I know I was... a little while absent from the site for a little while, I had...reasons, most of them horribly apropriate (
), some pointless,so I'll have to insert a plea for forgiveness here .Anyway, back to the subject... I initially had one of my Tiger boxes (Initial model for the 502nd) already opened but then the box with the T-35 managed to intrigue me... and after opening up the box containing this Warhammer 40k style monstrous derivative and far relation of the Vickers Independent I just had to change the project to this behemoth.
The T-35 is a 5 turret heavy soviet tank from the late interbellum.
It's genesis goes back to two factors in Soviet interbellum tank development: the (thoroughly illegal because Versailles) presence of German engineering teams developing tanks and other heavy equipment (compare the soviet M32 19-K,M37 53-K and M42 AT guns to the German Pak 36 and you'll see the evidence) in coordination with the Red Army (the enemy of my enemy and all that) and Vickers' (ultimately fruitless) development the Independent A1E1 multi turret tank that also caused, through a complicated case of intellectual and conceptual interdependence, the Neubaufahrzeug and the KV-1 (via the competing T-100 as the SMK).
The T-35 is a 9m long 11-man crew monstrosity that sports, in addition to it's 76.2mm M27/32 in the main turret, another four turrets, two armed with just DT machine guns and another two with 45mm 20-k guns and coaxial DT MGs.
This is a vehicle that could actually fire a broadside (vehicles don't fire broadsides dear Soviets, vessels do!
) of three guns and another four MGs if the commander so desired...Speaking of broadsides - there is a intriguing similarity in a lot of aspects of this tank to the Borodino class of ships of the line
. (also in it's efficiency in combat and eventual fate...)The of course there is the little matter of armour, and as we all know from our own studies and building early pattern German tanks, the interbellum really failed at appreciating the thread AT rounds would pose. The T-35 is no different here with only a pathetic 30mm of frontal armour, though moderately sloped in a stepped front design that would reappear in the KV series, and a pathetic 11mm in most other places.
Let it suffice to say that the fate these behemoths suffered in Barbarossa is rather tellingly summed up with this photo.
Anyway,so much for the history now on with the kit!
Here's the box and contents=>
So let's get this going!
First the hull... it really feels like something else than a tank, more like a locomotive or a truck with trailer in size
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Next I built the turrets, after all they're the vehicles main attraction of sorts
.They all of course feature DT machine guns and they are... meh.. moderately well detailed (the rest of the tank is detailed very nicely actually, sometimes the casting points are a bit annoying by their size but generally fits, bolts and welt lines are fairly nice) and certainly would benefit greatly from replacement with turned items which I sadly didn't have at hand and was unwilling to have another break in the build process until some would arrive, who knows what else would happen in the meantime and strand me again completely without will or time to continue the build
).Anyway I did at least some hollowing out of the barrels but that's about it and painted it should look okay.
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The rest of the turrets, surprisingly including the barrels, hollow plastic casts without rifling that they are, was actually very nicely detailed. Especially noteworthy are the beautifully detailed lifting hooks on the on the four smaller turrets, and graciously enough they do come in redundant numbers on the sprue, so there is a certain level of loss to the carpet monster which can be endured
The primary turret has a nice areal that comes in two options, one with six and the other with eight connection points to the turret. It also features a nice use of the stronger etched parts to fix the two (of course thoroughly useless in actual combat) lights coaxial with the main gun for target illumination (which would turn the vehicle, already an insane and substantial target into a target illuminated about as subtle as a Christmas Tree
).It also has a nice (if rather cheesy, but that's Stalinist Russia
) embossed star on the turret roof. =>
Here's the progress so far
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And here's the aforementioned broadside
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So here's to the hope that this will not stall and sink again pathetically
.Best regards
Raoul G. Kunz
I'll have something four you Steve, only today actually noticed your late January missive
and will have an answer as well as an attempt to excuse the lack of communication by Monday . 
