Trenchworx 1/56 T-34/76 review

Appologies for the long absence of articles, I've been remarkably tied up with work projects recently, however the upside of this is that now I have plenty of stuff to write about to start off the new year, and on that note a very happy new year to all those who support my business and who follow this blog, thank you all for your time and help!

Seeing as the Russians were famous for their winter attacks, my first article of 2016 has to be on the most famous Russian tank of them all, the T-34/76, and today I'll be firstly reviewing this new kit, and secondly comparing and rounding up the other major T34/76's.

Trenchworx T-34/76

Trenchworx are a new company to the scene, and started off producing 3D printed models of the more obscure vehicles from WW2. After a recent and very successful Kickstarter to bring leser known

Russian and Japanese armour to the gaming table, they now have a much larger and more fleshed out range, which can be seen at Trenchworx.

Trenchworx very kindly included a couple of review models in with a couple of commissions that I have worked on recently. (I'll also be looking at the T-28 and Type 89 over the coming weeks).

This kit represents the T/34/76 1943 version with 'Mickey Mouse' turret, and mixed steel and rubber road wheels, and is the first kit in 28mm scale to offer this combination of wheels and tracks.

The kit comes with instructions, and is a mix of resin for the hull, turret and tracks, whilst detail parts are in white metal, in this instance lights, stowage boxes, fuel tanks spare tracks and hatches. Detail and casting quality is impressive, right down to the pre drilled gun barrels, even for the machine guns. Tracks are keyed to each side as well, so it's impossible to fit them in the wrong place or on the wrong side. Topping out the model is a set of magnets to hold the turret down. 

Assembly and clean up is a breeze, and I'm informed by Nate at Trenchworx that the resin can be painted without the need of washing the resin, however any mixed media kit I like chuck in the bath for a wash just to make sure. 

The T-34 was painted using the Russian 4BO paint set from Vallejo which you can read about here. Trenchworx T-34 is $34 and represents good value for the quality of model you are receiving. 

T-34/76 round up

Over the last year there have been a lot of new kits of this famous tank, so it seems prudent to pull them all together here, and see what each one has to offer. 

 

As you can see from the chart below, each kit has its own merits, and it's impossible to call one the best, it largely comes down to personal preference  and hopefully this will help you decide what's best for you. 

Rubicon T-34/76 review

Warlord T-34/76 Review

Die Waffenkammer T-34/76 review 

Kit	Price	Options	Stowage	Crew	Build time	Notes	Website
Rubicon	£20	1941 and 42 turrets, also includes OT34 flame thrower option. Steel or Rubber road wheels	Spare track,  Two types of drum, and square fuel tanks are offered.	None	25-35 minutes	Plastic kit, Track detail is heavily simplified. Good decal sheet.	http://www.rubiconmodels.com/
Warlord	£18 Available in 3 vehicle set for £50, also part of 3 vehicle 10% discount deal.	1941, 42, 43 turrets, OT34 Flame thrower	Spare trucks, box fuel tank	1 figure	20 minutes	Plastic kit. No drum fuel tanks, good decal sheet.	http://www.warlordgames.com/
Die Waffenkammer	$32 Canadian, Approx £16. 3 vehicle 10% discount	None, Alternative turrets are available on the website however	Lots. Comes with around 10 items of stowage	2 figures	10 minutes	Resin kit. Long shipping times, perfect casting, resin needs thorough clean and priming	http://www.diewaffenkammer.com/_russia.html
Trenchworx	$34 US, approx. £23	None	Spare track, alternative styles of drum fuel tanks	None	10 minutes	Resin and metal kit, all guns are pre drilled.	http://trenchworx.com/

As ever you can see more of my work at Volley Fire Painting Service.