"... this is DML's nicest T-34/85 so far."

< full review here >
- Frank V. De Sisto

By 1945, as the Red Army was increasingly fighting in German cities, the T-34’s faced increasing risk from German infantry armed with handheld anti-tank weapons. The Panzerfausts and Paznerschrecks were well suited to the close quarter fighting encountered in Berlin, Breslau and other German cities.

Photos reveal that many Soviet tanks were equipped with supplementary wire mesh armour, as protection against these weapons. This armour consisted of wire strung over metal frames in a manner resembling spring bedframes. While some units inevitably commandeered beds, other evidence (and examination of photos) suggests that the Russians manufactured this supplementary armour. For example the frames, while having the mesh, are missing some features often seen on beds, but are appropriately sized for the T-34’s armour plates (and not for people – I tested this by laying a 1/35 figure on the screens which proved too long to be a bed).

CONTENTS

This model of a late WWII T-34/85 is from Dragon's Premium Edition range and is flexible as to how it can be built. Apart from building a T-34 with ‘bedspring armour’, it can be built as an OT-34/85 flamethrower tank, and has the choice of the one piece commander’s hatch or the split hatch; the later being a feature not included in 2006 Dragon Premium Edition release of theT-34/85 Premium (kit 6319). This kit retains the option of being built as a regular late war T-34 featuring the three side fuel tanks, which have nicely detailed dents and PE straps, and the PE straps for the two rear smoke canisters (the canisters are not included but are often missing in photos). The new road wheels are the pattern with feature 6 full and 6 half-length raised spokes and perforated rubber tyres (in kit 6319 the wheels are the pattern with 12 full length spokes and non-perforated tyres).

This release also has improved engine deck over kit 6319 with PE air intake louvers. The louvers and their frame are a single PE part where the modeler only has to angle the louvers before slotting them into the appropriate hole in the retooled upper hull. This is a particularly thoughtfully designed piece of PE. A mesh screen fitted to a reworked plastic frame, is then placed over the louvers, although there is the option of just using the plastic frame out of the box to simplify assembly.

The mesh ‘bedspring armour’ screens are made from PE and are a good match to those in a photo of a T-34/85 in Berlin 1945. This includes having diagonal mesh on the hull screens and square mesh around the turret and on the turret roof.

This T34 has large single pieces for the upper hulls and turret shell. The one-piece hull tub hull has separate parts for the vertical suspension towers that are fitted inside the hull with exposed (but obscured by the road-wheels) large coil springs. Like with kit 6319, the tooling for many parts such as the weld seams on the turret and the road wheels has been enhanced, and there are two ventilator domes at the rear of the turret roof.

Other Premium Edition features include:

· One-piece turned metal barrel that is a drop fit into the mantlet. This barrel has the barrel end drilled out and there is the option of a one-piece injection plastic barrel.

· Magic Tracks, which come loose and will save considerable time. The tracks alternate between links with and without guide-horns, so make sure you have an even number of links on each track. There are two slight injection marks on the inner face of each link, which could be sliced off or simply ignored.

· Refined features such as the movable front machine gun and slide molded exhaust pipes.

· Metal tow cable, which has plastic cable ends.

· Clear plastic lens for the headlamp.

· Two brass coloured turned metal ammunition rounds.

· Twelve plastic ice grousers with PE straps and tie-downs, which are stored on the right fender.

· PE for small detail including tool brackets, side engine vents, hand-saw (which looks great in PE) and the fuel tank brackets.

DECALS

A new Cartograf decal sheet has markings for four T-34/85, each of which the painting guide illustrates with four views. The first T-34 is turret number 230 (with options for other numbers in the same white serif font), which is the T-34 with bedspring armour from Berlin and a photo of this tank is in Concord’s Soviet Tanks in Combat 194-1945 by S. Zaloga et al. The others are 318 which is solid green and from the 2nd Guards Armoured Corps in Eastern Prussia 1944; 257 which is green with a white turret stripe and from 3rd Guards Armoured Corps, Prague 1945; and 2-220 with red-brown camouflage from an unidentified unit in 1944.

RECOMMENDATION

The addition of the ‘bedsping armour’ adds considerable interest to Dragon’s Premium Edition T-34/85 and improves the kit’s value for money. The enhanced engine deck further refines what is the best 1/35 model of a late war T-34/85 on the market. Overall this kit will be rewarding to make out of the box and is strongly recommended.

- Neville Lord

"...Ktakes the best T-34-85 kit on the market and makes it better, offers options not found in past kits..."

< full review here >
- Cookie Sewell

"...it's definately one I'll be building! Enjoy! "

< full review here >
- Vinnie Branigan