Trumpeter 1/72 T-55 MBT

KIT #: 07282
PRICE: $19.95 MSRP ($14.95 at www.greatmodel.com )
DECALS: Two options
REVIEWER: Scott Van Aken
NOTES:

HISTORY

 

The T-54 and T-55 tanks were a series ofmain battle tanks designed in theSoviet Union. The first T-54 prototype appeared in March 1945, just before the end of the Second World War. The T-54 entered full production in 1947 and became the main tank for armored units of the Soviet Army, armies of theWarsaw Pact countries, and others. T-54s and T-55s were involved in many of the world's armed conflicts during the late twentieth century.

The T-54/55 series eventually became the most-produced tank in history. Estimated production numbers for the series range from 86,000 to 100,000.

T-54/55 tanks were replaced by the T-62, T-72, T-64 and T-80 in the Soviet and Russian Armies, but many remain in use by up to 50 other armies worldwide, some having received sophisticated retrofitting.

Soviet tanks never directly faced their NATO Cold War adversaries in Europe, however, the T-54/55's first appearance in the west in 1960 spurred the United States to develop the M60.

THE KIT

Trumpeter's kit come with four small sprues as well as a separate upper and lower hull section. Two of the sprues are identical and pretty much for running gear. The other two contain the parts for the turret and all the bits that fit on the hull. The gun's barrel is hollowed out so it looks like slide molding was used on this kit. The treads are the single 'rubber band' type. Trumpeter states that these can be attached with regular cement and that paints will stick without flaking off. Sounds like deformable styrene to me.

The modeler has to drill out a couple of holes on this one. The various hatches are molded shut so there is no option to have them open. This is a later T-55 with the searchlights attached to the turret. As armor kits go, this one doesn't have a ton of parts, though one will have to paint the road wheels.

Instructions are well done with no paint information provided during the build phase. Construction steps are well drawn and easy to read. Markings are for two tanks. One is #410 and the other #420. A small Czech roundel is provided and can be used on either tank. The painting guide shows one in winter wash as shown on the box art while the other is in overall Soviet Armor Green. A variety of paint company options are given on the painting guide so you'll have not trouble finding some in your local area. The small decal sheet is well printed.
CONCLUSIONS

This is probably one of the more popular Soviet tanks and at the low price of 1/72 kits, an armor fan can have quite a collection in no time.
REFERENCES

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T-55 

February 2010

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