HobbyBoss T- 60
Molded in tan plastic, HobbyBoss’ T-60 features fine detail with no sink marks or ejector-pin marks in visible areas. The main barrel is slide molded and the tracks are individual links. A small photo-etched metal (PE) fret includes fender brackets, screens for the engine cover and air intake, a headlight bracket, and the bullet splash rail in front of the driver’s view port. Both the turret and driver’s hatches are separate but lack detail inside. The instructions comprise clear assembly diagrams without errors.
Markings are provided for two vehicles.
I started by removing and cleaning up a runner of track links. I find that spreading this tedious job over the build makes it easier than doing it all in one go when it comes time to build the tracks.
Then I went to work on the hull. I added the front and rear plate to the tub followed by the detail parts for the sides including the suspension arms. I left the wheels, return rollers, and drive sprockets off to make painting and assembling the tracks easier.
The instructions would have you add all details to the hull top before installing it. I find it easier to glue the top to the hull before adding detail parts. Although the fit of the upper plate was good, I noticed later a slight overhang at the right front side. Had I noticed this during test-fitting I would have glued scrap sprue inside to spread the hull slightly. Instead, scraping and sanding were needed to eliminate it.
The PE engine screens fit perfectly. The PE parts that needed to be bent have bend lines etched on the backside; I bent most with flat-tip pliers or tweezers and only the long, thin bullet splash rail required the use of a dedicated bending tool. I added the headlight to its bracket but left off the gray plastic lens until I had painted and weathered the model.
The turret was a quick build consisting of just 16 parts. The mantlet is designed to elevate, but once installed, its movement is limited leaving the main gun in a slight barrel-up position. I added details to the fenders but left them removable to aid track building and installation.
Extremely well-molded, the tiny individual track links feature open guide teeth and a tiny hole on each side of the shoe, without an ejector-pin mark in sight. They attach to the sprue in three locations making removal a snap and easily clean up with a few swipes of a sanding stick. I built the tracks in sections that could be removed for painting. I used Tamiya Extra Thin cement to build the flat sections as well as the curved parts that fit around the drive sprockets and idlers. For the upper run, I used Testors Liquid Cement (No. 8872) with the needle dispenser; after 10-15 min
utes drying time the track links held together but remained flexible enough to form the sag in the tracks.
I painted the tank with Tamiya acrylics and the decals went down over clear gloss with Microscale Micro Set and Micro Sol.
I painted and installed the tracks before attaching the fenders were attached; the headlight lens, painted with a Molotow chrome pen, was installed.
I spent about 18 hours building my T-60. The finished model matches dimensions listed in The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Military Vehicles by Ian Hogg and John Weeks (Prentice-Hall, ISBN 978-0-13450817-7).
You’ll definitely need experience with small parts and individual-link tracks to build this kit. My only complaints, and they’re very minor, are the missing interior detail on the hatches and the lack of a clear lens for the headlight. I think the kit makes an excellent alternative to MiniArt’s T-60 if you don’t need the full interior.
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