I did it. I made it to tier ten completely F2P. And honestly, it wasn't that hard. Only took me 3 months thanks to blueprints (which in my opinion are bad for the player quality). I also found managing credits F2P was surprisingly easy, not something I had expected from what I heard about PC.
And now to that tier ten I just got, the ST-II. Unfortunately for me, it's more of a trophy than a playtoy. However I did keep the IS-3-II, as that tank was barrels of fun (literally). Although you have to admit, the tank looks awesome as hell.
SOVIET RASHA FOREVAH!
Overall, would I recommend this line for a new player? Absolutely not. These things are very difficult to get the hang of, and I can say I definitely struggled in the IS-2-II. The only reason I went up them is because when I started getting into PC I saw these tanks and basically drooled over them. And I'm glad I ground them, they were tons of fun to play.
Anyway thanks for reading, just wanted to share this moment with you guys. Getting a first tier ten is a special moment, and I wanted to savor it.