PMMS
Calibre35
T-34-76 Laminate Turret
1/35 Kit #35037
Review by Terry Ashley

Calibre35
Image of finished model courtesy Calibre35
Calibre35 have released this simple update of the hexagonal ‘laminate’ turret produced from late 1942 to early 1943 which consists of just five parts cast in cream resin with an aluminium barrel.

The quality of the resin casting is excellent with only small casting blocks to be removed and no other blemishes, on the turret there is just a thin casting block on the rear underside of the casting which while small does require a bit of care as it is between the cast ribs around the lower turret but was not a problem to remove.

The turret is a single solid casting with indentations under the hatches for half figures if required and features a rough cast texture on the sides, bottom and mantlet with the distinctive ridge around the centre of the turret walls and the many small ribs around the lower turret ring contours as well as the weld seams around the turret roof and looks very convincing.

A notably feature of the turret casting is the four small lifting eyes which are cast with the turret and apart from some very minor excess resin to be trimmed at the base are perfectly formed with the centre hole included which is quite impressive. The single gunner’s periscope is also included but could do with the a bit of sanding to ‘round’ the top and bottom contours a little to better match reference photos and the periscope base is also mounted too far back and is touching the hatch hinge but it should be mounted 1.5mm further forward. The rear ventilator has deep undercuts under the four vent holes. There is one small issue with the angle of the four lifting eyes as most photos show these set at an angle to the centreline and not parallel as on the resin turret, but this can easily be remedied if required.

The F-34 gun mantlet also features well done weld seams and bolt heads and the metal barrel has the muzzle drilled out but no rifling added and fits neatly into the mantlet without any problems.

The other parts are the upper mantlet cover and the two round hatches which needed some minor sanding where the casting block is attached to fit the turret hatch cut-outs while the hatch hinges fit perfectly to the hinges on the turret roof.

The instructions are fairly basic but so is the set so are adequate for the task and the turret should fit most applicable T-34 kit as the resin turret ring is smaller than most kit hull cut outs to ensure it fits different kits and will just require a bit of adjustment to get a snug fit or could simply be glued in place.

Conclusion:
A nicely detailed and textured turret that doesn’t require any adjustments to fit available kits and offers a nice alternative to produce yet another different turreted version of T-34.

Recommended

Resin parts
Calibre35
Three views of the turret casting
Calibre35Calibre35Calibre35

Thanks to my credit card and the excellent service from Blast Models for the review kit.



Page Created 28 April 2005

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