[Copland]

I should have the HM T-55 in this week. I thought that they had corrected the "blobs" on the rail, prior to production runs. I am not happy with this glaring mistake. It discourages me from ordering the "first" of a series. So, I guess I too, will wait for subsequent variations, instead of buying their first issue.

[Copland]

Got my T-55 in. Very nice. The "blobs" on the rails are not as pronounced as I thought they would be. In fact, I can't even see them. I haven't given the model the "magnifying glass" inspection yet. However, If I have to use a magnifying glass to see mistakes, I think everything is pretty much ok.

[Copland]

Upon further inspection, the blobs are not there, so this must have been corrected before manufacuring

[chascbv]

The second T-55 from HM is now available at The Flying Mule.

The biggest fault the previous release had -- namely the blobs at the ends of the handrails -- is now gone, and the model looks very good indeed. (Well, Copland's sample had no blobs, so two batches seem to be out there, with and without blobs!) The same remarks apply here regarding the holes in the wheels, which are too shallow, and the need for weathering, which may be easily solved with some dry brushing.

The model represents a Polish-built T-55A model 1970 with the POV anti-radiation system and an anti-aircraft machine gun on top. Polish T-55s had a number of departures from the original Russian design, and only one has been included -- the extra stowage bin on the turret side. The shape of the right cooling fan grille at the rear of the engine deck should also be different, and the sighting "eyelets" on the turret front were wider, more oval in Polish T-55s.

No idea regarding the unit and year in which this vehicle served - hope some forum member will shed some light on this subject (Berkut76, some Polish member/visitor?).

So, yes, there are a few nits to pick, but this is a good effort by HM, and represents a fantastic T-55A model for any collection. I will definitely get one, and can't wait to have more variants of this ubiquitous tank.

[Berkut76]

Not a modern armor expert, but this is good enough for me. Pity about eyelets, but even in the Polish inventory most T-54/55 were Soviet-made with a stowage bin on the turret being the only local modification. So, I let HM slide on that. This will probably be my only "normal" T-55, but I hope HM will see the light of day and produce various upgraded versions, which vary greatly in appearance.

T-55 is the probably the most written about post-WWII tank and even minute differences are very well documented in English literature. Israeli Turan-5 would have been very welcomed.

Regards,

Sergey

[chascbv]

Originally Posted by Berkut76

Not a modern armor expert, but this is good enough for me. Pity about eyelets, but even in the Polish inventory most T-54/55 were Soviet-made with a stowage bin on the turret being the only local modification. So, I let HM slide on that. This will probably be my only "normal" T-55, but I hope HM will see the light of day and produce various upgraded versions, which vary greatly in appearance.

T-55 is the probably the most written about post-WWII tank and even minute differences are very well documented in English literature. Israeli Turan-5 would have been very welcomed.

Regards,

Sergey

Thanks a lot for your input, Berkut. I didn't know most Polish Army T-55s were in fact Russian-built vehicles with only the tool box added. In that case the model is accurate (for a Russian-built T-55, that is), and needs only some washes and drybrushing to become a real winner (provided you don't like factory-fresh tanks). I can`t wait to have it in my hands!

Thanks a lot HM for correcting those unsightly blobs, and Hawk for your kind mediation!

[Berkut76]

Originally Posted by chascbv

Thanks a lot for your input, Berkut. I didn't know most Polish Army T-55s were in fact Russian-built vehicles with only the tool box added. In that case the model is accurate (for a Russian-built T-55, that is), and needs only some washes and drybrushing to become a real winner (provided you don't like factory-fresh tanks). I can`t wait to have it in my hands!

Thanks a lot HM for correcting those unsightly blobs, and Hawk for your kind mediation!

Basically, Poland and Czechoslovakia as well as other Warsaw Pact countries were selling their licensed-built Soviet vehicles abroad for hard currency whenever they could (most notable example, Iraq during Iran-Iraq war when Soviets were delaying deliveries for political reasons) and buying "Made in USSR" ones based on barter system and/or discounted price in Soviet rubles.

It was a simple economics.

Regards,

Sergey

[chascbv]

The Flying Mule has this third T-55 by HM in stock now. It represents an Iraqi tank during the Gulf War, a vehicle in the 26th Armoured Brigade, 5th Mechanized division. This division was moved undetected to the Kuwait-Saudi Arabia border early in 1991 as part of an Iraqi offensive into Saudi territory. Coalition forces were initially taken by surprise, but soon reacted to the Iraqi attack. On January 30, the brigade to which this tank belonged attempted to move along a lane in an Iraqi minefield when the leading tank was "almost miraculously" hit and destroyed by a projectile from a Saudi MLRS; the whole brigade was then pinned down, and drew the attention of Coalition aircraft, which pounded the immobilized column to pieces.


The model is a beautiful representation of this ubiquitous tank, specifically a T-55 (not a T-55A) without the anti-radiation system - just see how both cupolas are different from the ones fitted in the two previous editions by HM. The only fault is the plate that can be seen lying flat on the turret roof between both cupolas, which should not be there; this is a leftover by HM, as it is a part of the anti-radiation shielding seen on T-55As, and should not accompany the cupolas on this model.


Anyway, if you can live with this minor inaccuracy, this is a wonderful model, and a must for any collection with a Gulf War section.

[chascbv]

HM is a manufacturer that does listen, and this is something on which they should be warmly congratulated, a fact that sets HM apart from the rest. This Pershing is a beautiful, accurate rendition of a mid-to-late production M26. The previous release had flared fenders at the rear, and the gun lock on top of the engine deck, which is OK for M26A1 and M46 models but not an M26. Both things have been corrected -- the new fenders are the right shape, and the gun lock has been repositioned on the rear panel around the exhaust stack. The only detail that could now be improved is the rather too obvious seam between the turret's lower and upper halves, the real seam being less conspicuous.

The model represents a tank in Co E, 67th Armored Rgt, which was in the lead of "Hell on Wheels", the US 2nd Armored Division, at the time of the fighting in the Ruhr pocket during April 1945. More than 300,000 German soldiers were encircled and then taken prisoners in that operation, which represented a definite "coup de grâce" to German resistance.


This model is mildly inaccurate in that the tank represented was in fact a T26E3, that is, an early M26, and so was fitted with a rounded housing on the glacis (the model has the square housing seen on later vehicles) and an early-type gun lock (attached to the exhaust itself, rather than the rear plate). Other than that, this model by HM is an excellent Pershing that's crying out for a place in our shelves.

[djjeffhall]

Thanks for the run down chascbv. I'm picking up both of these based on your reviews.