Hi everybody,

I'm messing around with the Esci Iraqi T-72 and it struck me that my kit did not have the side armor skirting around the tracks or the smoke grenade canisters. Did some of them just not have the side skirting and canisters or did some of them have one and not the other? I'd like to scratch the new skirts just to hide the non-sagging tracks, but I'm not too sure on scratching the smoke cans. I appreciate any help! Thanks!

tom

The Esci T-72 (and the mis-marketed T-74) were based on photgraphs of the tank at a distance and not up close actual measurements. They were made prior to the fall of Communism, Berlin Wall, etc. That being said, they are not bad kits, just not accurate.

IIRC, The T-74 came with the side skirts and smoke grenade launchers and the T-72 did not. I have both kits and they are virtually identical except for these items. I'll have to take a look at my kits tonight (if time permits) to see if the items could be easily scratch built. The side skirts on T-72s were basically thin pieces of rubber, much like mud flaps on large trucks. Thin styrene could be used to replicate this.

Also, the Iraqi T-72 at Fort Knox Patton Museum has a unique exhaust re-reouting system that has the exhaust being directed under the front of the hull. I'll see if I can find a pic of that from 10 Sept 01 and get it to you.

Hi Al and Rob,

Actually this is my first armor kit (I migrated from planes) so I was going to mess with this one (got it for $1.50) before I started on the bigger stuff (Tamiya Leopard 2A5, PzH2000, etc). So I guess I could get away without the skirting and grenade cans then huh? I might want to do that exhaust re-router though.

Thanks guys!

Good luck with the T-72 then. Don't let the accuracy issue bog you down. Just use it as a kit to polish your skills. That Tamiya Leo 2A5 is a dream, just leave the glue somewhere near the box and it'll build itself. The RoG PzH2000 is a nice kit too. Some come with an aluminum gun barrel, a very impressive piece. Tamiya has the nicest T-72 kit around, and Eduard has a cool aluminum and PE gun tube for it.