MiniArt T-55A Early Mod 1965 Interior Kit (37016) 1:35

[Mike]

T-55A Early Mod 1965 Interior Kit (37016)

1:35 MiniArt via Creative Models Ltd.

 

 

The T-54's gestation and transformation into the T-55 was long-winded and complicated by constant changes to an as yet unsatisfactory performing vehicle, which began at early as the end of WWII.  Production of the T-54-1 was halted due to production and quality issues, and recommenced as the re-designed T-54-2, with the turret design changed to closer resemble the eventual domed shape of the T-55.  The -2 didn't last all that long before the -3 replaced it, and the requirement for survival of tactical nuclear blasts led to the eventual introduction of the similar looking, but significantly different T-55 that we know so well. 

 

As the heavy tank fell out of favour, the T-55 became part of the burgeoning Main Battle Tank movement, with thousands of them being produced over the years in various guises.  In the early 60s the T-55A was developed, providing more adequate NBC protection that required a lengthening of the hull and coincidentally added anti-spall protection for the crew.  It also sounded the death-knell of the bow-mounted machine gun, which was removed to improve ammo storage, and hasn't been seen on MBTs for decades now.

 

The Kit

Part of the ever-expanding range of early Cold War armour from MiniArt, who seem to be kitting every conceivable variant from the earliest T-54 to the latest T-55, which will hopefully include some of the more unusual marks as well.  The toolings are all essentially brand new, and have been designed in a modular format to ease the way toward new variants, which makes for a high sprue count.  Some of the kits have been released in augmented Interior Kit boxings, with all the extra details to open up your model as much as you please.  This is one of those boxings, and it arrives in their current orange themed box, with a painting of the tank in question on the front, and the stylised "Interior Kit" branding on each face of the box.  Lifting the kit gives the feeling of how much is inside, and I may have emitted a minor expletive when I saw how packed with sprues the box was, and when I say packed, I mean it.  There is almost no room for anything else in the box, and I'm dreading putting it all back in.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There are 94 sprues in mid grey styrene, many of them quite small, and some of the larger ones linked together in pairs, a clear sprue, two sheets of Photo-Etch (PE) brass, three decal sheets (one larger, two small), and the instruction booklet.  It seems that I was wrong about putting it back in too, as I have managed it although I wouldn't like to put anything else in there!  Detail is everywhere, and is crisp, with judicious use of slide-moulding to improve details further, and make hollows where needed.  The inclusion of PE helps further, allowing parts to be given a more scale-effect.

 

Construction begins with the water-cooled diesel engine, which is built up from a substantial number of highly detailed parts for later insertion into the hull, which is next to be made up.  The hull floor has cut-outs for the suspension mounts, hatches and access panels, all of which are supplied as separate parts.  The suspension is torsion-link, so the bars are inserted with the axles at their ends, then the lowest parts of the interior are added on top, including the base for the turret basket and the driver's position.  Ammo is festooned wherever the designers could fit a round, with a large store next to the driver's station in the position formerly occupied by the bow machine gunner.  The hull sides are separate, and are well detailed parts, which have further detail layered on both sides before they are added to the lower along with engine bay firewall, the engine and its mount, plus sundry other details that make the T-55 quite cramped for its occupants.

 

Externally, the T-55A could be fitted with a mine-roller, and although one isn't included with this boxing, the fitments and bracketry is included for the upper and lower glacis alongside the standard light clusters, lifting hooks and pioneer tools.  The main lights have a choice of clean lenses, and fit inside a multi-part cage to protect them from damage, which will take some care to glue together neatly.  With the glacis and the turret ring "bat wings" added to the hull sides, the wheels are handled next, with five pairs per side with separate hubs, plus the idler wheel at the front, and drive sprocket at the rear.  Tracks are left until a little later and are of the individual link type, requiring 90 links per side, each of which have four sprue gates, but no ejection pin or sink marks to worry about.  What is there however is stunning detail, which includes the casting numbers inlaid into the hollows of each track link, and close-fitting lugs that should make the building an easier task.

 

The turret ring is fitted behind the glacis, and the fenders are build up alongside the engine access hatches, which are all then added to the hull, completing the engine deck first with some rather neat PE grilles and mesh backed louvers that have PE slats for realism.  The fenders have additional fuel tankage fitted with hosing between them, and lots of PE fixtures, handles and such, with even more PE bracing inside the sprung mudguard parts, tools, toolboxes and the exhaust on the port side.  The kit includes plastic towing eyes, but you are going to have to provide your own cables as none are include in the kit, but given the sheer volume of parts it's excusable.  At the rear an unditching log is lashed to the bulkhead with PE straps, and the extra fuel drums so often seen are also lashed to curved brackets that overhang the rear of the hull.  Between them the deep wading funnel is attached by a couple of pins to the bottom of the brackets, and it has its own group of PE brackets for the bracing wires that are seen when it is in use.

 

 The turret itself is a busy assembly, having a semi-automatic breech loading mechanism that is built up first, then the lower turret is fitted out with radio gear, shells, before the breech is installed on two mounts at the front, which have the breech guard and a rack of box mags for the coaxial machine gun attached on the right and underneath respectively, and the sighting gear on the left side.  The upper turret has its anti-spall lining added in sections, and is then decked out with a number of small assemblies, after which the turret roof is fitted with hatch, vents and vision blocks.  More anti-spall lining is attached to the inside of the roof, and yet more ammunition is stowed as ready rounds for immediate use on the wall.  Externally the grab rails, forward mounted searchlight, commander's cupola and a blast-bag around the mantlet are all added, and the single piece barrel with hollow muzzle slips through the centre and keys into the breech.  The blast-bag is finished off around the edges with PE strips, and a large camo net is attached to the back of the turret by more PE straps.  An armature links the gun barrel and the searchlight together so they move in unison, and an ancillary searchlight is fitted to the commander's cupola, with a choice of the driver's poor weather hood built up in either the collapsed or deployed format, with the former stowed on the turret bustle, while the latter fits over the open driver's hatch.

 

 

Markings

Although on first glance it looks like there are three markings options, there are in fact nine, which is nice to see.  Every single one is Russian Green, but there are some nice variations in operator and differences in the application of serials etc.  From the box you can build one of the following:

 

• Romanian Army 90s – Romanian roundel and white 5049 on the turret sides.
• Soviet military parade colouring 60-70s – white accents on rims, fenders & Soviet medallion on the turret sides.
• Somali Army Ogaden War, 1977 – no markings other than small flags front and rear.
• Marine Infantry of the Soviet Navy 1970 – White 512 and Soviet naval flag on turret sides.
• Soviet Army 60-70s – White 423 on turret sides.
• Hungarian People's Army, Operation Danube, Prague, Czechoslovakia, Aug-Sept 1968 – White cross over turret and sides.
• 55th Marine Infantry Division, Pacific Fleet of the Soviet Navy, Ethiopia 1980 – White 116 and Soviet naval flag on turret sides.
• Yugoslav People's Army, 80s – White 18131 on turret sides.
• Hungarian Army 90s – Hungarian pennant and white 122 on turret sides.

 

 

The decals are printed on bright blue paper, and have good register, sharpness and colour density, with a closely cropped thin, matt carrier film.

 

 

Conclusion

These Interior Kits are amongst the most comprehensive kits I have seen in a long while, with even the tiniest details catered for, down to the tiny nuts holding the snorkel to the rear of the tank.  They're certainly not for everyone, as some folks don't want interiors for whatever reason, but as a T-55A with interior, it is a fabulous kit and will keep you modelling for hours and hours.

 

Very highly recommended.

 

 

Review sample courtesy of

[Basosz]

So could you list all the sprues please?

Sorry, couldn't resist 

[Mike]

Can you imagine that?  It'd drive you bonkers!  The people that pack the boxes must have damn good powers of concentration though. 

[Julien]

2 hours ago, Basosz said:

So could you list all the sprues please?

 

yes I think Mike should do this.

 

[Mike]

Quiet you

[stringbag]

52 minutes ago, Mike said:

Quiet you

Do you not have an app. on the phone for doing that to save getting out of the chair?

 

 

[Basosz]

4 hours ago, Mike said:

Can you imagine that?  It'd drive you bonkers!  The people that pack the boxes must have damn good powers of concentration though. 

I've seen (and build) kits with fewer parts than this kit has sprues. It's amazing

[Dudikoff]

On 3/5/2018 at 7:35 PM, Mike said:

They're certainly not for everyone, as some folks don't want interiors for whatever reason, but as a T-55A with interior, it is a fabulous kit and will keep you modelling for hours and hours.

Luckily for those folks, the MiniArt makes non-interior boxings as well, though the price difference is rather small IIRC. I got this same kit and it costs slightly more than the Takom non-interior kits so it's quite a bargain.

 

I'm not really interested about these older T's they've released so far (like 44/54 which is a shame as they really outdid themselves here), so unfortunately this is the only boxing I got so far, apart from the Su-85; maybe I'll get the 1981 variant of the 55 as well. But, if they start releasing T-64/72/80 variants with full interiors, I could see myself getting 2-3 variants of each type even though I already have some Trumpeter boxings.

 

It would be nice if they don't stop there and move onto some other Soviet vehicles. I mean, most are released now with Trumpeter/Meng/etc., but not with such attention to detail. So, e.g. a BMP series with full interior would be great (Trumpeter has none included on the 1 and has some interior included for the 2 and 3, but I presume MiniArt's interiors would be more comprehensive so I wouldn't mind buying them all over again). Ditto for the artillery vehicles, SAM's, etc. which didn't include interior detail so far and no aftermarket sets were released (except the 3D printed ones for 2S7, but I find those much too expensive).

Edited March 7, 2018 by Dudikoff

[Sgt.Squarehead]

I'm sore tempted, I've been looking for a modern(ish) 1/35 kit with an interior to display smashed up alongside Objekt 279 on the post-nuclear battlefields of an alternate 80s, was hoping for something NATO, but this would kind of do the job.....I'd be much happier if was an M60 though, do you know if anything western is likely to get this treatment? 

[Dudikoff]

Hmm, one thing that bothers me is the flat loader's hatch. It apparently was a T-55A thing, but their marking options are mostly all later from the '80s, but from the few photos I've checked (e.g. Soviet Naval T-55A's and Yugoslav T-55A's), I got the impression that the loader's hatch was updated with a cupola and the anti-aircraft machine gun was installed (apparently from 1969 during regular depot maintenance).

 

Unless I missed them when checking the instruction scans and part sprues (I bought one, but don't have the kit at hand), it's really silly that these were not provided as options in their 63/65 kits.

 

I see Blast Models have an upgrade set for Tamiya T-55's with various hatches for both the commander and loader. It would be great if they would make a new loader's cupola (like e.g. the base Tamiya T-55A has) and match it with their AA MG mount ring and perhaps include a DShk MG (or one could be gotten from the MiniArt MG set)..

Edited December 18, 2018 by Dudikoff