Saturday 19 August 2017

Tamiya 35257 - Russian Medium Tank T-55A [Unboxing and Pre-Assembly Review]

I guess it was just a matter of time before I caught the AFV (armoured fighting vehicle) bug. And the T-55A medium tank is as good a starting point as any, with it being a part of a series of tanks (the T-54/55) that is the most-produced in military history. They are said to be in use by up to over 50 armies worldwide which gives the tank a lot of potential in terms of colour scheme variations. However, I’ll be keeping it simple for this build by putting together a Czechoslovakian Army T-55A medium tank which has a monotone colour sans any complicated camouflage schemes.

Tamiya 35257 - Russian Medium Tank T-55A
Tamiya Russian Medium Tank T-55A side box art

Tamiya's accompanying manual is multi-lingual with fairly detailed instructions. One thing is for sure,  this build will be far more complex than Bandai's beginner friendly snap-fit parts found in their Star Wars line. That being said, Tamiya scale model kits are generally well known for their well-engineered parts that not only have excellent fit but are also easy to put together.

A brief history of the ubiquitous T-55A medium tank
Instructions are multi-lingual and easy to follow

Tamiya's design philosophy is seemingly to have a lower part count without sacrificing details. For example, this model kit has nearly 300 parts versus the 1000+ parts found in some other brands.

Sprue A (x2): Wheels, hooks fuel drums, etc.
Sprue B:Main turret and accessories
Closeup of the turret showing off its cast metal surface texture

Details on the T-55A parts are reasonably good especially on the turret which has a subtle surface texture resembling cast iron as well as weld lines/seams. Another notable textured part is the wooden grains of the T-55A's rear log beam. While the other parts do not have much texture, they do still possess fine details moulded on them. Even the tank commander figurine included in the model kit has impressive details ranging from the folds on his uniform to discernible facial features.

Sprue C: Ammo boxes, gun barrel, rear log beam, machine gun, snorkel, etc.
Sprue D: Fender fuel tanks, tank commander, rear inner grilles, etc.
Upper and lower hull - main sections

While the T-55A's vinyl tracks look fairly detailed, they could provide some challenge when trying to make them sag on the wheels for a more realistic look. Included in this kit are also a fine mesh and a string to simulate metal grilles and tow cables respectively. Decal options are minimal but enough for my purpose to build a Czechoslovakian Army T-55A medium tank, designated turret number 421.

Vinyl tracks are detailed enough but may prove to be a challenge when going for a realistic sag-on-wheels look
Decals, mesh to simulate grille texture, strings as a substitute for tow cables and polycaps for the wheels

As promised, I'm alternating between two main projects for the coming weeks on a more consistent basis. So it'll be a the Star Wars Snowspeeder on one post and the T-55A medium tank on the next for the foreseeable future until either one or the other is finished. The only thing that could break up this double act is perhaps the final completed photos of Bronn the sellsword but that's only if I can sort out the skin contrast on his forehead. As such I certainly won't be abandoning my miniature figurines as I work on the AFVs (which have mini figures of their own). So let's get started already!

https://shireworks.blogspot.com/https://www.facebook.com/shire.works

12 comments:

  1. Great looking model and waiting for your first works :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes it is ... Tamiya model kits are well-engineered. And thank you for following this project too.

      Delete
  2. Interesting model, waiting for next step!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Phil, I hope to get started on it soon.

      Delete
  3. I have no doubt that you will make a wonderful job of this.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Very kind of you to say so Michael ... thank you!

      Delete
  4. You are entering a new whole level of model building. I'm really looking forward to seeing what you do here, it's going to be truly great, that's for sure!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Very very kind words Suber ... thank you. I'm really looking forward to getting some work done on the tank.

      Delete
  5. Great model ! Looking forward to some paint work !
    Greetings

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Tamiya's model kits are really nice. Thank you for following the progress on this project.

      Delete
  6. You're going to be hooked! Armor modeling has quickly become my favorite subject, even beating out Star Wars modeling. I have a couple of armor models in various stages of completion of my desk (Renault FT-17 and a Mk.1 female) with more waiting to be started (M4A3E8 Sherman, ISU-152, a couple WWI heavy tanks).

    I'm looking forward to seeing what you do with this

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hey what do you know ... it looks like we both are on the same track in terms of AFVs in the project pipeline. :) I too plan to work on an Easy Eight and JSU-152 in the future as well as a few Wehrmacht tanks namely the Panther and Tiger. I'm looking forward to your AFV projects too!!!

      Delete

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...