Skif's 1/72nd T-26-1 (1939) By Bruce Simard

History

Like quite a few European and East European light tanks, the T-26 began life as a variant of the Vickers "E" light tank. This started in 1931 with the signing of a contract for the licensed production of what the Russians designated the T-26. This was to be the start of a production run that would produce over 12000 tanks up to 1941. Obviously this will not be a complete history of this little tank and all its variants. That would fill several books. I'll just concentrate on the T-26 M1939.

First a little information on the designation. I've seen various publications calling out the T-26A,B & C. From my research, these were German designations, not Russian. The Russian system designated them as T-26 M1931 (Model 1931)- German T-26A, T-26 M1933 - German T-26B, T-26 M1939- German T-26C. Confused ? Don't feel alone. When one really starts digging into the various mods and variants, it really gets confusing!

The T-26 M1939 was produced from 1939-41. The main modifications were sloped armor with improved engine ventilators. It was equipped with a 45mm main gun, but remember, at that time the Russian military actually classified it as an "Infantry", or close support tank. In August of 1939 there were over 8,500 T-26's in service, by far the most common tank in Russian service.

From my research, it seems the T-26 could handle itself against the Panzer I and II fairly well. But once she went up against the Panzer III it was a different thing. But one also has to remember that Russian doctrine at the time tied the tankers to the infantry, not as a fast moving hard hitting separate arm. Obviously this was to change.

The T-26 was in action in the Spanish Civil War, the Russian-Finnish War, and the conflict between Russia and Japan starting in 1938 at Hasan Lake.

The T-26 had a crew of three, Driver, Gunner, and Commander. Top speed was roughly 35 KM/h with a combat range of approximately 160 km.

The Kit

Several years ago a small Ukranian model company under the name of Skif produced several T-26 variants in 1/72nd scale. What really interested me was the inclusion of a photo etch sheet including fenders. The kit is Skif # 218, T-26 M1939. Unfortunately it also included rubber tracks. I personally have never liked these in 1/72nd scale. But along came Part with a PE sheet of T-26 tracks, now we had a winner, so I thought.

The kit is approximately 140 pieces. I would not recommend this as a beginner kit. Only due to the amount of small parts and the PE fenders can be a pain in mounting. The kit itself was a decent build. No major fit problems were encountered. I opened the Commander's hatch just as a personal thing.

One note here, this is not a diorama. I just like to show armor with a figure for scale, and in its "Natural Habitat". Whenever my armor models go to a show, I leave it to the Judges as to what class they prefer it placed in. All my armor is built this way just for my enjoyment at home.

Colors

I know....Colors ? Looks more like single color to me. Actually this is what drew me to this project. I've read several articles over the last few years about painting single color models and the ability to "Bring them to life" utilizing highlights, shadows, and mild weathering. In my opinion, the armor modelers do this much better than us wing modelers. This is actually my first true experiment with this. I have a long way to go.

The model was pre-shaded with black first. Next came the basic color of Russian Armor Green. Next came a lightened spray in certain areas of the basic color. At this point is where the designers gouache washes come in. If you haven't heard of these, treat yourself to some. These tubes are acrylic pastes available in most art supply stores. A little goes a long way, so just try some smaller tubes. Essentially you just put a dab of the color you want on a palette, water it down to taste, then wash the area you wish to highlight. This is extremely effective where molded details such as grills, panel lines, or handles are. Let the gouache dry, usually about 5-10 minutes. Now starts the fun part. Dampen a Q-tip, and start streaking or removing the color. Depending how hard you rub, this will remove more or less of the highlight color. This technique leaves extremely effective streaks, runs, and stains in my opinion. Note this works best on flat paint to provide bite. But if you are not satisfied with the results, wet a clean Q-Tip and remove the highlight color and start over. These gouaches come in all colors, I favor black, dark gray, burnt sienna, and raw umber. Aircraft modeler's note: this also works great for wheel well interiors, engine cowl flaps, panel lines, and flight controls. Ship modeler's note: a terrific way to highlight and bring out the deck gratings, limber holes, etc. At any rate, give it a try.

The Base

The base is nothing more than a 6" X 1" styrofoam disc picked up at a local department store's craft section. They are cheap, light, and can be carved and shaped to various landscapes. Most of the foliage comes from model railroad supplies. Be inventive, that's half the fun.

Conclusion

This was a fun build. The most important feature was learning about the painting and coloring techniques of real armor builders. One note here, I've recently read on other digests apparently Skif has ceased production and was taken over by UM (Unimodel)? But this is unconfirmed, so if you want some examples of Skif’s kits, start hunting. T-26 models in 1/72nd are now coming at us hot and heavy. Mirage is releasing examples of most of the T-26 family, plus there is talk of RPM jumping on the bandwagon. If this is so, there will be plenty to choose from.

(Editors note: Actually what has happened was that Skif is now only doing 1/35th, while some of the original people from Skif started Unimodel (UM) to concentrate on 1/72nd scale and has the T-26 molds. MEB)

One final note. If you want to see better models, photos, and articles, get off your butts and do them. We can't expect the IM staff to do it all. Figure it this way, folks, if you're reading this, these poor guys were so desperate, they printed my stuff!

Enjoy.......and keep building.