introduction

As we all know, the T-34 was probably the most-successful tank of WW II with the possible exception of the Sherman. What you may not know is that it was a popular export commodity for the Soviet arms industry well past 1945. Decalcomaniacs is a small private company producing decal sheets, and their range includes WWII subjects as well as modern armor, mostly in 1/35 scale. They have released a sheet of markings for the Soviet T34/85 that was exported to many different countries in Eastern Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and Asia.

what you get

The set includes a sheet of decals for 7 tanks, plus two black & white A4-sized sheets illustrating the location of numbers and signs as well as color schemes.

the review

The decals are clearly-printed and have a gloss finish. The instructions have a reference list provided so modelers can check if they can do a model straight from the box or need extra work on detailing.

The sheet includes numbers and tactical signs for:

1. Hungarian uprising, 1956
2. Somalian army, 1970s
3. Egyptian army, 1956
4. PAVN (known in the West as the Army of North Viet Nam or ANV) 203, 1972
5. 6th Guards tank army, Manchuria, 1945
6. Polish army, 1950s
7. 1st Czechoslovak tank brigade, 1945

Most of them are designed for 1 vehicle; #7 comes with 2 variants of turret numbers; # 5 and #6 allow you to have custom numbers. During my trial run (on an M3A1 turret), I cut out the desired symbols with a sharp knife, put them into warm water for a couple of seconds and then transferred them to the surface. Adhesion was very good without any special solutions. As you can see from the photo to the right, tactical signs may require some correction by paintbrush and a bit varnish on top.

conclusion

The decals are produced with a color dot process, so you might think they will be too light. But once weathered, they are very satisfying. Overall I think this is a good choice if you want to have an original model on your shelf.

Thanks to Decalomaniacs for providing this review sample. Be sure to mention you saw them here on Armorama when ordering.