Trumpeter 1/16 T-34/85 Model 1944 By Chris Banyai-Riepl

Overview

Although a good tank, technical advancements outpaced the performance of the T-34/76, which led the designers to try and find ways to improve the basic chassis. The end result was to increase the firepower of the tank by replacing the 76mm gun with an 85mm gun. A modified KV-85 turret was adapted to the T-34 chassis, and production examples began to show up in tank units in 1944. The resultant T-34/85 became one of the main tanks of the Soviet Union during the final years of the Second World War.

The Kit

This is the second 1/16 T-34 tank that Trumpeter has released, and as the T-34/85 was built off of the T-34/76, it was logical that Trumpeter would come out with a T-34/85. Since we recently reviewed the T-34/76, and there is only a minimal number of parts differing between the kits, I will refer you to the earlier inbox review and point out the new sprues here.

The most noticeable difference is the new turret with its very long gun. The majority of the different parts revolve around the turret and the 85mm gun. This includes a full set of ammunition for stowage inside the turret, a larger turret ring, the main gun and its mantle, and all the extraneous turret accessories like the hatches and handles. Another change comes with some of the hull fittings, namely with the extra fuel tanks and slightly different fenders.

The rest of the kit is to the same high quality as the earlier T-34/76 release and will really look outstanding built up. We hope to have a build article on the T-34/76 in the very near future and undoubtedly the construction notes for that will apply to this kit and the other remaining T-34 variants Trumpeter is planning on releasing (I believe there will be a total of four kits).

Conclusion

This is a very large model of an important vehicle during the Second World War. While 1/16 may not be your usual scale, it would definitely make for an interesting display and will bring out some very different modeling skills. My thanks to Stevens International for the review sample.