History: The T-34 was a Soviet medium tank produced from 1940 to 1958. Although its armour and armament were surpassed by later tanks of the era, it has been often credited as the most effective, efficient and influential design of World War II. First produced at the KhPZ factory in Kharkov (Kharkiv, Ukraine), it was the mainstay of Soviet armored forces throughout World War II, and widely exported afterwards. It was the most-produced tank of the war, and the second most-produced tank of all time, after its successor, the T-54/55 series. In 1996, T-34 variants were still in service in at least 27 countries.
The Russian T-34 Tank was developed from the BT series of fast tanks and was intended to replace both the BT-5 and BT-7 tanks and the T-26 infantry tank in service. At its introduction, it was the tank with the best balanced attributes of firepower, mobility, protection and ruggedness, although its battlefield effectiveness suffered from the unsatisfactory ergonomic layout of its crew compartment, scarcity of radios, and poor tactical employment.
The two-man turret-crew arrangement required the commander to aim and fire the gun, an arrangement common to most Soviet tanks of the day; this proved to be inferior to three-man (commander, gunner, and loader) turret crews of German Panzer III and Panzer IV tanks. However according to analysis at the Aberdeen Proving Grounds of a T-34 sent over by the Soviets in 1942, the T-34 had the best optics of any tank so far analyzed there, both domestic and foreign.
The Kit:
Another week, another model along with a new look on our site. This time a new Tamiya 1/48th scale T34/76 is added to my 1/48 Russian subjects shelf. This is a 1941 T34/76 model with cast turret finely molded by Tamiya. This is a very straightforward one color and out of the box build. Every single part from this part fits perfectly with precision. Almost one year ago (June 7, 2011 to be exact) I posted pictures and comments from the workbench about Tamiya’s 1/48 Sturmgeschutz III Ausf.B (Sd.Kfz.142).
The tracks on the T34 are reminiscent of the 1/48 Sturmgeschtz III. The are also plagued by pin ejector marks. To be honest, they don’t bother me that much but it is worth mentioning it for those more demanding model builders. One can just disguise those marks with weathering, or take the task of filling and sanding almost every single link. Below I’m providing a picture pointing out this issue.
Tamiya did one great job on this kit considering the scale, especially the cast turret and rear engine grille. If you don’t have to have all armor built in 1/35th scale, this 1/48 will look very good with the rest of your Russian 1/48 aircraft. Recommended!
