The Modelling News: Preview: Bronco Models Hungarian Medium Tank 41.M ‘Turan’ II in 35th scale...

Bronco has added to their earlier Turan I model with it's up-gunned and Up-armoured Turan II tank in 35th scale. This tank has many of the features of its younger brother, and we have a feature list and some history on the tank's development and service in our preview...

New from Bronco Models in April

Hungarian Medium Tank 41.M ‘Turan’ II

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. #CB35123

This new Hungarian tank from Bronco is a newly tooled kit of the well known Hungarian tank. This model, the 41.M Turan II 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 41M Turán II
Before the Second Wolrd War, the Hungarian Army's tank forces consisted of mainly foreign tanks like the little Italian CV-33 tankette. After converting foreign tanks to suit their own needs in 1940 the Hungarians started to develop their own homegrown armoured fighting vehicles. First was the Turán I, built by the Weiss & Cspel Steelworks of Budapest.

It was a medium tank with a five-man crew which was based on the hull of the Czech Skoda design similar to the German Panzer 38(t) and powered by 260hp Hungarian made engine. A refitted turret was able to mount a 40mm gun made by the Skoda works. By 1943 The Turán I was deemed under powered & under-gunned, so the further development of the type was required.

This new tank was called the Turán II, the designers mounted a new 75 mm (2.95 in) M41 short barreled gun to the tank and to fit it gave the tank an enlarged turret to house the massive breech loading system and a specially armoured recoil piston that was adapted to the gun. The turret interior was still cramped and crowded, but to help this the designers added new vents to extract

The large amount of fumes that followed the firing of the gun. The 41M Turán II first appeared in May 1943, and a total of 139 were made by 1944.

The Turán II's combat debut was in April 1944 in Galicia, they were used by the 1st & 2nd Hungarian Armored Divisions as well as the 1st Cavalry Division. First seeing action in 1944, in Galicia, the Turan II was completely outclassed by Russian T-34s and IS-2's they faced.

Unfortunately, many of the division's forces were decimated in their actions defending Budapest and those that were not destroyed or captured were often abandoned on the battlefield.

41M. Turán II (Turán 75 rövid) specifications

Manufacturers: WM, Rába Magyar Waggon- és Gépgyár, Ganz
Crew: 5, Commander, Gunner, Driver, Radioman, Loader
Combat weight: 19,2 t
Combat weight with side-skirts: 19,8 t
Engine: WM V-8H, 8 cylinders, 260 hp at 2200 r/m, 14866 cm3, petrol
Power to weight ratio (with side-skirts): 13,1 hp/t
Max speed forward: 45 km/h
Max speed with side-skirts: 43 km/h
Dimensions in mm:
- Full length: 5530
- Full width: 2440
Armour: riveted, bolted
- front: 50 mm at 72°
- side, rear: 25 mm at 80°
- top, bottom: 13 mm
- side-skirts: 8 mm from 500 mm of the side
Turret: Turán II
- mantlet armour: 50 mm
- turret side, rear: 25 mm
- side-skirts: 8 mm from 250 mm of the turret side
Guns: - 41 M. 75mm L/25 tank gun
muzzle velocity: 450 m/s
muzzle energy: 83,15 mt
range: 6300-8400 m
a theoretic rate of fire: 12 shots/min

The Kit from Bronco
just like the real thing, this kit offers thinly spaced armour in the shape of Photo 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