maybe is direct copy of the esci kit.

The original Esci kit in Italeri packaging, in fact.

While it's true old kits like this would be good for new, young people entering the hobby, it also looks like a cynical revenue-raising scheme. Re-issuing old, un-updated models is fine as long as they aren't re-released at similar prices to current generation models. Italeri, Tamiya and Dragon are all guilty of this.

This is disappointing, really. I gave up on Italerei back when I was a kid because some kit's MG34 looked more like a Browning .30 cal on the box. I guess there's no reason to reconsider them. I.P. Knightly

Is Italeri in financial difficulty? That could explain why they are trying to squeeze income blood from these polystyrene turnips.

The LHS has lost my business because they stopped stocking new Takom, Meng and others and instead have a ton of Airfix, Tamiya, and Italeri reissues. The Sgt York was a junk kit that bore almost no resemblance to the actual vehicle and came out after the program was cancelled. It is on the LHS's shelf! Tamiya can't be hurting that bad. The only reason anyone buys these kits is on impulse with no idea of the age or inaccuracy of the it. Regards, Eric

This is exactly how I ended up with the Tamiya M60A1 RISE/Passive w/ ERA. I had no idea that the lower hull and running gear dated to the 1970s (and believe me, it shows its age).

I don't think this is because they are financially hurting.. I think it's because they concentrate more on aircraft kits.. I got their latest new kit, the LMV Lince, and it's a very nice kit.. so, when they want to, they can put out good AFV kits.. So, I think they just choose to concentrate on aircraft.. and they re-issue these old kits just to have some kind of a place in the AFV kit market.. I actually know people who prefer to buy these old kits because of their somewhat lower prices, even though they know about the low quality and all that... That's why I always say.. there's a buyer out there for all kinds of kits, no matter how low the quality is.. otherwise, many of these companies would have gone out of business a long time ago Hisham

You know the Esci T-55 was state of the art when it came out. It is only by comparing it to more recent releases that it loses out ... and loses out badly. Actually the Lee near copy of the Esci kit is marginally better adding a few details the old Esci missed. But it's still an ancient kit from a different time. Should be on the shelf next to Monogram/Revell SSP program re-releases of ancient kits for nostalgia value only.