borealis

Pics taken in Prague by a friend: now that would be a VERY original tank to build (starting from a T-34 basis).

wackywheelz

I'd love to see a T-54/55/62 in 1/16, sadly I might have to make it. Love the look, the dome turret...

using a T34 chassis to make that, you're probably better off starting form scratch. Nice pics

pattoncommander

The T-44-55 tanks were nice from a driver's standpoint....plenty of room to move and fun to drive, but the turret is a total nightmare! Very awkward to ride, cramped like you wouldn't believe when buttoned up and generally, no room to do anything. The turrets traverse manually very fast and easy on a level, but at an angle uphill, you use "Armstrong" power assist....no counterbalnace for the weight of the gun. The dome turret is nice for making the tank compact and more tendancy to deflect AP rounds....(or used to be) but the design has absolutely no consideration for the crew. The first Russian tank to use this design was the JS-III, and I have always been of the opinion that our M-48 stemmed from this design... difference being the size, especially of the M-48 turret, with lots more space. If you want a real education on Soviet design mindset, go to military shows where they have any of the T-72 series on display and climb into the driver's and either turret of hatches. Close the hatch and it's easy to understand why after 4-5 hrs, the crew siuffers from combat fatigue. The auto loader takes up most of the room in the turret and they have proven to dismal failures unless extremely well maintained. On the T-72 and into the 80 and 90 series, the driver's position is Kamikaze at best. With the gun forward or over either front fender, the driver cannot open and get out. There is an escape hatch BUT the driver's hatch must be opened to get to it....brilliant planning, no? This on the T-72...not certain on the later ones, but just looking at the design, seems there is no change. The T-62/64 are a lot better and a bit more room in the turret except for the HUGE 125mm recoil system and breech. No doubt about it, they are very fast, easy to drive, a very small target and reliable and look nice, but would not care to be a crewman in one.

wackywheelz

dont have to tell me pc, i know the deal. Soviet tankers werent meant to last, they were meant to fight lol. Crew comfort was the least of their worries, and when they captured a Panzer III/IV they couldnt believe how much was "wasted" on crew comfort (half-decent sprung seats etc).

I like the sinister look of the soviet tanks, but I sure as hell wouldnt go to battle in one (especially T-72 -- I'm too big to fit ahahaha)

pattoncommander

0n the other side of the fence, the t-34/85 had lots of room...but they used wooden boxes for sitting and hardly any other place for stowing anything. The Russian theory was/is, that if you have 20 tanks and loose 19 of them but take the objective, it's a success, and order 19 new tanks. The tank was relatively easy to drive, but like a Sherman, you had to have muscles for tight turns. Still, I wouldn't mind having one.