6418 - T-34/76 Mod.1941 Cast Turret

"...builds up into an excellent example of this most primitive but successful machine."

"...another nice of a '34 variant, well done "slide moulded" cast turre..."

"...it should be quite welcome by fans of this type..."

<full review here>
- Frank V. De Sisto

6418: T-34/76 Mod. 1941 Cast Turret
1/35 injection plastic kit with multimedia accessories and decals

Many of the early production T-34/76 featured the cast turret, which while heavier than those made from armour plate, was easier to manufacture and well suited to Russia in 1942 when its Armies were on the defence and its factory were reestablishing themselves after relocating eastward. For 1/35 scale modellers making an impressive early production T/34 with a cast turret has been a vexing problem that often lead to cross-kitting or the use of resin conversion sets.

CONTENTS

This new release from Dragon provides an out of the box early production T-34/76 with the cast turret, pressed steel road wheels with rubber tyres (perforated rubber), and curved hull front, typical of many tanks produced in 1942 and seen in photos. Other features include clear plastic parts, metal tow cables, and crisp tooling. The impressive turret is new tooling as are several other parts and the decals.

The layout is familiar with large single pieces for the lower and upper hulls and turret shell. Like with other T-34 series kits released by Dragon over the past year, the tooling for many parts such as the front and rear tow hooks, toolboxes, sprocket and idler wheels, and the road wheels is either new or enhanced. A large photo etch fret provides many small details, most of which are optional allowing the modeler to choose their level of challenge.

The instruction sheet has colour step-by-step photos of the actual kit being assembled with b/w sketches for side steps involving the PE.

The new turret is based around a 3 directional slide molded shell and has the casting texture realistically rendered and has undercut detail. The roof plate is a separate part and has options for two types of commander’s hatches both of which can be left open or shut. The ventilator dome has the options of two profiles, being one with and one without multiple vent slots on the base. For the roof mounted periscope there is the choice of having one or two periscope towers. The turret’s rear panel comes with the choice of two designs, one with five bolts and the other with seven.

Other 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.

· The internal gun’s breech and two crew seats are provided and would be visible through an open commander’s hatch

· Tracks with an early pattern that has cast bars for strengthening with separate casting patterns for those links with and without guide-horns. There are two slight injection marks on the inner face of each link, which could be sliced off or simply ignored, and each link is attached to the sprue at two points.

· Two metal tow cables, which have plastic cable heads and PE clasps. There re three different types of cable heads.

· Clear plastic lens for the headlamp.

· Multi-part plastic toolboxes for which two have optional PE latches and hinges and the other two PE securing brackets. There is a choice of toolboxes designs for the right hull side.

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

· One-piece tub hull with separate parts for the vertical suspension towers, which are fitted inside the hull and have the exposed (but obscured by the road-wheels) large coil springs.

· A large photo etch fret is one of this releases major benefits. Parts include the louvers and mesh screens on the rear of the engine deck, tool brackets, fasteners on the rear of the engine deck, rear convoy light and its cover, interior detail for the turret hatch and vision blocks, and the base of the front headlamp.

DECALS

The painting guide illustrates in colour each of five T-34s with four views and the decal sheet is by Cartograf.

The T-34s are a whitewashed tank with Cyrillic slogans written in red on the turret dated 943, solid green turret number 64 from the, Eastern Front 1943; solid green “Parchomienko” from 116th Tank Brigade on the Eastern Front in 1942 which has white turret markings; a sold green tank “BARS” from Manchuria 1945; and a captured T-34 with white German Balkan Crosses and yellow turret number 1053.

RECOMMENDATION

Dragon’s latest T-34 fills an important gap in their range of WWII T-34 and allows modelers to build an impressive T-34/76 with a cast turret out of the box. The kit is complete with the inclusion of a full size photo etch fret, metal barrel and several other extras which ensure that add to its appeal. Definitely recommended.

- Neville Lord