The T-72, which entered production in 1971, was first seen in public in 1977. It was not intended as a further development of the T-64, but rather a parallel design chosen as a high-production tank complementing the T-64. The T-72 retains the low silhouette of the T-54/55/62 series, featuring a conventional layout with integrated fuel cells and stowage containers which give a streamlined appearance to the fenders. While the T-64 was deployed only in forward-deployed Soviet units, the T-72 was deployed within the USSR and exported to non-Soviet Warsaw Pact armies and several other countries. In addition to production in the USSR it has been built under license in Czechoslovakia, India, Poland and former Yugoslavia. The T-72A/M-1 represents the export version of the basic T-72 tank.

Now Minichamps has created a gorgeous 1:35 scale diecast replica of the legendary T-72A main battle tank. Vehicle features a rotating turret, elevating gun, working suspension, and treads that are made of flexible metal links! This particular T-72 main battle tank was attached to a Soviet Guards Armored Regiment, then participating in the 1981 May Day Parade held annually in Moscow on May 9th. This item has been cancelled by the manufacturer.

Dimensions:
Length: 11-inches
Width: 4-inches
Height: 3-1/2-inches

Historical Account: "On Parade" - The Soviet Victory Day or May 9th marks the capitulation of Nazi Germany to the Soviet Union in the Second World War (also known as the Great Patriotic War in the Soviet Union and some post-Soviet states). It was first inaugurated in the fifteen republics of the Soviet Union, following the signing of the surrender document late in the evening on May 8th, 1945 (May 9th by Moscow Time). It happened after the original capitulation that Germany earlier agreed to the joint Allied forces of the Western Front. The Soviet government announced the victory early on May 9th after the signing ceremony in Berlin. Though the official inauguration happened in 1945 (which means it has been celebrated since 1946), the holiday became a non-labor day only in 1965 and only in some of the countries.

In communist East Germany, a Soviet-style "Victory Day" on May 9th was an official holiday from 1975 until the end of the republic in 1990. Prior to that, "Liberation Day" was celebrated on May 8th, between 1950 and 1966, and again on the 40th anniversary in 1985. Since 2002, the German state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern has observed a commemoration day known as the "Day of Liberation from National Socialism, and the End of the Second World War".

In 1988, just before the collapse of the Soviet Union, Victory Day ceased to be observed in Uzbekistan, but was partially restored in 1999 as Memorial/Remembrance Day. After their separation from the Soviet Union, the Baltic countries now commemorate the end of WWII on May 8th, the Victory in Europe Day.