Back to 2021: The Initial Protection Against Top-Attack Threats

If we look back at 2021, the combat paradigms of modern main battle tanks were quietly undergoing a transformation. During the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, precision strikes by drones and loitering munitions exposed the extreme vulnerability of traditional tank roof armor. Meanwhile, anti-tank missiles with top-attack capabilities (such as the Javelin and NLAW) subjected this notoriously weak area to unprecedented survival challenges. To counter these lethal threats from above, the Russian military adopted a simple yet direct field modification: temporarily welding slat armor screens onto the turret roofs. This not only altered the classic silhouette of tanks like the T-72, but also marked the prelude to a brand-new era of armored offense and defense.

This MENG 1/72 72-015 Russian Main Battle Tank T-72B3M w/Roof-Mounted Slat Armor is about 136mm long, 55mm wide and 43mm high once assembled. Based on the experience from previous 1/72 scale products, this kit continues to embrace the concept of modular design, and it improves the building experience. This kit provides a slat armor part and two optional gun mantlet parts, so the gun barrel can be built in the elevated or horizontal position.

72-015 Russian Main Battle Tank T-72B3M w/Roof-Mounted Slat Armor

Scale: 1/72

Available in: October 2026

With its exquisite small scale and incredible details, this 1/72 Russian Main Battle Tank T-72B3M w/Roof-Mounted Slat Armor is an unmissable kit. The clash between armor and anti-armor is an endless rivalry. As the wheels of history turn to 2022, how will the laws of battlefield survival be rewritten?