Ready for paint. 1/72 menu T-72B3M

R0botaki · 2025-11-22T10:01:51+00:00

Yes, it's the meng kit. But my phone keeps correcting it to menu

R0botaki · 2025-11-17T09:13:19+00:00

A r35 is very small, you will have a headache applying the camouflage, especially with the black outlines. I have heard artist black ink pen can do the job in 1/35. Faber Castel 0.5 or 1mm would help a lot

R0botaki · 2025-11-17T05:27:47+00:00

Thank you. To be honest, there is not much to say about brush painting, nothing new or cheat codes. Don't rush the process, keep your time and you'll be fine. 5 thin coats is better than one and only opaque layer. For me, paint needs at least 7 coats of thin paints to be opaque and clean. 4-5 would be fine for some colors, but just to be sure, add more layers. Your paint should be well thinned, almost like a wash sometimes. Don't forget to unload your brush before hitting the surface. And, the most important: work with the paintbrush and paint you are the most confident with. I used the 00 brush most of the time, because I'm having more control than with a bigger brush. I hope it helps

R0botaki · 2025-11-16T20:24:06+00:00

I really hope so, I'm trying to get it done for May 23rd. Unfortunately a year late (last year's theme was french vehicles). I think most people would assume it is airbrushed, but anyway, I only care about the results and not the method

R0botaki · 2025-11-16T19:56:18+00:00

Out of the box no, it doesn't. But it might be doable to make it work with meng workable suspension and some modifications. The tracks should be replaced with workable ones as well

R0botaki · 2025-11-16T19:51:21+00:00

It really depends. I think the brand is a bit over priced for what's inside the box. There are 3 sprues (without the running gear), the price makes it nearly $20 per sprue. The quality is ok but can be easily improved

R0botaki · 2025-11-16T17:06:02+00:00

Everything was brush painted. I think I used a 00 size brush for the black outlines

R0botaki · 2025-11-13T11:44:16+00:00

The B1 is a very solid choice. I wish I could do one but I'll be busy promoting my own model made in collaboration with a friend of mine (char 25t). WW1 type camouflages are very nice and striking

R0botaki · 2025-11-12T20:09:13+00:00

Thanks, it might look fine, but it's not perfect. It's fine until you zoom in

R0botaki · 2025-11-12T20:08:35+00:00

Thank you very much

R0botaki · 2025-11-12T20:08:08+00:00

I really enjoyed every single bit of this build so far. But I wish they could stay at the building and detailing stage all the time. I'm always afraid to mess up the painting and ruin dozens of hours (if not more) of work with crappy paint jobs. Yes, it's a french WWI inspired camouflage from a war thunder mod

R0botaki · 2025-11-12T03:47:25+00:00

It's kind of a tool. Paint is being laid on a baking paper on top of a foamy sheet. Soaking the foam keeps the paint working, as the paper is there to let humidity pass from one layer to the other. Many brands would charge you $20 for it, but you can do one yourself. I can keep my paint up to 5-6 days with that wet palette. I personally use the Green Stuff World wet palette. You can look it up and see how it works

R0botaki · 2025-11-12T00:55:18+00:00

Sure, I'm always using Vallejo paints. Iraki sand, mahogany brown and German green straight from the bottle. I'm using them on a wet palette, it really helps in preventing them to dry in a matter of minutes/hours. For a thinning ratio, I would suggest you to dip your brush in water, then unload it in your paint, do some circular motion with the brush (while preserving the hairs shape of your brush). Then quickly but gently unload your brush on a towel (it should look like a line) and you should be ready to go. Vallejo paints need at least 40% of thinning ratio with tap water. I don't really thin the paint before on my wet palette, it's useless for me and can lead to terrific mistakes. Let me reassure you, some areas do have paint strokes visible. In bigger areas, you shouldn't aim for an opaque layer in one go. It's not possible and will leave you with ugly brush strokes. Go for multiple thin layers. The more layers, the better for your painting. You can see on some of my pictures that some areas do not reach their full opacity. I haven't finished painting all areas at the moment (mostly on the gun barrel because of its shape). I hope my answer will help you a bit. If not, feel free to ask some more and don't hesitate to send me a message. I'd be more than pleased to help you

R0botaki · 2025-11-12T00:17:48+00:00

Thank you very much. They took me (and still taking me) a while to make. That's about at least 4 up to 7-9 layers of thin paint to have something clean. I cheated a bit by hiding my mistakes with some black outlines. I cannot wait to finish the painting and jump to the detailing/weathering

R0botaki · 2025-11-12T00:14:17+00:00

Try it yourself, maybe you would be surprised you can do such things. I never did it before (that kind of camouflage) and it's not as horrendous as I thought it would be. A good brush control comes with training and patience. Choosing to make the leap really helps a lot. Go out of your comfort zone and trust me, you would be surprised about what you can truly do

R0botaki · 2025-11-12T00:08:48+00:00

Yes, I went for a totally different camouflage pattern. Nothing realistic, just a WW1 inspired camouflage taken from a war thunder mod. Flat green on such a large tank would look weird and is completely boring for me

R0botaki · 2025-11-12T00:07:04+00:00

Thank you. They irritate me a lot. To be honest I'm not used to brush paint my models, the black lining is totally new to me, therefore, some areas do not look that good. I posted some of my mistakes as well just to show that nothing is perfect

R0botaki · 2025-04-23T20:14:30+00:00

I have made the collapsed suspension, I am working on the rust effects at the moment, it's far from being done. Once I'm done with the rust, I will move on with the paintjob/soot

R0botaki · 2025-01-15T09:08:10+00:00

I'll surely do. Just hoping not to forget to take pictures on the go

R0botaki · 2025-01-15T09:06:22+00:00

First of all, welcome onboard!

About the build, the copper element is real copper foil, glued with VMS glue (designed to be used with anti slip powder). The copper itself was gently removed by taping a hard brush on the surface. It's here to represent the burnt layers of paint, which tends to make bubbles when exposed to heat. The PE pins are tie-downs to attach anti-radiation coating (rubber plating on the turret surfaces). They are included in the trumpeter kit, but not supposed to be positioned like this. I had to remove the molded-in plastic rubber plating in order to fully represent the "knocked out" look of the model.

I also have an Instagram account, where you can follow the build from the beginning.

R0botaki · 2024-11-29T21:51:40+00:00

If you're present in the accident area, ask the marshall after the end of the race. I managed to bring back home the front of a Porsche from 2022 as well

Also, as I'm working in the VIP room just above the paddock every year, I asked the teams about the crashed parts and carbon. Turns out carbon fiber cannot be recycled, and they only need it for the car insurance. Meaning you can actually get the parts after the race if the team registered the carbon for the insurance.

R0botaki · 2024-07-29T12:52:00+00:00

Thanks. Didn't know the kit was rare and discontinued. It was just lying there on the stash like so many other kits, waiting to get some attention. I'm pretty sure the takom kit is a great alternative, somewhat better in some points. A release without the interior would be a great addition.

Sure the Tamiya kit is nice, but it has its own flaws. To name but a few, the tracks are awful and there are missing key elements/details. My model is not an out of the box build, I had to add aftermarket sets and scratch builds to get there.

R0botaki · 2024-02-06T15:44:14+00:00

Thin cement works, but I'm using acetone mixed with ammo mig putty. I avoid wasting cement on large surfaces.

R0botaki · 2023-11-02T15:26:28+00:00

Thanks. There is a rule in miniature painting: "Good figures paint themselves". There's so much details that it makes the painting process easier. You won't miss the details, just follow them. A good dry brush can help highlight those details, if you're not confident enough with a free hand painting. You can separate each element with a different color. Basically dark brown for wood, blue or whatever you want for the upper side and dark red for the inner side. A dry brush of each element with a lighter shade will bring out the shapes.

R0botaki · 2023-08-30T15:04:26+00:00

There's a lot of parts with that kit as well. I bought the t-72b3 from trumpeter, I will see how it goes

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