was there much of any? I understand the -3 '51 was a prototype of sorts, but would it have still been fielded by '56? thx

The T-54-3 was the most produced of the T-54 series. The T-54-1 was the prototype, followed by the -2 which was full production. The -3 introduced the classic T-54/55 turret. Compared to the T-54A, it lacked a bore evacuater and vertical stabilization of the main gun. There were other changes but those are the most recognizable. The T-54-3 was in service in 1956 and well beyond as well.

well, seems what I read was misleading. imagine that on the interwebtubes now, to find one, that's not going to cost a few brain cells. I'm considering a miniart

Hi trakpin,

Just to back up what Eric was saying, a photo in an old book of mine shows -3s still in service with a Soviet second-line unit in the early 80s. If by 1956 you mean the Hungarian uprising, it seems like there were as many -3s as -As in Budapest, going by the photographic evidence.

I‘m partway through a build of the Miniart -3 (without interior), and it‘s a worthwhile kit, with good detail and fit. On the other hand, there are quite a few sprue attachment points on fragile parts (a common complaint with their kits, I think) and the plastic is fairly brittle, but those are pretty minor gripes in an otherwise fine kit.

Jerry

hey..., knew they were there during the uprising. more than a few pix, but not by much, it seems. miniart's what I decided on w/out interior. I can recall only one other of theirs from yrs ago, a T60 light. found one for 44US, which means a damn sight more cdn. also found a set of masterclub resin omsh tracks on the barrel store. the metal are kinda hard to fine now. workable suspension means the kit tracks need replacing, seeing as they don't appear clickable. from what I've read, it's a rather decent kit

Yep, I‘m also replacing the OMSh tracks with the Masterclub resin ones,which are excellent. I found the kit tracks very well molded, but cleanup was a real pain because of the attachment points. My kit only cost about 40 Euros, which is a decent price here.

wellp, tracks are here, and much to my surPRISE, they're CLICKable. I'm gonna have SO much breakage, not to mention links that WON'T STAY toGETHer gonna see if I can't find their metal tracks. oh, they DO look good

so I get a start on miniart's T54-3 and I have NEVer seen such a needlessly complicated sprue layout. needed parts scattered EVerywhere. guess it woulda been too easy to put all the suspension parts on one or two large sprues, rather than several smaller one. no matter now, the suspension is complete. think I'll be painting in sections.

Hi trakpin,

Concerning the complicated sprue layout, I hear you. Since Miniart is reusing lots of sprues for the entire T-54/55 series, maybe this lowers costs, but it means you have to hunt around a lot. I think the end result is well worth it, though.

I‘ve only used Masterclub metal tracks with the resin pins (I haven‘t put together my resin ones yet, but they also use pins) and found them durable, well-detailed and relatively easy to put together. Styrene seems to be better than resin for clickable tracks, it‘s true.

Jerry

yeah, def gonna be worth it, but seeing as they have diff molds for spider and starfish wheels, they still couldn't put them all on one sprue? just doesn't make sense. one thing, careful with the torsion "bars". you'll have to ream put a bit the holes on both sides, but not by much. a suitably small pin vice bit will do. they're a bit stiff. broke one while trying to insert. a bit concerned the clickables won't stay together. had that happen with afv club's Centurion tracks. ended up with metal, which I think actually looks better. found a site with mc metal so I'll grab those up in a coupla days

Oh, yeah, those torsion bars were murder - they were so brittle and had so many attachment points I ended up not using them and just glued the arms in place. Basically, all rod-like parts (like the ones for the hinges on the back deck) were unusable for this reason and I had to replace them with brass rod, which is the same thing I’d have done if I’d wanted to make the suspension articulable.

Good luck with your suspension + tracks in any case.

Jerry

got mine in place. wasn't all that difficult after a little reaming, despite the one exception. unfortunately, not all arms are even, but I might do the same, a little drop of ca where they insert to the hull, since it won't be on uneven ground. found a set of metal tracks in belgium. they're on the way, and last one they had. gonna repaint the lower hull. wasn't happy with the shade of green, tams ja green, too dark for a tank painted every week, or so I read here somewhere. got a coupla bottles of olive green, to make one full bottle. there's a pic in the how to model a T54, turret # 324 from the rear, same decal as in the kit

edit: also found a replacement gun. kit version seems a bit too big in comparison https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=6&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwiknKbZjKzcAhWxhOAKHZU0CcgQFgg1MAU&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.scalemates.com%2Fkits%2F1086075-magic-models-mm35104-100-mm-barrel-d10-t&usg=AOvVaw359ib7CA85jVeXziEAZBQ5

also, might wanna be careful with fitting the roadwheels. the axle pins have almost no pin to insert in the swingarms. ca might be better to use instead of regular glue. the insert is about 2mm, and half round

would anyone know if this had plow attachments points fitted? I'm pretty sure it's the same as what's shown in the back pages of miniart's paint/decal callout section #324. I wanna get it right

assuming you haven't gotten to the rear hull plate yet, it would be best to drill/fit it first. it's a bit stiff getting between the hull sides, and fidly bits might be easily broken off. fortunately I didn't suffer this, since I fitted parts 24/5 and pe last

Hi Trakpin, glad the suspension worked out, and I hope those metal tracks you ordered stay together once assembled.

Thanks for the heads up on the replacement barrel. Magic Models‘ barrels are pretty accurate as far as I know. And for the reminder about the wheels - I pulled out my half-finished build to check and wow, now I remember, those locating pins are short! I think I‘ll follow your advice and use CA glue for ‘em. I fit all the hull plates before I stopped with the build and I thought the fit was good, but I also test-fit them and left off the small fiddly bits first. Afterwards, those frames to hold the smoke generator barrels kinda tested my patience (and they’ve broken off in the storage box, of course ) but sure look good when done.

I couldn‘t find any other images of tank #324 online or in books, but I‘ll keep looking. I wanted to do that one, too.

Jerry

hey..., suxx about the brackets. they are a tad fragile, as are the power conduit for the headlight and torsion hinge rods for the engine deck. fortunately, I didn't break those.

got everything on the hull done. gonna start in the fenders next. I did lose a part, pe, one of the hinges for the rear most hatches. I know exactly where it is, too. glued on the INside of the engine compartment|:(. damn hatch kept falling in and the hinge stayed behind, and since I think it's supPOSED to be workable... it's not gonna be all that noticeable, tho. some of that pe is either gonna set me blind or bugeyed. just hope I can see it when finished. this kit, tho, is by far the most detailed I've ever worked up. anyone who hasn't, get one

The tank shown in the photo is slightly different from the "Miniart" T-54-3 model.... In the photo, a modified tank. It is fitted with late stamped fuel and oil tanks and later a guide wheel. On the exhaust system there is a mounting bracket of the underwater travel system.
If you build an unmodified tank, then you need to rely on this photo - also Hungary in 1956. T-54-3 has all the signs of an early tank..

what I'm working up is 324 in pic above. it's unfortunate there doesn't seem to be more. hard to say what differences there might be. only view is from the rear. or are you referring to 324? may have to be 815, then. save for the tracks still being one the way and gun, I got the hull completed/painted. wasn't expecting russian armor green 4807 being so shiney. turret was started and might be done by the weekend. what kind of weathering would either have? not much in the way of broken ground. I imagine it'd be SOME sort of dusting

I've got images of war book on T54/55. in it it lists the various types. for model 1951 it states the turret has an undercut. it also lists a mod '53 w/out the undercut turret, so I'm wondering just which model yr the miniart is, T54-3 mod '51 or '53

largely done with the kit itself. just waiting on the trax, and so it doesn't look TOtally nekkid, I fit tam's T55 tracks, which really look like [auto-censored]e when compared to AM trax. I also have eureka's tow cables incoming. I did lose 2 parts, never to be seen again. one a PE bit used to hold the fuel lines in place and a small hatch in the TC's hatch, prolly used for flares or whatever. found something to replace it with, tho, which worked well enuff, but it's still not accurate. one can damn near never find grey parts on a grey stone tile floor, unless it bounces to a white/black tile

is this an accurate green for a T54?. it's mm4807. it doesn't seem quite right to me. ignore the tracks. new one just arrived as I was uploading pic. gonna have them on soon