The T-54 and T-55 tanks are a series of Soviet main battle tanks introduced just as the Second World War ended. The first T-54 prototype appeared in March 1945 and entered full production in 1947. It became the main tank for armored units of the Soviet Army, armies of the Warsaw Pact countries, and many others. T-54s and T-55s were involved in many of the world’s armed conflicts during the late 20th century.
- Scale: 1/35
- Individual tracks
- 12 types of markings
- PE and clear parts included
- Detailed metal tow cable included
- Kit Number: 2042
- Detailed external fuel lines included
- Detail rubber gun mantlet dust cover
- All hatches can be built in open or closed position
- All road wheels can be built in damaged condition
- MSRP: $57.99
- Street Price $48.99 (Approx)
Hello folks, here is another model built in between builds. This is the 1/35 T-55 AMV from Takom Models. Most of you probably heard about Takom, their T-55 variants, and their models in general. This would be my first Takom model experience. As you can see in the pictures presented below, the final output is what matters. I love the T-55 tanks and this one is making a fine display on the premises next to my Tamiya T-55 Enigma.
Note that this might not be the case with other Takom models. I don’t want to generalize with a brand I’m not that familiar with. Having said that, my experience with this particular model kit was a bit rough for a Takom first-timer. It has individual track links which I prefer over the rubber bands Tamiya offers. Yes, I used all the links and the tracks are complete. I mention this because I know that some modelers are omitting the upper part of the tracks because this side won’t be seen with the skirts on the tank. To each their own but I wanted mine with the complete tracks even if they’re not visible. Although the track links on the T-55 AMV are individual, I did not find this part of the build laborious.
However, the kit in general is overly engineered. Â The instructions are confusing at times and I found parts during some steps magically appearing in the illustrations.
There is an odd angle within those illustrations showing where those parts or minor sub-assemblies go. The ERA on the turret has a lot of tiny parts to fiddle with and plenty of room to use the wrong part thanks to the instructions. In general, this model kit could have been made much more simplified without losing any amount of overall detail. I would have to check a Trumpeter version to see how the build stands to Takom’s. The kit is injected in styrene with most parts requiring little to no cleaning. Something that caught my attention was that large parts are injected thru small delicate gates while small parts were injected with heavy and hard to be reached gates. I’m part of the small lucky one’s club that didn’t snap the fuel lines. Some have reported having received theirs already broken. Nevertheless, kudos to Takom for providing the fuel lines with this kit. The open engine door shows the fan. This was built from scratch.
The 1/35 Takom T-55 AMV comes with a modest set of 12 markings. The paint guide comes gallantly with the colors needed for every single version in AMMO by Mig colors. For my version, I chose to build AMISON FORCES 2014 (AFRICAN UNION IN SOMALIA).
This model kit will give the model builder a nice rendition of the real machine. But he/she will have to work harder than we normally would on another kit to accomplish it. Allot more time for your build if you have this kit in your stash. Personally, I consider it a complex kit for those who are just arriving in the hobby. For the experienced modeler,
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
Review sample courtesy of my wallet.
