Panda Hobby’s all new test shot build up picks of the new ZTZ-99A MBT…

Panda Hobby has released new shots of the coming  PLA-ZTZ-99A MBT tank we saw a lot of at the recent parade in Beijing. this has just been added to the CAD & video to see what’s coming…

New Model Preview:

PLA-ZTZ-99A MBT

Panda Hobby

Kit No PH35018
Photo Etched & clear parts included

Expected price $55 USD

Panda Hobby have made a new version of the Chinese main battle tank we saw on parade so prominently this year in the large military parade in Beijing. The Type 99 main battle tank is a further development of the Type 98 MBT. It is generally similar to the Type 98, but has a number of improvements. The Type 99 was revealed in 2000 and entered service with the Chinese Army in 2001. Only a limited number of these MBTs are operational (approximately 200), because of the high unit price. This main battle tank shows a mixture of Russian and Western influence in its design and technology.

The recent parade in Beijing was a good airing for this tank...

The kit is a detailed but on the whole very easy looking kit to build. Some pictures fo the plastic we already have from Panda Hobby this year

Long side skirts dominate this construction sprue 

The angular turret and mantlet features here - one thing of not is the split down the middle gun which we don't like that much

Again the simple wheel and suspension is a quick construction

tracks look easy to put together..

The turret of the kit swings 360 degrees and the gun pivots up and down:
Turret of the Type 99 has a Leopard 2A5-style wedge-shaped modular add-on explosive reactive armour. Damaged sections to be replaced or upgraded when more advanced armour is available. It is claimed that the front protection of the Type 99 MBT is equivalent to 1000 - 1200 mm of steel armour. Vehicle is equipped with NBC protection and automatic fire suppression systems.

A lot of the details of the lower hull are moulded on already speeding up the build process..

Hull of the Type 99 MBT is very similar to the Soviet T-72, but is one meter longer. Vehicle is powered by a turbocharged diesel engine, developing 1 500 horsepower. This engine is based on the German MTU 871 Ka-501 technology. The Type 99 has a high power to weight ratio and subsequently good mobility and cross-country performance. The Type 99 has a crew of three, including commander, gunner and driver.

All hatches for the crew can be opened or closed.

The Type 99 tank is armed with a fully-stabilized ZPT98 125-mm smoothbore gun, fitted with a carousel-type autoloader. Both the main gun and the autoloader were copied from the Soviet/Russian designs. The Type 99 has a rate of fire in 8 rpm using autoloader and 1 - 2 rpm loading manually. Secondary armament consists of 7.62-mm coaxial machine gun and 12.7-mm anti-aircraft MG.

Markings that were seen on the parade are included in this kit

Photo etched parts are included - hopefully they are looking like an easy addition to the plastic on hand 

Some pictures of the kit on a build by modeller Xiang Zhu - it looks good so far

And here is the mock up and CAD video of the kit - it's interesting to see it all together like this. Click on the bottom right square to make the video larger...

Lastly just added are more pictures of this test kit fully built up from Panda Hobby

Well that is all we have right now until this kit’s release (very soon) - We will keep you abreast of news this kit from Panda-Hobby in the future.