Heng Long T90

[zooma]

This is my first Heng Long r/c tank of any sort, and I am very impressed with it. I realise that my HAYA Chieftain has a close relationship with the Heng Long factory, but this model is in a different price league and I was not expecting the T90 to be anything like as good as it is for so much less cash.

My T90 model has the 7.0 version radio system and I have found it smoother and nicer to drive than my Tamiya Leopard 2A6 (!) and the radio is much easier to use and feels a lot better than the "toy" transmitter that came with the HAYA Chieftain too.

As I do not have any experience of modelling Russian tanks I have not done any reference work on them yet, so I am not sure about the colour scheme that this T90 came with, or if it is authentic (as used by the Ukraine army) or even if it is a colour scheme that has been used by the Russian forces either (?) but it is an attractive paint scheme that I would like to keep if I can find some sort of original reference for it.

The temptation is to go for the classic all-over green paint scheme, but I have a lot of green tanks and if this Heng Long supplied colour scheme was used by either army then I would like to work with it as it would make a nice change. My assumption is that Heng Long didn't just decorate the model in an imaginative colour of their choice and so they probably did have a real life T90 to refer to?

I am also guessing that if the Russian T90 tanks were actually painted in this scheme, then it would be reasonable to assume that some of them could have been sold to the Ukrainian Army in the same colours.....and would be the inspiration for Heng Long to produce this Ukrainian version of it ?

Any help with information about the authenticity of this paint scheme would be appreciated.

[ColemanCollector]

...My assumption is that Heng Long didn't just decorate the model in an imaginative colour of their choice and so they probably did have a real life T90 to refer to?...

Welllllll...HL does some weird stuff!

I'd hunt the Interwebs as sites like Tank Encyclopedia have good colour profiles to get some ideas from.

Mike

[Tiger6]

Probably based off of this example here: https://weaponsystems.net/system/838-T-90

[Herr Dr. Professor]

Zooma: I am curious as to how this T90 might differ from the one I bought some time ago. If it's not too much bother, please, 1) from what retailer did you get the Ukranian T90? 2) ...any chance of a photo or two? Thank you,
Ed

[HERMAN BIX]

I have another one to do as well.
I’m looking at an Azerbaijani version !!

[zooma]

Zooma: I am curious as to how this T90 might differ from the one I bought some time ago. If it's not too much bother, please, 1) from what retailer did you get the Ukranian T90? 2) ...any chance of a photo or two? Thank you,
Ed
[/quote.

[zooma]

Probably based off of this example here: https://weaponsystems.net/system/838-T-90

Yup - that looks like it !

[HERMAN BIX]

I believe that was a tank used in a Tank Biathlon.
Sort of a gymkhana for military vehicles.
Not a T90 in service

[Raminator]

I am also guessing that if the Russian T90 tanks were actually painted in this scheme, then it would be reasonable to assume that some of them could have been sold to the Ukrainian Army in the same colours.....and would be the inspiration for Heng Long to produce this Ukrainian version of it ?

T-90s were never sold to Ukraine, the handful they have in active service are captured Russian ones. Ukraine inherited a large number of tanks following the dissolution of the Soviet Union, and didn't have the need (or budget) to buy more modern Russian designs. The Malyshev plant (which produced T-64s and T-80s for the Soviet army) is in Kharkiv; the increase in Ukrainian defence spending between the annexation of Crimea in 2014 and the full-scale invasion in 2022 was directed at modernising those designs, like the T-64BV and T-84.

[zooma]

I believe that was a tank used in a Tank Biathlon.
Sort of a gymkhana for military vehicles.
Not a T90 in service

That's interesting.

I thought it might have been some sort of promotional or display tank with the painted logo and the T90 name displayed on its side.

When first released, some advertised it as being a Ukrainian Issue - maybe it's because they donated a percentage of the income to the Ukraine forces - but that seems unlikely somehow?