View allAll Photos Tagged PRIMITIVE
+++ DISCLAIMER +++
Nothing you see here is real, even though the conversion or the presented background story might be based historical facts. BEWARE!
Some background:
Both the T-62 and T-64 were innovative in their own ways, but not successful in the long run because of their cost, complicated features, rushed production, or primitive FCS. The T-54/55 had been a highly successful export for the Soviet Union, but so far, nothing replaced it in this area. Due to their age and the never-ending competition between ammo and armor with the west, a new MBT with a large gun was needed. This model had to incorporate some innovations but had to be mature enough to exploit them fully and be fast enough to catch up with other vehicles. Overall, WARPAC quickly needed a replacement for its aging fleet of T-54/55s (the T-62 was only adopted by Bulgaria and the T-64 was even denied to the Warsaw Pact allies). So a “mobilization” model was called for, even though the T-64 was still in development.
Although in its general shape the T-72 superficially resembled previous designs, and especially the T-62 (small turret, low hull, very long gun), there were many differences in the drivetrain, turret design, engine, main gun and equipment. Compared to western standards, its specifics were regarded as drawbacks, being too small, cramped and uncomfortable. It was believed in the west the crewmen had to be of small stature (1.60 m or 5ft 3in), but after the fall of the iron curtain, it appeared to have been officially 1.75 m (5ft 9in). For its designers and commanders, the vehicle was in line with the experience of the Soviet armored forces during the “Great Patriotic War”. The USSR modeled its tanks along a specific tactical use. Tanks were generally low, nimble and fast, being difficult to hit, contrary to western tanks, which were, comparatively, at least 50 cm (1ft 8in) taller – and the T-72 was even 60 cm lower than its potential opponents!
The height requirement also helped to keep the total weight largely under the NATO practice. This allowed a great deal of mobility despite an aged V-12 diesel. For example, two T-72 could cross a bridge instead of waiting in line to cross it one at a time. This low profile was a problem when fording rivers more than 5 meters (16 ft) deep and a comprehensive sealing procedure, a snorkel and tightly waterproof interior were needed. These fittings also helped NBC protection, rendered possible by a synthetic fabric made of boron compound lining which reduced (but did not) radiations. There was also an extensive air filter system with safety valves and constant over-pressure. This helped eliminate any poisonous contamination as well as residual fumes that could leak out from the autoloader. Overall vision was not outstanding, with a set of extremely small periscope viewports. The hull construction called for an RHA (rolled homogenous armor) hull made of cast steel.
Crew comfort was seen as unnecessary, due to the survivability rates on the battlefield. The same law applied to a relatively non-refined interior and the simple, rugged, but efficient firing equipment, which was designed for mass production and easy maintenance. Any fragile and/or non-standard piece of equipment was therefore eliminated before production. This explained not only the production scale itself - much bigger than their western counterparts - but also the tank’s export success. Such manufacturing principles allowed costs to be kept very low, and at the same time produced a rugged piece of equipment which was durable, with part standardization (= interchangeability) and relatively low-tech, which was an advantage in many pre-industrial countries, both for maintenance and upgrades.
The hull’s basic RHA construction was augmented by spaced armor, which was upgraded to the T-64 standard composite armor in 1979. In the early 1980s, T-72s received additional add-on armor along with rubber side skirts, and, in the late 1980s, full ERA made of active protective tiles was generalized. At the origin, the basic cast armor was about 280 mm (11 in) at the thickest, with the nose up to 80 mm (3.1 in) and the glacis made of a 200 mm (7.9 in) thick laminated armor, well inclined. This gave a virtual equivalent of 500–600 mm (20–24 in) thickness against direct fire.
The turret was small in comparison to the T-62 and even the T-55, due to the elimination of the loader and its replacement by an auto-loader. The latter picked-up its rounds directly from a horizontal storage area (horizontally auto-fed), contrary to the faster and much more complex vertical actuators of the T-64 main gun automatic loader. The commander cupola was situated to the right rear, with four vision blocks, one periscope (later equipped with infrared sight), and a standard night illuminator. The gunner’s hatch was situated on the right-hand side and slightly angled down to the turret side.
The V12 was basically derived from the WW2 era 500 hp T-34 engine. Rugged and well-tested, it was also shared with the T-54/55 and T-62 families, meaning a lot of parts were interchangeable. It was capable of 780 hp (582 kW), which made the T-72 look underpowered compared to western tanks of the time, but its performances were kept high due to the lightweight hull. It was also much faster and nimbler than the T-62 and even the T-55. This engine was coupled to a synchromesh, hydraulically assisted, seven forward/one reverse gears transmission. The steering system is a traditional dual-tiller layout, rather than the steering wheel/yoke familiar in the west, imposing constant two-hands handling. By the 1980s, the powerplant upgraded to the new 840 bhp (630 kW) V-84 diesel.
The suspension set was a moderately new one, combining traditional torsion bars and shock dampers on the last and two first roadwheel sets. There were six evenly spaced sets of rubberized roadwheels per side. These roadwheels were completely redesigned and partly hollow, like the T-64 roadwheels, but made of steel rather than aluminum, due to costs and durability. They were also smaller and much lighter than the traditional “starfish” model, imposing four sets of return rollers to support the upper tracks. The tracks themselves were similar to the previous models, but not advanced like those of the T-64.
By 1973, the T-72 was accepted for service and over 25,000 units were built, but the production lines never really shut down. The T-72, in its modernized form, now represents the bulk of the Russian armored forces, and was adopted by the best armored units in all Eastern Europe forces. It was widely exported despite its price -double of that of a T-55- because it represented a good compromise, not complicated to operate and maintain, with many commonalities with previous models. It was a real upgrade in firepower, protection, speed and even fire accuracy compared to previous models, and even contemporary western MBTs. Unlike the T-62, the T-72 became an instant hit, was well-modernized over decades and is still frontline today, in thirty-six armies, including the Iraq.
Due to a ban on weapons deliveries after the Iran-Iraq war (where Iraq lost some 60 T-72Ms), a covert agreement was found to pass Czech-built M1 parts for a local assembly which was done as the “Asad Babil” or “Lion of Babylon”. There were armed with downgraded FCS and LRF, and a poor-quality glacis plate armor. Like the “Saddam”, a local adaptation of the M1 (downgraded for desert warfare), some suspensions’ shock absorbers were removed and a local-built searchlight was added on the right-hand-side. Saddams and Asad Babils were seen in action by 1991 and again in 2001 gulf war. Iraq had about 1000 T-72s, M, M1, but also the locally built Saddam and Asad Babil in 1990. After 2003, their numbers had dwindled to 375, and only 125 were listed in the new Iraqi Army - even though there were negotiations to procure up to 2.000 revamped T-72 by 2009.
But this deal did not come to fruition, and in 2010 twelve mothballed Iraqi T-72 survivors, mostly only hulls with engines but without a turret or armament, were modified into anti-aircraft systems, through the adaptation of the British Marksman short range air defense system developed by Marconi.
The Marksman system consists of a turret which carries a Marconi Series 400 radar and two Swiss Oerlikon 35 mm anti-aircraft autocannons. It is similar to the German Gepard system in terms of performance, ammunition carried and effective range of the ammunition, and intended to provide low-level air-defense for tank battalions.
The Marconi 400 series frequency agile surveillance and tracking X/J-band radar is able to detect targets out to 12 km in search mode and 10 km in tracking mode. The additional laser distance measure device functions up to 8 km. The turret can traverse a full 360 degrees and has an elevation range of −10 to +85 degrees. The magazines hold 460 fragmentation rounds and 40 armor-piercing anti-tank rounds. The vehicle is operated by only three crew members: commander, gunner, and driver. The commander and the gun operator in the turret both have gyro-stabilized optical aiming devices, and there are three communication radios in the vehicle for fire guidance and communications. The Swiss 35 mm Oerlikon anti-aircraft guns have a rate of fire of 18 rounds per second and the fragmentation round has a muzzle velocity of 1,175 m/s. The effective range of the weapons is 4,000 meters. For self-defense, the vehicle is also equipped with eight Wegmann 76 mm smoke dischargers, a 7.62 mm assault rifle, and a flare gun.
In 2014 the Iraqi Army's T-72 battle tanks and the Marksman SPAAGs were actively involved in the Iraqi Civil War, an armed conflict which began in January 2014 with the Iraqi insurgency and which escalated into a civil war with the conquest of Fallujah, Mosul, Tikrit and in the major areas of northern Iraq by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS or IS). Even though no enemy aircraft were deployed, the T-72 Marksman SPAAGs proved to be very effective against lightly or unarmored vehicles and semi-fortified dugouts at medium range. The conflict ended in December 2017.
Specifications:
Crew: Three (commander, gunner, driver)
Weight: 47.2 tonnes (52.1 short tons)
Length: 8.06 m (26 ft 3 in) with turret forward and guns in march position
6.95 m (22 ft 10 in) hull only
Width: 3.59 m (11 ft 9 in)
Height: 4.46 metres (14 ft 7 1/2 in)
Suspension: torsion-bar
Ground clearance: 0.49 m (19 in)
Fuel capacity: 1,200 L (320 U.S. gal; 260 imp gal)
Engine:
V-92S2F V12 Diesel engine with 1,130 hp (840 kW)
Transmission:
Synchromesh, hydraulically assisted, with 7 forward and 1 reverse gears
Armor:
Steel and composite armour with ERA
250 mm (10 in) maximum in the hull front
Performance:
Speed:
- Maximum, road: 80 km/h (50 mph)
- Sustained, road: 60 km/h (37 mph)
- Cross country: up to 45 km/h (28 mph)
Operational range: 460 km (290 mi)
700 km (430 mi) with additional fuel drums
Power/weight: 18 hp/t
Armament:
2× 35 mm Oerlikon autocannon with 460 fragmentation rounds and 40 anti-tank rounds
The kit and its assembly:
Well, this is a rather simple, whiffy tank model. I have always been a fan of AA tanks, but there are only a few model kits in 1:72 scale, esp. of modern vehicles like the German Gepard, the American Sargeant Baker or the Finnish T-55 Marksman.
However, recently the German short run producer Silesian Models released a resin aftermarket conversion set with the Marksman turret, and I immediately was hooked and started wondering with which hull I could combine it? The resin set is actually intended for an M60 chassis, and while I found it to be a good idea I wanted a personal alternative. Using the Finnish T-55 variant as benchmark, I wondered if the Marksman system could be combined with a more modern hull of Soviet/Russian origin, and the omnipresent T-72 became an almost natural choice. Searching for a potential operator I eventually came across the New Iraqi Army, which operated the T-72 since the Eighties kept it in service until today.
The conversion is very simple and straightforward. The Modelcollect T-72 chassis was built OOB, using optional parts from the kit for the eight spoke wheels and a simple glacis plate without ERA. The side skirts were cut back.
A curious feature of the kit is the lower hull: it is a white metal piece instead of injected plastic, and the suspension parts are an integral part of this piece. This creates no major problem, though, and lowers the kit's CoG. You just need some superglue in order to attach the wheels and the upper hull parts, even though the latter can simple be attached in a snap-fit style. Overall detailling is superb and the fit is very good, too.
The nicely detailed Silesian Models resin Marksman turret went together well, too, even though the gun barrels were slightly bent. Some cleaning was necessary, but that has to be expected from such a short run kit. The turret also comes with an adapter plate for the M60 turret bearing, but it turned out to be too wide for the T-72 hull. So I simply cut out the T-72 kit's turret underside and glued it under the Marksman turret - and this worked very well and even had the bonus that I did not have to modify the kit's original turret bearing.
The only other addition are the wire antennae on the Marksman turret, made from heated sprue material.
Painting and markings:
Very straightforward, too. I used real life Iraqi T-72s as benchmark and chose a typical desert scheme, with an overall sand tone on top of which some brown mottles had been added. For the sand tone I used a car color: a Sixties Volkswagen tone called "Mexicobeige", applied with a rattle can. The brown mottles were later added with a small brush and they were mixed from Humbrol 29 (RAF Dark Earth) and 66 (Olive Drab) in a 2:1 ratio.
The Arabian tactical code number actually belongs to a MiG-29 (from a Begemot sheet), while the New Iraqi Army flag and the grey/green marking were printed with an inkjet at home on white decal paper.
The kit received a light dry-brushing treatment with Humbrol 168 (Hemp) and also a light wash with a highly thinned mix of red brown and grey. A coat of matt acrylic varnish sealed the model.
After the track segments had been mounted, the running gear was dusted with fine artist pigments, and another dusting treatment was finally applied to the upper hull, too, once the tank model had been fully assembled.
An interesting result, and even though the T-72/Marksman combo is fictional, the resulting SPAAG looks very plausible, even "natural"? The modern Iraqi colors and markings suit it well, too. Besides, a relatively quick and pleasant build/conversion, completed in less than five days.
Bain News Service,, publisher.
[Primitive man]
[between ca. 1915 and ca. 1920]
1 negative : glass ; 5 x 7 in. or smaller.
Notes:
Title from unverified data provided by the Bain News Service on the negatives or caption cards.
Forms part of: George Grantham Bain Collection (Library of Congress).
Format: Glass negatives.
Rights Info: No known restrictions on publication. For more information, see George Grantham Bain Collection - Rights and Restrictions Information www.loc.gov/rr/print/res/274_bain.html
Repository: Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division, Washington, D.C. 20540 USA, hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/pp.print
Part Of: Bain News Service photograph collection (DLC) 2005682517
General information about the George Grantham Bain Collection is available at hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/pp.ggbain
Higher resolution image is available (Persistent URL): hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/ggbain.32213
Call Number: LC-B2- 5432-4
A StorybookLife Blog: Creative Holiday Ideas
This basket was handmade for me (one of a set of 8). It was originally natural wood - but I wanted to have a black basket - so... now it's black! The berry garland & light cream pumpkin make this a nice fall display.
Found this primitive art box at a local thrift store. It reminds me of home in Connecticut and then I got homesick :(
Port Broughton.
Whilst exploring the northern regions in 1839 Edward John Eyre named the Broughton River after his friend William Broughton the first Anglican Bishop of Australia. Broughton served as archdeacon of Australia from 1829-34, and then as the first Anglican Bishop of Australia, not NSW, from 1836-1853. By 1850 there were five Anglican bishops in Australia and the title of Bishop of Australia was dropped. Pastoralists were not attracted to the area around Port Broughton as the bush was so dense and required felling for grazing. However, the area was part of large pastoral runs held by the Bowmans and others. After the passing of the Strangways Act in 1869 for closer settlement, the area was surveyed and the government chose a site in 1871 on Mundoora Arm for a new port. Captain Henry Dale was chosen by the government to name the port and he named it Port Broughton. The township was surveyed in October 1871 and blocks sold in 1872. The rest of the Hundred of Mundoora was surveyed and offered for sale in 1877.
Channel beacons were erected in 1871 to guide the ships and the first jetty constructed in 1874 at a cost of £1,200. Dredging of the channels began in 1877 and continued off and on for many years. The big boost to the fledgling port was the construction of a railway from Port Broughton to Mundoora in 1878. This opened up this area to farmers as they could then transport their grain easily to the port. The port brought new and different activities to the town. From 1910 until around 1915 kelp and seaweed( Posidonia Australia) from the bottom of the Mundoora Arm were dedged and then processed for marine fibres. Marine Fibres Ltd had their own factory, dredge, jetty and workforce of about ten people. The fibres were used for clothing, upholstery and mattresses when woven in with wool. The operations ceased in 1917. A small fishing fleet was established and after the ice works were built local catches of snook and whiting were shipped to Melbourne. For a while the town even had a butter factory. The ketches transporting wheat to Port Adelaide operated until the 1950s. The pretty aspect of the harbour and coastline brought tourists from Adelaide, espcially after the opening of the second storey of the Port Broughton hotel in 1910. Above all, the port handled grain so the town soon had a three storey flour mill owned by Darlings. It operated until 1914. The jetty also provided the ideal spot for the 1920 World War One memorial.
The population of the town reached its first peak around 1901 when it had 400 people. Today it has almost 1,000 residents, many of them retirees. For some years it had its own newspaper. Reticulated water came from Beetaloo Reservoir in 1890 until being replaced by the Murray water from the Morgan-Whyalla pipeline in 1944. The first school opened in 1879 following the Free, Compulsory and Secular Education Act of 1875. A new school buiLding opened in 1892 and is still used as the town museum. In 1929 the school became a Higher Primary School altering to an Area School in 1960. Like most towns, the Institute was the first public hall available for social functions and events. It opened in 1888. It included a local library. Electricity was provided by a private company from 1926 until ETSA took it over in 1959. The first church in the town was the Primitive Methodist Church which opened in 1885. The porch was added in 1934. The Anglican Church of St Phillip followed soon after with an opening ceremony in 1889 but it was 1909 before the town got its own resident priest. The Catholic Church of St Margaret’s was consecrated in 1902. Apart from the school the other government services also were established in the early years. The first Post Office opened in 1873. It has a later addition to the orginal house style building. The police station was built in 1890. At the height of the temperance movement in the 1890s the town had a Coffee Palace to try and rival the hotel! The town Council was formed in 1892. Today the town has a population of over 900 people.
I took the image on the left yesterday with a very simple pinhole camera - just a box with a hole poked in it, and a piece of photographic paper inside.
The image on the right is the inversion in Photoshop.
I haven't used a darkroom in ages, so developing it was fun. More experimenting with my toy and chemicals this weekend, I think.
Primitive Underground.
Жаждущие Завоевания достаточности империи завоевателя обыск полномочия,
reforços canalhas disposições perpétuos vigorosas exércitos dentes das guerras,
ól babblers maolaitheacha go leanúnach adulterated jugglers fheidhmiú,
Experimentieren Möglichkeiten spekulieren enorme Lügen entdeckt,
alchymicam rerum dissolutionibus maestum nigredo secretum absolutum desperationum,
NEDLUSAD situationer etsande samtal feber gräl motbjudande girighet,
rangra fyrirmæli erring samviskuna smíða viðurlög ignorances transgresses lög,
likegyldig forpliktelser undersøke formaliteter intense delelig argumenter umulige,
nasilnim uvjetima prvenstveno snage otežana zaključci načela preselio istovremeno,
μνηστή χαρακτήρες ταλαιπωρία που διαπερνά μυστηριώδη συναρπαστικός δυνάμεις σάπια σάρκα,
innumerevoli contemplazioni analogie luminosi emozionanti sforza passaggi devoti consapevoli,
奇妙な指揮悪口不規則な眠り目立ち感情刺激的な異常が住んでいました.
Steve.D.Hammond.
Soaking the dirty dishes in a drawer full of rainwater. Just add soap.
Abandoned cottage in Linn County, Oregon.
White band is a series of sun trails across the sky with pine trees in the foreground.
7 Week exposure, Kentmere VC Select Photo Paper, no chemical processing. Dr. Pepper can camera with pinhole lens.
I love the shape of these primitive hearts. They will be available with 'live, laugh, love', 'peace, love, joy', 'with love' and 'best friends' decorations.
Had to ignore compositon here in order to block the basketball goal that was behind the tree. You can see the blue square peeking out between the junction of the tree trunks. This is an old barn in town behind a friends house I use alot for portraits. Lots of character in this old building.
Thanks for stopping by!