Like buses, nothing for ages then three 1/35 kits of the T-90 come along in rapid succession. For the vast majority of modellers who simply want "a T-90" in their collection and are not too concerned about having one of every sub type ala 'Tiger 1", then I suspect it may be a case of Trumpeter missing the party with this release. Most I suspect will opt for the Meng kit as long as it is priced at a reasonable level and subsequent build reviews support the expectation generated by the sprue shots. Time will tell. Gary

I tend to disagree. I believe that there is a significant number of modelers that either are not able to pay the price of Meng's kit or does not look for such a level of detail and will be happy just with -as you said- "a T-90" in their collection. Either case, many of them will get Trump's release as far as it is cheaper than Meng's one. On the other hand, there are also some "crazy" guys -like me- that will get at least one kit of each seller. By now, I have one from Zvezda in my stash, and one of the new Meng kits on the way, and surely will get the cast turreted one from Trump as soon as it is available.

I tend to disagree. I believe that there is a significant number of modelers that either are not able to pay the price of Meng's kit or does not look for such a level of detail and will be happy just with -as you said- "a T-90" in their collection. Either case, many of them will get Trump's release as far as it is cheaper than Meng's one. On the other hand, there are also some "crazy" guys -like me- that will get at least one kit of each seller. By now, I have one from Zvezda in my stash, and one of the new Meng kits on the way, and surely will get the cast turreted one from Trump as soon as it is available. [/quote] Well for me personally, I am quite happy with the Zvezda kit I bought last year despite the 'issues' about the running gear and ride height etc. which to my untrained eye seem a minor issue anyway. Having seen some Zvezda T-90's BUILT, it looks every inch a T-90 to me. Those who have the choice of the 3 kits and only intend to buy ONE model, I suspect will choose the Meng kit (IF) the price is right given the excellent reputation they have quickly established with their earlier releases. Irrespective, the good news is that modellers now have a choice of 1/35 T-90 kits and no longer have to rely on an expensive 'Miniarm' resin package to convert the old Tamiya T-72 kit. Cheers! Gary

Just like Redcap said, these things are getting like buses. Why don't Trumpeter do a cool T54 or even renovate their T55 range, or even do the T44 now would be nice in plastic. Paul

As modelers are we ever happy haha? Two years ago we didn't have a T-90 in plastic and now we're complaining that we have at least 4 different options or that the company didn't release a different kit that we wanted instead. Would we rather have one mediocre option instead?? A modeling company is going to fully exploit the molds they have before moving on to a completely different kit. We didn't start seeing Trump T-64's until they were pretty much done with the T-62 line. Now they're almost done with the T-64 and then their T-90 hits the market. Its obvious a T-72 will come soon since they have many of the parts already. We just need to be patient and stop the futile complaining every time a new variant we don't necessarily want or like hits the market. With the amount of resources these modeling companies have its only a matter of time until the kit of your dreams hits the shelves. Erik

Erik, I agree 110% Why complaining about new releases because they are not what someone seems to believe it would be the best choice? I have a huge list of wanted plastic kits, and only in the last couple of years I begun to believe that there's a tiny possibility that they will be available sooner or later. Remember when the only game in town were Tamiya's T-62 or M-60? On the other hand, what's the logic of asking for another kit of the T-55 when Tamiya's one is available and you may achieve a good and accurate model from it not needing a lot of extra work? I don't get it... But if you have patience, its possible that someone releases an entire T-54/55 family in the future, who knows.

This is what I meant, everyone knows that Trumpeter can do good kits even if they have their accuracy issues. The point is, they are as good as Tamiya if not better in some circumstances and only cost half of a Tamiya kit. So why do something that is already getting the treatment, it´s like flogging a dead horse, you don't get anywhere. Apart from that not everyone can afford the Tamiya kits and most certainly not the resin upgrades to backdate or upgrade the T55 range. All I'm saying is, some of these leading kit producers should look at what they have and improve on it, instead of releasing yet another T.....

The thing that's at least somewhat missed here, is that this variant is SIGNIFICANTLY different from the first version they announced. A head-to-head welded turrent T-90 is a bit pointless.... But the cast turret version is a big difference, and that IS a welcome announcement. Now, Meng may follow-on with one of their own, and they may indeed follow-on with their own T-72 family. My view is that this keeps BOTH companies feet to the fire, and will net us better kits in the long run. Yes, there are other possibilities that either could do, but overall, this will work out okay for us. I am also guessing that the Meng kit won't be all that more expensive than the Trumpeter offering - at SRP...

I might add, that at the rate we're getting new Russian/Soviet tanks, it won't be long before you see your treasured item. Heck, we've already seen parts for an IS-4 for crying out loud! A T-44/54/55 seem a virtual certainty given just a little time. So would literally dozens of other subjects.... Just a matter of time.