Kit Review: AFV Club 1/35 Scale Kit No. 35S56 T-34/85 Model 1944. 1945 Factory No. 174 Full Interior Kit; 504 parts (447 in grey styrene, 24 clear styrene, 20 in black styrene, 10 steel springs, 2 black vinyl tracks, 1 black nylon string, 1 turned brass barrel, 1 etched brass); estimated retail price US$50
Advantages: complete interior with clear styrene parts to show it off; neatly done details with very nicely broken down parts
Disadvantages: minor glitches in design and features (see text)
Rating: Highly Recommended
Recommendation: for all Soviet and =9134 fans
AFV Club has now followed their interesting T-34 Factory No. 112 =93Krasnoye Sormovo=94 kit with both a regular (AF35143) and clear hull (AF35S-51) option with a new kit of a Factory No. 174 (Omsk) T-34-85 with the same options - AF35145 as the =93solid=94 kit and AF35-56 as the =93see through=94 version. It says it is a =93Model 1944, 1945" kit but onl= y provides the Model 1944 version with the =93split hatch=94 cupola and not the later =93big hatch=94 cupola as modelers term them.
This kit builds on the previous effort by replacing a number of parts with those needed to create an accurate 85mm T-34. In this kit, it amounts to 185 new parts; note that AFV Club does not make it simple to sort them out as do DML and Trumpeter by using =93mix and match=94 sprues but replaces them item for item, so anyone reviewing one of their kits has to look close at the sprues to spot the changes!
This kit has more clear parts provided as it needs some for the commander=92s cupola as well as more for the turret and upper hull components.
As with the previous =9134 kit, AFV Club has used smart choices for some of the parts. As before it comes with 20 separate black tires for the road wheels but these are styrene so there is no problem in cleaning them up, fitting them to the model or painting them. It still comes with steel springs which are not as difficult to install as those on the Churchill kits.
Detailing starts with the floor and moves forward. Separate details abound in the control (drivers=92) compartment and include rodding for the foot pedals. This time the larger 85mm rounds are complete, and include late-war =93arrow=94 shells as well as regular HE and AP rounds. Seats are neatly done with separate thigh pads and even machine gun racks look the part.
The V-2 engine is complete, but here AFV Club fixed its earlier mistake and only shows the later war =93cyclone=94 air cleaners. But they do not connect to the engine, and the exhausts still use them as a mount for their passthrough to the exhaust pipes. (Note in one view the older =93pancake=94 air cleaner is still shown on top of the engine - so much for cut and paste!)
The transmission comes with the odd =93ribbon brakes=94 in place on each final drive/lateral clutch assembly (A43-A46) and the fan is a four- piece marvel of the moldmaker=92s craft. Note that the main clutch is in the center of the fan. The radiators each consist of three parts and fit as required next to the engine.
As before the kit comes with pressed disk steel wheel but now with =93segmented=94 solid tires and not the earlier =93notched=94 tires. The sa= me three different options for the idlers and drivers (1940, 1941, 1942 and beyond) are present, but for this kit the recommended ones are B33/ B37 for the idler and B9/B13 for the driver.
The tracks are a bit thin and floppy, so most modelers may want to use an after-market set for this kit. AFV Club has come to the rescue with their set AF35173 which is a =93Snap Together=94 set of single link A and B tracks (one is the flat plate, one the toothed variant), but these are an after-market purchase and not included in the kit.
The upper hull, stern plate, turret halves, roof and turret ventilator are all molded in clear styrene. This is slightly marred by ejection pin marks on the inside of the rear fenders, the stern plate and the turret roof; removing them will take careful sanding, buffing and a touch-up with Future or Johnson=92s Klear.
All radiator louvers - intake and exhaust =96 are positionable, but the rear deck is solid so if you wish to display it you will have to leave the covers (D53, D54, D5) loose. There is a single etched grille for D5 which is a good choice.
This kit also comes with three 95 liter external cylindrical tanks and two smoke pots for the rear of the hull. The cylindrical tanks are one piece with a separate end cap, one nice way to get around the seam problem.
The turret is again nicely done and comes with a very complete Zis- S-53 gun breech and coaxial DT machine gun back end. There are details everywhere you look, but the clear plastic turret will cause some problems when completed due to attaching the parts to the inside. In this case there are so many bits in there such as 16 rounds of ammunition, seats, intercoms, viewers, etc. it will be very hard to see much of anything when completed, and the photos on the box top confirm this.
Three finishing options come with the kit, all in 4BO green: 164th Tank Brigade, 16th Tank Corps, Poland 1944 (white T-36); unknown, white 215; and unknown, Germany 1945, white 121.
Design of this kit is credited to =93Team Niitakayama=94.
Overall this is a better effort that the T-34 76mm one as it solves the air cleaner problem. As it notes a set of 550mm smooth plate track, it is likely an early T-34 will follow (e.g Model 1940 or early Model 1941).
Thanks to Miin Herng Tsueng for the review sample.
Cookie Sewell