T-54B, Syrian Army, Trumpeter 1/35

May 23, 2020 · in Armor · 14 · 2.5K

Hi,

This is not my first model, but certainly my first post here. I hope you like it.

This is the old model released by Trumpeter in the 90s (Item No. 00338) and it gives you the chance to do it as a static model or a motorised kit. A nice touch is that It comes with a nice piece of plastic mesh for covering the engine grills.

It also comes with plenty of optional parts for other versions of the tank and gives you the chance of choosing between two types of 100 mm main gun. Vynil tracks comes as the option and were twisted and look fragile, so at the end, I decided not to glue them to the upper portion of the wheels to avoid more stress on them, I apologize for that.

I bought this kit for cheap, but I learnt the lesson, Is not a friendly model: has horrendous flash, sink marks, ejector pins marks and requiered a lot of filling and sanding in order to fit upper and lower hull and some other areas. But since I like sanding, it is not an issue for me, but certainly was time consuming. I also improved some details like: wiring the IR lights & doing the fuel lines that are not included in the kit. Making the tow cables from metallic wire is also requested by Trumpeter.

I decided not to use any of the versions that comes included in the kit; so I bought Star Decals set No. 35-975 that comes with a nice Syrian 1973 Grey/ Green/Sand camouflage scheme used in the Golan Heights during the Yom Kippur war.

I don´t like weathering tanks too much, so I usually keep them used & dirty but not beaten as if they have been exposed during years to the elements.

It may be not the best T-54/55 tank in the market but certainly a looks like a T-54 to me!

Best Regards,

Reader reactions:
3  Awesome

5 additional images. Click to enlarge.


14 responses

  1. Hi Victor,
    Great job with the painting and weathering. Welcome to imodler!

  2. "Since I like sanding, it is not an issue for me..." And with that, you qualify for membership in this Model Nerd Asylum. 🙂

    A really nice result, Victor - a triumph of skill, talent, bull-headed stubbornness, and a lot of patience over plastic. I'm not a tank guy, but I like this a lot.

    Welcome aboard. The liquor locker's in the below-decks. You have to find it on your own.

  3. That's a great model, Victor. An excellent result! I am not armor experten, but I love seeing "difficult" kits like this finished in such nice way. Welcome aboard!

  4. Very nice T-54 and welcome to this site. Always nice to see some armor here! Good work!

  5. Lovely looking T-54, beautiful camo!

  6. Great-looking T-54, terrific paint work! I have the same kit.

    A quick, easy suggestion here: Apply some tacky, white glue to the tops of the wheels and stuff some rags to force the track down on top of the wheels. Then put everything aside to dry for a couple of days and, when you remove the rags, the track will be laying on top of the wheels like it's supposed to. It'll make a big difference in giving the model that classic "sinister" look.

  7. A great job! Welcome aboard!

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