More pictures of the new T-34 in 35th scale from Italeri...

It seems that Italeri is making a new tool T-34/85 in 35th scale -  so Stalin's shells will be guiding the famous tank with sloped armour and good mobility onto your modelling bench very soon - We have some CADS, boxart and sprues to examine in our new item preview...

New from Italeri in October

Soviet T-34/85 tank

1/35th scale

Plastic injection moulded kit
Engine, transmission and turret interior included
Price: TBA
Photo-Etch included
Tracks: - Link and Length
Expected in October 2018
Product Link on the Italeri Website

This month Italeri treated us with the announcement of a new tooled AFV in 1:35h scale - and not just ANY vehicle but the most produced (maybe a tie with the Sherman?) tank in the history of the world, the Russian T-34/85 tank. one of the most famous in history and one of many modeller's favourites with HEAPS of variants and sub-variants and adaptations/ alterations that give us heaps of possibilities... surely you know all about the T-34?

The T-34 in history...
The T-34 was a Soviet medium tank produced from 1941 to 1958. It is widely regarded as having been the world's best tank when the Soviet Union entered World War II, and although its armour and armament were surpassed by later tanks of the era, it has been often credited as the war's most effective, efficient and influential design. First produced at the KhPZ factory in Kharkov (Kharkiv, Ukraine), it was the mainstay of Soviet armoured 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.

The T-34 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. A T-34 Model 1943 is in the picture below (left), next to the T-43 (the precursor to the T-34/85). You can see how the turret has been widened considerably

At its introduction, it was the tank with the best-balanced attributes of firepower, mobility and protection, although initially, its battlefield effectiveness suffered from the unsatisfactory ergonomic layout of its crew compartment, lack of radios and poor tactical employment. The two-man turret crew arrangement required the commander to serve as the gunner, an arrangement common to most Soviet tanks of the day; this proved to be inferior to three-man (commander, gunner and loader) turret crews.

The design and construction of the tank were continuously refined during the war to improve effectiveness and decrease costs, allowing steadily greater numbers of T-34s to be fielded. In early 1944, the improved T-34-85 was introduced, with a more powerful 85 mm gun and a three-man turret design. 

By the war's end in 1945, the versatile and cost-effective T-34 had replaced many light and heavy tanks in service and accounted for the majority of Soviet tank production. 

The T-34/85 was one of the Noth Korean and Chinese' main tank of the Korean conflict.

Its evolutionary development led directly to the T-54/55 series of tanks, built until 1981 and still operational today in some obscure battlefields around the world.

Some of the T-34/85 versions:

T-34-85 Model 1943 - This production model was built from February to March 1944 at Zavod 112, with the 85 mm D-5T gun and a new larger cast three-man turret, a commander's cupola and two dome-shaped ventilators clustered together on top of the turret.
Model 1944 - This was a production model built from March 1944 to the end of 1944, with the simpler 85 mm ZiS-S-53 gun. The radio was moved from the hull into the turret and the commander's cupola was moved rearward. There was an improved layout and a new gunner's sight.
Model 1945 - This was a production model built in 1944-45, with an electrically powered turret traverse motor, an enlarged commander's cupola with a one-piece hatch, squared front fenders, and the TDP (tankovoy dimoviy pribor) smoke system with electrically detonated MDSh canisters.

Model 1946 - This was a production model built in 1946, with the improved V-2-34M engine, new wheels and other minor details.

Model 1960 - A refurbishing program introduced a new V-2-3411 engine and an improved air cleaner, a cooling and lubrication system, a battery generator, new BDSh smoke canisters, an infrared headlight, a driver's sight and a 10-RT radio set instead of the old 9-R.Model 1969 (also called T-34-85M) - This was a refurbishing program introducing the new R-123 radio set, 'starfish' road wheels similar to those on the T-54/55 tank, night driving equipment, drivetrain improvements, repositioned or removed smoke canisters to make a space for additional 200-litre external fuel tanks and a ditching beam at the rear. An external fuel pump was added to ease refuelling.

OT-34-85 (sometimes called TO-34) - This was a T-34-85 flamethrower tank, with the ATO-42 in place of the bow machine gun.

This new kit from Italeri

Soviet T-34/85 tank

1/35th scale

Plastic injection moulded kit
Engine, transmission and turret interior included
Price: TBA
Photo-Etch included
Tracks: - Link and Length
Expected in October 2018
Product Link on the Italeri Website

The new 1:35 scale model kit is a completely new-tool model, we are promised the highest level of quality and details (with interior details for the turret, the driver compartment, the transmission compartment and the suspension)

Some CADS of the new design

 The characteristic turret shape of the T-34/85 is shown here from a few angles, the turret interior and gun parts are included in this kit.

The tracks are not shown here, but an "innovative system has been promised for this kit - we hope it is easy and innovative at the same time.

The CAD showing the full turret interior with a full ammo load - all that brass! 

 Italeri has promised us an innovative solution for the tracks. A photo-etched fret for the engine grill will improve the look of that area, some might want to show the engine (provided in the kit) opened up or with n exposed transmission.

Here are four of the sprues that Italeri has shown us already, the innovative track are link and length system. Some might want to see single links to show the proper sag shown on T-34/85's in action

The new T-34/85 will be available in October. More news about this kit from Italeri as soon as we have it, till then keep tuned and we will get building it if we are able to get our hands on one here at TMN