LINDBERG T-80. Worth the effort??
Mexico
Joined: May 31, 2002
KitMaker: 65 posts
Armorama: 62 posts
Posted: Wednesday, June 09, 2010 - 08:44 AM UTC
Hello.
Looking at a mexican forum. I found this model for sale
I know about the Dragon, Zvesda and Revell kits, but I never heard about this one.
Can someone give me info about the quality of that kit?
also, I want to know if some of the aftermarket item for the T-80 by Eduard or SP can be used.
Let's hope someone can answer.
Best regards
Kaunas, Lithuania
Joined: October 01, 2009
KitMaker: 149 posts
Armorama: 137 posts
Posted: Wednesday, June 09, 2010 - 08:48 AM UTC
The first time I've heard about the T-80 from this company.
Only the modern Russian armor 1/35
http://berkut916.blogspot.com/
England - South East, United Kingdom
Joined: August 05, 2009
KitMaker: 1,019 posts
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Posted: Wednesday, June 09, 2010 - 08:54 AM UTC
Me too, I've not come across Lindberg kits before and I'm afraid I have no experience building them.
I'd be interested to see what this is like though... I thought SKIF and DML were the only companies to make T-80's.
New York, United States
Joined: March 08, 2010
KitMaker: 3,662 posts
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Posted: Wednesday, June 09, 2010 - 08:56 AM UTC
I built a Lindberg German Sdk.fz. 222 back in February. The parts had very little detail compared to a Tamiya kit and the scale was off. It was suppose to be 1/35 but I read somewhere that it was 1/32 but the 4 figures that came with it appeared to be 1/48. I will never buy another Lindberg Kit. But that is just my opinion base on the 1 experience.
Save your money.
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Michigan, United States
Joined: December 31, 2005
KitMaker: 57 posts
Armorama: 55 posts
Posted: Wednesday, June 09, 2010 - 09:09 AM UTC
Lindberg kits make good paper weights. They are toy like with soft detail and scale inaccuracies. I'm frankly surprised the company survives. We often joke about the fact that they emblazon in bold print on the boxtop "It's motorised". Oh boy! They are suitable for the dumpster.
England - South East, United Kingdom
Joined: August 05, 2009
KitMaker: 1,019 posts
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Posted: Wednesday, June 09, 2010 - 09:19 AM UTC
On their website they also put "Historically accurate" by all their WW2 AFV's...
England - East Midlands, United Kingdom
Joined: November 06, 2005
KitMaker: 753 posts
Armorama: 378 posts
Posted: Wednesday, June 09, 2010 - 09:38 AM UTC
Dan,
All the LINDBERG kits I have come across were little more than toys. Their old 1/48 MIG 31(well thats what they said it was!)was the very worst model I tried to build in 30+ years of modelling. Detail anf fit was dreadful and as for "accuracy"......the cockpit and ejection seats were a DIRECT COPY of the Monogram F-105G in the same scale - Go figure that one!!!
I suspect the T-80 kit is rubbish. The wheels in the picture you listed look nothing like the correct style from what can be seen; they look more like T-55 style and are probably simply taken from Lindberg's equally poor T-55 kit. If I was you,I would use either the 1/35 Zvezda or Skif kit and see some of the great build jobs / articles blokes on this site have done to detail and bring these 2 kits up to standard.
Jon Fitzgerald (amongst others) who is a whizz with modern Russian MBT models is doing a T-80 build at the moment on this site - so check his progress and thoughts.
Im sure with all the interest in modern Russian AFVs on this and other AFv sites that if the Lindberg kit was anything special....we would ALL have heard by now.
Bottom line mate, your money and your choice.
Cheers!
Gary
Texas, United States
Joined: March 17, 2006
KitMaker: 1,117 posts
Armorama: 1,115 posts
Posted: Wednesday, June 09, 2010 - 09:54 AM UTC
I've built one of these junky kit's back when I was in high school as it was the only thing I could aford at the time. Yes the wheels are from a t-55 kit and if you look closer you can see a t-55 turret in the picture just behind the wheels. It's not worth the money at all, if you not looking to spend the money on a t-80 kit as most of us a are doing. the next best bet would be to buy the zvezda kit or dml, it's still not correct, but alot better than the lindberg t-80. Save your money what ever you do, but stay away from this kit.
Chris
On the workbench:
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Distrito Federal, Mexico
Joined: April 02, 2008
KitMaker: 99 posts
Armorama: 98 posts
Posted: Wednesday, June 09, 2010 - 12:28 PM UTC
Hi
If you want to do a sci-fi tank, then buy it, the kit isnt a T-80 , its just a crap, better buy a skif and conversions or a DML with resin parts
regards
Joined: December 18, 2001
KitMaker: 12,596 posts
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Posted: Wednesday, June 09, 2010 - 04:05 PM UTC
I built it when it first came out in the late 80s, just before the Wall came down. Even then, it was a subpar kit and only vaguely resembled a Soviet tank. In its defense, there was not a whole lot of info out on the T-80, just some grainy photos here and there taken from a parade in Red Square.
One thing I remember is that the drive sprocket mounting piece is very weak and the tracks are very tight. It will snap off as you try to attach them. If you build it, you will need to replace the plastic posts with a metal axle that goes through the hull (like Tamiya's old style axles). You may need to move the axle inboard a little to give the track some slack to relieve some pressure on the other suspension components.
At the same time, Lindberg released a T-55/Ti-67 kit, a BMP-1 with vacuformed base and this T-80. The kits were made in Denmark. I remember the BMP actually missing pieces from the sprue that looked like they were supposed to be on the sprue but were not. It was almost as if the BMP molds were not completed and they just went ahead and released the kit as is. They may have done a BMP-2 using the common molds fo the BMP-1, but I don't remember.
Washington, United States
Joined: September 20, 2007
KitMaker: 861 posts
Armorama: 394 posts
Posted: Wednesday, June 09, 2010 - 06:10 PM UTC
Quoted Text
At the same time, Lindberg released a T-55/Ti-67 kit, a BMP-1 with vacuformed base and this T-80.
Oh, this brings back some memories. The Lindberg Ti-67 kit was so poorly done it made the ESCI/Ertl offering look pretty nice in comparison.
I'll echo the rest of the group by saying that the Lindberg T-80 is best left for dead.
-YL
Hong Kong S.A.R. / 繁體
Joined: April 12, 2005
KitMaker: 202 posts
Armorama: 195 posts
Posted: Wednesday, June 09, 2010 - 07:39 PM UTC
I have seen it before,it was a T80 with ERA.Actually I saw it AGAIN in a local shop a couple of weeks ago....a second hand one.
Allow me to say something about it,please?
F O R G E T it.
Florida, United States
Joined: March 30, 2006
KitMaker: 3,736 posts
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Posted: Wednesday, June 09, 2010 - 09:20 PM UTC
Lindberg's T-80 was the first kit to hit the market around 1988, and it was based on very poor photographs (the model parts in the background photo are for the T-55, though, not the T-80).
It might be buildable as a painting exercise, but under no circumstances should you spend a dime on aftermarket improvements, as accuracy is simply out of reach, here. The Dragon kits which came out shortly after were drastically better kits, but still quite inaccurate (Dragon's incarnations have been resurrected by Zvezda and Revell-Germany).
The Skif versions are more accurate, but still well short of being good (but can be made respectable with a lot of scratchbuilding or resin additions).
Minnesota, United States
Joined: March 04, 2003
KitMaker: 4,630 posts
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Posted: Thursday, June 10, 2010 - 01:53 PM UTC
Just as an aside, that is a T-55 kit in a T-80 box (someone did a switch-a-roo on the kit contents as shown). No, Lindberg did not just rebox their T-55 kit, picture aside...but as stated, the Lindberg kit is NO GOOD. And if you ever run across the Firefox (a Eastern European company of the mid-1990's) kit, just pretend you never saw it. It actually makes the Lindberg kit look buildable...
Ex-34th ID MNANG - 13F and 63D
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British Columbia, Canada
Joined: March 12, 2010
KitMaker: 791 posts
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Posted: Friday, June 11, 2010 - 02:48 PM UTC
No, it's horrible. It was horrible 20 years ago when it was compared with the Dragon kit and it's even worse today.
BTW there are only 3 T-80s out there today, the Dragon kit, which is fair, the Skif kit which is somewhat better, and the Lindberg piece of trash.
Don't buy it.
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Diopark Mercedes
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Colorado, United States
Joined: January 20, 2005
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Posted: Saturday, June 12, 2010 - 08:41 AM UTC
I think the quality of Lindberg's AFVs has been well established now. But as was mentioned, they went with scant intel at the time, and did try to bring new subjects to the market. Yeah, they're crap now (and were then, for the most part) but let's not forget that their T-55 was Kit of the Year when it came out. I actually built one into a damned good looking model believe it or not. Lindberg has doine some pretty decent kits in their history. As I remember they were mainly 30's coupes and things of that nature. Their new 1/72 Japanese sub suffers in many respects, but I plan to eventually buy one. No kit is perfect, so if you're going to replace a part the was 99% accurate, or almost twice the size it should be, it really doesn't make much difference, does it? Back to the T-80. A real bowser. But...
These kits show up at Harbor Freight Tools, of all places, and for pennies on the dollar. I'd buy several just to practice paint and weathering technique if I saw then there again.
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Joined: December 18, 2001
KitMaker: 12,596 posts
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Posted: Saturday, June 12, 2010 - 10:04 AM UTC
I agree with Rob. Much like the Esci T-55 series kits I bought in Redstone Arsenal in 1996 for $4.99 a pop, not the greatest kits in the world, but definitely worth the price.
British Columbia, Canada
Joined: March 12, 2010
KitMaker: 791 posts
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Posted: Saturday, June 12, 2010 - 10:24 AM UTC
Quoted Text
I think the quality of Lindberg's AFVs has been well established now. But as was mentioned, they went with scant intel at the time, and did try to bring new subjects to the market. Yeah, they're crap now (and were then, for the most part) but let's not forget that their T-55 was Kit of the Year when it came out. I actually built one into a damned good looking model believe it or not. Lindberg has doine some pretty decent kits in their history. As I remember they were mainly 30's coupes and things of that nature. Their new 1/72 Japanese sub suffers in many respects, but I plan to eventually buy one. No kit is perfect, so if you're going to replace a part the was 99% accurate, or almost twice the size it should be, it really doesn't make much difference, does it? Back to the T-80. A real bowser. But...
These kits show up at Harbor Freight Tools, of all places, and for pennies on the dollar. I'd buy several just to practice paint and weathering technique if I saw then there again.
I agree with Lindberg's quality in some things. Many of their more interesting catalogue items are well worth building (if very challenging) and many of their car kits are EXCELLENT.
But their armour offerings are lumps in the modelling cat box. Fiddle with them if you wish, but don't forget what they really are.
On the Bench:
Diopark Mercedes
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Washington, United States
Joined: February 06, 2010
KitMaker: 100 posts
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Posted: Sunday, June 13, 2010 - 03:11 PM UTC
I've built both T-80 and T-55.
Run away
Fast
BTW that looks like the Ti-67 release, both the T-80 and T-55 were molded in green.
Washington, United States
Joined: September 20, 2007
KitMaker: 861 posts
Armorama: 394 posts
Posted: Tuesday, June 15, 2010 - 05:00 PM UTC
Quoted Text
I agree with Lindberg's quality in some things. Many of their more interesting catalogue items are well worth building (if very challenging) and many of their car kits are EXCELLENT.
But their armour offerings are lumps in the modelling cat box. Fiddle with them if you wish, but don't forget what they really are.
I wouldn't go so far to call Lindberg's car kits "excellent", but they are certainly head and shoulders above their armor offerings and very buildable.
Any kit that you can find for $5 USD or under is worth the purchase, if for nothing other than spare bits and a canvas for painting practice.
-YL
