BMP-1 IFV - Soviet army, Afghanistan 1980s - Build

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lmcq11
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BMP-1 IFV - Soviet army, Afghanistan 1980s - Build

Post by lmcq11 »

Hi everyone,

It's always exciting to start a new build for something that I have not done or seen before, never knowing how it is going to turn out. This time, it will be a cold war Soviet BMP-1 Infantry Fighting Vehicle in 1/16 scale.
BMP-1 in East German service
BMP-1 in East German service
Capture000.JPG (83.91 KiB) Viewed 6777 times
The BMP is a significant historial piece of armor, having been build at 42,000 examples and still serving around the world since the 1960s, including NATO countries.
BMP-1 in Greek Army
BMP-1 in Greek Army
Capture00.JPG (93.96 KiB) Viewed 6777 times
The plan is to represent a Soviet Army vehicle that served in Afghanistan during the 1980s and do the best job i can to represent the vehicle and men.
Soviet BMP-1
Soviet BMP-1
Capture0000.JPG (52.08 KiB) Viewed 6777 times
The scope and components of the project are as follows;
- Ludwigs basic BMP1 kit
- Rotating turret, gun elevation, gun flash, sound and recoil
- Coax PKT MG gun flash and sound
- Basic interior details of crew compartment and turret basket
- Manually opening hatches
- Soviet IFV commander and infantry riders
- External and internal lights
- Clark TK-22 control (T-34)
- Heng Long gearbox and some electronics

The Ludwigs BMP-1 basic kit is quite obscure. I have never seen it built anywhere and the Ludwigs website could certainly be improved to help the modeller see what he is getting. My guess is that sales would only improve. Most pictures are of an earlier prototype, many parts advertised do not have pictures or descriptions, and there are no instructions available. My kind of build… I saw it and wondered for over a year whether i should order it or not. It's not cheap either and not for everyone. So, mainly out of curiosity, i finally decided to order it as a gamble purchase and hoped for the best. After the last few builds, nothing scares me anymore other than the price of some stuff.

The basic kit and most available parts and accessories were ordered;

Basic kit sprue of lower hull sides
Ludwigs BMP1 BMP-1 kit 1/16 RC
Ludwigs BMP1 BMP-1 kit 1/16 RC
Basic kit sprue of hull bottom and top front and sides
Ludwigs BMP1 BMP-1 kit 1/16 RC
Ludwigs BMP1 BMP-1 kit 1/16 RC
Hatches optional sprue which were a welcome late addition to the offering
Ludwigs BMP1 BMP-1 kit 1/16 RC
Ludwigs BMP1 BMP-1 kit 1/16 RC
Rest of Basic and 3D printed optional parts, more details in following individual pictures.
Ludwigs BMP1 BMP-1 kit 1/16 RC
Ludwigs BMP1 BMP-1 kit 1/16 RC
The 3D printed top of the upper hull with turret ring. As with any 3D printed part, it will need a lot of preparation but at least it is mainly flat so it should not be too bad.
Ludwigs BMP1 BMP-1 kit 1/16 RC
Ludwigs BMP1 BMP-1 kit 1/16 RC
The 3D printed turret top and side skirts. The skirts could have deeper embossed features and they will take a lot of effort to make them smooth.
Ludwigs BMP1 BMP-1 kit 1/16 RC
Ludwigs BMP1 BMP-1 kit 1/16 RC
The 3D printed rear doors for the infantry compartment.
Ludwigs BMP1 BMP-1 kit 1/16 RC
Ludwigs BMP1 BMP-1 kit 1/16 RC
Continuing on following post;
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lmcq11
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Re: BMP-1 IFV - Soviet army, Afghanistan 1980s - Build

Post by lmcq11 »

This is the 3D printed smoothbore gun and mantlet. This is definitely disappointing because I was expecting a turned metal gun barrel, not a weak 3D printed tube with limited details.
Ludwigs BMP-1 BMP1 BMP Soviet IFV 1/16 RC
Ludwigs BMP-1 BMP1 BMP Soviet IFV 1/16 RC
The plan is to replace it with metal tubes of the proper size, with more details and provided with flash and recoil.
Ludwigs BMP-1 BMP1 BMP Soviet IFV 1/16 RC
Ludwigs BMP-1 BMP1 BMP Soviet IFV 1/16 RC
3D printed top hatches of infantry compartment, looks ok
Ludwigs BMP-1 BMP1 BMP Soviet IFV 1/16 RC
Ludwigs BMP-1 BMP1 BMP Soviet IFV 1/16 RC
3D printed road wheels. How they fit the suspension is left to the builder to ponder his options. I have found a way to put them on ball bearings. The sanding and preparation of these 3D printed wheels will be difficult. I had very limited success with 3D parts mainly because I am very demanding in terms of finesse. I never managed to get rid of all the lines. I will have to look for a better method this time around because these will show a lot if I cannot make them totally smooth. There is nothing that I hate like sanding 3D printed parts.
Ludwigs BMP-1 BMP1 BMP Soviet IFV 1/16 RC
Ludwigs BMP-1 BMP1 BMP Soviet IFV 1/16 RC
The metal suspension elements. I thought they would come with torsion blades but no, this is all you get. The holes look a bit tight and will need preparation. Only two of the suspension arms come with shock absorber attachment, I need four of them so I will need to figure a way to make this work with what I have.
Ludwigs BMP-1 BMP1 BMP Soviet IFV 1/16 RC
Ludwigs BMP-1 BMP1 BMP Soviet IFV 1/16 RC
Instead of using torsion blades, my plan is to use torsion bars. These will need modifications to fit the hull and suspension but should provide a more efficient and solid suspension.
Ludwigs BMP-1 BMP1 BMP Soviet IFV 1/16 RC
Ludwigs BMP-1 BMP1 BMP Soviet IFV 1/16 RC
Dry fitting of some key parts, looks ok
Ludwigs BMP-1 BMP1 BMP Soviet IFV 1/16 RC
Ludwigs BMP-1 BMP1 BMP Soviet IFV 1/16 RC
Ludwigs BMP-1 BMP1 BMP Soviet IFV 1/16 RC
Ludwigs BMP-1 BMP1 BMP Soviet IFV 1/16 RC
To help me with this build, I purchased the best 1/35 BMP kit around. This is the Trumpeter BMP-1P kit. It still has all the parts of the BMP-1 but also has the optional parts for the 1P version in case I want to upgrade my model to 1P as well. The 1/35 kit will mainly help me for size and positioning of all parts, and to mitigate the lack of instructions for the assembly, and finishing.
Trumpeter BMP-1
Trumpeter BMP-1
The size of the Trumpeter parts compare well to the Ludwig kit, this is a very good news. When the core is accurate, this makes me happy. Using the formula (trumpeter part size divided by 1/35 then divided by 1/16), I am able to determine that the turret is perfectly accurate in size.
Trumpeter BMP-1
Trumpeter BMP-1
continuing on following post
Last edited by lmcq11 on Sat Nov 10, 2018 1:39 am, edited 1 time in total.
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lmcq11
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Re: BMP-1 IFV - Soviet army, Afghanistan 1980s - Build

Post by lmcq11 »

The trumpeter kit is very nice and essential for this build. As my model will be representing a BMP-1 in Afghanistan, it will not be equipped with anti-tank missile launcher. This is a bit sad because a Sagger missile would look good but I prefer to show Soviet Infantry instead as they were dressed and equipped in Afghanistan, not as in central Europe.

Sadly, the Trumpeter BMP-1 kit does not have an interior like their BMP-3. It would have been nice because I plan to create a basic interior to provide something to look at through the hatches and doors. All of it needing to be designed and scratch built. The interior of the BMP seems complicated, specially the turret area.
Trumpeter BMP-1
Trumpeter BMP-1
The tracks... yeah the tracks. The nightmare of every scratch builder. I was able to get away with it quite easily with the rebuilding of the Walker Bulldog but not this time. Of course, there are no 1/16 BMP tracks available so the only option is to transform something existing. The HL Sherman tracks are the closest thing available so I will need to rework each link to reduce them in width and to make them look closer to the BMP tracks. I did a draft prototype as a proof of concept, it should work but will require a lot of effort. The HL track plastic is difficult to work with and I will need to develop a standard method for the cutting, gluing and transformation so that they are all alike and looking good.
tracks
tracks
Some other parts being accumulated for the build, such as Shapeways King Tiger periscopes, HL PZ-III gearbox, Sherman sprocket and T-90 idler needing modifications, and some AFV-Model detail parts. And of course, lots of plasticard and brass.
other components
other components
As main reference, the TOPSHOTS book number 39 on the BMP-1 is essential. It is cheap and full of detailed images of good quality.
references
references
And the book contains prints of Russian drawing and specifications that will be extremely helpful for exterior, interior and to understand how the tank is built. This is not only a build, it is a learning experience.
references
references
references
references
references
references
Well, this is it. I am ready to start the build. Ok, I agree, the BMP is not the most beautiful or exciting tank around, but I like to do new stuff and this is definitely a challenge. It will be something most of us have not seen before and should be a good companion for an upcoming T-72 tank.

Regards, Louis
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HERMAN BIX
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Re: BMP-1 IFV - Soviet army, Afghanistan 1980s - Build

Post by HERMAN BIX »

Do the folks in the white coats know you have been out of their care for a while now !!!!!!!! :O
They will be looking for you ya know :shh: :shifty:
HL JAGDPANTHER,HL TIGER 1,HL PzIII MUNITIONSCHLEPPER, HL KT OCTOPUS,HL PANTHER ZU-FUSS,HL STuG III,HL T34/85 BEDSPRING,
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c.rainford73
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Re: BMP-1 IFV - Soviet army, Afghanistan 1980s - Build

Post by c.rainford73 »

Louis this is one of the most interesting pieces I've seen attempted. Such a cool and common piece of armour that I would say is somewhat underappreciated.

Well done to bring it to life.
Tanks alot.... :wave:
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Re: BMP-1 IFV - Soviet army, Afghanistan 1980s - Build

Post by toniolillo »

Hello, I really like this vehicle, I'll follow your progress
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Ad Lav
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Re: BMP-1 IFV - Soviet army, Afghanistan 1980s - Build

Post by Ad Lav »

Louis you never stop! Will go nicely with a T72 :)
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lmcq11
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Re: BMP-1 IFV - Soviet army, Afghanistan 1980s - Build

Post by lmcq11 »

HERMAN BIX wrote:Do the folks in the white coats know you have been out of their care for a while now !!!!! They will be looking for you ya know
They sent me here... it's part of the therapy they say... Once you've built this, you will never be scared of facing anything anymore they say. No more stress, anxiety or need of accomplishment they say.
c.rainford73 wrote:Well done to bring it to life.
It looked sad on the Ludwigs website, this one was begging me for a build.
Ad Lav wrote:Louis you never stop!
It keeps my brain off my IT job and the internet for a few hours per day... Pretty cheap hobby when ii consider the hours i spend on this. Plus i will likely have to sell this stuff one day, making some money during retirement.
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Max-U52
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Re: BMP-1 IFV - Soviet army, Afghanistan 1980s - Build

Post by Max-U52 »

Louis, this will be amazing. I'm looking forward with just a bit of drool. :haha:

Ludwig does make some good stuff, and the pieces look to be of good quality. That turret might be a perfect candidate for a method I've been meaning to try (and will soon, if i can just remember to get the minwax poly next time I'm at the hardware). Surely you've seen this video?

phpBB [video]


This guy makes it look easy, and gets great results. You can prime and paint polyurethane, no problem. The results he gets on that skull are pretty impressive, and if you used Russian green paint for a base you might not even have to paint, just flat-coat. I want to try this method on the roof of the WC64 ambulance I just printed, so if I get to it first I'll post a video.
When FDR coined the phrase "The Arsenal of Democracy", he was talking about Detroit. Proud to live in the 2nd most violent city in America!!
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lmcq11
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Re: BMP-1 IFV - Soviet army, Afghanistan 1980s - Build

Post by lmcq11 »

Max-U52 wrote: I want to try this method on the roof of the WC64 ambulance I just printed, so if I get to it first I'll post a video.
This smooth PLA could be interesting in many scenarios. My guess is that there is a substantial loss of details and we end up with round corners, not good for armor and joints. Would be good for flat surfaces but these are also the ones that are easy to sand. You first, let us know.


Now, starting with the lower hull. Its going well, but in reality everything is a challenging struggle. This is definitely not for every one. Well, maybe with these instructions, it is more easy.

These are the plasticard parts for the lower hull, cleaned up and I am enthusiastic.
Ludwigs BMP-1 1/16 RC
Ludwigs BMP-1 1/16 RC
The Trumpeter 1/35 lower hull is kept handy as reference on how to assemble and prepare each parts. Looks like Christian reproduced the components as per BMP design. I can see that the lower hull has two levels and there is an angle to reproduce in the plasticard section.
Ludwigs BMP-1 1/16 RC
Ludwigs BMP-1 1/16 RC
First thing to do is to install the Ludwig provided metal slots for the suspension arms. But I am just realizing now they do not have a locking mechanism to keep the arm in place, so this will have to be figured out.
Ludwigs BMP-1 1/16 RC
Ludwigs BMP-1 1/16 RC
After a bit of brain storming to determine what I am dealing with and how they could fit, the bottom parts are assembled. The parts are not identical so planning and dry fitting is critical to make sure these are not installed wrongly.
Ludwigs BMP-1 1/16 RC
Ludwigs BMP-1 1/16 RC
The holes for the suspension arms must be aligned. If they are not, then the parts need to be switched sides.
Ludwigs BMP-1 1/16 RC
Ludwigs BMP-1 1/16 RC
I gave up trying to install screws in those two holes. The screws were not provided and are obviously of a special kind that I do not have in enough quantity, and the holes were not made ready to accept them, which means most screws got wasted. I could have drilled holes of standard size for a brass bolt but I did not see the benefit. These metal parts were superglued instead. I will never remove them anyway.

There is a large pit hole next to it. I may have found the reason for them later. In any cases, someone planning to build an amphibian BMP will have to deal with these holes.
Ludwigs BMP-1 1/16 RC
Ludwigs BMP-1 1/16 RC
Capture6.JPG (81.79 KiB) Viewed 6603 times
Torsions bars for Tamiya Leopard 2A6 sold on eBay are used instead of torsion blades that the hull is designed for. I find torsion blades to be too loose and not providing enough spring, specially under the gearbox. The bars need to be cut and customized to fit the hull. Here I made the first two prototypes.
Ludwigs BMP-1 1/16 RC
Ludwigs BMP-1 1/16 RC
The builder need to figure out the shafts for the road wheels. Looking at the provided suspension arms, it is pretty clear that whatever these arms were designed to use as shafts, I do not have them and are not available anywhere. And the size of the hole is not standard either, its somewhere between 3 and 4mm.
Ludwigs BMP-1 1/16 RC
Ludwigs BMP-1 1/16 RC
No problem, let's make the whole in a standard 4mm wide instead. When things are made standard, they become easier to deal with.
Ludwigs BMP-1 1/16 RC
Ludwigs BMP-1 1/16 RC
Continuing on following post
Last edited by lmcq11 on Mon Nov 12, 2018 12:26 am, edited 3 times in total.
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