WWP Present Vehicle Line No 7: T-54/55 Variants in Detail

by Frantisek Koran and Frantisek Sykora

Wings & Wheels Publications, ISBN 80-86416-35-6, 192 pages.

This is described as a photo manual for modellers and that’s exactly what it is. No, it doesn’t cover the intriguing Iraqi Enigma version and neither does it include all of the Chinese versions of the T-54 and T-55. What it does give you is a very detailed look at the variants that are available in Czech museums and private collections. Here are the T-54 A and B, including many internal shots of the A version, the Chinese T-69-II with Boom Shield bar armour on its turret, T-55 with internal details as well, T-55 M with some internal coverage too, T-55AM1 with more internal than exterior shots, T-54 AM2 and T-55 AM2 with the added turret armour and again with lots in internal detail as well as their exteriors, and loads of engine, engine bay, transmission and cooling system photos as well! For good measure the first pages show many T-54s and T-55s in service with various armies including the Serbian (with good coverage of their eye-catching mulit-coloured camouflage), and the last 30 pages deal with common details – ammunition, driver’s foul-weather hood, fuel drums, mine plow, mine clearing trailer – and the Praga V-3S tank repair truck. Excellent reference for T-54 and 55 modellers, even if the exact version you’re modelling isn’t covered you’ll want to have this book for the next model. Very highly recommended.

John Prigent