afghan T-55 vignette
Awarded: Bronze
By: Sebastien Biollay
Manufacturer(s): kitbash Ace/PST, Caesar miniatures figures, preise
Modifications: All other improvements are made from scratch (copper wire, aluminium sheet, plastic card). Cans are made from plastic. The drum come from the Revell's T-72. The crouching figure has a mastic-made pakol and un new left arm. The fire is made from transparent plastic.
Description: This Northern Alliance T-55's crew took a break for the night near a afghan village. 2 crewmans went to the village to get some supplies, but their commander think they are too slow... The model is painted with ModelMaster enamels and weathered with oils and pastel chalks. The figures, sheeps and the soil are painted with Lifecolor acrylics.
- Judge 1
- Vehicles and Figures: I really like this tank and you've certainly done a good job bashing the 2 kits together. The extra details you've added in the way of wiring and piping etc. is very well done and certainly brings this kit to life. The paint is well applied and you've introduced some subtle tonal variation in the aging process. There seems to be something strange going on with one of the numerical decals but apart from that they blend in well with the final finish. The dusty running gear looks very good but the relatively clean drive sprockets and tracks look out of place. I really like the exhaust and the home made stowage is well done and placed as is the rope on the front. The figures certainly look like norther alliance fighters, you've done a good job modifying the squatting figure. They could be further enhanced with some deeper shadows especially on the faces. Lining out the details in a darker colour is another way to add depth and interest to figures. The fire looks very good and the sheep are a nice touch. Well done. Jason.
- Judge 2
- A typical mountain and naked terrain like many see in the Afghanistan. Very simple and I think it seems to be finished in hurry. Some different type of brass (long) and some different tone of green would help the finish look
- Judge 3
- Though in the last 30 years there was unremitting fighting on the Afghan soil, some peaceful moments still existed and this diorama shows us one of them. The works contains of three “objects” – the tank, the crew and the animals. Adding the sheep is a good move – animals add to whole peaceful impression of the work (especially the sheep lying on the ground). The tank has its muzzle brake covered with cloth which means the crew isn’t going to fight in the nearest future. The tankers themselves look quite natural, especially the one making up the fire. All I want to advice is to place a tank a little closer to the centre – from one point of observation it seems it is going to fall of the stand. And the commander holding his weapon disturbs the whole impression a little – it will be better for his weapon to lay somewhere nearby (near PPG-7 at the best).