Global Scale Modeller

The Soviet T-55 Medium Tank was a development of the earlier T-54, a vehicle brought in to replace the now ageing T-34 series of tanks and provide a more long-lasting option compared to the more modern T-44, which itself was a rushed, stop-gap measure to combat the latest tanks being produced by Nazi Germany and the Western Powers in the closing stages of World War 2. The T-55, which appeared in 1958, was the sum of all the modifications applied to the previous T-54 series, with several differences which made a clear distinction from the previous model. One of these was NBC (Nuclear, biological, and chemical) protection and a brand new engine. The T-55, like the T-54 was still a relatively inexpensive and unsophisticated design, fed by the same principles that made the T-34 an iconic figure of WW2, with a whopping 86,000 - 100,000+ T-55's estimated to have been produced in total amongst all its operators.

Personally I decided to purchase and build this kit, after I was notified my original order for a different model kit wasn't in-stock and after browsing through some reviews on Hyperscale and watching a YouTuber build the model, I decided I should give Tamiya's 2002 1/35 T-55A a go. So without further ado, here are the opening images:

So in a mid-morning flurry I put together the 10 road wheels, both idler wheels and both drive wheels, being careful to not cement the poly caps to the wheels themselves in the process, meaning I used as little of the Revell glue as possible to reduce the chance of it spilling over under contact. As usual with Tamiya kits both halves of the wheels have a plug-and-hole system to make sure they're oriented correctly and fit together properly, providing of course that you sand down the parts before-hand which wasn't an issue here due to there being little to no flash.

With the wheels put together and the glue drying I then started work on the tank's suspension, another quick and easy process, with the hardest part being remembering which suspension arms go where, I almost managed to glue an arm on the wrong side of the tank, though thankfully it hadn't set before I noticed it was the odd one out and removed it. The arms are kept in a fairly precise alignment passively thanks to the locating holes for the arms having a flat edge which matches to a flat edge on the arms themselves, making this quick and easy work.

Before putting the wheels on the suspension I build up the back 'plate' for the lower hull, gluing on the towing hooks and small 'ancillary' parts in place which was a little fiddly thanks to my fat fingers and inherent tremor. Once this was done and dry I pushed the wheels onto their corresponding suspension arms until they were fully in place, followed by gluing both the front and back plates to the lower hull and finally the 'hubs' for the rear drive wheels.

Unfortunately in my enthusiasm to get the kit started and the fact that it was easy to put together and rather quick with it being a Russian tank and not having several million road wheels unlike the majority of German armour I could have entered for this GB I forgot to take any pictures during this process, so instead I shall present you with a few views of the finished product after completing instruction steps 1, 2 and 3.

Good start. Looking forward to see more tank action.

How is this project coming along man?