Could these Soviets be repurposed as DDR tank crew, manning a T-72M1?
I thought it’d be cool.
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Ron, sadly I’m not as expert as I sometimes feel I should be regarding WP/Sov stuff; I too have ordered these but have no real knowledge of the type of protective suit displayed (that said, I haven’t looked that hard yet). In principle, “Yes” they should crew a T-72 I feel. The NVA appears to have generally used Soviet NBC stuff.
Hopefully, someone else will pipe up with details of the suit shown.
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Brian, I’m with you in not having much knowledge on the subject. I’m pretty sure that Soviets only had that type of protective mask and clothing for their line troops.
I found this photo of the DDR/NVA suit
You’d probably just need to add the tanker helmet over the NBC hood.
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Carlos, funnily enough I trawled this from conceivably the same web-site (albeit some time ago):
I suspect the East Germans, probably for tactical reasons, produced their own copy of the Sov version, for comfort etc, in addition to a better colour; I mean, turquoise is not especially amenable to the tactical picture(!)
The figures though present a different problem in that I can see nothing that ties in with either the Soviet or East German versions.
I must admit that I ordered the same 2 x figures as even if the suit was wrong, I could always modify it to represent the more voluminous version as seen in the above OZK.
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I know that the tails of the Soviet NBC coat can be wrapped around the legs similar to the old German motorcyclists coat, and worn as a coverall.
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They could indeed - see the illustration (left) of just such a configuration. But Dear God, so hard to modify/make even, in 1:35!
(Courtesy, clearly of the www and Steven Zaloga’s excellent book “Inside the Soviet Army Today” - which actually covered mid 80s).
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Here’s a Soviet/ Russian T-72 crew member IP-5 gas mask
H.P.
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Thanks for all the replies!
Judging by the images provided, the figures I had in mind are not suitable for DDR-tankers.
The suit is quite different as is the gasmask. Shame really.
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The masks should work for a gunner or driver. The commander should have the type with the voicemitter, for intercom and radio useage. If you look at the illustration that Boots posted, the two types with and without voicemitter are obvious. If the figures legs are concealed within the tank, the differences there will not be noticeable.
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These figures look amazing.
Ron, can you please tell me who makes them and where to get them?
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Found them here:
Super-hobby tankers NBC suit
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Thanks Ron.Time to order these much coveted beauties.
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Sort of…
Been there, done that (former NVA NCO).
There were different suits over the years. The grey jumpsuit above is a modern type. There was also a two-piece NBC suit (owned one), same color, but more user friendly regarding pulling on and off. The trouser was of a high waist type with build-in suspenders, just like watertight trousers for fishing. The green poncho-type suit is an old model. The leg-pieces had garter belts that had to be fastened to your belt. Normbreakers. Another much more ancient protective gear was a kind of tarpaulin with sleeves to be wrapped around body and upper legs, with gloves and two additional leg parts (the yellow one in Zalogas drawing)
So you may use the figures, if you scrap off the belt and the buttons and add a centerline like common jackets. The main problem is the filter bag: the bag has always been worn on the left side.
There were different gas masks, all of soviet type. Most common was the plain one. Commanders had such ones with a voice emitter. There were also “funny faces” similiar to the US ones, but very rare and only for special purposes. Never have seen one of these in the flesh during my active duty. The design was ok, featuring not only different sizes, but als different fits for average Joe (and Ivan) as well as for longskulls and babyfaces. Colours of the masks varied from middle grey to greenish-grey to yellow-grey. Color of the central metal piece (to fit the hose) was middle green, coyote colour or whatever paint was at hand for maintenance. They tended to rust because of sweating in the face and had to be repainted from time to time to avoid hustle with the gunnery sergeant. The hose was of a dark grey.
The gloves were black as well as the soles of the trousers. Not to forget about the elastic strap at the sleeve to be fitted over the thump to secure the gloves. BTW, the wellknown eastbloc tanker helmets were worn over the gas mask and under the hood of the NBC suit, while the cord with its plug stuck out between the chest buttons.
That’s it so far.
BTW, the funniest NBC drill ever was when a newly transferred fellow had his first norm control. He met the time limit, but his trousers had no legs. NBC-Shorts 
The dreaded gunnery Sgt. came close to a stroke, while the crowd rolled laughing at the floor! 
Regards!
- dutik
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Thanks for that; nothing like first hand experience, and that has cleared up a few doubts I had, such as the AFV helmet being worn under the hood, and confirmation of the side the respirator filter bag was worn. Excellent information - thank you very much indeed!
I have been working, intermittently, on some Soviet NBC figures and hope to finish them soon, possilby in a BTR-50PK. We’ll see (I promise much but so often fail to deliver(!))
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This is likely the M10 series, used by the NVA and CSLA. In 1/35, it’s pretty much indistinguishable from a US M17.
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@dutik, Great stuff hearing from a soldier on the other side of the curtain!
Looking at those figures reminded me of this diorama that I came across at Brookhurst Hobbies a few years ago.
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So the shown figures could be used in a DDR T72M?
Awesome!
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