The Soviet T-62 main battle tank was first introduced in 1961. An evolution of the T-55 series, the T-62 retained many similar design elements of its predecessor, including a low profile and heavy turret armour.
Unlike earlier tanks, which were armed with rifled tank guns, the T-62 was the first production tank with a smoothbore gun.
The tank had 5% thicker armour on the front of the hull (102 mm at 60°) and 15% thicker armour on the front of the turret (242 mm) than the T-54/T-55.
The turret is considered a revolution in tank construction, as it had hardly any interception points. The turret armour measures 153mm on the sides, 97mm in the rear and 40mm on the roof.
The hull armour measured 79mm at the upper sides, 46mm at the rear at 0° and 20mm at the bottom. Although the armour on the front of the hull is thicker than on the T-55, the lower side armour (15mm) and roof armour (31mm) are actually thinner.
While the T-62 became the standard tank for the Soviet Army, with a total of over 20000 built, it did not replace the T-55 in export markets due to its higher manufacturing costs and maintenance requirements compared to its predecessor. It was mainly used by states in the Middle East, Africa and the successor states of the Soviet Union. Among them Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria, Yemen, etc.
Plastic model kit
with vinyl tracks
with one figure
Scale 1:35
unbuilt / unpainted
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