T-54A Medium Tank
Roskopf 1:100 Scale Vehicle Review
The Roskopf 1:100 scale Soviet T-54A medium tank was sold without the 12.7 mm DShK “Dashka” anti-aircraft machine gun and therefore more closely resembles its successor, the T-55 medium tank. While the Roskopf model is no longer in production, it can be found cheaply at flea markets, model railway shows, and auctions.
Contents
- T-54A Medium Tank
Evaluation
Sold fully assembled, ready to play. The model comes with toy-like carpet rollers which need to be removed to make the heavy tank sit on its tracks convincingly. Cover the resulting holes in the underside with free 0.25 mm polystyrene sheet taken from a yoghurt cup.
The length, width, and height of the tank are accurate, the typical gap between the first and second road wheels is well represented, and the vehicle‘s silhouette is convincing overall. Unfortunately, the characteristic anti-aircraft machine gun mounted on the turret roof of the T-54 in front of the loaders hatch (on the right-hand side when facing forward) is missing. The AA machine gun is necessary to distinguish the T-54 from its successor, the T-55. For those who shy away from the more complex task of scratch-building their own 12.7 mm DshK “Dashka” AA machine gun, mounting an OU-3G infrared searchlight to the right of the main gun (when facing forward) will complete the look of the T-55.
The armoured vent cover in front of the loader's hatch on the turret roof is missing. The TPKU-1 periscope should be positioned directly in front of the commander's hatch, not 3 mm away from it. The antenna base of the T-54A is located slightly to the left of the periscope, also directly at the commander‘s hatch, not on the side of the turret. The missing 4 m whip antenna can be convincingly represented with a 40 mm long paintbrush bristle. The cast-on handholds on the turret sides, along with the antenna mount, can be sanded off and replaced with ones made of 0.3 mm brass or piano wire.
The single headlight on the bow plate should be sanded off and replaced with two full headlights, one white light and one infrared. Adding two auxiliary fuel tanks at the stern will make the model look even more interesting and realistic; s. our tutorial “T-54A Medium Tank”.
Compatibel with Battlefront Miniatures (Flames of War, Team Yankee), Essex Miniatures, Eureka Miniatures, Forged in Battle, Irregular Miniatures, Old Glory, Peter Pig, Plastic Soldier Company, Skytrex (Command Decision), Wargames Factory, Quality Castings, Quick Reaction Force (QRF), Zvezda, and similar 15/18 mm or 1:100 scale miniatures.
Possible Conversions
- T-54AK (I) Coy. Command, two R-123 Radios and 4 m Whip Antennae
- T-54AK (II) Btl. Command, two R-123 Radios and 10 m telesc. Radio Mast
- T-55 with OU-3G IR Search Light
The vintage Roskopf T-54A medium tank is ideal for wargamers who need really good and robust Soviet medium tanks for very little money. The model can be used as either a T-54 or a T-55 medium tank.