_GOTOBOTTOM
Armor/AFV: IDF [Israeli Defense Forces]
Armor and AFVs of the IDF army from 1947-today.
Hosted by Darren Baker
Tiran 5 (Tamiya T-55A + Blast Conversion)
cagkancakir
Visit this Community
Ankara, Turkey / Türkçe
Joined: April 28, 2011
KitMaker: 434 posts
Armorama: 409 posts
Posted: Thursday, April 10, 2014 - 12:25 AM UTC
Good day friends,

I started this model about a month ago for the "The Wonderful world of the T54/55/62 Campaign", but I think I can't finish it in necessary time, so I decided to continue with a more detailed approach. I want more accurate details, corrections and good painting/weathering stages as possible.



What I am using for this:

Tamiya T-55A Kit
Blast Models Tiran 5 Resin conversion
Friulmodel ATL-01 Metal tracks
Eduard TP044 T-55 Grills
Legend T-55 Fender fuel tank set
Bison Decals 35053 Israeli tank markings
Karaya 3506 Tow cables
2 of Trumpeter T-62 road wheels with reinforced hub

CagkanC
cagkancakir
Visit this Community
Ankara, Turkey / Türkçe
Joined: April 28, 2011
KitMaker: 434 posts
Armorama: 409 posts
Posted: Thursday, April 10, 2014 - 12:25 AM UTC
First of all I started with joining the two halves of hull together and cleaning some of the surface details (mostly on fenders) for Blast Conversion and Legend's Fuel Tank Set.









CagkanC
SDavies
Visit this Community
England - South East, United Kingdom
Joined: January 09, 2010
KitMaker: 979 posts
Armorama: 959 posts
Posted: Thursday, April 10, 2014 - 12:27 AM UTC
I will be following with interest
pseudorealityx
Visit this Community
Georgia, United States
Joined: January 31, 2010
KitMaker: 2,191 posts
Armorama: 1,814 posts
Posted: Thursday, April 10, 2014 - 12:30 AM UTC
You'll want to relocate the front tow hooks slightly to match up with the 'latch' mechanisms.

Also probably a good time to drill holes for your eventual fuel plumbing.

cagkancakir
Visit this Community
Ankara, Turkey / Türkçe
Joined: April 28, 2011
KitMaker: 434 posts
Armorama: 409 posts
Posted: Thursday, April 10, 2014 - 12:35 AM UTC
Then fuel cells and plumbing. I used Legend' Fender Fuel Tank Set for this, but if you are using any of Tamiya's T-55 (T-55A, Enigma or Tiran 5), Legend's fender fuel tank set is not necessary, it has the same fuel tanks that Tamiya has, difference is fuel pipe plugs. Some basic scratchbuilding skills is enough for replicating these plugs along with pipes.

In my opinion, it is unnecessary except photo etch (they are a bit simplified too) and it has wrong instructions about plumbing. But this set can make wonders with any of Trumpeter's T-55.

Blast's Tiran conversion kit is simply perfect so far.

This is the correct plumbing of T-55 fuel cells:













Correct layout for T-55 Fuel Cell plumbing, note the two different wires, I used 0,6 mm (silver) and 0,4 mm (red):


CagkanC
cagkancakir
Visit this Community
Ankara, Turkey / Türkçe
Joined: April 28, 2011
KitMaker: 434 posts
Armorama: 409 posts
Posted: Thursday, April 10, 2014 - 12:38 AM UTC
Some close details:







CagkanC
cagkancakir
Visit this Community
Ankara, Turkey / Türkçe
Joined: April 28, 2011
KitMaker: 434 posts
Armorama: 409 posts
Posted: Thursday, April 10, 2014 - 12:50 AM UTC

Quoted Text

You'll want to relocate the front tow hooks slightly to match up with the 'latch' mechanisms.




Jesse, thanks for the advice, I'm aware of that flaw, I will use either IS-2 hooks or scratchbuild them using kit parts.



Now I'm in the "T-55 Engine Deck Situation". Thinking about which version of T-55 to follow: Soviet one or Czech one. IDF has both, original Tamiya kit depicts a Soviet T-55 but wading rail is missing along with some little (wrong) details. On the other hand Blast Conversion depicts a Czech T-55 but Czech type engine grills and wading covers are missing.

For more information, in case you don't know what I'm talking about, please look here.

CagkanC
cagkancakir
Visit this Community
Ankara, Turkey / Türkçe
Joined: April 28, 2011
KitMaker: 434 posts
Armorama: 409 posts
Posted: Thursday, April 10, 2014 - 04:28 AM UTC
Completed sprockets, idlers, road wheels, together with T-62 wheels with reinforced hub from Trumpeter kit. They are temporarily on their place, just for the photo.

Greasing nipples will be added to the wheels and the idlers.







CagkanC
bison126
Visit this Community
Correze, France
Joined: June 10, 2004
KitMaker: 5,329 posts
Armorama: 5,204 posts
Posted: Thursday, April 10, 2014 - 04:44 AM UTC
Nice build so far. I'll follow with great interest as I have the same in my stash.

Olivier
jvazquez
Visit this Community
New Jersey, United States
Joined: September 26, 2006
KitMaker: 857 posts
Armorama: 811 posts
Posted: Thursday, April 10, 2014 - 05:26 AM UTC
Looking very nice!
cagkancakir
Visit this Community
Ankara, Turkey / Türkçe
Joined: April 28, 2011
KitMaker: 434 posts
Armorama: 409 posts
Posted: Friday, April 11, 2014 - 02:29 AM UTC

Quoted Text

Nice build so far. I'll follow with great interest as I have the same in my stash.

Olivier



Quoted Text

Looking very nice!


Thanks guys.



Anyone knows about wading covers of Czech based T-55 used also on Tiran 5? Blast set don't have them and they absent on museum reference photos. I only saw that covers on Andy Taylor's Tiran 5 (it is just perfect) on the Tamiya Model Magazine this January.

Have you any good reference about Czech type wading cover use on Tiran 5??

CagkanC
Removed by original poster on 05/14/19 - 00:29:36 (GMT).
cagkancakir
Visit this Community
Ankara, Turkey / Türkçe
Joined: April 28, 2011
KitMaker: 434 posts
Armorama: 409 posts
Posted: Friday, April 11, 2014 - 03:26 AM UTC

Quoted Text


This is the Eduard Grill and armoured covers set (TPO 43)

It can be used for both Polish and Czech armoured covers, but I think if I remember correctly (was a long time ago) the detail on the inside face of the covers is more applicable to Czech than Polish, so maybe useful to you.

The grills are different to the Russian grills, they have a locking latch cutout which is set slightly off-centre in the middle of the grill, and they need to be fitted the right way to match the armoured covers which are of different sizes, the cutout in the grills is sitting just under those little round latch rings in the picture.

Not sure if that is any help.



Wow, nice details on that Polish T-55, good photo.

Thanks for the information Matt,

I know Eduard's Czech type grill&cover set, it is more Czech type than Polish. I have a lot of info and image about them. I can use this set or I can scratch build them myself but I don't know that Israelis used these covers (they used Czech type grills) on Tiran 5, I am researching this.

CagkanC
Removed by original poster on 05/14/19 - 00:29:56 (GMT).
cagkancakir
Visit this Community
Ankara, Turkey / Türkçe
Joined: April 28, 2011
KitMaker: 434 posts
Armorama: 409 posts
Posted: Saturday, April 12, 2014 - 08:32 AM UTC

Quoted Text


If it's a Czech based captured T-55 (Tiran 5) with Czech/Polish grills, i.e. the grills have a square locking latch hole, then in theory it is simply a case of working out whether Israel operated their Czech based Tiran 5's with or without the armoured covers fitted, this I do not know.

Best plan would be to try and contact Andy Taylor (he hangs around on Missing Lynx) and ask him if Israel removed the armoured covers, or just left them in place.

If you want to depict a Czech T-55 (Tiran 5) without it's armoured covers then just add the little hinge brackets (circled in the picture) that are welded to the deck on the outer edge of the grill openings, these are what the armoured covers hinge on, and are normally left in place even after the armoured covers have been removed, and of course just fit Czech/Polish grills.



I will scratch-build those covers and modify my grills, they will be useful in any case, if I will not use them on this Tiran 5, I will use them on another Czech based T-55 later.

Maybe someone like Andy Taylor or Michael Mass will come to help in the meantime.

By the way your Polish T-55 looking really good.

Thanks for all your help Matt..

CagkanC
chefchris
Visit this Community
North Carolina, United States
Joined: February 06, 2006
KitMaker: 1,544 posts
Armorama: 1,464 posts
Posted: Saturday, April 12, 2014 - 08:47 AM UTC
The Tirans weren't doing alot of river fording sooo they were removed. At least from looking at my ref pics I havent found any.

Nice build. The Moustaffa Assad Book on SLA Tirans is a great reference, even with the [auto-censored]ty builds.

The Blast set is really nice; I wish they had thrown in the option for a Russian built T-55 though. I have this project waiting for me to finish it. Ive even got some of the elusive Elephant IDF P/e ....

Chris
cagkancakir
Visit this Community
Ankara, Turkey / Türkçe
Joined: April 28, 2011
KitMaker: 434 posts
Armorama: 409 posts
Posted: Saturday, April 12, 2014 - 10:33 AM UTC

Quoted Text

The Tirans weren't doing alot of river fording sooo they were removed. At least from looking at my ref pics I havent found any.

Nice build. The Moustaffa Assad Book on SLA Tirans is a great reference, even with the [auto-censored]ty builds.

The Blast set is really nice; I wish they had thrown in the option for a Russian built T-55 though. I have this project waiting for me to finish it. Ive even got some of the elusive Elephant IDF P/e ....

Chris


Thanks Chris, Blast set is nice indeed, but in my opinion, making Soviet based T-55 is easier with the original Tamiya parts. Less modification needed (wading rail).



I received a message from Michael Mass himself on T-54/55 facebook group. These covers were used when the tanks were operational, they were removed later, only hinges remain.

Now I will start scratch-build them.



CagkanC
gilbertsakr
Visit this Community
New York, United States
Joined: August 20, 2012
KitMaker: 310 posts
Armorama: 302 posts
Posted: Friday, July 15, 2016 - 02:00 AM UTC
nice
 _GOTOTOP