Russian Battle Tank T-90A - 1:72 Revell

[Paul A H]

Russian Battle Tank T-90A

1:72 Revell

The T-90 is the most modern Main Battle Tank in the inventory of the armed forces of the Russian Federation. It was developed from the successful T-72 MBT, with numerous improvements including a more powerful diesel engine and improved protection in the form of composite armour, advanced third generation Kontakt-5a Explosive Reactive Armour and electronic countermeasures designed to defeat laser guided anti-tank missiles. The tank also features an upgraded version of the 125mm smoothbore gun and an improved fire control system, both developed from that used in the more complex and expensive T-80 MBT.

Several hundred examples of the T-90 have been produced and the tank is now in wide-scale service with the Russian armed forces. The T-90A is a development of the original T-90 and is easily distinguished by its angular, welded turret which replaces the more rounded, cast turret of the original T-90. The T-90A was deployed during the war in Dagestan in the summer of 1999, where its performance helped to cement its reputation as a tough, dependable tank able to withstand multiple RPG hits. The T-90 has been a moderate success on the export market, having been acquired by several long-time users of Russian hardware including Algeria, Turkmenistan, Uganda and, most notably, India.

This kit is a development of the all-new T-90 released by Revell last autumn. It is the latest in a steady stream of 1:72 scale military vehicle kits that Revell have produced in recent years and, being a fan of Russian tanks, it's good to see Revell following up on the original release with the welded turret version. The kit is packed into the usual end-opening box, inside which are four sprues of caramel coloured plastic which hold an impressive 160 parts a small increase over the original release. A new sprue (F) holds all of the parts for the A version, including the turret, drive sprockets and tracks. As you would expect from such a recent tool from Revell, the mouldings are clean, crisp and feature suberb, fine details.

Construction starts with the lower hull, which features nicely detailed torsion bar suspension units that run across the bottom of the chassis. The (new) drive sprockets, idlers and road wheels are all moulded in inner and outer halves and match photographs of the real thing very well. As was the case with their recent series of Leopard 2 kits, Revell have included tracks moulded in two halves which are designed to be bent around the wheels and drive sprockets and then glued in place. They are made from the same hard plastic as the rest of the kit and rely on being very thin for their flexibility. Revell suggest warming the tracks in hot water prior to installation. I tried the tracks on their recent Sd.Kfz. 7 (which are designed in the same way) and found they worked reasonably well, although they will snap if over-stretched. In any case, the tracks are nicely detailed and should look the part once in place. They certainly look better than the vinyl tracks that some manufacturers still seem to favour.

The upper hull is as nicely detailed as the lower hull, partly as a result of the fact that the upper glacis plate is moulded separately, which allows finer detailed to be accurately reproduced. The driver's hatch is moulded separately which means it can be finished in the open position, although there is no interior detail. The side skirts are nicely done and feature separately moulded armour plates. Extra details such as the headlights, tow hooks and the ubiquitous unditching beam are all nicely rendered and moulded separately.

Once construction moves on to the turret, you will need to pay attention as different parts are used for the T-90SA version used by Algeria. The 125mm smooth bore gun is pretty good, although it might be an idea to replace the tip of the muzzle with some tubing. The multi-part 12.7mm anti-aircraft machine gun is nicely done. The infra-red scramblers, which make up the most visible part of the Schtora electronic countermeasures suit, are each made up of five parts, which is impressive for such small items. They are not used for the Algerian version though, additional plates of ERA are provided instead. The multitude of stowage bins, smoke grenade dischargers and electro-optical gear combine to give the new turret a satisfyingly cluttered appearance.

The tiny decal sheet provides four options, and Revell are to be applauded for providing a genuine choice rather than different identification number for camouflage schemes that are essentially identical:
T-90A, 5th Guards Tamansker Independent Motorised Rifle Brigade, Kyakhta, Siberian Military District, Russia 2009. This tank is finished in an overall green scheme;
T-90A, 20th Guards Independent Motorised Rifle Brigade, Volgograd, North Caucasus Military District, Russia, 2010. This tank is finished in the green/grey/black camouflage depicted on the box artwork;
T-90SA, 8th Armoured Division, People's National Army, Sidi Bel Abbes, Algeria, 2013. This tank is finished in a disruptive green over light brown camouflage; and
T-90SA, 4th 'Baku' Army Corps, Azerbaijani Armed Forces, Absheron Peninsula, Azerbaijan, 2013. This tank is finished in a sand/brown/green and black scheme.

Conclusion

Just like the original T-90, this is an excellent, well-detailed kit which captures the look of the low-slung Russian MBT very well. Revell have crammed in an amazing amount of detail and it looks to be pretty accurate on the sprue. The range of schemes provided on the decal sheet is excellent too. Overall this is a great offering which can be highly recommended.

Revell model kits are available from all good toy and model retailers. For further information visit or

[Paul A H]

Now updated with pictures of the finished model:

[BeeKay]

Did the tracks fit OK? One review I read said they were short, was that the case or just poor construction?

[Paul A H]

They were ok on one side but they did seem a little short on the other. I would recommend a long bath in hot water (for the tracks and the modeller) prior to fixing them in place - it does help!