Empress BMD-1 IFV

 After "One Thing and Another", and before the current unpleasantness, Empress released a range of Cold War Soviet Paratroopers as opposition to their BAOR British infantry. I have just got round to ordering them. So they do not have to walk very far, and to give them some punch, here is the Empress BMD-1.

This has been re-worked from the HLBSCo version, an example of the original HLBSCo BMD-2 has been featured here, and is still awaiting finishing.

The first thing you will note is that the track guards are now metal, a major improvement as at some point before assembly I managed to break the resin ones on the BMD-2.

This will not have as much stowage as the BMD-2 as it will be representing a vehicle early in the conflict and so will be regulation rather than many years in the field (and having been air-dropped).

It will need the periscope fitted to the rear hatch, some aerials and probably the bow mounted machine guns.

Some research is required on the equipment placing.

Empress 28mm BMD-2 IFV - part 4

So, further progress on the BMD-2.

The camouflage-net over the nose has had some additional bits added.

I was staring at the front of the BMD, and thought, maybe some additional armour would be nice.

I was looking through my bits and pieces and found the Crooked Dice Mattress set. The lower front of the hull is angled, so I used my trusty razor saw to first cut one in half but with an angled cut. I then made a similar angled cut so the two halves came together at a shallow angle. The two parts were then superglued to the hull front. The gaps were then filled with Greenstuff.

If I had thought about it earlier, I would have added some on the side.

Straps and a sling were added to the ammo box on the port side.

A similar sling was added to hold the Rubicon crate. A rolled tarpaulin was added to the two pegs, again out of Greenstuff.

Starboard side.

Port side.

View from above.

Empress BMD-01 progress

 As mentioned back in February, I received a BMD-1 from Empress.

It is now assembled and base painted.

So the detailing included an aerial on the left rear deck, cables attached to fittings on the hull nose and stretching back to the rear of the hull. Rubicon cable ends were used, the cable is brass wire. Holes are drilled into the hull a distance from end point (the distance being such that the cable ends will hook over the bracket and the ends of the wire). This secures the wire (the hole at one end is made very deep so that the wire can be tensioned by pushing the wire into the hole) and gives the impression the cable end is attached to the cable.

Notches were filed into the nose for the two bow mounted machine guns.

A rotating periscope on the rear hatch. A piece of thin plastic card is placed into a paper punch and a circular piece cut from the plastic. A piece of Slater's 0.06" microstrip makes the periscope.

The aerial is a piece of 1mm brass rod. The base is made from a piece of Plastruct rod.

It was at this point I noticed that the model was missing the periscopes just behind of the turrets. Again strips of Mircostrip provided the periscope heads.

The periscopes were painted with Humbrol 34 White acrylic (shown in the above photographs). They were then painted with Army Painter Deep Blue. The headlights are also Humbrol White.

This is the base painted model with Rubicon Soviet Tank and T26 decals. The numbers are from the Soviet Tank set (DCSV01) and the number in a triangle from the T26 set (DCSV05).

The grills have been shaded with Citadel Camoshade, as has the periscopes and hatches.

It now awaits final weathering and shading.

Empress 28mm BMD-2 IFV

The Honourable Lead Boiler Suit company had a range of 1/48 scale modern vehicles. They are now being made available by Empress, as an addition to their 1/50 scale modern vehicles.

The first I have started to assemble is the BMD-2 Infantry Fighting Vehicle. The resin is different to that used on the other Empress models - it is more similar to the resin used on Warlord kits. The fit is not so good either, and there are a number of minor air holes. The suspension arms are poorly rendered and in one case missing.

Part of the track guard is broken.

The hull is just balanced on the track units. Reference to photographs show the track is not flush with the bottom of the hull sponsons. There are no indications as to how the track is to be attached to the hull. I do have some concerns that the track unit is too long for the hull.

Rubicon Models British flimsy fuel cans made a consistent gap between the track and the hull sponsons.

The BMD2 is armed with a 30mm auto cannon with an elevation capable of firing at helicopters. There is a sight linked to the gun on the left side of the turret which is not represented on the model. Three holes have been drilled in the turret (ignore the fourth, it will be filled). One takes the sight itself, the other two for a guard that protects the delicate sight. An additional hole has been drilled in the mantlet dust cover for the coax weapon. The mantlet design does not match photographs I have found on the internet but it is a bit too complex for me to make major changes.

A searchlight is mechanically linked to the main gun. Two holes were drilled in the turret top and a single hole drilled through the searchlight. A periscope is temporarily in place on the rear door. The track guards are supported by pieces of square section microstrip. They will be trimmed once the gaps have been filled.

The searchlight base and the AA gunsight base are faired in with Greenstuff.

The AA gunsight guard is checked - the ends need to be trimmed for length once the sight is in place.

View of the model with the gun barrel added. This will have a dust cover from Greenstuff at the mantlet.

 William Killian for scale.

Empress 28mm BMD-2 IFV - part 2

There was a suggestion on the Lead Adventures Forum about changing the turret for something like a Zu-23-2 AA mount.

In best Blue Peter tradition, this is one I prepared earlier.

This is the Zu-23-2 from the Empress Technical, using the supplied mount.

Renedra 20 foot container as cover

 I reviewed the Renedra 20 foot container earlier , but mentioned that I would take some photographs of the container in use as cover.

Empress Miniatures HMMWV.

Empress Miniatures GAZ Tigr.

Empress BMD-1

Clockwork Goblin/Warlord M8 Grizzly walker.

Warlord M4A4C

The cupola peeking over the container.

Empress Miniatures Challenger 2.