IDF TIRAN 5
& SLA TIRAN 5/4 Conversion
Blast Models 1/35 #BL35019K
Review by Terry Ashley
The set consists of 111 resin pieces cast in a light cream resin plus a 4 page instruction sheet. The quality of the casting is excellent with only a few minor air holes present on some of the parts and some other internal air bubbles that don’t break the surface, you have to be careful when checking for these to make sure they are actually surface air bubbles or internal, don’t need to make extra work for yourself. Due to the many small parts in the set there is some fine resin ‘flash’ to be removed from some parts and extreme care will be needed when removing the parts from the casting blocks.
Due to the many small and fine parts the packaging is important and the parts come in three plastic bags, one for the larger parts, another for the medium sized bits and the third for the small parts, all this keeps any damage to a minimum and I only had two parts with some damaged which is pretty good considering the package came half way around the World.
The main parts for the hull include the rear engine intakes for the Czech
and Polish produced versions, the new front fenders and mud flaps, new driver’s
periscopes with cleaning tubes and wiring for the lights as well as the light
guards, fender storage boxes and other small fittings. Some minor surgery
is required
to
remove
the Tamiya kit
driver’s periscopes and front fenders before fitting the resin
replacements with the instructions showing clearly what has to be done and
where to cut.
The new rear engine grills simply replace the kit items and shouldn’t
pose any problems and all the other storage boxes and small parts are just
added to the hull as required. You also get an upward extension for the exhaust
outlet, but this only appears on the original concept drawings and not usually
seen on production Tiran5/4s, but it is nice for this to be included in any
case.
The original front fender/mud flap join line was at the wrong angle but this has now been corrected by Blast Models with new sets having the fenders at the correct angle. I believe that if you have the original fenders and contact Blast Models they will provide the updated fenders.
The turret parts are quite comprehensive with many small bits to be added,
the good thing is there is no surgery needed on the Tamiya turret with the
resin bits either replacing the kit parts or fitted to the turret surfaces.
The larger parts are the rear storage basket and side storage boxes and it
is recommended you fit the rear storage basket first as this is aligned centrally
and then can be used as a guide for adding the other parts.
Two new hatches and turret inserts are provided as these are the earlier
style than in the Tamiya kit and require no modification to the kit to fit.
The
two inner hatch rings fit perfectly and the hatches can be positioned either
open or closed as you wish. The commander’s position also has
the internal main sights included as these are very noticeable if the hatch
is open while the hatches themselves have internal details included. The
curved machine gun mount fitted to the side of the commander’s hatch
is also included and it should be noted that it was usual IDF practice to
face the hatch to the rear (with the sight facing backwards) so the open
hatch provides some back protecting when the commander is standing in the
hatch.
A new gun mantlet with very nice canvas texture is included as well as a
two part 105mm L7 barrel. The forward part of the barrel has a pin which
fits into a pre-drilled hole in the central fume extractor, the hole is offset
as it should be and you have to ensure this is lined up correctly when fitting
the barrel to the mantlet. The muzzle is also opened up to a depth of 5mm
for good effect.
There are many small bits and accessories such as jerry cans and antenna mounts to be added around the turret and provided you take your time in fitting these there shouldn’t be any problems. The smallest of these are the row of tie down cleats down the centre of the turret and the instructions show the proper spacing and location of these quite clearly.
The two .30cal machine guns for the hatch mountings are very nicely cast as is the .50cal MG which can be fitted in a central turret mount for the Lebanese Tiran 5 or fixed above the mantlet for the IDF Tiran 5, the choice is yours depending on the version you prefer. You should note that if building the Lebanese Tiran 5 it retains the original D10T 100mm gun from the Tamiya kit, only the IDF version gets the new 105mm gun.
For the IDF Tiran 4 version the distinctive T-54 circular air blower for the turret roof is provided. The instructions clearly show the correct location for this with an overhead view of the turret giving measurements from the turret centre line.
The Instructions:
The 4 page A4 sized instructions are in the form of black and white photographs
of the kit during construction with the parts called out by number and short
text notes where needed. This all makes it fairly clear where the parts go
but as with any detailed update set careful study of the instructions and
references will be helpful.
Conclusion:
An extremely detailed and comprehensive conversion for the Tamiya T-55 with
only a one minor problem to sort out (front fenders) and will build into
an impressive model of the Tiran 5/4, the alternate parts to make one of
three versions is also a bonus.
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IDF Tiran 4 (T-54), Tiran 5 (T-55), A 24 page all colour photo essay of the Tiran 4, 5 and 6. The majority of the book (16 pages) deals with the Tiran 5 and has many excellent close up detailed photos which will be very handy for this kit. |
The Tiran 5/4 conversion kit can be purchased direct from Blast Models or from Mission Models in the US.
Page created 10 August 2003