T-35 Heavy Tank

2018 Assault & Heav Tank Group Build. Campaign runs from 01/01/18 - to 31/12/18. Campaign medals awarded for models completed within those dates.
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Raoul Kunz
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T-35 Heavy Tank

Post by Raoul Kunz »

So there we are... after failing abysmally at the last GB I'll try my hand at the recent one with the heavies. :oops:

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! :lol: ) 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=>
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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 :lol: .
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 :lol: ).
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 :roll: :lol:
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 :lol: ).
It also has a nice (if rather cheesy, but that's Stalinist Russia ;) ) embossed star on the turret roof.
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Here's the progress so far
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And here's the aforementioned broadside :lol:
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So here's to the hope that this will not stall and sink again pathetically :lol: .


Best regards

Raoul G. Kunz

I'll have something four you Steve, only today actually noticed your late January missive :oops: and will have an answer as well as an attempt to excuse the lack of communication by Monday ;) .
~fiat iustitia aut pereat mundus~

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Philipp Gross
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Re: T-35 Heavy Tank

Post by Philipp Gross »

Excellent work comrade, you make the motherland proud :lol:

You'll need this for the build. :mrgreen:

Philipp
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Mark Aldrich
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Re: T-35 Heavy Tank

Post by Mark Aldrich »

Looking good so far. Always loved the Russian land battleships.
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Raoul Kunz
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Re: T-35 Heavy Tank

Post by Raoul Kunz »

Thanks Philipp and Mark! :D

It's an overall... well, for the lack of a better term: this is a GW tank through and through... if the guns where triple their size and the embossed item on the roof a winged skull it would be an Imperial Guard tank without further modifications :lol: .

Here's some progress on the tank, the etched grates and using etch for some elements which I suppose would have turned out rather clumsy if cast in plastic is a nice choice, thought probably not exactly extraordinary beginner friendly ;) .

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=>Exactley<= .... :lol:


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Raoul G. Kunz
~fiat iustitia aut pereat mundus~

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Adam Durrant
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Re: T-35 Heavy Tank

Post by Adam Durrant »

That’s quite the kit Raoul, but the build is coming along nicely!
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Bryan Krueger
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Re: T-35 Heavy Tank

Post by Bryan Krueger »

Great start on the build. What an interesting land-ship! And yes, it does look very GW. Looking forward to your progress.
AKA Maschinen Krueger

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Raoul Kunz
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Re: T-35 Heavy Tank

Post by Raoul Kunz »

Thanks Adam and Bryan! :D
I've now reached the point where I need to spray a bit, should be doable currently, prepare for incoming green in the days ahead ;) .
Now should I build one with parade markings for Red Square (that would be stripes and intermitted-morse-code-like-stripes in red, white and/or yellow) or just green with red stars for front use against Centre on the Minsk-Smolensk-Moscow axis? :?:


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Raoul G. Kunz
~fiat iustitia aut pereat mundus~

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Steve Hutchinson
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Re: T-35 Heavy Tank

Post by Steve Hutchinson »

Rapid progress Raoul

Where is the massive puncture from the Pz II going to go? :roll:

Green too, breaking new ground, but really cool and very GW tank too ;)

You have shamed me into getting started on a heavy tank Raoul :D

Great to have you back at your bench ;)

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Steve H
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Raoul Kunz
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Re: T-35 Heavy Tank

Post by Raoul Kunz »

Where is the massive puncture from the Pz II going to go? :roll:
Do you mean the huge holes of the 2cm KwK30 L/55 would blast through the laughable armour? :lol:

Honestly though, a 11mm level of protection could be pierced by 8mm Mauser S.m.K.H. (Spitzgeschoß mit Hartkern [Spitzer bullet with hardened core]) tungsten round, usable with the regular K98k (though it usually stripped the rifling from the barrel in a few rounds :lol: ) with no effort, no proper AT weapons needed :roll: .

Anyway, I went ahead and did a couple of etched applications which make the tank in it's current state of dark-green-with-brass-accents really look like an antebellum Russian ship of the line ...with tracks...on land... :lol:.

First some placement tests =>
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Followed by the employment of my new secret weapon, now unveiled: industrial strength "Atomic Glue" from work (it's just a very generous bottle of mid viscosity CA glue ;) ) with activator in spray can. :lol:
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It's really relaxing in use, just spray one of the sides to be glues with it and add the CA to the other whenever you feel like it and it will bond literally instantly :mrgreen: .
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Of course it makes corrections problematic to say the least, but it keeps the bloody CA glue off my fingertips and eliminates the superlatively annoying tendency of CA in action to glue every item in comes into contact with except the intended target area.
Oh and of course it's dirt cheap when compared to commercially available CA glue (especially since it comes in a whopping 50gramm bottle not the 2g tubes often found in stores) and activators since it's not available for private purchase ;) .

Here's a little test shot of the skirts placed roughly in their eventual position =>
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And here's the current state of affairs =>
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Best regards

Raoul G. Kunz
~fiat iustitia aut pereat mundus~

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Raoul Kunz
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Re: T-35 Heavy Tank

Post by Raoul Kunz »

On we go!

Here's the whole vehicle with the most appropriate base-coat I could find: GW Skull White :lol: .
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Best regards

Raoul G. Kunz
~fiat iustitia aut pereat mundus~

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