1:48 Soviet light tank T-80

1:48 Soviet light tank T-80 - Mikromir

A kit of the Soviet T-80 light tank in 1:48 scale from the Ukrainian maker Mikromir, injection-molded plastic from a short-run mold. Watch out for a mix-up: the subject is a light tank of the Second World War, not the modern main battle tank of the same designation.

The real subject

The T-80 was the last Soviet light tank of the Second World War and came about at the Gorky automobile works as a development of the T-70 type. The main change was the two-man turret: on the T-70 the commander had to aim and load at the same time, which overloaded him, whereas on the T-80 the gunner could concentrate on firing alone and the commander on directing the fight. The crew was three men, the armament stayed the same as on its predecessor, that is, a 45 mm gun and a 7.62 mm machine gun, and the armor was strengthened to as much as 45 mm. By 1944, however, the gun was already weak and the Red Army gave preference to medium tanks, so series production stayed small and soon ended.

Building and painting tips

Dry-fit the short-run parts first and fill and sand the gaps. Finish and paint the running gear and the turret interior before you close up both the hull and the turret. Unify the surface with a primer coat, apply the paint with an airbrush and fine-tune the weathering with glazes into the recesses and pigments for mud and dust effects in the running gear.

Who the model is for

• Modelers with experience of short-run molds
• Collectors of Soviet light equipment in 1:48 scale
• Anyone interested in the end of light tank development
• Builders of dioramas from the Eastern Front

The model is supplied unassembled and unpainted. Glue, paints and accessories are not included in the package, unless stated otherwise.