Hooben T-55

[lmcq11]

Here is my Hooben T-55, first edition. Although it was a pain to build because of the suspension design and misalignment of the plastic sprues that required most plastic parts to be reworked and cleaned, I have to say that the result is a pretty good looking tank. This is the standard RC version that I equipped with Heng Long electronics. Nothing fancy and it works well. I can see that their new edition has likely corrected many production issues, with some new parts.

[c.rainford73]

Very well done One of my favorite tanks very nice quality paint job

[Marc780]

This one is really very good. I looked into the Hooben T-55 but the price is outa sight...seriously thinking of getting the HL T-90 but I prefer the older Russian tanks like this one, hoping somebody will make the T-72 in 1/16 scale someday (they already make it in 1/24 scale if you can find it). There's a movie that this type of Russian tank stars called "The Beast of War" and perhaps you've seen it? It might be the best tanker film anybody ever made. As tank movies go there really are only two good ones - I'm not counting the dismal "Battle of the Bulge" from 1965 - the other one being the more recent movie "Fury" - which was quite good I thought and not sure why so many people disliked it. Both these movies get lots of things wrong, of course, and show soldiers and tankers doing things that would be very unlikely to happen in real life, like getting a direct hit from an RPG/Panzerfaust and still keep running...but so what, these two films are to tanks what "Das Boot" is to U-boats and "Battle of Britain" (1969) is to WW2 aircraft.

The original 1989 American title was "the beast" later renamed "The Beast of War" and found nowadays under this title.



The movie was filmed in Israel, of all places, and there are no CGI effects either. They used 3 actual T-54/T-55 tanks plus of course the usual AK's, RPG's, Dashka machine guns etc. and even a Russian helicopter. Probably these tanks were captured by the Israelis during the Yom Kippur War of 1973. And it is no secret the Israels actually rebuilt, up-engined and re-used many of the captured tanks for their own army - the ones used in the film being presumably leased, borrowed or rented to the film producers.

[lmcq11]

I like "The beast" better than "Fury", maybe its because it was a Russian crew.... One of many movies showing an intense, rebellious, emotional and dysfunctional tank crew, a situation that makes them as good as dead in combat. Another movie with a similar story and equally annoying for me to watch was the Israeli movie "Lebanon", showing an Israeli crew experience from within the tank, the exterior is viewed only through the tank periscopes. It could have been a fascinating and claustrophobic story but the director went too far I think in the hatred between the crew. And he represented the tank interior way bigger than it is. But I like 'Kelly's heroes" the most, surely because the dysfunctional crew is set in a comic context.

[Rad_Schuhart]

hoping somebody will make the T-72 in 1/16 scale someday

I have good news for you. Waltersons has released or is going to release soon a T-72 in 1/16

The Beast of war is an excelent tank movie by the way.

[wibblywobbly]

A few of us built the original T55, and I was one of them. The sprues were pretty bad, and many parts required a lot of work. Well worth it though, mine ran like a dream, it is one tank that I wish I had kept.