[Review] Son of the Wind- T54 Lightweight

 

History



A proposed lightweight version of the T-54 medium tank. Development was started in May 1949. Compared to its series-produced predecessor, the tank had better performance and maneuverability. Therefore, the tank was planned to replace the T-54 in accomplishing complicated missions. However, the T-54 tank of 1949 was improved and mass produced, and the lightweight version was canceled while still in the design phase. (Source: http://wiki.wargaming.net/en/Tank:R109_T54S)

Pros and Cons

Pros:
-Great armor for a light tank: Hull 80/60/45mm Turret 160/120/60mm
-Good top speed: 69km/h
-Smooth movement
-Good Agility
-Good HP: 1200
-Awesome for anti-scout 
 

Cons:
-Not really good viewrange
-Poor depression: -5

Play style
 

T-54 drivers will feel right at home, because for all intents and purposes, it’s a faster and nimblier T-54 (I know, absolutely shocking given its name). The trademark of this tank is (compared to all the other tanks, except the Chinese tier 8 light) its thick armor (80mm sloped hull, 180mm frontal turret) and relatively decent gun (100mm D-10T of two models). If you had the T-54 unlocked, you’ll have pretty much everything unlocked straight away (apart from the tracks, of course). Faster T-54, it sounds good, doesn’t it? Well, there is this tiny little problem with it: you are expected to scout.
The T-54 Light is pretty much anything but subtle. It doesn’t have that good a view range, that’s one problem. Passive scouting… I don’t know. For me it did not go very well. The vehicle is nimble enough for active scouting, but it doesn’t accelerate as fast as the RU251 for example and it will get outmaneuvered. The thick armor sounds good, but you have to realize two things:

- New auto aim (which is a very good idea to use when driving a light tank at full speed in close combat) aims for the hull, not for the turret anymore

- Everything (and I mean everything) you meet will penetrate your hull frontally, even the T49 152mm derp can land some very nasty hits (you are not as vulnerable as the RU251, but it still hurts).

In this sense, the armor is all but useless, robbing you of perhaps the most positive aspect of the vehicle. The 100mm gun is good for dealing with softer targets and other light tanks, but you will NOT outdps other lights and if they aren’t stupid, they will kill you by circling/negating your armor advantage. Furthermore, the gun has a relatively poor depression and yes, it shows, especially in the heat of combat. I think this tank will be very situational, but I haven’t found the “sweet spot” tactics for it.

Crew Skills (Recommend)

1. Commande: Sixth Sense, Camouflage, BiA
2. Gunner: Camouflage, BiA, Snap Shot
3. Driver: Camouflage, BiA, Smooth Ride
4. Loader (Radio Operator): Camouflage, BiA, Safe Stowage 

 Equipment (Recommend)
 

Vertical Stabilizer, Optics, Camo Net