This is Tamiya’s 1:35 T-55A. As we’ve come to expect from this manufacturer, the kit is simple but of high quality, with good fit and detail throughout. I think the quality of Tamiya's sculpting is evident in the mantlet cover which looks very convincingly like rumpled fabric straight out of the box. You get a commander figure for the turret hatch, a piece of string for the tow cables, some plastic mesh for the engine grilles, and a small decal sheet with markings for two Russian, two Polish, or one Czech vehicle. As it happens I exercised poor version control on this build, so what you see here is kind of a mish-mash. Tracks are one-piece vinyl and they don’t give the proper sag unless you glue them to the tops of the road wheels, but otherwise I think they look OK with a bit of paint and weathering. No clear parts are provided, and there is no interior detail at all aside from a rudimentary seat to perch the commander on.
This was built OOB with the following exceptions: “enhanced” cast texture on the turret made of diluted putty, coloured mylar for the optics, wire for the grab handles and power cords, tarps made from paper napkins, sundry bits of stowage from the ol’ spares box, and an unditching beam made from an applewood stick purloined from our pet rabbit.
Have a great weekend!
