IPMS Kit Review: Tamiya 1/35 T-55A Medium Tank (Syrian)

Tamiya

1/35 T-55A Medium Tank (Syrian)

Kit Number: 35257

Reviewed by Jack Bruno, IPMS# 25313

MSRP: $57.00
Website: www.tamiyausa.com

In October of 1973, the world was turned upside down with the invasion, on two fronts, of Israel. In the west, Egyptian forces crossed the Suez Canal and put up the now infamous "SAM Umbrella" which negated Israeli air power. All across the Western Front the armored divisions of Egypt swiftly grabbed the land that was occupied since 1967 during the Six Day War. On the Eastern Front, Syrian forces poured into the Golan Heights only to be stopped by up-gunned Centurions and Shermans. New to the battlefield were Russian-made T-62 tanks and the armored workhorse of the newly-refurbished Arab armies, the T-55 tank. This kit represents a tank in the Syrian Army that took part in the fighting for the Golan Heights. The combined battles fought during this time were the largest single confrontations of armor since the battle of Kursk in 1943.

THE KIT
The Tamiya T-55 tank is one of those kits, like a Bf109, that you cannot just built one of. It remains one of the world’s most produced and exported AFVs in history. Tamiya did not only do it justice, but engineered it so several versions can be made from the one kit -- and that's not counting the several updates from resin manufacturers. The first thing that I did was go back to the archives and do some research. I found the instruction sheet from an old ESCI kit and that camouflage scheme just hooked me. I started the Tamiya T-55 with the turret and going with the instructions but adding putty casting texture and wire grab handles. When I was satisfied with the way it looked, I moved on to sanding the road wheels and getting the lower hull in order as per instructions. Everything was going well and I did pick up the Osprey Book, Building the T-55 Tank which I found invaluable because of the wire gas lines that you need to add to the hull fuel cells. After all, the gas just doesn't jump into the tank!!!

You may also take note during your research that you’ll have to add a few electrical leads with wire for the front lights too. At this time during the construction I opted to leave off the outside/rear fuel drums. They made a real nice fire if hit and proximity to fuel was not a problem for this engagement. I must tell you that time was spent cleaning up mold seams was kept to a minimum, but, as long as you take care of the building basics, you'll be fine. Now, with the chassis and turret done, I decided to go with the Fruil tracks (Part # ATL 01). The metal used for the tracks on the real deal did not rust, so.....a nice dark gray coat and oil wash was all I needed to do to bring the tracks into shape.

Next came drilling a few small holes and bending solder wire into shape for the fuel cell leads from the three outside cells to the tank. This was a snap because of the great references available as well as some planning ahead. During this time you have to think about MV lenses and the sizes. I wish I could tell you what size but I can’t – sorry, I just forgot to write it down.

THE PAINT
By now you all know my basic religion is flat black. Following this I started to give the vehicle a few coats of greens. After it dried, I cut out a cardboard pattern and started my red brown and dark yellow patches. At this point, don't worry about the overspray or being perfect -- it just doesn't matter. When the turtle shell camouflage was done, I started to spray lighter shades of the three colors within the patches. After this came my version of fun, I started to free hand a black outline around the colors. I then painted the canvas mantlet cover khaki. This was the most fun I had since Senior Prom and I must say it came out well. Before I gave it a shot of Future for the oil wash, I used a leftover dry transfer from Verlinden with markings for a Syrian T-34/85 on the turret and a yellow number plate for the fenders…very appropriate, I thought.

When the paint part was done I Futured it and started a few progressive oil washes with Van Dyke brown, from Windsor-Newton. I removed most of the film with Q-Tips and a rag.

THE END
I needed a little something extra, so I used picture frame wire for the tow cables and clear red paint for the MV lenses. I mixed up some Celluclay with white glue and added some dirt/mud where I wanted it and used the leftovers to cover the base. After some groundwork that involved cat litter and stones, I painted the base and mud on the tank the same color and oil washed it. A little dry brushing here and there had it crying. A bit of static grass gave it a little color and pizazz...and you’re done. Please note…my intention was to showcase the cool scheme, so I intentionally did not load up the tank with an abundance of bedrolls, crates and boxes. Besides, according to my reference photos, they did not have them because the fight itself was close to home.

Well, I'm happy to say this kit won Best Armor at the Region 3 Convention this year. I hope you enjoyed it and use your imagination and have fun! Thanks to IPMS/USA for a place to put this article and Tamiya for making such a nice kit (and my wallet for the kit itself.)

Information, images, and all other items placed electronically on this site
are the intellectual property of IPMS/USA ®.