Scale Military Modeller International – August 2019

tamiya

T

he T-34 was constantly

developed, throughout the

War and an increase in engine

power, armour and armament

led to the development of the T-34/85, which

was a match for the German medium tanks

like Panzer IV but was no match for the heavier

Panther or Tiger. The T-34 was the most proliic

tank of the War with some 80000 being built.

The T-34 remained in service with the Soviet

forces until the late 1960, and the last T-34s

were retired from service with the Laos Army

as late as 2018, but there are probably some

still ighting somewhere the world!

The Tamiya T-34 was relatively easy to

build, and as with most Tamiya kits, the

engineering, details and overall it was

excellent. The build began with assembling

the drive sprockets and the road wheels.

These are two-piece afairs that are glued

together with a poly-caps in the middle. I

left these separate for easier painting later.

Next up was the drivers’ hatch, followed by

the top part of the hull, where all sorts of

attachments will be added. Once again, it’s

best to wait until these have been painted

before attaching. The cannon is the next

piece to be added, and here I opted for a

metal one from Aber #35L-034, as although

the one in the kit looks the part, the metal

one is even better. The top of the turret

winter t-34

Scale 1:35 / 1943 Production Model

68 SCALE MILITARY MODELLER INTERNATIONAL

Winter

T-34

Manufacturer: Tamiya

Scale: 1:35

Kit Type: Plastic injection moulded

Kit Number: 35059

T-34/76 – 1943 Production Model

SNORRE SANDVIKEN BUILDS THE 1:35 TAMIYA

T-34/76 – 1943 PRODUCTION MODEL

THE T-34 WAS ORIGINALLY DESIGNED TO BE A REPLACEMENT FOR THE

LIGHTER BT TANKS, AND ENTERED PRODUCTION IN 1940. THE T-34/76 POSSESSED

SOMETHING EARLIER TANKS DIDN’T HAVE - THE COMBINATION OF A 76.2MM GUN FOR MORE FIREPOWER,

MOBILITY AND SLOPING ARMOUR. THE T-34 WAS VASTLY SUPERIOR TO ITS EARLY- WAR GERMAN

COUNTERPARTS AND INFLICTED HEAVY LOSSES WHEREVER THEY WERE ENCOUNTERED. ALTHOUGH ITS

ARMOUR AND ARMAMENT WERE SURPASSED BY BOTH AXIS AND ALLIES DURING THE WAR, THE T-34

REMAINED THE MOST EFFECTIVE, INFLUENTIAL AND EFFICIENT TANK DESIGN OF WORLD WAR II.