IDF 1/35 Tiran 4 and 5

During the 1967 and 1973 wars the Israeli Defense Force obtained sufficient numbers of T-54 and T-55s to equip several battalions. Ample spares were available from the tanks that could not be restored to operational condition. Many of these tanks were delivered to the Southern Lebanese Army. In the IDF service the tanks were modified to varying degrees to match with other tanks in the service. The major modification was the replacement of the main gun.

Trumpeter, Miniart and Tamiya produced Tiran variants in 1/35th scale. Here, the (not so venerable) Trumpeter received extensive modifications to revamp the basic T-55 model produced. The SLA T-54B variant by Miniart is a no interior model. Even without the interior the model is difficult to build having an abundance of tiny parts. The Tamiya model is less detailed. I would have considered it the best Tamiya armor kit I ever built if it was with workable tracks that I added to complement the beautiful surface textures.

9 additional images. Click to enlarge.