I would like to replace the plastic headlight "protectors" (sorry the right word escapes me) on the T-55 with metal wire how can I replicate the shapes so that I can make two or more copies? I gues in general how does one go about replicating shapes form plastic to metal?

You'll need to make a jig or former from wood or styrene, something glued or nailed to a larger surface where you can bend the wire around it in a repeatable shape. It needs to duplicate the profile of the shape you want, so trace the plastic part onto a piece of thick sheet plastic or bass wood and cut it out. You may need to make several formers to make different parts of the bend if it is complex.
If you need to make your part up from several pieces that were welded on the original, you'll need low temperature solder and some small alligator clips to act as heat sinks so you don't melt adjacent solder joints. Alternatively, you could use some type of epoxy or super glue to join them, but that will produce a much weaker joint.

Gday GF
I'm not familiar with the T-55, but Googled a photo...But I am familiar with making my own wire guards for my Shermans...
Are you trying to replicate the wire guards over the bunched together headlights that are located just left of centre on the glacis (when viewed from the front)?
They look to be of round wire right? when I make periscope guards I simply use a pair of pointed and flat ended tweezers. I use fuse wire, and simply make the vertical parts longer thn needed as they can be positioned in pre drilled holes on the hull, therefore their length can be adjusted to suit above hull level... for right angles I bend the wire in the mouth of the flat ended tweezers, or up the body of the pointed ones until I find the distance that suits, as the tweezers widen as you get further from the point. This way you can make consistent-sized angles if you mark the place on the tweezers where it suited, getting as perfect I_I shape... Trial and error worked for me
Hope this helps in addition to Geralds tips
Cheers
Brad

I've actually done this so many times I made a resin jig for it, using a method similar to the one above. I used a leftover lengthof resin block from some resin wheels. You need two different jigs for the T-55. Heat the brass wire before shaping it aroung he jig to make it curve better, rather than bending where it wants to.