Another of MIG Productions' "drop-in" accessories, this is a useful piece for Tamiya's fabulous T-55.  This set provides a very nice rendition of the T-54/T-55 family's "pig-nose" mantlet without a cover (see here for a view of the real thing).  While T-55s are almost never seen in service without their mantlet cover in place, this is an item that is very often missing on knocked-out vehicles.  Hence, this should prove a popular accessory for anybody building knocked-out vehicles from (for example) the 1967 or 1973 Arab-Israeli Wars, the 1965 or 1971 Indo-Pakistan wars, the Vietnam war (think of those knocked-out T-54s around An Loc!), Lebanon in 1982, Afghanistan, the Iran-Iraq War, the former Yugoslavia, or either the 1991 or 2003 Iraq conflicts.  Given that more of the T-54/T-55 family were produced than any other tank in history, I would wager that more have also been knocked out than any other tank!

 

One of the two pieces in this set is a very nicely rendered cast mantlet, while the other is an internal support that allows the modeler to elevate the gun as he or she sees fit (a useful option, nicely engineered).  As with the Panther D grilles, this mantlet is a drop-fit: once the parts have been removed from their casting plugs, they fit right into the Tamiya turret (I have not test-fitted this mantlet with the Trumpeter or ESCI T-55 kits, so I cannot comment on compatibility).  The casting quality is first-rate, with excellent texture and no flaws except for a few small, easily removed bumps on the inside of the mantlet.  The Tamiya barrel slides effortlessly into the opening; hopefully the aftermarket barrels will as well. 

 

I am thrilled to see these simple accesories being released for the excellent Tamiya T-55, since it is ripe with potential for such things.  Perhaps in the future we will see other items, such as a flush loader's hatch to build a "Plain Jane" T-55, burnt-out roadwheels to complement this mantlet, a canvas-covered mantlet in the elevated position, or a laser rangefinder.  One can hope!  Highly recommended to anybody planning on doing something nasty to their Tamiya T-55.