This particular tank has different mudflaps to what I need - the pic I showed was just as an example.

Robert

I'm guessing it's most probably a different factory. There are also some with interlocking front plates too. Just info on which is which seems impossible to find on the net?

Gary

Hey there Gary

The nose you are going to reproduce is really an UZTM welded type adopted for mass production in summer of 1944 (cast nose of Tamiya kit is from the same period).

Here is a drawing with all the nose types (top left corner):
http://postimg.org/image/nrtpd85xn/

And here is a fundamental research of a very talented Russian modeller:
http://tigerscorner.ru/gallery/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=73%3A-1-2-&catid=34%3A2010-12-02-12-49-34&Itemid=53&showall=1
(see closer to the bottom of the page just before the road wheel types)
HTH, Paul

You are welcome Gary! Do not hesitate to ask if there are any other questions

Dennis, TBH, I've got no idea! From what I can see, they sell their current kits well (and it is well-deserved by any standards) hence, there must be enough money to invest into the development of new projects, including Oplot. So far I've seen nothing more than a single styrene part and 3-D renders. Let's wait...

Hello Dennis!

I guess there is no unpleasant surprises concerning styrene quality itself, the same goes to package sturdiness/box protective properties/box art attractiveness and so forth...

Again, I've got no idea as to how good the fit is, but I do know their kits are pretty complicated, with greater parts count and, in many respects, are more detailed than the ones of the same subject from other manufacturer(s)
Here is just a few examples of our fellow modellers' opinions on what to expect:

1)Tiger
http://models.primeportal.net/?p=4172
http://www.militarymodelling.com/news/article/a-modern-russian-tigr-in-1-35/19147
http://kitmaniac.com/site/?p=3386
http://scalemodels.ru/articles/7737-obzor-Xast-ssale-models-1-35-gaz-tigr.html

2) T-80
http://www.perthmilitarymodelling.com/reviews/vehicles/xact/xs35001.html
http://www.themodellingnews.com/2013/08/review-and-building-guide-xact-scale.html

I believe you've seen some of these before, but still...

HTH, Paul

Ahem...

Armorama X-act Scale T-80U review.

Ahem...

Armorama X-act Scale T-80U review.

The monument was erected in Štefánik square in the Smíchov district, and was dedicated on July 29, 1945, by Soviet General Ivan Konev and top municipal representatives. The tank rested on a massive five-metre stone pedestal, its barrel pointing menacingly westward. It was built to commemorate the arrival of Konev's First Ukrainian Front, namely the Fourth Tank Brigade led by Lelyushenko, on May 9, 1945, effectively liberating Czechoslovakia from German occupation. It was originally intended to represent Lt I.G. Goncharenko's T-34-85 medium tank of the 63rd Tank Brigade, the very first tank to enter Prague. However, the actual monument was an IS-2m heavy tank instead of a T-34, and its turret was mis-labelled 23; Goncharenko's tank had borne the tactical marking I-24.

Following the communist coup of 1948, the monument was elevated to the status of National Cultural Monument, commemorating the liberation of Prague by the Red Army, and the square was renamed Soviet Tank Square.

After the 1989 Velvet Revolution and the end of communist censorship, the legacy of the tank was openly discussed. For many citizens, the tank symbolised the Soviet occupation that ended Prague Spring in 1968 and the subsequent permanent installation of Soviet military units, rather than the events of World War II. Popular local lore noted that the number 23 painted on the tank's turret was indicative of the year of the Soviet invasion (1945 + 23 = 1968). In February 1991, historian Pavel Bělina argued that there were "neither moral nor historical grounds" for preserving the monument.

On the night of April 27, 1991, art student David Černý and friends painted the tank pink and erected a large finger suggesting an obscene gesture on its turret, signing the work "David Černý and the Neostunners". Černý was arrested under an often-abused law concerning "public disturbances", and after an official protest by the Russian government, the tank was re-painted green. However, fifteen members of the newly elected parliament took advantage of their official immunity and painted the tank back to pink in protest against Černý's arrest. The national monument status was abolished, Černý was released, and the tank was eventually removed after being repeatedly being painted green, then pink again, a few more times. The tank is now located at Military Museum Lešany near Týnec nad Sázavou.