One of the most famous and prolific Cold War tanks, the T-55, evolved from the preceding T-54 with the inclusion of Nuclear-Biological-Chemical (NBC) protection. Italeri packed a ton of detail into a pocket-sized package with its brand-new T-55A, despite a relatively low parts count. Grab handles and other small details are precise and petite, and the engine and transmission can be displayed through posable hatches.
The lower hull builds from five pieces with tight, precise fits. The road-wheel arms are keyed but there is a little play in the mounts, so make sure they are all sitting at the same height before moving on. I used a steel ruler to align mine.
I glued the wheels to the arms before painting, because I wanted to add the tracks early. Each run in supplied in two injection-molded plastic sections and need to be bent around the wheels after being heated with a hair dryer. The kit’s OMSh-style tracks would be inaccurate for the Romanian marking option.
The diminutive engine and transmission build quickly and show terrific detail.
The fuel tanks and stowage boxes attach to the one-piece upper hull that is molded with the fenders. All the parts are keyed, and fit was trouble-free. All the hatches are posable.
I left the upper and lower hulls separate to make painting the engine and tracks easier.
The turret fit together with ease. The main gun’s elevation can be changed, and all the hatches are posable. The only omission is a dust cover for the mantlet, commonly fitted to T-55s and shown in the box art and painting diagrams.
The decals supply markings for four tanks: A Soviet naval infantry vehicle in 1970, an East German tank in 1967, a Polish tank in 1968, and a Romanian T-55 in 2019. I painted mine as the Soviet tank with AK Interactive Real Color lacquers.
Bottom line, this is a great kit with a relatively low parts count and good detail. I recommend it to any modeler looking to add a T-55 to their collection.