Just purchased Trumpeter's Chinese Type 98 MBT. Now I'm looking at the hull and wondering a couple of things...is the hull width correct? I'm building Dragon's T-80UD concurrently, and as I understand it, the Type 98 utilises a T-80 hull.

Measuring side by side...the Type 98 measures to approx 3.7 m, the T-80 UD 3.5 m. Looking up correct dimensions...yep, the Type 98 is, or should be....3.5 m wide...nuts! The Dragon T-80 is spot on dimensionally. I guess the Trumpeter kit is artificially wide in order to accept the RC motor that is is designed to use noted by the holes in the model's underside for switches, etc...

Mystery widens...or does the Type 98 use the T-90 hull? Dimensions for that are 3.7 m wide....

Woodstock just a guess but the T-80 is not an export / licence item built outside Russia. I would have to guess it is the T-90 hull IIRC is the T-72 which is an export / licenced tank. The T-80 was never seen outside the USSR and has not been left behind in any of the former Soviet states. Russia has them all.

Aha...that makes sense. But then there is a dimensional difference between the T-72 (3.4 m wide) and T-90 (3.7 m wide) (according to Vasiliy Fofanov's page).

Nuts, just checked a second site and they claim the Type 98 should be 3.4 m wide...So what should it be? 3.4 or 3.7? I guess it depends on what the hull's base is, T-72 or T-90? But even then there is confusion, as the T-90 is essentially a upgraded T-72. So why the hull width difference (according to Fofanov)?

The T-90 may be wider due to the way the side skirts are. Chinese armor is hard to get accurate facts about. it is not seen outside of China. Which outsider is able to measure it easily inside China and publish the results????? An interesting question.

Good point...

woodstock....if you can get your hands on any of the old museum ordanace/JMo they had a article on the type 98 and had a lot of photos of pakastani and chinese tanks!!!!!!will look through mine and see if i can find them....

Hi
Sorry for you but the following url announces 3.4m wide.

http://www.sinodefence.com/army/tank/type98.asp

AKAIK, the Type 98 is a pure Chinese product which has nothing to do with T80 or T90. But I can be wrong.