Chinese PLA Main Battle Tank ZTZ-99/99G
1:35 Bronco Models
1:35 Bronco Models
A native Chinese development incorporating many aspects of the Russian T-72, this MBT represents China's leading edge of tank technology, including composite armour, a smooth bored 125mm cannon capable of firing depleted uranium shells (in a discardable Sabot package), plus an advanced targeting system. The later G model also benefits from an up-armour package of reactive armour panels, designed to counter the latest armour piercing rounds and improved and electro-optics.
Knowing little to nothing of the Chinese PLA and their weapons, I was interested to see this new kit from Bronco, as I had been pleasantly surprised by previous kits of theirs that I have either built or have in my stash. This one was no exception, and on opening the glossy top-opener box, I was greeted by a large number of half-size sprues, all showing plenty of fine detail. In all there are 14 sprues of tan styrene, plus the hull and turret parts, two Photo-Etched frets providing grilles etc., a small clear sprue, and a short length of string that is meant for use as towing cables.
The instruction booklet is the usual A4 glossy color book with a painting guide covering both sides of the rear cover.
This latest issue of the kit includes the workable track set, which makes up 7 of the total sprues. The parts are impressively fine and lacking in any sink or ejector pin marks, but care will be needed in cutting them from the sprues, and patience mandatory, as each link consists of 4 separate parts, that if carefully glued will result in a fully workable set of track-links after construction, allowing you to get realistic sag on the tracks where appropriate.
You will be glad to hear that sprue gates have been sensibly placed on all the parts, so cleanup will be tedious, but not a chore. Don't forget that there is no fall-back of rubber-band tracks on this edition, so failure is NOT an option! All is not lost if you do screw up though, as the track set is available separately for those earlier editions that did not include the parts. Either that, or you could beg or barter some unwanted rubber tracks from a fellow modeller.
The hull consists of a bathtub affair, which is covered in raised suspension detail and strengthening "humps" on the underside. To that you add the rear bulkhead midway through the build, or deviate from the instructions to give your assembly a little extra strength earlier on. It is to this rear bulkhead that the complicated arrangement of tow cables attaches, but the instructions give plenty of guidance, so making a mess is unlikely. The supplied string seems adequate for the job, as it doesn't seem to be the least bit fuzzy, so once draped to shape, a touch of low viscosity CA will set it in place ready for painting.
The suspension arms and torsion-bar units are all separate parts, with four return roller mounts on each track run. The upper deck of the hull is quite simple, although the rear louvers are nicely moulded, but later steps add plenty of detail, and as you can model both versions from this kit (hence the 2 in 1 on the box), most of it has a 50/50 chance of being covered in appliqué armour anyway. The front glacis plate is where the majority of this sits, and your choice is shown clearly in step 6 of the instructions.
The fenders have a clever construction, with the basic part being a thin "plank" of plastic with the detailed front and rear fenders moulded to it. Onto this you glue the detailed stowage bins and various other parts, resulting in a realistic assembly and it would be simplicity itself to thin down the fenders if you so wish.
Under these the roadwheels sit in pairs, with a widely spaced raised "tread" on each rubber wheel. It's worth checking that these actually appear on the real thing, as Soviet armour is sometimes depicted with this feature although it is not present on the real thing. My search for detail shots was necessarily short, but close-up pictures of the running gear seem a little hard to find. The wheels have a positive location pin to ensure they marry up well, and the idler and drive sprockets are both 3-part assemblies, which add a little detail.
These parts are partially covered by the vehicle's side skirts, but these would be simple to leave loose to aid detail painting of the running gear. It would also be possible to leave the idler and drive sprockets loose to add the tracks after painting, which from my own experience makes life a whole lot easier.
The turret assembly requires you to open up a few holes from the inside depending on which version you are modelling, and it is soon festooned with detail, including the commander's sighting unit, hoisting hooks, and various other boxes including the electro-optical box, which is improved and raised for the later 99G.
The gun's mantlet has a cloth shroud, and you are supplied with two for raised and lowered positions. If you're asking why, it's because the wrinkles and creases on the mantlet cover are different for each position. A very nice touch, and as the barrel is often seen raised for display purposes on the field, quite useful to the modeller.
The barrel is a four part affair, with an insert that sleeves inside the business end to give a realistic hollow finish. Careful lining up of the main barrel halves, plenty of liquid glue and a squeeze before it sets up should minimize cleanup of the seam, and in order to avoid flattening the remainder, scraping with a reverse curved blade or a flex-i-file should be used to maintain the arc.
The turret is finished off with the 12.5mm anti-aircraft gun, smoke dispenser units, stowage racks and if you're modelling the up-armoured G version, plenty of reactive armour blocks on the front , sides, and curiously, outside of the stowage racks - I guess with the thinking that any shell that penetrates the sides of the racks armour would begin to weaken significantly before it hit the basic armour of the hull some 12-18" away.
The turret assembly relies on gravity to keep it in place, much like the real thing, but a small lip in three places around the underside helps keep it from dislodging from minor shocks.
The kit also includes a pair of long range fuel tanks that attach to the rear bulkhead in typical Cold War style, although they are set quite low to gain protection from the hull of the tank.
A full set of identification numbers is provided along with the National Insignia, allowing you to model any particular vehicle you choose, and painting guides are provided for the earlier 99 and later 99G, which although basically identical on the common parts, gives you the pattern for the large appliqué armoured areas.
Conclusion
It's another winner from Bronco. The detail is excellent throughout, and the inclusion of workable track links at this price point admirable. It would have been nice for a couple of crew figures to be added to the package though, as finding figures of the ethnic type and with suitable uniform could be difficult for the uninitiated.
As previously stated, I am not an expert in modern Chinese armour, but my brief research seems to back up my feelings that this is a well researched kit of a bit of leading edge technology Chinese armour that is only issued to crack units due to cost (only around 200 were produced) and the skill needed to fully utilise it in battle.
Review sample courtesy of
