i am a new comer to the site but i have been looking around for a pe set for the 1/35 tamiya t34 1943 prod model its a old kit! but do they make any pe sets for it? or should i just sell it on ebay and get like 14 bucks and get the 1/35 dragon mod t34 1941 on ebay and get a good etch set and bareel track a fig

It depends on how important you rank accuracy. The Tamiya kit was built around "motorization", and the rear deck and hull angles are totally wrong. The hex turrets are also very inacurate, being some 3-4mm too high and wrong in the plan view. The DML kits are (generally) very much better, and there are many more accessories available for them.

On The Mark had a PE set for the Tamiya set which you may be able to find. I think Aber may have one too, and possibly old stock from Eduard and Airwaves.

Personally, I would sell the Tamiya kit or scavenge useable parts and use them on a model based on a DML kit.

Cheers
Scott Fraser

ok thanks scott this was my first post before the fruil track ones so thanks but u other people could give more replies it deosnt matter but thanks anyway

If you are going to replace tracks, barrell and want PE, fixing this Tamiya kit is going to end up costing more than the Dragon kit. The Dragon kit is pretty accurate and complete OOB whereas the Tamiya kit has problems that Scott has already mentioned, and your additions won´t do anything to fix those. Therefore, Id also recommend getting the Dragon kit.

ok thanks but why do people buy the old tamiya t34 instead of a dml kit it makes no sense? but are they collectors or etc?

The old Tamiya kit is of a version not available (yet) from any up-to-date kit. So if you want a hex-turret T-34 it is not a bad starting point. I am working on two of them right now. The folks who tell you it is more work and money to fix the old tamiya kit are absolutely right. But it depends on what you're looking to achieve - do you want to build a T-34 for fun, without worrying too much about accuracy, or are you going for the best accuracy and detail you can? The Tamiya kit is also a pretty good source of parts if you want alternate features on another kit.

I suspect DML is working their way towards a hex-turret T-34 but who knows how long it will take? They have done most of the components already in 1/35 and all of them in 1/72, so it should not represent a huge research effort for them.

If you get a DML T-34 get the 'captured' German Model 41, or one of the new Zavod No. 112 kits, because they come with a metal gun tube and, IIRC, additional PE compared to the original model 41 kit. You can build a very accurate T-34 right out of the box with those kits.

On the other hand, if you just want an easy build with no fuss and maybe not the best accuracy or detail, the Tamiya kits are a fun kit too.

ok yeah i might buy 1 but im not sure if ill stick with the dml, but yeah i dont want a old kit and spend like 130 in upgrades in mods im not a extreme modeler im just a person with buying tracks pe sets resin figs and metal barrels but should i get the no.112 kits or stick with the dml ill have it on the battle of Kiev in operation barborossa

OK, being an inveterate tinkerer I broke out the ol' height and depth gauges and did some measuring (I just didn't remember the things being that much too high).

Based on known measurements taken from factory drawings of the hex turret we know that the overall height was 800mm +10/-5mm. That gives us a scale height of roughly 22.86mm +0.286/-0.143.

I measured 23.37mm tall for the kit turret (which is probably ever so slightly higher than a built kit's would be due to the upper and lower halves not being glued together).

Simple math: 23.37 - 22.86 = 0.51mm too tall. BUT if we used the high tolerance we're only 0.224mm higher than it should be! Not all that noticeable in a real sense.

I did find that the bottom of the overhang is a little too high above the engine deck (about 0.5mm or so) just as a matter of curiosity.

All other errors remain.

Mark

People buy them because the Tamiya kits are cheap, readily available, and easy to build.
As of right now, if you want a mid production T-34 with a hex turret, you either build the Tamiya item, which has scale and accuracy problems but is well engineered and nicely detailed, or build the Zvezda kit, which is more accurate overall, but is cruder on a basic construction level, and still needs photoetch and new tracks to look presentable, so it's no bargain, either.

Hello Thomas.
As Danny and Gerald have already mentioned ... its cheap, easily available and builds well and quickly .... and knowing this is a perfect beginner kit.
.... but modelling today is more and more about the painting and weathering, and the Tamiya kit is perfect for building quickly to get to this stage. Theres absolutly no point splashing out on expensive aftermarket, if the basics of painting and weathering are not there. You could do worse than model one of these first, and experiment on it and have fun. It´ll look like a T34, and give you the confidence to try these techniques on a more involved and expensive build.

would i have to do some conversioning

I'm not sure if you're asking a question or making a statement

But in regards to your PE question; Part (from Poland) makes a couple of nice sets specifically for the Tamiya kits;

http://www.rollmodels.net/index2.htm

http://www.rollmodels.net/index2.htm

And Aber makes a very well done cover for transmission specifically for the Tamiya kits.

I highly recommend them both!

Mark

ok thanks ill have a look into them

My plan of attack for building a hex turret T-34 is to use the new DML Zavod No.112 kit (#6479) and the Revell-/Italeri-Zvezda turret with some parts swiped from here and there.

The DML kit is pretty good, and ever so much better as a starting point than the Tamiya kit. Changes must be made to the rear plate, which had two narrow hinges (like Tamiya) instead of the wider Zavod No.112 versions, and strictly speaking the upper rear plate must be shortened and the lower rear plate lengthened, since the upper plate did not overlap the lower (as per No.112) but rather sat inside it. You can use the lower rear plate from a DML KhPZ, STZ or UVZ (T-34-85) kit instead with minor reshaping of the transmission housings. The notched construction of the front plate must also be replaced with a conventional straight joint of welded construction. These are all cosmetic changes and not hard to do.

The Zvezda turret is much more accurate than the Tamiya turret. It is, however, very basic. Armorscale have a very nice resin mantlet and metal barrel for the F-34 as used on these turrets, and using that will greatly improve the appearance of the finished turret. The minor parts — hatches, periscope, ventilator housing and whatnot, can be swiped from an old Tamiya kit or taken from either the DML kit (periscope) or Zvezda kit. Again, it's mostly cosmetic. You can find Zvezda T-34s on eBay for cheap — mine was $10, and as it happens I have a number of unfinished Tamiya kits from twenty years ago.

The suspension is not quite as straightforward. The DML 500mm tracks from the Zavod No.112 kit of their T-34-85 are exactly what is needed. The T-34 with the hex turret was built initially at Zavod No.183 in Nizhnii Tagil, and they were first to adopt the cast half-splined "spider" wheels, as found in DML #6203 and #6266. These went on the first and last stations, and later on were also on the third station. the sticky part is the cast all-metal roadwheels, which were slightly different from those first produced at STZ in that they had reinforcing rings around the lightening holes and a small spline running to the hub. Tamiya, Zvezda and Maquetts all have a rendition of these, but they are all much too wide, and to date no one has released accurate aftermarket wheels in this pattern. I have looked long and hard at slimming down the Tamiya wheels or removing the detail to add to the stock DML STZ wheel, but haven't quite decided how best to go about it.

If you base your model on the DML kit, you can use the Aber photoetch frets to enhance the hull detail, at least. The Aber sets are drop-dead gorgeous, and do definitely make a difference. LionRoar and Voyager also make very nice sets, but I prefer the Aber sets.

Anyway, that's my recipe for building a better mousetrap. Miniarm have some exquisite hex turrets in resin, but they are very pricey and not that easy to find in North America. The Zvezda turret is still not quite 100%, but it's a pretty solid 95% with the enhancements I plan to make. Until something better comes along from DML, (which will happen as soon as the paint is dry on my model), it seems to me to be the best solution.

Cheers
Scott Fraser

whoa thats alot of reading but i understood every single word

Thomas, I have a lot of information on T-34s and can assist if there is a specific model you want to build. Staying with styrene, the Revell-Italeri-Zvezda hex turret is a good starting point for the DML hull. Miniarm make some excellent resin hex turrets, although they are quite pricey. Anubis have some excellent resin turrets for the 85mm tanks, although again they are pricey.

There are many subtle differences between T-34s produced at different factories. I am part of a research group who have been attempting to document these differences, and we have actually made some progress. I ahve also had a chance to examine many of the kits and aftermarket sets available from different manufacturers, and can suggest which ones are good and which one should be avoided.

I'd be happy to pass this information on to you, if it would be of assistance. Send me a PM or drop me an email.

Cheers
Scott Fraser

Lion Roar makes a PE set for the Dragon kit. Chinese modeler Li Chao used it on his excellent T-34 build. It is availiable from Great Models.

Like others have said, it is quite a good build OOB. When I built it, the only problem I found was that the straps that held the ice cleats on the side were plastic that you had to bend. I found that nearly impossible to do without breaking them, so left them off. It would have been better had they been PE.

HTH
Samuel

LionRoar, Voyager and Aber all make frets for the T-34. They are all excellent. My first choice is the Aber set, because it includes the louvers necessary for a 1940/41 KhPZ tank, but if the subject is later than that, either of the others are just as good. Bear in mind that for any of them (and for the old OTM set), there is some tricky bending-folding-soldering to get the engine deck air intake grilles to come out well. DML include flat 2D parts for those without those skills.

Cheers

yeah it is a 43 version but ill see if i can find some otm kits and see which are god ones and i found a aber 1 an dit looks pretty good