World of tanks 8.5 T-60 light tank review

Right then, after playing some fights in the T-60 in the live server I believe I can give it its due.

Right now my verdict is...mediocre.

So, what do we get with the T-60? As we all know a good tank is a blend of armour, firepower and speed. Let's see how it fares in those 3.


First things first - in terms of speed and maneuverability its not impressive. The engine gets you there yes, but mostly at speed of 30 kmph. The tank loses speed quickly when maneuvering. The low ground clearance (30sm) rears its ugly head when you are faced with obstacles - even railroad tracks can stop you dead better than tank traps. Basically, you are not going anywhere  in a hurry and that will hurt you a lot.

In terms of defensiveness things are a bit better. The tank is very small, and hard to hit, especially at distance. The extreme slope of the UFP and the gun mantlet make you all but immune to autocannons from the front - a lot of ordinary guns will have issues penetrating as well, unless they hit below the gun shield or in the driver's hatch. The overmatching of the UFP that so many people were worried about was not an issue, at least for me. Only things with 75mm guns(read T18 and AT-2) could manage it, but its not as if any tier 2 tank can withstand those in the first place.

Finally we come to firepower.


In the firepower department things are less than impressive. Gun depression is very poor. So is the choice of guns. You have two options - the 20mm TnSH or the 37mm Zis-19. The Zis gun is a nerfed version of the one in the BT-2 and the T-26(I believe that's because the devs are trying to represent the fact that its a 1 man turret) You get  low RoF - 22 rpm, compared to the 26 for the other two soviet tier 2s and poor aiming time - 2.5 seconds. Combined with the fact that there is no separate gunner(who's skills would be enhanced by commander bonus in the BT-2 and T-26) it means that the T-60 aims very slowly, in addition to the lack of gun depression and low RoF.

The TnSh on the other hand is like a watered down version of the Mauser gun on the Pz I C - half the ammo in a clip, half the shots per burst, 50% bigger aim time...but you get a bit more damage per hit so its working in close combat. However, the T-60 often gets in fights with tier 3 tanks, where 28mm penetration is way too little.

To conclude - The T-60 is simply not impressive, and inferior to its rivals in the Soviet line. It needs either a buff, or the Pz I treatment - that is limit it to tier 2 battles. Giving it an improved 23mm VJa autocannon might be a good step - it will certainly make it distinct and give it a spot. Right now it lacks one.

Edit.

Let me rephrase what I said by lacking a spot. Its not just that its inferior to its mates. Its a technological dead end - there is no candy at the end of that line, you are tossed right back in the main tree. Pz I has the improved MM and the Pz I C as said candy. The T-60 has nothing on the table.

More 8.5 leaks - stats of the Leopard, Aufklarungpanzer panther and the soviet light tanks

Well you wanted Leopard 1? Here, catch! By the looks of it, arty is already drooling at the prospects of another paper tank. Its going to be faster than the E50M, more agile, and gasp - a better sniper as it seems, but unless the gun shield works as intended, expect results equal to the FV4202, great on paper - but only on paper. Oh and we get HEAT as prem rounds, not HESH.

The new soviet light tanks offer nothing really interesting. It seems at least the T-60 is quite well armored for its tier, the rest though are average.

The second most cried about german tank to be included in the game on the forums - the aufklarung panzer panther, or the schwere Leopard or whatever you want to call it - well you got it and its as bad as you can expect. A tier 7 Panzer IV-V with the koniche. The first tank in the game that has to rely on ramming as a main weapon, not a tactic of opportunity.

Patch 8.5 new Soviet light tank T-60

Ahem, so - for patch 8.5 we will get new russian light tanks. First of those is the T-60, likely to be followed by T-70 and T-80. Back on topic now.

In the Tech tree listed in the Media section of WoT's sites, the T-60 is listed as a tier 2 tank, and truth to be said - its the only place where it fits.


Here is what is known about it from the web.

The original tank has a crew of 2, top speed of 44 kmph and a meager 70 hp engine, providing 12 hp/ton ratio. Its also quite small - barely 1.75m - the size of a Panzer I. There is more to this comparison with Panzer I by the way - since in terms of well...everything, the T-60 is more or less a russian version of Pz I.

Armament consists of 20mm autocannon in the real tank, with 37mm Zys-19 as planned replacement, so expect that in terms of guns as well as the 20mm and 23mm autocannons.

Armor will depend on which model we get. In the original T-60 - front will be 20mm, sides 15, rear 10 with turret 15/15/15.


The modernised  1942 version will have 35mm front,  25 sides,  and a 25/25/25 turret, which considering the slopes of the tank might be too much for tier 2.

In all likely hood we will get the original T-60, probably with a better engine as top, something close to 100 HP. This,combined with the autoguns will turn it into a Pz I by any other name. Giving it 1942 armor stats though, might make it a bit too powerful for tier 2, yet not strong enough for tier 3.