Tuesday, May 18

Preview: Miniart's new 35th scale East German T-55A

The latest kit just announced from Miniart features the T-55A used by the NVA (not the North Vietnamese Army - the National People's Army or Nationale Volksarmee in German) during the cold war. The kit features the stowage, machine gun & NBC improvements notable for this model. We have info and images of the real thing & colours & markings with features of the kit in our preview...

Preview: MiniArt's new NVA T-55A - Coming Soon:

NVA T-55A
Kit No #37083
1/35th scale
Injection moulded kit 
Photo-etched parts & Clear plastic parts included
Four marking choices of the NVA included.
The subject: The National People's Army (German: Nationale Volksarmee) T-55A
This version was derived from the prototype Ob’yekt 155A in 1963, characterized by a new antiradiation lining and full PAZ/FVU chemical filtration system. This development was a logical step further after the PAZ protection suite, and was developed by the Morozov design bureau in Kharkov in conjunction with NII Stali (scientific research institute for steel). The result was a special lining called POV, and permitted by the intervention of the Vagonka bureau at Nizhni Tagil. This was a lead-impregnated plastic applied to all interior surfaces to protect the crew, outsides of the hatches and hatch combings, protected by a thin steel cover. Outside the overpressure system, a new NBC-proven air filtration completed the set against chemical agents. After trials, the production started in August 1963 as the T-55A.
In 1961, development of improved NBC protection systems began. The goal was to protect the crew from fast neutrons; adequate protection against gamma radiation was provided by the thick armour and a PAZ basic NBC protection system.
The POV plasticized lead anti radiation lining was developed to provide the needed protection. It was installed in the interior, requiring the driver's hatch and the coamings over the turret hatches to be noticeably enlarged. This liner had the added benefit of protecting the crew from fragments of penetrated armour.
The tank was equipped with a full PAZ/FVU chemical filtration system. The coaxial 7.62 mm SGMT machine gun was replaced by a 7.62 mm PKT machine gun. 

A typical view of T-55a on maneuvers, note the typical rectangle stowage bin on left-hand-side of turret
The hull was lengthened from 6.04 m to 6.2 m. The hull machine gun was removed, making space for six more main gun rounds. These changes increased the weight of the vehicle to 38 tonnes. The design work was done by OKB-520 design bureau of Uralvagonzavod under the leadership of Leonid N. Kartsev. 

T-55A on display at the Deutsches Panzermuseum Munster, Germany.
From 1962 through 1970, about 1,800 of the T-55 and T 55A tanks were supplied to East Germany by the U.S.S.R.
T-55a from the Friedrich Wolf tank regiment in Burg near Magdeburg being refueled
This new kit from MiniArt
This kit features the Early model T55A supplied to the NVA (not the North Vietnamese Army - the National People's Army or Nationale Volksarmee in German) during the cold war by the Soviets. The kit features the MG chane, the NBC equipment, Tow cable arrangement and Stowage bins of the German variant in service...
The kit features:
Separated tracks included
Photo-etched parts & Clear plastic parts included
All hatches can be assembled in open or closed position
Metal surfaces and weld lines accurately represented in the model
Decal sheet for 4 options