T-72BM Conversion SetsReviewed by Cookie Sewell
|
Stock Number, Description, Contents and Price | Miniarm 1/35 Scale Hobby Kit Conversion
Sets (available from Chesapeake Models Designs in the US): Kit No. B35026: T-72BM Turret Model 1989 For Tamiya and Trumpeter Kits; 51parts (48 in tan resin, 2 turned aluminum, 1 length of brass wire);price US $45 Kit No. B35027: T-72BM Conversion Set for Tamiya and Trumpeter Kits; 25 parts (24 parts in tan resin, 1 length of brass wire); price US $32
http://www.missionmodels.com |
Scale: | 1/35 |
Review Type: | First Look |
Advantages: | Provides for the modeling of either a T-72BM or very early production T-90, fixes a number of problems with the Tamiya parts |
Disadvantages: | Attachment flange from the 2A46M barrel shroud is missing |
Recommendation: | Highly Recommended for all ‘72 fans and Russian armor modelers |
Miniarm's 1/35 scale T-72BM
Conversions are
available online from Mission Models
FirstLook
The Ural Railway Carriage Factory – better known as Uralvagonzavod,
UVZ, the "Vagonka" or Factory No. 183 – has a long and proud record
of tank construction, of which their pride and joy in recent years
has been the T-72 family. They started this tank family in the 1960s
and continuously evolved it through the 1970s and 1980s.
In 1985, they felt their latest tank, the T-72BV with reactive armor
and the 9M117 missile system for through-the-bore ATGM armament. But
they went to upgrade this tank, creating what they dubbed "Object
188" (The T-72B was "Object 184").
Chief designer Vladimir Potkin had this tank, which had some changes
over the T-72B, just about ready for introduction in 1990 and in
fact was beginning to provide them to the Soviet Army. But after
Desert Storm – and the disaster that took place among the Soviet and
Czech built T-72s in service with Iraq, the T-72 suddenly became a
drug on the market and no orders were forthcoming.
Upset at what they felt was unfair publicity (the Russians still
claim today that the Iraqis only lost 14 T-72s in combat and the
rest were blown up in place by their crews) the T-72BM, which was
accepted for service on 27 March 1991, was no longer wanted. Seeing
foreign sales dry up, Potkin went to work to upgrade the new tank
and resell it to the Army. The T-72BM had a new engine, the V-84,
which boosted power to 840 HP as well as "second generation"
reactive armor dubbed "Kontakt-5" which was reported to be effective
against both chemical (HEAT) and kinetic (APFSDS) rounds.
The new "Object 188 Improved" offered now added several things to
it, such as the 1A45 "Irtysh" fire control system from the T-80U and
the "Shtora-1" electro-optical countermeasures system. With some
other tweaks, the new "T-72B Improved" was tendered for service. But
in this case, when Russian President Boris Yeltsin accepted the tank
for service, he changed the service designation to T-90. This did
two things: one, it gave it a different slant for advertising when
selling it to third world customers, and two, he proclaimed it the
first "Russian" tank (as opposed to Soviet.) So far the Russian Army
has acquired about 300 of all models of T-72BM or T-90, and India
has purchased 310 of the T-90S version of the tank. Later models of
the T-90 also have a welded plate turret vice the cast T-72B type of
the early models.
Miniarm has continued their great series of upgrade products for
Soviet tanks with two complementary kits that transform the Tamiya
T-72M1 into a T-72BM or early model (e.g. non-Shtora-1 equipped)
T-90. They provide nearly all of the bits needed to change the kit
over to the new version.
The turret set provides a new T-72B type turret base with improved
or corrected hatches and searchlight fittings, new side stowage
bins, a Type 902B 8-tube smoke grenade projector, and both standard
and "Kontakt-5" reactive armor boxes for the turret. All of them
look right and match available photos of the fittings.
The conversion set is based on the fact that the glacis armor on the
T-72BM and T-90 is what the Russians call "vstroyeniy" or
"built-in." (Normal reactive armor boxes are "nastroyenviy" or
"stuck on".) To that effect, this kit comes with a complete new
glacis and fender section with the fancy rubber tip skirts cast in
place. It provides the new "Kontakt-5" skirt armor panels and
mounts, and also new fittings for the fold-down scraper blade under
the hull.
The latter kit requires that the entire Tamiya hull top be cut back
to the turret race on the hull itself and to the joint line right
behind the first stowage bin/fuel tank on the front of the fenders.
Lips are cast in place to get a good, sturdy joint.
Where Tamiya parts are used, they are called out in the directions
along with photos and arrows showing how and where the new parts are
located.
The only things I noted as odd with these two kits are their call
for a good deal of copper wire; the kits provide only one small
section of brass wire which does not seem to provide sufficient
material to match the requirements (it serves as the cabling for
lights, controls for the KMT series mine plow/rollers, and the
hinges for the three "Kontakt-5" panels on the front of the skirts.)
Also, the very prominent flange along the top of the 2A46-4 gun tube
is missing. There is a groove there to attach it but I could not
find any flanges. Normally barrel manufacturers provide this as a
folded strip of etched brass and a groove in the tube to attach it,
but such is not the case. Just to be sure that it had not changed, I
got out the references I have on T-90 and initially found several
that did not appear to have it either. Finally, I found a sequence
of shots that showed the barrel shrouds mounted at a 45 degree angle
off axis to the right, so the flange would not show in any "glamor"
shots taken from the left side of the tank. This can be replicated
from thin styrene strip, but it's odd, considering the rest of the
Miniarm products, they would have missed this.
Overall, the kits are a great place to start on a T-90 or simply the
T-72BM for anyone wanting a complete family of ‘72s.
Highly Recommended
Thanks to Bill Miley of CMD for the review sample.
http://www.miniarm.com
http://www.chesapeakemodels.com
While Miniarm recommends either the Tamiya or Trumpeter T-72 kits, I will not recommend the Trumpeter one as it is both a cheap knockoff of the Tamiya kit (to include using its directions with the "Tamiya" headers removed) and a poor copy at that.