INTERMEDIATE BUILD
T-80UM1 MBT
INTERMEDIATE BUILD
T-80UM1 MBThttp://www.airfi xmodelworld.com 53Busy contents
It’s always pleasing to find a good
quality 1/72 armour kit. Since
Modelcollect hit the scene in
2012, it’s released an extensive
collection, concentrating initially
on Soviet/Russian and ‘Germany
1946’ armour, and branching
recently into Western vehicles and
aircraft. Upon opening the sturdy
box, one was struck immediately
by the quality of the styrene, whichfeatured a high level of detail —
more than most manufacturers
provide in this scale, with no seam
lines or flash. There were also two
small photo-etched (PE) metal
frets and a turned metal barrel.
A brief study of the instructions
revealed well-drawn diagrams and
colour profiles for two tanks, with
AMMO-MIG colour codes. Would
first impressions hold true?
Assembly started with the
turret, and straight away, chinks
in Modelcollect’s armour started
to appear. When the turret halves
were joined, notches on each item
resulted in larger gaps, which
had to be filled; other recesses
(where unused parts would have
been — multiple versions can be
built with these components) were
addressed similarly. Real T-80s
have cast turrets, the texture of
which is evident in photos. To
replicate this, the kit part received
two coats of Testors’ liquid glue
and, while the plastic was still soft,
it was stippled with a stiff brush.Welcome refinement
The amount of moulded detail,
and that to be added was laudable,
both in quantity and quality...
but not necessarily perfect. Sink
marks were noted on the lower
ballistic armour plates, which were
resolved via Mr. Surfacer. At this
stage, vagaries in the instructions
became apparent, and there wasdoubt where some items should
have been located; this meant
constant cross-referencing against
photographs throughout the build.
More than a few parts attached
with a simple (and consequently
fragile) butt-join, while others
were omitted.
Two cases stood out: a pair of
rectangular blocks were notedhttp://www.airfi xmodelworld.com 53addressed similarly. Real T-80s
have cast turrets, the texture of
which is evident in photos. To
replicate this, the kit part received
two coats of Testors’ liquid glue
and, while the plastic was still soft,
it was stippled with a stiff brush.MODELSPEC
T-80UM1
By: Modelcollect
Stock Code: UA72063
Scale: 1/72
Price: US $21.99
Available from:
http://www.modelcollect.comNo powerplant was included, but
the engine deck was ventilated,
with PE grille covers. The interior
was painted black to prevent light
being reflected from the inside.The gun mantlet/blast bag did not mate properly to the turret, so notches were cut
to correct for the difference in mounting angles. Note the sanded Mr. Surfacer on
the armour plates’ outer surfaces. Another area forgotten by the
instructions...the moulded detail on the
glacis plate must be removed before the
replacement add-on armour (Part X46)
could be installed.