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Maquette's new baby - T-34/76 Model 1940 This has been high on my list of most wanted for some time - how does it look..? |
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I'm in the middle of building Maquette’s T-34/85 Model 1946, and dealing with the flash around some of the parts, and replacing the over width full spider road wheels with a set ‘borrowed’ from Dragon’s equivalent issue. To be fair to Maquette, the flash is spidery thin, just 'creep' from the high mould pressure. But I was worried especially as various horror stories have been circulating round the Internet... So I was a bit wary of opening this new kit – so wary in fact that I’d gone out and bought a spare Tamiya Su122 which has early style holed wheels to swap, just in case the kit ones weren’t up to it. |
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I didn’t need to worry really. Starting with the wheels – they are superb. The hub bolts are neatly moulded and seem to scale out to my measurements (not having measured an original Model 1940). |
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There are new sprues for the two man turret and the L-34 gun, the rear plate (with the correct square access hatch, glassis plate with the one vision block, and two headlamps complete with transparencies. The turret has a restrained armour texture – These early T-34s were often a very high build quality – weld seams ground and polished and paintwork glossy.
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The tracks
are the early pattern individual links – fiddly to make up, but accurate
and crisply moulded. You will need to do some cleaning up – a bit more
than say Model Kasten, but Maquette’s tracks are already in the box,
and included in the price :-) |
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A bonus is that Maquette have included the parts for the transmission – so the enterprising could have a spare transmission strapped on the engine deck, there are so many photos of the early T-34s carrying a spare – problems were common. The
'spider creep flash' has gone from the upper hull too - it looks like
it's either a new mould or it's been seriously worked on to improve it. |
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One
gripe now – The hull needs backdating to the early model, and the
instructions give details of several cuts that need to be made and new
parts substituted - A new riveted front fillet is supplied for one example.
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| But, overall it *is* good value (mine cost £15.99). Maquette is as far as I know one of only two manufacturers who have T-34s with the correct spring boxes and swinging arm details in the hulls. Dragon versions cost around £25 and are not now the automatic choice they once were. And, Maquette have nylon mesh to create a realistic engine deck and a bit of string to add to their moulded tow cable eyes (Although I prefer to use picture wire). | When
you open the box first the sheer number of parts is amazing. Of course some
are marked on the instructions to be discarded, but that still leaves plenty
to make a cracking model straight out of the box. Overall well recommended. |
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However, the best bit of news is that this kit isn't alone. There is another - The Model 1941 which is just as superb - I know 'cos last week I bought one :-) This has a different mantlet for the later type of gun and a few detail changes - but otherwise is the same offering - same good value and the same temptation to leave those chores for just one more day... |
