The Medium 40.M Turan I gets all out of shape with spaced armour on Bronco Models new tool 35th scale kit.

What's all this then? it looks like a Turan I and a Panzer Iv had a lovechild - Well you might be wrong about that, you may be able to ditch that resin 40.M Tiran I now if this kit is as nice as it looks in its feature set. See what you think about Bronco's new kit and the possibilities the kit presents in our preview...

New from Bronco Models in April

         

Hungarian Medium Tank 40.M ‘Turan’ I 

from Bronco Models 

1/35th Scale

photo-etch parts included

two part individual track links

Decals for five versions available from the box.

Item no. #CB35120

This new Hungarian tank from Bronco is a newly tooled kit of the well known Hungarian tank. This model, the 40.M Turan I has some interesting options in the box from Bronco, and we were impressed at the promised level of scale detail and options that the CAD box features list. However, if you don't really know much about this tank - check out some history first...

The 40M Turán I
The 40M Turan 1 was a Hungarian medium tank based on the Czechoslovakian Skoda S-IIC built in 1937. Unfortunately, the construction of two pilot tanks was not finished until after the German occupation, when it emerged as the Skoda T-22. Two of these tanks were then passed on to ally Hungary for production, where it became known as the 40M Turan 1. The 40M weighed 18 tonnes and was powered by a 250bhp Manfred Weiss petrol engine which gave a road speed of 48 km/h. Armour was 50mm thick on the frontal plates giving good protection by 1941 standards. 

With the added armour, the maximum speed was reduced to 47 km/h (29.2 mph). However, this armour was not sloped and presented near-flat surfaces to incoming rounds. 

The 40M was armed with a 40mm Skoda A-17 anti-tank gun and two 7.92mm machine guns.The machine gun was actually an anti-aircraft gun, which used Bofors ammunition, supplied by Sweden and already available in large stocks. 

Production started at the end of 1941 and ended in 1943, after 285 had been built. The factories involved were Weiss Manfréd (70), Magyar Waggongyár (70), Mávag (50) and Ganz from Budapest (45). By 1943, many Turán Is received spaced side skirts, similar to the German Schürzen system.

Production was slow and only 285 tanks were completed, these did not see action until 1944. By this time 40M was no match for the Soviet T-34/85 and IS-2 battle tanks. In service, the 40M was used by the 1st and 2nd Armoured Divisions and 1st Cavalry Division of the Hungarian arm.

Turán I specifications

Dimensions 4.55 x 2.44 x 2.39 m (14 x 8x 7.8 ft)

Maximum weight, battle ready 18.2 tons

Crew 5 (driver, commander, gunner, loader, co-gunner/radioman)

Propulsion Gasoline Manfred Weiss-Z, 260 hp (195 kW), 14 hp/ton

Top speed 47 km/h (29 mph)

Operational Range 165 km (102 mi)

Armament Main : 40 mm (1.57 in) Škoda A17

Secondary: 2x 7.92 mm (0.31 in) 38M Gebauer machine guns

Armor Maximum 50 mm (1.97 in)

Production (Turán I) 285

The Kit from Bronco
just like the real thing, this kit offers thinly spaced armour in the shape of Phot Etched metal to replicate these plates, modellers will love the fact that these can be bent, scratched and omitted to their own modelling tastes. It opens up a lot of uniqueness in one's own build options for this kit

Let's look a little at Bronco's product brochure about this kit and see some of the quite interesting features this model offers.

Decals for five options of this kit come straight from the box

The Hungarian Medium Tank 40.M ‘Turan’ I from Bronco Models should be available from their distributors worldwide in April