Armorama :: Angolan T-55

Armor/AFV: Modern Armor
Modern armor in general.

Hosted by Darren Baker

Angolan T-55

iamheaminot

Invercargill, New Zealand
Joined: January 03, 2004
KitMaker: 265 posts
Armorama: 185 posts

PROFILE

WWW

Posted: Thursday, April 18, 2019 - 04:50 PM UTC

Hi team
I have a Tamiya 1/35th T-55 kit number 35257 and I was wanting to do as an Angolan one.
Anyone on site familar with what variants of the T-55 Angola had and where manufactured.
The kit is a T-55A with various variants of turret fittings eg Polish, Czech etc.
I have just spent some time looking at the www and no further ahead.

I found these plus a few others.

Angola

A cuban one

And what army is this one.

marcb

Overijssel, Netherlands
Joined: March 25, 2006
KitMaker: 1,244 posts
Armorama: 1,226 posts

PROFILE

Posted: Thursday, April 18, 2019 - 07:09 PM UTC

Googling: T-55 angola, will find you much more results.
Do you want to build a typical configuration, or an Angolan vehicle?

iamheaminot

Invercargill, New Zealand
Joined: January 03, 2004
KitMaker: 265 posts
Armorama: 185 posts

PROFILE

WWW

Posted: Thursday, April 18, 2019 - 09:41 PM UTC

Typical Angolan Marc

ReluctantRenegade

Wien, Austria
Joined: March 09, 2016
KitMaker: 2,408 posts
Armorama: 2,300 posts

PROFILE

Posted: Thursday, April 18, 2019 - 09:57 PM UTC

Quoted Text

And what army is this one.

[/quote]

The yellow star appears on the Angolan flag so I would say this tank belongs to the Angolan government forces.

iamheaminot

Invercargill, New Zealand
Joined: January 03, 2004
KitMaker: 265 posts
Armorama: 185 posts

PROFILE

WWW

Posted: Thursday, April 18, 2019 - 10:47 PM UTC

Thanks RR. I like the atmosphere in the phote and the unloved aspect of the tank.

Frenchy

Rhone, France
Joined: December 02, 2002
KitMaker: 12,719 posts
Armorama: 12,507 posts

PROFILE

Posted: Friday, April 19, 2019 - 12:35 AM UTC

Here's another view of the same tank :

Full size

The caption says "A government tank crew sits atop a T-55 tank October 25, 1993 in Menogue, Angola"

H.P.

bison126

Correze, France
Joined: June 10, 2004
KitMaker: 5,329 posts
Armorama: 5,204 posts

PROFILE

WWW

Posted: Friday, April 19, 2019 - 03:54 AM UTC

From your very first picture, they used Russian made T-55. Look at the wading frame around the engine deck, this is a hint to spot the origin of the tank. However the schnorkel looks like a Czech one.

Olivier

marcb

Overijssel, Netherlands
Joined: March 25, 2006
KitMaker: 1,244 posts
Armorama: 1,226 posts

PROFILE

Posted: Friday, April 19, 2019 - 05:14 AM UTC

The Tamiya kit doesn't offer the loader's hatch as seen in the pic. Only the one with the added radiation liner.
Angola used and uses different models of the T-55. You can chose for option B fe.
Aber offers a set that includes the rails for the wading cover, which is missing from the kit. (Only for option A and B in the kit.)
https://www.1999.co.jp/eng/10278184

Regards,

Marc

iamheaminot

Invercargill, New Zealand
Joined: January 03, 2004
KitMaker: 265 posts
Armorama: 185 posts

PROFILE

WWW

Posted: Friday, April 19, 2019 - 07:51 AM UTC

Thanks folks for your replies.

Marc that is exactly what I was after. Appreciated.

iamheaminot

Invercargill, New Zealand
Joined: January 03, 2004
KitMaker: 265 posts
Armorama: 185 posts

PROFILE

WWW

Posted: Friday, April 19, 2019 - 12:07 PM UTC

Yea I know, nothing to do with Angolan T-55.
Here is a made up Egyptian T54 that I made in the 90's. Item is no longer in my collection. The pic was on a cd that i was checking for PDF books.
Base kit used was a T-55 by Lee. Remember them?

iamheaminot

Invercargill, New Zealand
Joined: January 03, 2004
KitMaker: 265 posts
Armorama: 185 posts

PROFILE

WWW

Posted: Friday, April 19, 2019 - 01:34 PM UTC

Would this be a KMT-6 Mine Plow mounted on this T-55?

ayovtshev

#490

Sofiya, Bulgaria
Joined: September 22, 2016
KitMaker: 1,432 posts
Armorama: 1,390 posts

PROFILE

Posted: Friday, April 19, 2019 - 06:31 PM UTC

Rod,

Cannot tell for sure about the KMT, but I think the tank on the picture is T-62.Turret is bulkier, than T-54/55's one.

Angola bought it's first batch of T-55s from the Soviet Union in the beginning of 1980's.Then at the start of 1990's additional batches were purchased from Belarus(T-55AM-2's according to SIPRI, but most probably they were T-55AM's), from Slovakia(T-55AM-2) and from my country(most probably Russian made T-55A/T-55AG/T-55AM).

Angolan Government Forces also fielded the T-62 and bought some additionaly in the early 1990's-including from Bulgaria.

HTH

iamheaminot

Invercargill, New Zealand
Joined: January 03, 2004
KitMaker: 265 posts
Armorama: 185 posts

PROFILE

WWW

Posted: Friday, April 19, 2019 - 06:55 PM UTC

Good info Angel, many thanks.
I have just ordered the Takom T-55AM which comes with Angolan markings such as they are. So good timing with what you shared.
Thanks

ReluctantRenegade

Wien, Austria
Joined: March 09, 2016
KitMaker: 2,408 posts
Armorama: 2,300 posts

PROFILE

Posted: Friday, April 19, 2019 - 07:15 PM UTC

Quoted Text

I think the tank on the picture is T-62.Turret is bulkier, than T-54/55's one

I don’t think so. The bore evacuator on the T-62 is further back. The wheel spacing also suggests it’s a T-55.

marcb

Overijssel, Netherlands
Joined: March 25, 2006
KitMaker: 1,244 posts
Armorama: 1,226 posts

PROFILE

Posted: Friday, April 19, 2019 - 07:21 PM UTC

Quoted Text

Quoted Text

I think the tank on the picture is T-62.Turret is bulkier, than T-54/55's one

I don’t think so. The bore evacuator on the T-62 is further back. The wheel spacing also suggests it’s a T-55.

Agree,

The T-62 has the fume extractor 1/2 way down the barrel, the T-55 at the end.

ReluctantRenegade

Wien, Austria
Joined: March 09, 2016
KitMaker: 2,408 posts
Armorama: 2,300 posts

PROFILE

Posted: Friday, April 19, 2019 - 07:33 PM UTC

Quoted Text

Would this be a KMT-6 Mine Plow mounted on this T-55?

It looks like a KMT-6 indeed.

ayovtshev

#490

Sofiya, Bulgaria
Joined: September 22, 2016
KitMaker: 1,432 posts
Armorama: 1,390 posts

PROFILE

Posted: Friday, April 19, 2019 - 08:08 PM UTC

Quoted Text

Quoted Text

Quoted Text

I think the tank on the picture is T-62.Turret is bulkier, than T-54/55's one

I don’t think so. The bore evacuator on the T-62 is further back. The wheel spacing also suggests it’s a T-55.

Agree,

The T-62 has the fume extractor 1/2 way down the barrel, the T-55 at the end.

You're right, gentlemen!

The tank is T-55, not T-62,

agriamodeling

Budapest, Hungary
Joined: March 09, 2018
KitMaker: 206 posts
Armorama: 205 posts

PROFILE

Posted: Tuesday, April 30, 2019 - 04:44 AM UTC

Hi Rod,

If I was you, I would sell the Tamiya kit and buy a Takom T-55A or AM2B instead. That kit has multiple option for hatches etc... and would be probably simplier to make the kit (with the reference photos) than using the Tamiya plus a/m extras. Also the Tamiya has rubber track when the Takom has indy track. A nice metal a/m track set from Friul would be even better but for higher total cost.
An even better option is to buy Miniart T-55 kit (w/o the interior if you do not want to pay more).

I built a Hungarian Army T-55AM2 from the Takom T-55AM2B kit using lots of reference photos and it was big fun.

Tamas

TOP