The Type-62 was the smaller version of the Type-59. I am in process of doing a review of the Trumpeter kit.

For the NVA question, as of right now, there is no consensus on if there were only Type-59, only T-54, or a mix. Since there is no OOB ready Type-59, take a leap and build a T-54 as one.

In my Albert Grandolini books, he identifies pictures as T-54s, T-55s and Type-59s. Unfortunately, he also identifies a KRAZ 214 as a 255, and an M-123 10ton with D-7 dozer as an M-818 5 ton with D-8 dozer, so not sure how to take his captions as gospel. Wayne

Matthew, what you're seeing is the standard gun change procedure for the T-54/55 & Type 59/69 tanks. The link will give you the information you are missing, I uploaded the images to WeTransfer as I cant seem to do it to here https://we.tl/PDqoccCtaA

At first glance it appears to be a Czech T-54 remanufactured into T-55. I'm not the best at spotting sub-variants, though. Good catch on the filled in ventilator, it would have been hard to tell it was ever T-54 without.

It might be Polish-built, the way to tell is the engine deck and there isn't one there to tell. Also the bracing on the inside of the left wading flap and of course it's closed. The large square stowage box on the turret is typical of Czech service, but not necessarily Czech manufacture. Polish-built tanks have a slightly different mantlet Edit- I had my mantlets backwards, it's Czech.

edit: I asked the guys on the T-54 & T-55 Research Facebook group for some help, I'll see what they say.


Actually, Marc from the Virgina Museum of Military Vehicles says he knows the tank well said to shoot him an email. It's a Hungarian T-55 rebuilt from T-54.