seem too big and most Russian tanks burn oil when they need a smoke screen (as seen in Ukraine, when they're trying to unsuccessfully get away)

I'm printing about 75 Kontakt ERA bricks in resin; I may or may not use them.

[LemonJello]

Frank, I would imagine that your Kontakt ERA are just as effective as the ones produced in Russia.

[Buzzbomb]

... built the Aber T-72/T-90 barrel (with some mods):

 

Yes the Aber T-72 barrel "kits" are interesting (read bending brass and using superglue and all that entails) but once done.. they look terrific

[Old Wombat]

... built the Aber T-72/T-90 barrel (with some mods):

 

Yes the Aber T-72 barrel "kits" are interesting (read bending brass and using superglue and all that entails) but once done.. they look terrific

Franks certainly does!

[Frank3k]

Thanks, guys. Superglue use was limited, since it didn't provide a great bond between the clean aluminum and the brass. I used a cheap contact cement (tube us just above the turret) and scraped off the excess once it was dry. I didn't use all the PE parts for the Aber barrel (I didn't cut 10+ pieces of 0.3mm x 0.7mm wire, for instance...) but it's close enough.

Primer is on the turret and barrel and some issues on the turret are being fixed now.

[Old Wombat]

 

[Frank3k]

Major assemblies in primer and Tamiya NATO green. I added a PE grill to the air intakes on the hull (right under the turret) but they're all but invisible:



The shading variations are a combination of the flat paint, light source and the black primer.

I tried the ERA bricks and they just don't look right on this tank; it does not look very Russian, especially with the modified turret.

Playing studying the turret and hull I noticed the many, many shot traps. I'm not going to add chains, though.

While thinking of a backstory, Ukraine would be the obvious choice. Instead, I think I'll make it Georgian, since they are closely NATO aligned, hate the Russians, have Russian equipment but also have a native armor industry.  Plus they have a very retro camo pattern:



I'm also thinking of adding side skirts, to somewhat hide the dual track system.

[Frank3k]

I decided not to use the brown camo color on the tank. This is the first pass - I have to correct a few things, then decals:



The tank looks huge, but it's really not much larger than a T-72.

The camo pattern helps hide/break up some construction issues. The barrel is falling out - I didn't use enough glue and it's a heavy piece of metal:

[Old Wombat]

Spring/Early-Summer camouflage!


And the barrel's wilting in the heat!

[Story]

Summer camouflage.

Is nice.*

 

* Wendy's commercial - remember that?

[Frank3k]

Yeah, there is no such thing as one Russian green. It's like WWII olive drab.

[Story]

Yeah, there is no such thing as one Russian green. It's like WWII olive drab.

I know that. You know that. I know you know that. That's for the looky-lou's coming by.

Meanwhile, back on the tank - what's going on those naked fenders?

[Frank3k]

The fenders will be a collection of T-62 fuel tanks, kit tanks and some random gear. The two huge exhausts are gone, replaced by a large T-whaterver exhaust/oil burner.

[Story]

Odd - this looks like it intends for the main gun to be a crane, which will ruin the boresighting.

[Frank3k]

I think they were drinking some vodka when they designed that tank (maybe delivered by the barrel as well). It says the barrel can be used as an air supply while under water as well as a crane to lower the ammo pack into the rear body. What do 84 152mm rounds weigh?  All in a tank the same size as a T-72. All the ammo in the engine compartment makes the rear body an attractive target...

[Frank3k]

Here's the vehicle with decals, most of the weathering (it'll only have some light dust added) and the fender bits roughly in place. The fuel barrels are from the Tamiya T-62. Here's they're tacked in place where the kit's exhausts would have been. Barely visible on the other side are the spare flat fuel cells form the T-62. I need to work the larger ones a bit to get them to fit. The tarp and some boxes are resin bits from Value Gear:



The new exhaust is in the lower right, with a deflector flap/IR protector:



Front with "აპოკალიფსი" (Apocalypse) in Georgian. 23-05 is the year and hopefully the month I'll finish this.
G-L14 is somewhat obscure - the G Haplogroup (Y chromosome) is an ancient Neolithic haplogroup (Ötzi the iceman was a member). Although it's wide spread throughout Europe  in small percentages, Georgia has the highest percentage of men with the G haplogroup.



Still have to add all the final bits, especially to the turret.

[Story]

It's twisted details like this that push your work over the top.

Front with "აპოკალიფსი" (Apocalypse) in Georgian. 23-05 is the year and hopefully the month I'll finish this.
G-L14 is somewhat obscure - the G Haplogroup (Y chromosome) is an ancient Neolithic haplogroup (Ötzi the iceman was a member). Although it's wide spread throughout Europe  in small percentages, Georgia has the highest percentage of men with the G haplogroup.

[apophenia]

It's twisted details like this that push your work over the top.

Front with "აპოკალიფსი" (Apocalypse) in Georgian. 23-05 is the year and hopefully the month I'll finish this.
G-L14 is somewhat obscure - the G Haplogroup (Y chromosome) is an ancient Neolithic haplogroup (Ötzi the iceman was a member). Although it's wide spread throughout Europe  in small percentages, Georgia has the highest percentage of men with the G haplogroup.

Absolutely! Love these kinds of whif details    Love what you're doing with the Apocalypse tank too, Frank 

[Frank3k]

I think I'm done with the tank itself; I may add the dozer blade and side skirts, but that depends on how motivated I am.

top view, in sunlight:


I don't know what the inset ball in front of the commander's hatch is for. I'm calling it an anti-drone gun.

front view:

The 12.7mm coaxial "plinking" gun is the barrel of the spare gun that came with the kit.
side view:


With the ODS soldier:


Most of the optics are covered with Tamiya Anti-Reflection Coating film.

Comparison with the OOB build:


This is a fun kit, especially if you can find it on sale (like I did). Easy, no stress construction and the part fit is almost perfect without glue (about 75% of my build is just pressed together). It's a good subject for further whiffing.

[Old Wombat]

As there are no smoke launchers on the vehicle you could easily call the ball-like structure a 2"/50mm smoke grenade launcher, similar to that used in Israeli armour.

Cracker of a build! Still has a definite Russian/Ukrainian vibe in the shape & camo scheme.

[GTX_Admin]

 

[Dr. YoKai]

That came out swell. Much as I like twin guns on tanks (even though they are pretty much a bad idea) this works quite well. I'm also glad you left those bizarre wire cutter/dozer blades off of the front end.

[Frank3k]

The dozer blades, even without the vertical axes, just don't cut it. I'm leaving them off.

[Kerick]

I think you made the right choice on the dozer blade. It would take a lot of reworking to get them to look plausible. Overall a fantastic build. Makes me want to build a tank!

[Ramba]

As much as I liked the twin main guns, the single gun and the changes you made to the turret looks great.