The T-34/85 was developed to combat the potent Tiger and Panther tanks the Soviets were facing on the Eastern Front. It first saw combat in 1944 and has been in action somewhere around the world ever since.
Academy's all-new T-34/85 is the first complete kit with the turret style that has been called the No. 112 "composite" or "hard-edged."
The kit is cleanly molded in dark green plastic. Features include link-and-length track, two styles of turrets, two versions of the commander's cupola, photoetched-metal parts, external fuel tanks, and smoke canisters.
I started construction with the lower hull and suspension. The individual suspension arms provide a lot of positive contact as they link to the separately installed internal hull springs.
The turret is a straightforward and easy build. There's a choice of two turret uppers — one with separate ventilator domes, the other with co-joined domes. The kit also provides a choice of low or tall commander's cupolas. The turret texture is not to scale and is extremely rough, which created problems later during decal application.
The link-and-length tracks assembled easily and attached around the wheels without needing any adjustment. I felt the exterior surface detail was a bit flat and not as aggressive looking as the real track. Also, there are two ejector marks on the inner surfaces.
The engine deck's grille comes with two options: One is a single-piece part; the other is completed with a photoetched-metal screen that allows the cooling slats to be seen. Neat!
All of the access hatches come as separate parts. Surprisingly, the driver's hatch is affected by the turret's overly rough texture. Equally surprising, no clear parts are provided for the headlight or periscopes. I did replace the solid headlight with a self-adhesive silver dot used for scrapbooking.
Considering all the unused parts left over, it's likely Academy plans to issue more T-34 versions.
I painted my kit with a combination of Ammo of Mig Jimenez Soviet tank colors and basic colors from LifeColor. Decals are given for six versions, but I had problems applying them as they didn't conform well (particularly on the turret) and silvered badly. Decal solution did not help. I would recommend using aftermarket decals or dry transfers for this kit.
My primary reference was T-34-85 Medium Tank 1944-94, by Steven Zaloga and Jim Kinnear (Osprey, ISBN 978-1-85532-535-7). I also used T-34/85 In The Post World War II Era : Museum Ordnance Special Number 6, by Adam Geibel (Darlington, no ISBN), which had a great cover photo of a No. 112-style T-34/85.
I completed my T-34/85 in 32 hours. Decals notwithstanding, I was pleased with the outcome.
This is a good kit for beginner and intermediate modelers; diorama builders should find it useful, too.
Accuracy enthusiasts won't find any improvements over previous T-34/85 kits. But I highly recommend Academy's kit for the turret variation offered.
Note: A version of this review appeared in the October 2015 FineScale Modeler.