introduction

The T-62 with BDD (horse-shoe) armour is widely known from its service with Soviet forces during the Afghanistan war 1979- 1990. Trumpeter covered this significant variant in 2012 and Voyager Model has released a PE upgrade set specific for this kit. The set comes in the usual slide opening box with the PE packed in separate bags for better protection taped on card box. The instructions are printed on several A4 size sheets.

Contents

The set includes five frets of PE. Four of them in brass, whereas the fifth one, which contains all the screens, seems to be steel.

Also included is a length of ABS rod with 1,0mm diameter, and one with 0,5mm diameter. A length of steel wire in 0,3mm for replicating the springs and a length of copper cable for the tow cable.

Voyager also included some machined parts. Six armed smoke dischargers, an antenna base, the barrel for the coax MG and four hexagonal bolt heads.

Review

This is quite a comprehensive set. On seven A4 sized pages, the assembly of the various parts is clearly described. This set is definitely not for a modeller who is inexperienced with PE. Voyager even provided replacements for the kit provided PE parts. When you compare them to the kit´s parts, the reason is obvious. The etching is much sharper and you would notice the difference, if you decide not to replace them.

The set concentrates on the following areas of the kit:

Interior and exterior of the loader´s hatch, including the periscopes. Clear material for the glass parts has to be provided by the modeller.

DShK machine gun, including the ammo box.

Coax main gun searchlight base. This part will be most complex and a very fragile and time consuming affair during assembly. The parts should be soldered.

The engine deck receives some treatment with an extremely high detailed new screen. Compared to the ones Voyager provided, the original screens in the kit look extremely simplified.

Tie downs for the fuel cells. In the kit the tie downs are completely missing and the cells would fall off.

Mounts and straps for the fuel barrels on the rear.

Conclusion

Yet again an extremely useful set, with a lot of content. What Voyager provides is surely the most PE for your money. The inclusion of some machined parts is highly appreciated and saves some time and money to get them separately.

The only real complaint I have is the fact that on the cover picture Voyager shows more than what is in the set and has to be bought as an extra set(s). It shows the fenders and the stowage boxes which are included as separate sets. On the picture there are four charged and four empty smoke dischargers shown, but in the set only eight charged are included.