Tamiya 35149 – Russian T34/76 “ChTZ” Version
There are those who will argue that the T-34 was the best tank of World War Two. I would disagree, but the fact remains that it is a very popular tank to model so there are many kits of it around, with this one representing the “ChTZ’ version of the T-34/76 1943 Production.
This kit is a makeover of the original Tamiya T-34/76 kit with two infantry figures and weapons added. It comes in the usual Tamiya tray and lid type box and consists of three sprues, the hull tub, and the upper hull body all moulded in dark olive green, a stainless steel rod, a nut and bolt, and the two vinyl track lengths. The instructions are clear and easy to follow making assembly very easy.
The mouldings are the typical Tamiya quality which is to say very good with no flash, minimal clean up of mould seams and nice clean, sharp detail. The base tank is one of Tamiya’s older kits, with the hull tub coming complete with the mountings for the motors for a remote control versions so the detail is somewhat simplified resulting in a low parts count compared to more contemporary offerings.
The chassis is made up mostly of a single moulding consisting of the hull tub with the suspension arms moulded as part of it so there is some degree of simplification and not a lot on the way of the smaller parts that would’ve provided a greater level of detail. The roadwheels are very nicely produced, having very good tyre detailing. The tracks are single length vinyl “rubber band” style tracks, and have good surface detail definition, being quite nice tracks for this style of track.
The upper hull is very simple with not a lot to it. You do get a separate driver’s hatch that has good detail but there is no form of interior if you wanterd to position this open. Other than that the hull just gets the engine cover with moulded on mesh screen, the exhausts, fuel tanks and tool boxes. There are also a few individual track links to add as additional armour protection. The mating of the upper and lower hull suffers from a common Tamiya problem, open sponsons, not a big problem as it’s only visible looking from underneath, but it’s there none-the-less. Overall the detail on the upper hull looks very good though it would benefit from the addition of weld beads.
The turret is a new moulding for this kit and has a fine cast textured effect. Overall it is a simple affair, having separate loader’s and commander’s hatches, but again no interior if you want to position them open, not even a rudimentary gun breech this time. The gun barrel is moulded as one solid piece with a separate muzzle which does eliminate the join line but means you will need to be very careful to get rid of the join between the muzzle and the barrel to make it all look like one piece. The mantle looks good with nice bolt details and the turret top gets some very nicely produced lifting eyes.
The figures included are two infantrymen, one carrying a Degtyarov PTRD anti-tank rifle and the other a PPS-43 Sub Machine gun. Both wear telogreika padded jackets and vatnei sharovari padded trousers, with one wearing a ushanka and the other having two optuional heads, one wearing a ushanka and the other a side cap. Also included is a M1910 Maxim Machine gun on its little wheeled trolley. These parts are all newer moulds and are all very nicely done.
The decals provided are very simple, offering options for Spring 1943, Summer 1943, and Summer 1943 at Kursk, as well as a set of German Balkankreuz crosses for depicting a captured tank.
Whilst I believe that the newer Dragon T-34 kits are definitely the better kits, offering a much greater level of detail, this kit is still not to be writen off, especially as it is usually around half the price of the Dragon kits. It is a very easy build that makes up into a very nice kit straight from the box. For the builder who wants more, given the proper TLC it will turn out even better.
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