Hobby Boss 82602 1/16 WWII Soviet T34/85 Tank

This is a plastic model kit, which comes unassembled and unpainted. So glue, model paints and other basic modelling tools are additionally required.

Considered by many as "possibly the best tank of World War 2", the T-34/85 was fast, manoeuvrable and hard-hitting. Appearing in huge numbers from early 1944, it led the assault on Germany until the end of the war; when it was widely exported to many communist nations. The major change in T-34 production after 1943 was the arrival of the 85mm (3.34in) gun T-34/85, which had a new three-man turret and a larger diameter turret ring. Both the T-34/76 and /85 were built in parallel until mid-1944, when production of the former stopped after 35,099 had been completed.

The huge losses of T-34s in 1941 and 1943 were due respectively to the speed and surprise of the German advance (Blitzkrieg) and the development of new German heavy tanks, such as the Tiger and Panther. The Panther, in particular, was designed with sloped armor modeled after the T-34 and with a long-barrelled 75mm (2.95in) gun that matched the Soviet 76.2mm (3in) gun.

The T-34/85 was rolling off the production lines in January 1944, only five months after the design was initiated. That year, over 11,000 were produced and these played the major role in pushing the Germans back into Germany in late 1944. The T-34/85 remained the principal Soviet tank until the late 1940s. And was produced for Third Party Nations well into the 1960s.

This kit depicts the T-34/85 Model in 1944 with "flattened" turret later style one piece commander's hatch, and non-pierced rubber-rimmed road wheel.