The T-34 was a Soviet medium tank that greatly influenced the outcome of WW II. Introduced in 1940, its 76.2 mm gun was more powerful than its contemporaries while its 60 degree sloped armor provided good protection against anti-tank weapons. After the Germans were surprised by the tank in 1941 during Operation Barbarossa, German general von Kleist called it "the finest tank in the world”.
The T-34 was the mainstay of the Soviet Red Army throughout the war. Its general specifications remained nearly unchanged until early 1944, when it received a firepower upgrade with the introduction of the greatly improved T-34-85 variant. Its production method was continuously refined and rationalized to meet the needs of the Eastern Front, making the T-34 quicker and cheaper to produce. The Soviets ultimately built over 80,000 T-34s of all variants, allowing steadily greater numbers to be fielded despite the loss of tens of thousands in combat. With 44,900 lost during the war, it also suffered the most tank losses ever.
The model is from the Zvezda (Russian) 1:35 scale kit. The build was fine but required some minor fill-ins and body work to correct for the lack of superior tooling found in Tamiya kits. The model represents the type used in the Battle of Kursk.