Review
This offering from HobbyBoss of a 1:35 PLA ZTQ-15 Light Tank is supplied in a robust cardboard tray with cardboard divider within and a separate cardboard lid. An examination of the contents reveals no obvious moulding issues, access for part removals is good. You will need to watch out for some of the ejector pin marks which will potentially need to be addressed. The sprews are protected in a number of plastic bags with a foam wrap around the parts that HobbyBoss consider to be the most likely to get damaged. I will add at this point that modern Chinese armour is a subject that I do not have much in the way of knowledge of, but one would guess that HobbyBoss were provided access to the real thing in order to get details accurate where the Chinese government allowed.
The model follows the same basic recipe modellers will be familiar with. You have a single piece lower hull to which you add the return rollers and swing arm suspension which appears to utilise the torsion bar method. The model is designed to sit on an even surface and so while you have individual track links provided minor surgery will be required in order to place it on an uneven surface. The upper hull has some nice photo etch details added in the form of mesh grills and the like and there are also some raise grab handles present. But that is all the detail you are really provided with in this area.
The turret of the model is in two halves, upper and lower. There is no interior detail whatsoever. A T-piece is provided in order to allow the main gun to elevate and depress. There is a canvas seal that sits in front of this which has been provided in vinyl rubber in order to allow movement if so desired. Detail such as vision devices and smoke grenade launchers are provided along with some spaced armour with stowage space behind it and again some grab handle detail has been included. Further frame work around the turret almost provided in the form of bar armour, but I don’t know if that is an accurate representation or not. I was disappointed to find that barrel of the main gun has been provided in two halves, which due to intrusions upon it will make hiding the joint seams a pain. An automatic machine gun mount has been included on the roof of the turret, fitted with a 12.7 mm machine gun and mounted to the side of that is a 40mm automatic grenade launcher. Which is a feature of an armoured vehicle I have not previously seen.
A single finishing option has been included, shown with digital camouflage but provides no details as to who, what, when or where.
Information
Some details available on this vehicle that came into service with the PLA in 2018, is that its main gun is a 105mm rifled barrel with an autoloader carrying 38 rounds. It’s weight is said to be between 33 to 36 tonnes depending on how it is fitted out. Explosive reactive armour would appear to be the preferred armoured package. It’s diesel engine is believed to give it a 70KM/H speed and a speed of 35 - 40 KM/H off road. External fuel tank storage is possible and this option has been included within the model. It would also appear that China has received international orders for this vehicle.
Conclusion
This release from HobbyBoss seems in my opinion to be a little short on detail but visually it would appear to replicate reasonably well the real vehicle. Construction wise the model should be pretty straight forward from everything I have observed, with the individual track links being the only element that will be considered the bone of contention. The vinyl rubber mantle cover is in my opinion a gimmick as it is very stiff and will come loose from the model if the barrel is manipulated. Overall, this is a hard model to pass opinion on due to online images being accurate regarding general appearance but there are aspects that don’t add up which may be due to different armour packages or the Chinese government wanting some things to be kept off the model. The grenade launcher and machine gun mount is a visually appealing element of the model.