* type 69 II?

Hello,
just wondering because it look a lot like type 69 II for me

https://twitter.com/weirdshishani/status/1123615713304776705/photo/1

From a pure modelling point of view I would say that it would probably be easier to use a Type 69-II as basis for this conversion (the headlights)

Here's another picture. Here the chassis looks like a T-55 one. The turret has visibly been raised to accomodate the 125 mm gun (check out the added ring at the base )



H.P.

Wikipedia article about the T-55 operators and variants says:
"T-55QM2 - T-55 upgraded by Soviet technicians with a Soviet 125 mm/L52 smoothbore gun and French laser range-finder, 1986-1991"
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T-54/T-55_operators_and_variants#Iraq

Wikipedia articel about Type 69-II says:
"During the 1980s, China sold hundreds of Type 69 MBTs to Iraq. By the Persian Gulf War of 1990 and 1991, western analysts claim that Iraq had upgraded some Type 69s with a 105 mm gun, a 60 mm mortar, and a 125 mm gun with an auto-loader. All of them were reinforced with frontal layer armor welded on the glacis plate."


Since the two vehicles are very similar I could imagine that the same, more or less, conversion could be used for both types.
Frenchys picture shows a tank with the headlights on the glacis and Auréliens picture shows headlights out on the fenders with some heavy duty plate above.



No idea what the piping is supposed to be used for, maybe framing for a canvas top to try and make it look like a truck??? Like the British did in North Africa in WW II

they modified the turret or just the ring? interesting picture!

."
No idea what the piping is supposed to be used for, maybe framing for a canvas top to try and make it look like a truck??? Like the British did in North Africa in WW II
[/quote]

I've read that the piping was intended to throw up a dust cloud in front of the vehicle , it connected to the exhaust outlet.

Sean

AFAIK it's rather a kind of smoke screen generating system connected to the engine exhaust. Though the Type 69 series could pump diesel on to the hot exhaust to generate smoke, the Iraqi army ran a narrow pipe from the rear exhaust area, along the left side of the hull to the front so smoke could be pumped out of it

Here's a similar system fitted to T-72's :





H.P.

I've read that the piping was intended to throw up a dust cloud in front of the vehicle , it connected to the exhaust outlet.

Sean[/quote]

The enemy can't see me because I can't see the enemy ...
Throwing sand in ones own eyes. Jeez....

Can't be much of anything else though, looking at Frenchys pictures

I guess the added ring I'm talking about is welded to the turret base.

H.P.

ok, can be a interesting model using miniart or takom base (I'm planing to do a what if type 69 II base on a prototype with a different weapon now)

There is the typical T-54 type “mushroom-like” air intake on the left side of the turret top (in front of the commander’s hatch. Maybe a T-54 upgraded here?

The 54/55 have a large gap between the first and second roadwheel stations-the 62 not.

Iraq bought T-54 and T-55 tanks from many different sources:
" 250 T-54s were ordered in 1958 from the Soviet Union and delivered between 1959 and 1965. 50 T-54s were ordered in 1967 from the Soviet Union and delivered in 1968. Between 80 and 120 T-54s were lost during the Yom Kippur War.[3] 300 T-55s were ordered in 1973 from the Soviet Union and delivered between 1974 and 1975. 50 T-54s and T-55s were ordered in 1980 from East Germany and delivered in 1981 (the vehicles were previously in East German service). 400 T-55s and T-54s were ordered in 1980 from Poland and delivered between 1981 and 1982 (the vehicles were probably previously in Polish service). 250 T-55s were ordered in 1981 from Egypt and delivered between 1981 and 1983 (the vehicles were previously in Egyptian service). 150 TR-580s were ordered in 1981 from Romania and delivered between 1981 and 1984 (the vehicles were delivered via Egypt). 400 T-55s were ordered in 1981 from the Soviet Union and delivered between 1982 and 1985 (the vehicles were from the Czechoslovakian production line). Around 200 T-54s and T-55s were upgraded to T-72Z standard (not to be confused with Iranian T-54/55/Type 59 modernization Safir-74 also known as T-72Z). 1,500 T-54s, T-55s and TR-580s were in service with the Iraqi Regular Army in 1990 and 500 in 1995, 2000 and 2002. 406 T-54 and T-55 were in service with Iraqi Regular Army in 2003. All destroyed or scrapped except for 4 T-55s which are now in service with the New Iraqi Army. 76 T-55s are in service with New Iraqi Army since 2004. 4 VT-55As were ordered in 2005 from Hungary and delivered in 2005 (aid, the vehicles were previously in Hungarian service). Iraq also received 2 JVBT-55As in 2005 from Hungary"
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T-54/T-55_operators_and_variants

They ordered so much, I got to wonder if every single one of them got delivered

Some quick recognition features:
If the large external ventilator is present on the right front of the turret roof, it is a T-54 or Type 59/69. If the ventilator is absent, the vehicle is a T-55.
On the lower bow plate of a T-54. there are notches on the edges by the idler wheel mounts. On the Chinese tanks, the plate is a perfect rectangle.

That is correct.
The discussion here is about the visible differences between T-54/T-55 made by some member of the Warsaw pact and the Chinese clones (Type 59, 69-I, 69-II, 79), specifically the Type 69-II.

http://www.primeportal.net/tanks/rob_tittle/t-55/




The lower front plate is hard to see in the images of the QM2 125mm upgrade though ....

The lower bow plate is a perfect rectangle only on Type-69; the Type-59 is identical to T-54 and has notches on the lower corners, as the-T-55 too.
Seems that the conversion with 125 mm gun was made on different models; the first photo shows a Type-69-II (the lights on the fenders and the basket behind the turret are characteristic), while the second one could be based on Type 59 or T-54 (or maybe a T-55 hull with the turret obtained from another tank).
The smoke pipes on the hull are highly interesting, I've never noticed them before.