The Commander Series Forum

Help required please folks

I am looking for 6mm models of Soviet tanks (T80s) with mine-clearing equipment on them - who makes these?

I gather that one per 3 MBTs is a historically correct ratio?

Cheers
Mark

Both H&R and C&C make mine-clearing attachments for their tank models.

For C&C it's R-63 PT-55 Mine Rollers

For H&R its the following
ACC6 KMT4 Mine Plow
ACC8 PT54 Mine Rollers

The H&R are simpler to work with, and if you do it right you can transfer them from tank to tank as needed

As for their deployment. Generally a third of all tanks in the regiment had Rollers available. There less of the mine plows, about a third of the Roller tanks could exchange their rollers for plows.

Thanks - I'll have a got at the PT54 from H&R - I also like the idea of building them so they are transferable.

They are the ex-Skytrex versions and nice little models. There is a flat plate that can be glued under the hull of the vehicle or slotted between the hull and base if you want then to be removable.

I think about 1 in 3 is about right, so you might need a few packs for a regiment.

Cheers, Andy

Not far off, it's 3 set per company or 10 per Btn (dont know if the 40 tank btn in MR Rgt had more)

Interesting re MR Rgts Ian - thanks

Yes - early to mid 80's an extra tank was added to tank platoons in Tank Btn in the MRR. I think they would have had the same number of kits, as it gives 1 per platoon, allowing a column of platoons through the mined area.

Might consider buying an extra 3 tanks with the mine rollers specifically on them and adding them to the existing 9 MBTs + 27 APCs in the formation.

Question is - would they be deployed in the tank formation or across the 3 APC formations?

Infantry have their own kits, certainly in BMP units, same ratio.

BMPs could be fitted with the KMT-10 mine plough from the early 1980s. They also seem to have used a rocket launched Viper-type system (UR-67)- presumably these are tasks mostly assigned to your engineers in BTR-50s through most of the 80's, rather than the combat elements of your MRR.

With one mine roller/plough tank per platoon, each tank stand should have some mine clearance capability in CWC, so the mine roller models are really only eye candy. Using them as actual mine rollers, with one leading the way and two more following, would mean deploying a tank company in column, rather than column of platoons, which would probably want to advance in line abreast or en-echelon.

Cheers, Andy

Hmmm ... ok

That raises an interesting discussion Andy - are we saying that therefore all Soviet tanks, as represented in CWC, have the mine clearance capacity? That seems a bit OTT.

Interesting about BMPs Ian - but what about MB-LBs? I haven't found any photos of them with mine ploughs on them yet.

"That raises an interesting discussion Andy - are we saying that therefore all Soviet tanks, as represented in CWC, have the mine clearance capacity? That seems a bit OTT."

But does model exactly what the Soviets thought they were achieving.

Question is, did it work in practise - anyone got any evidence (e.g. WarPac exercises, Africa)?