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The T-80 Main Battle Tank first appeared in 1985. It was invisioned as a combination of the best features and systems of the T-64 and T-72 Main Battle Tanks. The improved T-80BV appeared in 1987 with Explosive Reactive Armour (ERA) fitted to the front glacis plate and turret. ERA makes the frontal arc of the T-80BV extremely resistant to Western ATGM (Anti-Tank Guided Missile) systems.
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The T-80 is armed with a potent 125mm main gun, completely stabilized for firing on the move. It has the ability to fire the AT-8 Songster anti-tank missile through the main gun. A 12.7mm anti-aircraft machine gun is mounted to the commanders cupola and a 7.62mm machine gun is coaxial-mounted with the main gun.
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An automated loading system enables the T-80 to be operated by only three crew members. The autoloader speed ranges from 7.1 seconds to 19.5 s to load the main weapon depending on the initial position of the carousel.
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T-80BV is powered by a gas turbine engine and incorporates suspension components of the T-72. This gives the tank a high power-to-weight ratio and makes it one of the most mobile tanks in service, although with serious range problems, as the turbine consumes fuel at an alarming rate even at an idle. |
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The Chechen Wars:
T-80B and T-80BV MBTs were used to capture cities during the First Chechen War, a task for which they were not well suited. Large numbers of T-80 were destroyed by shoulder-launched anti-tank rocket propelled grenade launchers (RPGs). The fire was directed at the least armored points of the vehicles. The T-80BV performed so poorly in urban combat it was eventually entrusted only to support infantry squads from a safe distance until improvements could be made. |
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| Revell's T-80bv is a nice kit in general. I've read reviews pointing out some inaccuracies in the kit, but overall it looks like the real beast which is good enough for most modelers. |
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| Revell didn't include tow cables or the customary "log" stored on the back of the vehicle so I used 12 gauge wire and spare parts from an Esci T-62 kit to make it right. |
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Revell did a good job of representing the stowed snorkels at the rear of the turret, the snorkels are used for deep fording operations. Revell's pintle mounted 12.7mm gun was a bit too simplified so I used one from an Esci T-62 kit. |
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| Revell designed the side skirt ERA panels to fit in a perfect horizontal line, unfortunately my research showed that they should be angled down at the front. I was able to correct this fairly easily by trimming the mounts and repositioning the front three panels. |
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| The ERA was tricky to position but I finally got it sorted out. Here my replacement Esci 12.7mm gun has been painted. |
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| Here is my T-80 on the workbench after the basic camouflage has been applied, no weathering or detailing yet. |
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| Another shot on the workbench before detailing. Note the Dragon Humvee partially completed in the background. I tend to work on many kits at once which is partially why it takes me so long to finish everything. |
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| In fact I was working on three kits this day, having fun comparing the narrow 2S1 self propelled gun to the T-80. |
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| Here is a photo before paint which shows off the few modifications I made. Note the tow cable, Esci 12.7mm machine gun and scratch built site doors. |
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| I used 12 gauge stranded electrical wire glued to some eyelets that I found in my spares box. I had to make some simple brackets to hold the log borrowed from an old Esci T-62. |
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| As you can see I didn't add much, it's mostly right out of the box. |
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| All in all it was a fun build and a great addition to my collection. |
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Kit: Revell of Germany #03106 |
Scale: 1/72 |
Value:
Retail is about $15.00 (US) at time of writing in 2009 - Not a bargain but comparable to what most small scale armor kits go for these days. |
Assembly:
The kit consists of aprox. 180 plastic parts molded in olive, one decal sheet and a fold out 6 page instruction sheet depicting 19 steps of assembly.
This kit was originally released without reactive armor under the Matchbox name, then later as a Monogram kit.
Tracks
are molded in separate-links, the detail is a bit simplified but they fit well and are acceptable after painting.
All crew hatches are molded in separate pieces. Gun barrel can elevate and turret can rotate.
Although the instructions provide top and isometric views of the turret, it's still tricky locating the correct positions for items on the turret. Test fitting is imparitive in this area.
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Decals:
Decals are provided for 6th Special Guards Brigade August 1994 and for 211th Tank Regiment June 1989. Decals are sharp and in register. |
Customizations:
Stranded electrical wire used for the tow cable. Transparent pearlized sequins were used for vision blocks and sites. Hand-holds were created with small gauge wire. The 12.7mm gun and mount was replaced with an Esci T-62 gun, also the log came from the ESCI T-62 kit. I thinned down and sculpted frontal and side skirts to look more realistic. |
Recommendation:
This is a fairly easy kit to build and reasonably accurate. Recommend for any enthusiast of modern armor. |
