Looking like a flying saucer, the Soviet Union’s Object 279 experimental heavy tank was designed to traverse terrain inaccessible to other tanks. The odd shape was designed to deflect the shockwave from a nuclear blast that might otherwise flip a tank.
Though relatively new to 1/72 scale armor, Takom has mastered the subject matter quickly with kits that find a good balance between parts count and details.
This kit doesn’t disappoint as it features two full tanks with 244 parts per tank, crisp fine details including petite panel lines, link-and-length tracks, and a few photo-etched metal (PE) parts. As a bonus, there’s also a 1/72 scale Soviet soldier in full nuclear, biological, chemical (NBC) gear and holding a rifle.
Assembly starts with the tanks’ unique features, the lower hull and suspension. The latter can be built in one of two positions, extended or compressed. It appears far more complicated and labor-intensive than it actually proved to be. The parts fit was tight and the snug locating pins made dry-fitting a snap. I missed the callout in the instruction to not glue Part D14. I caught it in time to fix it, but the direction is small and easily missed.
The link-and-length tracks fit perfectly, a great thing on this vehicle which has four runs per vehicle.
The upper hull and turret finish assembly and they were fast and easy compared to the running gear. Optional guns allow either vehicle to be finished as the Object 279 with 130mm main gun or the 279M with a 152mm gun. Slide-molded parts add to the model’s scale-accurate appearance. The only thing I wish the kit included was clear parts for the searchlight and headlight lenses. This isn’t a deal-breaker on an otherwise great kit and optional covers for the lights are provided.
To finish the two tanks, the kit includes one turret number — 120 — but three marking options are shown in the instructions. At least two appear based on how the only surviving Object 279 has been painted over the years at Russia’s Kubinka Tank Museum.
I really enjoyed building and painting Takom’s Object 279 and adding this unique subject to my collection. The kit’s design and part breakdown make it very accessible and anyone with a kit under their belt should have no problems building it.
Note: A version of this review appeared in the March 2020 issue.