Gents,

I'm working on the Dragon 1/35 T-34/76 Mod 1940, and I've noticed that there are two small square gaps where the rear hull plate, the fenders, and the transmission cover meet. Here's what I'm talking about:



I've seen some T-34/76 photos on the internet that depict this gap, but others that do not. Can anyone enlighten me on this?

I don't have any reference photos at the moment but for a Model '40 (and earlier Model '41's) those gaps should not be there. The hull sides were machined in such a way as there was a pretty tight fit between the hull sides and upper rear plate. Later that changed in order to reduce the amount of precision work needed to make T-34 hulls and to save time.

If you do an on-line search for "AGP T-34 Model '41 photos" and scroll down a bit you should find a good photo of the rear of that early F-34 gunned tank. You may also see a detail or two you want to correct in the DML kit.

Mark,

Thanks for the response. I suppose it's time to break out the styrene strip.

Photo of an M1940. The hull side plate should be taller to fill the corner, but the joint stays visible.



KL

Good photo, Kurt. Shows exactly what I was trying to describe.
BTW, that's a very early production Model '40. Do you know of any images of this one showing the front?

Mark

What makes it an early M1940 rather than just an M1940?

This tank was in Leshnev, Lvov region, and belonged to the 12th Tank Division of the 8th Mechanized Corps.




KL

Ah! I actually have photos 2 and 4 plus another from a slightly different angle. I just didn't recognize it.
"Very early" was a bit of a swing and a miss on my part. It was based on the early track type this one was wearing and I was betting that it might be one of the rare pre-production A-34/T-34's with the single piece front ends. Nope, it is an earlier tank but a standard production one.

Mark