Model Forum / General / Models / June 2006

Kit Review: Miniarm 1/35 Scale Hobby Kit Conversion Sets (available
from Chesapeake Models Designs in the US):

    Kit No. B35026: T-72BM Turret Model 1989 For Tamiya and Trumpeter
Kits; 51parts (48 in tan resin, 2 turned aluminum, 1 length of brass
wire);price US $45

    Kit No. B35027: T-72BM Conversion Set for Tamiya and Trumpeter Kits;
25 parts (24 parts in tan resin, 1 length of brass wire); price US $32

Advantages: provides for the modeling of either a T-72BM or very early
production T-90, fixes a number of problems with the Tamiya parts

Disadvantages: attachment flange from the 2A46M barrel shroud is
missing

Rating: Highly Recommended

Recommendation: for all '72 fans and Russian armor modelers

    The Ural Railway Carriage Factory - better known as Uralvagonzavod,
UVZ, the "Vagonka" or Factory No. 183 - has a long and proud
record of tank construction, of which their pride and joy in recent
years has been the T-72 family. They started this tank family in the
1960s and continuously evolved it through the 1970s and 1980s.

    In 1985, they felt their latest tank, the T-72BV with reactive armor
and the 9M117 missile system for through-the-bore ATGM armament. But
they went to upgrade this tank, creating what they dubbed "Object
188" (The T-72B was "Object 184").

    Chief designer Vladimir Potkin had this tank, which had some changes
over the T-72B, just about ready for introduction in 1990 and in fact
was beginning to provide them to the Soviet Army. But after Desert
Storm - and the disaster that took place among the Soviet and Czech
built T-72s in service with Iraq, the T-72 suddenly became a drug on
the market and no orders were forthcoming.

    Upset at what they felt was unfair publicity (the Russians still claim
today that the Iraqis only lost 14 T-72s in combat and the rest were
blown up in place by their crews) the T-72BM, which was accepted for
service on 27 March 1991, was no longer wanted. Seeing foreign sales
dry up, Potkin went to work to upgrade the new tank and resell it to
the Army. The T-72BM had a new engine, the V-84, which boosted power to
840 HP as well as "second generation" reactive armor dubbed
"Kontakt-5" which was reported to be effective against both chemical
(HEAT) and kinetic (APFSDS) rounds.

    The new "Object 188 Improved" offered now added several things to
it, such as the 1A45 "Irtysh" fire control system from the T-80U
and the "Shtora-1" electro-optical countermeasures system. With some
other tweaks, the new "T-72B Improved" was tendered for service.
But in this case, when Russian President Boris Yeltsin accepted the
tank for service, he changed the service designation to T-90. This did
two things: one, it gave it a different slant for advertising when
selling it to third world customers, and two, he proclaimed it the
first "Russian" tank (as opposed to Soviet.) So far the Russian
Army has acquired about 300 of all models of T-72BM or T-90, and India
has purchased 310 of the T-90S version of the tank. Later models of the
T-90 also have a welded plate turret vice the cast T-72B type of the
early models.

    Miniarm has continued their great series of upgrade products for
Soviet tanks with two complementary kits that transform the Tamiya
T-72M1 into a T-72BM or early model (e.g. non-Shtora-1 equipped) T-90.
They provide nearly all of the bits needed to change the kit over to
the new version.

    The turret set provides a new T-72B type turret base with improved or
corrected hatches and searchlight fittings, new side stowage bins, a
Type 902B 8-tube smoke grenade projector, and both standard and
"Kontakt-5" reactive armor boxes for the turret. All of them look
right and match available photos of the fittings.

    The conversion set is based on the fact that the glacis armor on the
T-72BM and T-90 is what the Russians call "vstroyeniy" or
"built-in." (Normal reactive armor boxes are "nastroyenviy" or
"stuck on".) To that effect, this kit comes with a complete new
glacis and fender section with the fancy rubber tip skirts cast in
place. It provides the new "Kontakt-5" skirt armor panels and mounts,
and also new fittings for the fold-down scraper blade under the hull.

     The latter kit requires that the entire Tamiya hull top be cut back
to the turret race on the hull itself and to the joint line right
behind the first stowage bin/fuel tank on the front of the fenders.
Lips are cast in place to get a good, sturdy joint.

          Where Tamiya parts are used, they are called out in the
directions along with photos and arrows showing how and where the new
parts are located.

    The only things I noted as odd with these two kits are their call for
a good deal of copper wire; the kits provide only one small section of
brass wire which does not seem to provide sufficient material to match
the requirements (it serves as the cabling for lights, controls for the
KMT series mine plow/rollers, and the hinges for the three
"Kontakt-5" panels on the front of the skirts.)

    Also, the very prominent flange along the top of the 2A46-4 gun tube
is missing. There is a groove there to attach it but I could not find
any flanges. Normally barrel manufacturers provide this as a folded
strip of etched brass and a groove in the tube to attach it, but such
is not the case. Just to be sure that it had not changed, I got out the
references I have on T-90 and initially found several that did not
appear to have it either. Finally, I found a sequence of shots that
showed the barrel shrouds mounted at a 45 degree angle off axis to the
right, so the flange would not show in any "glamor" shots taken
from the left side of the tank. This can be replicated from thin
styrene strip, but it's odd, considering the rest of the Miniarm
products, they would have missed this.

    Overall, the kits are a great place to start on a T-90 or simply the
T-72BM for anyone wanting a complete family of '72s.

    Thanks to Bill Miley of CMD for the review sample.

    http://www.miniarm.com
    http://www.chesapeakemodels.com

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