i have a t55 on the way any heads up about what to expect from the kit, problems e.t.c

its my first pist war soviet vehicle too so painting ideas would help, are soviet vehicles ar dirty and unmaintianed as some kits look or is that just artistic liscence

all the best

James

The very first picture here gives you an idea of the problems you're up against

http://www5b.biglobe.ne.jp/~TANK-GUY/KIT-REVIEW06.html

So you might as well go all out on the weathering/chipping/etc. and use the model as a test-bed.

David

This is a Very good kit to have fun with. It is not very accurate, but I have been told it is a fairly decent build. There are many dimensional shortcomings though. I would look at it as a tank to experiment new techniques on...how to build/paint/weather a interior. Stuff like that. So it is not a total loss, but I do not htink you could make a museum piece out of it without a LOT of work.

As for looks, the Russians tended to keep their vehicles in good running order. tey might get dirty, but not abused (well, long term anyhow.) Other countries, especially third-world dictatorships, tend to have really worn down T-55's. Think Africa or the Middle East.

Best bet is to have fun.

so not a great kit but easy to build?
what are the markings options with this thing.

Oh, come on.........tell us what you really think.

Lighten up Gary...

Jimmy obliviously stated in the second line of his post "its my first post war soviet vehicle"

Did you think he was going to spend $200 plus (pnd's to US dol's conversion) for a Tamiya T-55 and PE and MK tracks, etc, etc... on his first kit ???

Unless your building one with a functioning motor and weapon system at 1:1 scale... it's just a hobby / model / replica / toy...

And as you know (unless you are putting real rounds down range on the the enemy) even the 1:1 scale versions are just your Uncles (Sams) RV's / toys.

Let the new people / under-funded people enjoy the hobby w/ out feeling like sh #@$ t.


Jimmy:
Build it and have a great time. I'll post up some images of 55's as soon as I can pull them out of my archive.

NEO

IF i was to give someone advice on their first Sov/Rus kit to build, it would be the Tamiya T-55.

BUT, if someone said they wanted a kit to kinda mess with to see what they could do for fun, SKIF is not out of the question as it also has a interior to fool around with. Now, if you get it for the ridiculous low price it is worth, like US $10, then I see NO problem at all.

Hey, I started out with a LINDBERG T-55 for my first Soviet build. (EEEWWW!)

Hey! I still have mine Dragon came along and saved me from buying the Lindberg T-80 though.....

David

quite right, i havent even started spending money on am for my fave kits, (German ww2 stuff)
i just wanna see if i like the subject area, get to know the soviet side of things a bit more.

hell it just may take over
i cant build panzer iv's all my life!"

What, was that a bad kit? It was kit of the year in 1988! (Yeah, okay. I built one of those too)

Anyway, funny that I just brought up this old thread recently:

https://armorama.kitmaker.net/forums/13#975944

I did just what has been suggested. I used it for practice. Even if you were to build something like an Afghan version, leaving off the fuel tanks, lights, and anything else that could be removed, AND adding aftermarket spiderweb wheels (the kit ones are the worst ever done) you're still left with the very incorrect armor bulges undernreath the turret. They do not have the undercuts at all, and would require major surgery to replace.
You could salvage the gun breech as mentioned, and even cut out the turret floor from the bottom hull plate, which is a separate piece.

well even if its a bad kit it seems better than the esci one

Here's that link in clickable form:
https://armorama.kitmaker.net/forums/13#975944

Here is Sabot's comparo-review from way back when:
https://armorama.kitmaker.net/review/9

And if you take into account the time it was first released, the Esci/Ertl kit isn't all THAT bad. Well, maybe a little....

-YL

Just wanted to say that I still stick with my conclusion that the SKIF kit is ok to practicve with BUT I also want to say that, scary as it amy seem, the ESCI/Ertl/AMT/Italeri kit is more accurate. Less detailed and witha screwed up roadwheel arm (the last one before the sprocket) but still better. That is how bad SKIF screwed the pooch on this one. Not that I am advocating to go out and buy a esci kit either.

Just make sure you know what you are getting and it will be ok.

would the czech master training haulage vesion resin + pe add on set for tamiya fit the skif kit or will it be like trying to put an panther turret on a hot air balloon

I picked up the conversion to equivalant of about 4 usd
So i can use it now , or save it .

My friends all!
It is interesting for see these discussions.I have been spyng many years.Now I feel I must say something too.I would be happy for have any plastic kit available for me.If you don't like the Skif one send it for me!
I don't understand why an afghan tank is different of any other tank. They are all from the russian ones here or no?
Gary you always talk the hard talk.Is this always so?I think sometimes there are times for hard talk and time for civil talk.Do you distinguish?Maybe nose to nose you talk differently?I know people like these.It is different for them in the reality world.
I wish all success in your project.The review says it is good but maybe not.I hope you're giving us a report later of your advances?
Maybe I can join discussions more if it is permissable?
Peace for everyone!

Azi welcome to armorama, i think possibly in Afghanistan, the tanks are stripped of excess equiptment to make them lighter? that is my guess
i hope the build goes smoothly as well when i recieve the kit!, being my first post war soviet kit i have a few choices to make,
whether i go for a earlyier vehicle from the soviet union, or i could even do a Afghan vehicle.

Guys what are the colour schemes for t 55a's in russian and in afghanistan or any other nation that uses it, i believe i will use a simple camo scheme, maybe a two tone if my masking skills get better!!

For the afghan version the reasoning is:

1. The SKIF pieces are wrong in detail, so they are best removed. Not too many tanks look like that except...

2. in Afghanistan they have some REAL beat up tanks, both running and not. That would be the best environment to show a tank missing a lot of the pieces.

The Czech master parts will not fit the SKIF kit easily...it would require quite a bit of work to make them fit. Better to build the kit OOB and save the conversion for a Tamiya T-55 it is made for. You will be happier that way.

As for Paint schemes, Russians used Dark Green. Afghans (those of the non-taliban forces of 1991-92) haD some funky ones that were faded green with thin yellow and pink stripes, really. Paint can cammo! Most other nations have them in dark green or sand, with variations depending on the country.

I did not say you lied about the kit - SKIF is no Dragon... it not about the model.

However - you said and I quote:

"Well, I guess you don't care much for accuracy, or you would have asked these questions before you bought it. For those of us that care about such things, it's about one of the worst kits on the planet. It's a toy."

I see "you" three times and "the kit" once.


But, the title of his post was: skif t55 help

He freely admitted it was his first modern soviet AFV and he needed help. And it was already in the mail too. You offered NO HELP and allot of really nasty criticism such, as he does not care about the accuracy as much as "us". I build allot of cheap crap because I can’t afford the latest & greatest so I feel his pain.

Maybe you did not realize how negative your post was to someone reading it. It reads like an insult to Jimmy’s intelligence more than an analysis of the kit.

Having read a lot of your thousand plus post here I was very surprised by your answer. The truth need not be painful. This site is one of the few on the Internet where people still help others – I really would not like to see that change. Hence - Lighten up Gary...


NEO

hi everyone, it was a fun build kit..not much on the accuracy...but nice to test your skills on this one. for a real good T-55...tamiya tops the list for me.

here's a link from my T-55 AM (skif) an upgrade version of your T-55.

https://armorama.kitmaker.net/forums/59062#494772

cheers have fun building. ed

How serendepitous. Just posted by Sadodd from OmaCon:

Dealing with stuff like this probably gets to the heart of the whole art vs. miniature argument. I think there are two things to look at here:

1. You can take ANY kit (but lets use the SKIF T-55) and make it into a piece of art. Absolutely stunning work. ( I have seen some people take stock SKIF kits and make them look gorgeous.) But...

2. ...it would still not be a miniature replica, just a work of art.

By the same token, you can take a miniature replica and still have a poor piece of art (think really bad paint job). There is a dynamic tension between those two parts of the hobby and what EACH INDIVIDUAL modeller finds most appealing in mixing the two is what should be strived for. Many people only have the time, or only enjoy, one aspect of the hobby and that should be applauded.

However, some builders try to do BOTH (art and accuracy) and they are the ones we end up knowing by name.

But the operative word in all this is ENJOYMENT. Yes, the modeller needs the information of how accurate the kit is so they go into the build with eyes wide open, but it does not mean it cannot or should not be built. (Well, except for the Alan/DML SU-76...that thing sucked on so many levels. Really)

Jimmy, I hope you thouroughly enjoy the kit and eventually do more Russian/Soviet kit building. Even if the SKIF kit is not very accurate.

Thank you Jaques.I did not understand the intention of removing all things from the afghan version.Your explaination is perhaps correct.The tanks are in very bad condition.