"The Beast of 1,000 parts" - Takom T-55-AM2B

[plasticprime]

This kit truly played the part of “The Beast of 1,000 parts” oh so well. (It may not actually have been 1,000 pieces, but it had to have been pretty darn close.)

 If you enjoy fiddly little parts with no discernible glue points, then this kit is for you! And as an added bonus, some of the intricate detail you’ll labor so diligently to complete will be – surprise! - completely covered up by subsequent assemblies! Way cool!

 I found this kit so maddingly frustrating that there were numerous times when I nearly chucked it – and everything else I have associated with the hobby – into the trash.  However, I persevered and eventually brought the beast to bay. But it wasn’t easy. I gave up on the individual link tracks that came with the kit (after stomping them into the ground with fiendish delight), and finally bought a set of T-Rex tracks which were incredibly easy to assemble and had fantastic detail. The kit supplied metal tow cables were also impossible to fit, so I settled for a tow chain instead that I made from jewelry chain. There were innumerable instances where I drilled itsy bitsy holes in parts and used wire pegs to affix them as there seemed no other way to do it without drowning the darn thing in glue. I used rattle cans for almost all of the painting and carefully used Tamiya masking tape, which came in especially handy for the side skirts. The primary color was Tamiya TS-2 Dark Green, and I used other shades of green for the barrel, turret accessories, stowage, etc., to provide some color contrast. I recalled a T-55 reference photograph in which a single fuel drum was a light blue, and I had some light blue handy, so used it for both, along with some oil-related decals from the spare box (the oil-related company referenced in the decals was a US brand that ceased operations years before the T-55 AM2B went into service, but ask me if I care).

 The psychopaths at Takom that designed this kit should be forced to build it themselves – would serve them right.

 Main lesson learned from this build? Easy! - it’s only Tamiya armor kits from now on!

[Dave Van]

Looks good!!! I build some military now and then.  Got a few put back. 

[Jim B]

Great looking tank. Looks like you fought the good fight & came through in the end. Well done.

[plasticprime]

On 9/20/2023 at 9:43 AM, Jim B said:

Great looking tank. Looks like you fought the good fight & came through in the end. Well done.

Thanks! If Takom kits build nothing else, they build patience! 

[roadkill]

Hey man, I fully understand the feeling of utter despair and the temptation to just chuck it all but chucking it all at the wall would be most satisfying, having said that and read your description of your struggle with this particular kit be assured you knocked it out of the park, in fact out of your post (zip) code, from what I can see in your pics that is an awesome bit of kit, truly inspirational.

 

Kind regards

Michael Pederick (roadkill)

Perth Western Australia,

Or as I like to call it,

the left coast of the big island down under.

[David G.]

Looks like it was well worth the effort.

Way to overcome!

David G.

[slusher]

Looks terrific!

[the goon]

Looks great.

Mark

[ColonelKrypton]

Very nice.

I have not yet built a Takom kit but I have built a few of the MiniArt kits. Not sure if your Takom kit had the interior bits but the basic MiniArt T-55 kits without interior are close to that 1000 part number and no doubt just as fiddly as the Takom; the MiniArt with the full interior ( plus engine plus transmission if you care to add it) is doubly so fiddly than the basic kit. Too much so for me.

cheers, Graham

  

[plasticprime]

On 9/23/2023 at 7:18 AM, roadkill said:

Hey man, I fully understand the feeling of utter despair and the temptation to just chuck it all but chucking it all at the wall would be most satisfying, having said that and read your description of your struggle with this particular kit be assured you knocked it out of the park, in fact out of your post (zip) code, from what I can see in your pics that is an awesome bit of kit, truly inspirational.

 

Kind regards

Michael Pederick (roadkill)

Perth Western Australia,

Or as I like to call it,

the left coast of the big island down under.

Thank you very much for the kind and encouraging words! They're very appreciated!

[Lunajammer]

 

I think if it was mine it would have manifested itself as scratch built space station. 

 

Edited November 9, 2023 by Lunajammer