Kit Review: Trumpeter 1/35 scale Kit No. 00381; Russian PT-76B Amphibious T= ank;=20
188 parts (181 in grey styrene, 4 etched brass, 2 black vinyl tracks, 1 nyl= on string); retail price US$47.95Advantages: makes changes to the earlier kits to represent a PT-76B for 196=
2 and later series tanks; nicely done details=20Disadvantages: wrong lower hull bow angle for this model of the PT-76; some= dimensional differences with recent plans; vinyl tracks so-so
Rating: Recommended with Reservations
Recommendation: for all Soviet and third world light tank fans
Trumpeter is now becoming another company like DML and Tasca to make a =93= full court press=94 on its chosen subjects when they pick one. This is the = third of four kits released covering the basic Soviet PT-76 amphibious tank= series of vehicles (they have also released a BTR-50PK among other kits).
As I wrote in the review of the PT-76 Model 1951, the PT-76 was developed = out of a postwar requirement for a light amphibious reconnaissance tank (in= the mold of the prewar T-37 and T-38 light tanks) with no more than 15mm a= rmor protection and mounting a 76mm gun to protect itself. The PT-76 was cr= eated by the Chelyabinsk Kirov Factory under the auspices of Zhosif Kotin, = who was the chief of all tank designs from both Chelyabinsk and Leningrad a= fter the war. A task force of designers was created from Chelyabinsk, Lenin= grad and the VNII-100 research institute under designated project head desi= gner Nikolay Shashmurin.
Based on work done at the Factory No. 112 (=93Krasnoye Sormovo=94) just af= ter the end of the war, Shashmurin=92s team created two vehicles on one cha= ssis: Article 740, which was the amphibious light tank; and Article 750, an= open-topped amphibious armored personnel carrier (which became the BTR-50)= . They worked on the project from 1949 to 1951, after which Article 740 was= accepted for service as the PT-76 (P for =93Plavayushchiy=94 or amphibious= , T for tank, and 76 for the 76.2mm D-56T gun). A number of enterprises thu= s shared in the award of the =93Stalin Prize=94 for the creation of the PT-=
76 and BTR-50 in 1953. Most of the vehicles were built by the Stalingrad (n= ow Volgograd) Tractor Factory even though it was designed =93up north.=94= =20The vehicle underwent several upgrade programs in service: these included = work on a =93Zarya=94 gun stabilizer, an upgrade to an 85mm gun, and variou= s minor improvements. In 1955 the original D-56T gun with its multibaffle = muzzle brake was replaced by the D-56TM with a two-chamber type as well as = finally provided with a HEAT round which gave it better ability to deal wit= h tank type threats. In 1957 a TDA smoke generator system was installed, as= well as a new R-113 VHF radio to replace its 10RT type HF set from WWII.= =20
In 1958, a new and heavily modified version entered production, the PT-76B= . This tank used the D-56TS gun with the =93Zarya=94 stabilizer, a radiatio= n and chemical protective filter system (FVU and PAZ systems), the hull was= increased in height by 60mm at the turret centerline area to increase buoy= ancy reserves and seakeeping qualities, the turret handrails were moved up =
150mm on the sides, twin 90 liter auxiliary fuel tanks were fitted, a third= (IR) headlight added, and a number of minor changes were also made.=20In 1962 the vehicle hull was redesigned, with the sides increased another =
70mm and the lower front plate angles changed from 45 degrees to only 35 de= grees.=20Between 1951 and 1969 a total of 4,172 PT-76 tanks of all types were produ= ced, of which 941 were exported to a variety of countries to include China,= Vietnam, Egypt, and India. Widely popular with Russian forces, especially = the Naval Infantry, the PT-76 was still in service in 1990 and declared in = CFE =96 but as a =93light armored vehicle carrying heavy armament=94 so it = would not count against tank strengths.=20
The PT-76B kit changes out the early D-56T gun for the stabilized D-56TM g= un with the two chamber muzzle brake. This kit also adds the correct upper = hull profile with the final raised sides, but it uses the height of the Mod= el 1958 which is 2 mm too low. It also uses the lower hull from the first t= wo kits which is not correct for the B model. That changed the lower bow an= gle from 45 degrees to 35 degrees but the kit alas will have to be correcte= d. Still, it is easier than correcting the upper hull height on the Model 1=
951.=20Note that in 1/35 scale the upper hull of the Model 1951 should be 12.3 mm= ; for the Model 1958, 14 mm; and for the PT-76B,16 mm, point of measurement= is the break in the hull side beneath the forward part of the turret. This= is based on 1/35 scale plans by Aleksandr Koshchavtsev, who is a very accu= rate draftsman. =20
As a result this causes the error in the suspension units making them slig= htly strung out, with the lead one being about 70mm in scale (2mm) too far = forward and the rest graduated down the line until the rear units match. Ag= ain, I doubt many modelers will correct this error. (Note that the EE kit i= s of the 1958 version of the PT-76 with the 60mm raised hull and dual baffl= e muzzle brake.)=20
That being said, whereas the EE kit had nice details the Trumpeter one has= excellent ones. It comes with useful etched brass for the engine deck gril= les (air intake and exhaust/ejection cooling) and also the headlight guards= ; formers are thoughfully provided for their complex shapes. For some reaso= n Trumpeter includes the entire water jet trunking even though I doubt many= will put the model on a mirror to see it! There are some major pin joints = inside the trunking as well as the barrel, but a few minutes with a Dremel = Minimite should solve that problem.=20
The gun barrel is as nice as anyone could wish in plastic, even though lik= e the Model 1951 it had to be done using conventional molding methods and t= hus there are assembly pins in the bore to rout out. A gun breech is provid= ed for the kit as well but as no basket comes with it for the turret you ma= y wish to just =93button it up=94 for simplicity=92s sake. =20
With the exception of the tracks, all bits on the Trumpter kit are just th= at much better. Trumpeter now does offer a working single link track for th= is vehicle, but as the track links are each three parts (two guide teeth an= d a pad) I am not sure how many modelers will use them. The kit tracks indi= cate they are cementable vinyl (e.g. like the DS plastic used by DML or the= type used by Tamiya) but are thin and somewhat flimsy. Given that an EE ki= t probably goes for $10-12 at flea markets, you may wish to pick one up for= the single link tracks that will fit on this kit.
Engine deck hatches are separate parts so detailers may install an engine= and driveline, and the crew hatches also are optional position items..=20
Two sets of markings are included for a Naval Infantry tank with exercise = stripes in 4BO green and a tri-colored one, also Naval Infantry, but withou= t the flag insignia. Note that Bison has a new set of Naval Infantry markin= gs out which will be suitable for this kit as well as Trumpeter=92s BTR-60P= kit.
Overall it is still disappointing that Trumpeter missed the fact that all = three PT-76 tanks use different height hulls and the lower hull changes on = the =93B=94 itself.=20
Cookie Sewell