Whilst travelling back from our holiday in France lat weekend my very understanding wife was happy for me to call in at Saumur "Musee des Blindes" for yet another armour fix.

I have subscribed to the "The wonderful world of the T54/55/62" campaign and was looking for some inspiration, and was intrigued by this particular exhibit.



It's described as a T54/55, captured during the first Gulf War. BUT it appears to be a based on a T62 chassis as it has the tell tale bulge for the radiator fan on the rear hull plate.

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Also, wasn't the T62 was based upon a stretched T54? I paced out the tanks either side of it as an additional check. Sure enough, this one's hull had the same wheel base as the T62 alongside it, about half a meter longer than the T54 to the other side. What is confusing me is that the turret is, I think off a T54, complete with roof-mounted ventilator.

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So, is this a "bitza" built from re-cycled parts from old/worn-out/battle damaged machinery? Something that has been assembled at the museum from a collection of bits? Or am I totally off beam and have missed something obvious?

I'm sure that all you Soviet armour experts will be familiar with this particular vehicle and can put me out of my misery. I do hope that it's a genuine example because it would make a fascinating subject for the forthcoming campaign...

BTW, sorry about the multiple posts on this subject. Can anyone tell me how to preview before I post?

Thanks

Its a Chinese Type 59 in Iraqi colors as we mentioned in your other thread haha. Its nothing more than a Chinese T-54 copy with some added Chinese flair.


Erik

Yep, as others have siad, it's a Type 59.
Don't know whereabouts you are in the West Midlands, but there's one at a small tank museum near Market Harborough.
It's a captured Iraqi example and has all the nameplates on the comms boxes etc in English! Quite common on Soviet/Chinese export vehicles I believe.

Hi Mike,

thanks for the information, would this be the place you mean?

http://www.armourgeddon.co.uk/museum.php

I think I'll try and arrange a visit to see it. I was planning to build a Northern Alliance T62 for the campaign but this has whet my appetite somewhat.

Unfortunately, the museum staff have got a number of vehicle types wrong on the display placards. I told them they should fix this as we expect from such a museum to give correct information to the visitors.
No luck so far.

Olivier

Yeah that's the place Jon, I had some basic lessons on driving an FV432 there, and then had a paintball battle against another '432

Olivier, this placards problem is about Saumur, not Armourgeddon, right?

Definitely yes Mike.
Olivier

Hi,
this tank is an chinese Typ-69-II. After the chineses army captured a soviet T-62 during the sino-soviet border conlict in 1969 the chinese implemented some of the technology which they obtained in the Typ-59. For example IR-searchlight, stabilizer and they tried to build an 100mm smothbore gun. This relation to the t-62 is the reason for the bulge on the rear of the tank. You can also see an weldseam above the bulge which the t-62 doesn't have, showing that this bulge wasen't intended when the hull was desinged.
It exist an old Trumpeter kit of a Typ-69-II an a coversion from legend for the tamiya T-55.

Hi,

thanks for all this information. I've now gone back to my copy of Steve Zaloga's book about the T54/55 series and found reference to the Chinese type 69 version, something I had all along but didn't think to refer to! Doh!

I've actually just ordered Verlinden's Type 69 conversion kit for Tamiya's T55 which I have sitting in my stash. However, I do like a bit of a challenge so I might just try applying it to a Trumpeter T54A that I also have in my stash!

Hi Jon,
off topic :
that would be perfect for my campaign , the more of this
stuff, the better it will be



Paul