Object 279

This model has been waiting to be finished for almost a decade! I built it at the beginning of 2018 during a particularly cold winter, then I’ve put it in a box, thinking I’d paint it a few months later. Those few months turned into more than eight years, but finally, here we are!

The build itself was so much fun. The Object 279 was designed with two goals in mind – to make a tank that could survive the blast from a thermonuclear bomb, and also one that would have superior off-road capabilities. The four tracks and the saucer-shaped hull were supposed to help with that. Luckily, we don’t know if it would be successful in its first goal, but trials have proven that the tank was extremely well suited for heavy terrain and deep mud. The hollow shell around the cast hull helped it “float”, or rather, glide on top of deep bogs. It was also the most heavily armored tank ever built in the former Soviet union with quite a few innovative gizmos, such as hydraulic suspension or overpressure system in the interior as protection against chemical weapons.

I replicated the hollow metal cladding from pewter foil according to reference images from the Kubinka tank museum. In fact, it’s one of the most detailed models I’ve built to date, it certainly doesn’t show its age! Also, if you consider building one yourself, I highly recommend getting a set of aftermarket tracks for it. Assembling four sets of not-so-great plastic links can doom the entire project, and the model is much more fun and looks way better with a set of workable, durable links!

Over the years, I played with several ideas regarding the paint job. An arctic scheme with some blue and grey patches, a relatively fresh vehicle during offroad trials, even a post-apocalyptic setting in the Metro 2033 universe with some stalker figures. Ultimately, I went with a completely different idea, inspired by T-64 tanks from Ukraine in 2014. These tanks looked like they were sitting in an army depot for decades and were only recently brought back to action. A heavily faded and worn finish created with 6 different layers of chipped paint, along with some interesting yet subtle earth effects, was the ultimate route to the finish line!