I want a T-62 & T-72 for the stash what should I get guys?? Tamiya??, Zvezda?? Trumpeter??

For T-62, Tamiya is your only choice.

For T-72, Tamiya's is nice, Dragon's is next best. I believe Zvevda's is a reboxed Dragon kit. I have heard Trumpeter's is really bad.

I personally would go for Tamiya although i wouldnt know how accurate it is to the actual tank. It does appear to have quite a fair bit of detail which is always good.

Tamiya's

I can't give exact specifics, but there are problems with the Tamiya kits. 1st, I beileve the scaling on the T-62 is off, and in a serious way. I have read there are other porblems, but don't remember. the T72 I have read is decent, but is only accurate for countries outside of Russia/USSR. there are aftermarket products for these that are supposed to make them better. Various modeling boards have discussed the pro's and cons of these in more detail than I am able to give.


I look forward to seeing what else people have to say as I am interested in these kits(someday when I have time) as well.

Sean

I think the biggest issue with the T-62 is the turret, which in the kit is too squat and not round enough on the top around the crew hatches. An aftermarket is the best solution,
(Chesapeake?) The track could be replaced and with a bit of etch, it would build into a nice kit.
HTH
Joker

Andy:

I've heard they are all bad. As for me, I plan to wait a while. Dragon or Trumpeter is bound to release one eventually. From what I have heard of the present offerings, I think I'll wait. If you just "have to have" them, go with the Tamiya. Otherwise save your money.
Are you and keith coming to the Arlington show on September 10. Rebel and Epi (Pete ) both have made plans to attend. MOe will be playing hockey.

Doing T-62M from TAm right now. And one advice, don't even think about it! It's bad, really bad(sorry if it's too hard) Can send you photos of what I'm doing so you'll what I mean.

T-72 TAM isn't that bad. Will need to buy a turret. From TAM you can do nice a bad T-72A(early) modelpoint got a turret for it.

T-55 TAM, will be the best choice out of this three.

T-62 is okay. Turret dimensions are off for the Tamiya Kit. would recommend the SP Design replacement for the Turret. Tamiya's T-72 is by far the best on the market. There are many updates available to upgrade but just by itself it is very good.

T-62: Only Tamiya does this kit. It is actually 1/33.5 scale. However, as noted, it is the only game available. The scale difference does not seem so bad until you compare it with the Tamiya T-55, particularly the roadwheels.

There have been rumors that Tamiya will release a NEW mold T-62 for a couple of years now, but so far... (They certainly would make some good money on it anyhow.) The best I can offer is to get a new turret, the kit one really is bad, and there are several out there. The Chesapeak turret is very nice, as is the SP Designs one. AEF Designs make another one that looks ok, but it is hit and miss with them. Hull details could be improved as well, with Eduard PE and some scratchbuilding. Here is a link to my SP Designs page and even a shot of one of the kits I built: http://saammodels.tripod.com/companies/spdesigns/T62/index.htm

For the T-72:

The Tamiya kit is the best for the M1 version. As noted, it MAY have served in limited use with the Russian army, but only maybe at this point. It was a foreign export version. The main point with it is the additional armor on the front glacis. You can live with it, use it for a foreign tank, or remove it and replace detail. However, the turret also has some issues ( ) IF you decide to get a better turret, just buy the Trumpeter kit then...save yourself some money and just use the lower hull/running gear and add the turret.

DML's kits are not quite as good as the Tamiya kits, being a bit off dimensionally (they wre produced before reliable dimensions were available) but they make a decent replica, the T-72G/M kit being the best. I personally like the T-72M2 kit, warts and all. :-) However, they are not as good as the Tamiya kit unless you need a different variant and do not want to go through the work of rebuilding.

There are quite a few turrets out there to help with the Tamiya Problem. My personal favorite is the Anubis turret, but I am not sure where they can be bought from. ModelPoint's turret looks excellent (I have not seen it in person), and even AEF Designs turrets are nice, but again, they are hit and miss on quality.

Hope that helps and welcome to the fold!

I'd like to go but I haven't talked to Keith in months and don't expect him to go or perhaps ask me. He seems pretty well wrapped up in his life. PM me the details and maybe we can coordinate.

For the T-62 verlinden makes 2 superb detail stes. (one with interior one without). For the T-72 there are many AM turrets around to correct the Tamiya kit.

Just a little input, I've heard some of Trumpeter's older kits werent too great

My personal distaste for Verlinden products aside, don't purchase the Verlinden set. The engine proportions are way off (far two wide between cylinder heads) and the turret is ridiculously off. Even worse is when they tried to modify the set to get it to fit the Tamiya T-55.

Here's part of the Verlinden "update," which lacks depth.



Better choice-Trumpeter parts plus some scratchbuilding. Perhaps not quite as accurate transmission, but much better depth:



The original Tamiaya turret:



CMK turret:



And finally, AEF Design's early T-62 turret:



The AEF turret was surprisingly well done, but the barrel was very poorly cast. Looking back, it would have been better to do it myself, and cheaper as well.

The CMK turret is very nice. I don't remember where the E model armor upgrade is from, but it is also nicely done.

Tamiya's turret is good for painting practice.

Hmm I see some problems indeed. But i thought overall the verlinden set would improve the Tamiya model, or is this not so?