T-62

Manufacturer: Italeri (#7006); ESCI/Ertl(#8340)

by Alan Mede

This kit has the link and length trackwith good detail on the outside but no central teeth on the innersurface.

The road wheels are one piece and reallyneed to have a grove cut down the middle because their large sizewon’t be hidden by the tracks.

One of the most prominent features ofRussian tanks is the varied spacing of the road wheels. I checkedthis spacing by comparing a profile photograph (thanks toArmorFoto) with the kit hull side and wheels. The last fourwheels seem to be a little too far back. The relative spacing isabout right and when comparing the left and right side; they areoffset as they should be by about a millimeter.

The kit wheels look more like mags thenanything else. They are missing the holes and some of the curvedwebbing near the rim. The front idler is solid where it should behollow. At least the rear drive sprocket is a good representationof the real piece. The wheels line up with each other so thetracks will be straight.

Even though the box art shows the loadershatch open, the hatches are all molded closed. The vision blocksare all solid but to be fair; they are also very small. Themantlet has a hint of fabric texture on it but I plan to usepaper to replicate the cover that seals the gun to the turret.The sight on the left side of the main gun is represented but themachine gun on the right is missing. On close inspection, thedetails on the hull and turret are simplified and are representedby geometric shapes; but they are crisply molded. There is ashovel molded onto a fender but no other tools. There is no towcable or headlight guards provided.

The decals offer 3 different versions butwhat you get are numbers for a green European or green and sandSyrian machine or a parade marking and nothing else at all. Thereis no information about deployments or units.