Trumpeter 07149 1/72 Russian T-62 ERA (Mod.1972)

As the successor to the T-55, the T-62 was equipped with a new 2A20 115 mm smoothbore gun. Both used the same road wheels, tracks, engine, gearbox, and many other common components such as external fuel tanks. The main difference was that the T-62 featured a completely redesigned turret with a larger turret ring, resulting in a longer chassis. Its armor-piercing fin-stabilized discarding sabot (APFSDS) rounds could penetrate 300 mm of homogeneous steel at 1000 m, which was sufficient at the time to deal with NATO tanks such as the American M-48 and later the British Chieftain. Initially, the T-62 was merely an emergency design to enhance the T-55's firepower against new NATO tanks. Unexpectedly, its reliable performance and low cost led to its widespread and prolonged deployment in the Red Army, becoming a main battle tank, much like the T-54/55.

Despite its introduction in the 1960s, the Soviet Union continued to improve the T-62, developing the famous T-72 main battle tank based on it. Even today, the T-62 remains in service with the armies of many countries, with the most concentrated use in Arab countries including Egypt, Iraq, and Syria. Israel captured a large number of T-62s during the Middle East wars and subsequently standardized them to Israel Defense Forces standards before deploying them.

Specifications

• Length: 139mm Width: 51mm Height: mm
• Total number of parts: 70+
• 3 sprues, upper hull, lower hull and track