Military Illustrated Modeller – August 2019

 Military Illustrated Modeller - August 2019

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he Soviet T-80U main battle tank (1985, 'U'

for 'uluchsheniye', meaning 'improvement')

was designed by SKB-2 in Leningrad (hull) and

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It is a further development of the T-80A and is

powered by the 1,250 hp (919 kW) GTD-1250

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and GTD-1000TF engines that were installed on

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can use jet fuels as well as diesel and low-octane

gasoline and has good dynamic stability, service

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the T-80s high fuel consumption, which the Russian

army found unacceptable during the Chechen

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a second generation of explosive reactive armour

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AN ALL-NEW KIT

RPG Model is a new manufacturer to MiM and

this T-80U is their first release, as far as we

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grey polystyrene sprues for the main structures

and trees of black, kit-plastic mouldings for the

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photo-etched brass provides engine screens, tool

brackets and more, plus a coil of braided copper

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offers five markings-options, four of which are for

Russian Army tanks between 2008 to 2015 plus

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you want your model to depict one of the T-80Us

that were involved in the 1991 attempted coupe

d'état in Moscow, you'll need to undertake some

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The model's assembly begins with the

suspension, which is designed to remain

workable thanks to synthetic rubber 'springs' and

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the modeller might opt to cement-up the running

gear for strength, but the need for this will only

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The tracks come with moulded jigs to ease

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to individual guide horns which snap two links

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on the tracks is excellent and, assuming they

are robust enough to hold together during the

painting and weathering processes, should look

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The rest of assembly continues conventionally

and as is often the case these days, there are

a great any tiny mouldings to add to the hull

and turret along the

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tweezers and a good

set of close-up visors will

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An interesting inclusion

in the kit are one-piece,

moulded headlight guard

frames which are bent

from steel bars in reality

and always a challenge

to depict realistically

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need a little clean-up

(mostly while still on the

sprue) but they have

the potential to look

very convincing and as

a benefit, obviate the

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As a first release from RPG Model, the T-80U

appears to be a very comprehensive production,

with many tiny components that contribute to an

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potential to produce an excellent replica of this

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A new kit of a

significant tank in 1:35

is always welcome and

RPG Model's T-80U

ULTIMATE looks great in the box

ULUCHSHENIYE!

Tank history edited from Wikipedia.

RPG 1:35 T-80U RUSSIAN MAIN BATTLE TANK KIT NO.35001

Materials:

Injection-moulded grey polystyrene, photo-etched brass, metal braided

cord, synthetic rubber track connector, waterslide decals

Availability;

Available from online sources