T-34/76Model 1942

ESCI Kit 8032; ESCI/Revell# H2332; ESCI/Ertl # 8334

At one time, the ESCI kitswere the only 1/72nd scale T-34's available in plastic. When theywent out of production in the 1980's, we were stuck without anyT-34's until the mid-90's when the AER T-34/85 kit was released.Since that kit was not as high of quality as the ESCI kits, inaddition to being a later version of the tank, the ESCI kitsbecame rare collector's items, and to this day, they sell forfairly high prices on eBay (although they are coming down, sincethe Eastern Express kits have been released).

The two ESCI kits sharethe same hull, and differ only in the wheels and turret. Thisearlier version, the Model 1942 (Ledwoch: Model 1941), comes withthe early, solid disk, rubber-rimmed wheels, and the smaller,oval turret. (I show two scans of the top and bottom sides of thehull sprue, but of course, only one hull comes in each kit.)

There have been persistentrumors spreading through the internet that this kit is actually1/76th, but according to all of my references, that is completelyuntrue. The kit measures out very well to 1/72nd, and may even bea slight bit larger.

The overall level ofdetail on the kit is very good, especially considering the age ofthe model. The hull details, in particular, are quite good. Theengine ventilation grates are molded in excellent relief, therear engine access hatch is very distinct, and the bolt detail onthe rear plate is very fine. There are two tool storage boxesmolded onto the fenders, which, if you get a copy without anysinkholes, doesn't pose a problem. The screening over the enginefan is, of course, molded solid, but with good screen detail.

The turret detail seems abit softer than the hull, and surprisingly, the molding qualitydoesn't seem as high either, with more flash, and heavy sinkmarks which need filling. The perforated rubber tires are verynice, but there is no bolt detail on the wheels, and the wheelhubs could be more distinct. The turret hatch can be posed open,but there is no detail on the inside of the hatch or turret. Therooftop ventilator fan cover is a little too delicate, and notquite large enough, leaving a too-large gap in the turret roof.The gun mantlet is molded in two halves, so as not to lose thebolt detail.

Some additional highlightsof the kit include an open driver's hatch with detail on theinside of the hatch (but not inside the tank), separate pioneertools, additional stowage such as canvas rolls, 76mm ammunitionboxes, and spare track links. Two excellent figures are alsoincluded, a crewman half-figure, and an infantryman. Both typesof fuel cannisters are included: the early box type, and thelater drums. Keep in mind that few Model 1942's carried the sparefuel boxes, and fewer still had the fuel drums. Two nicely moldedtow cables are also included, which need to be heated and bentinto shape.

The tracks can be good orbad, depending on which type you get. The early releases of thiskit (ESCI and ESCI/Revell) came with the old, vinyl, single-piecebelt tracks, which are very poor. Not only do they lack anysemblence of detail on the inner surface, they are also verydifficult to bend into shape, and once bent, look totallyunrealistic, because the individual links themselves bend,instead of only bending between the links.

The later release(ESCI/Ertl) contains the hard plastic, link and length tracks.While these are not quite as nice as the newest tracks fromEastern Express, they are still light years ahead of the vinyltracks. The waffle pattern on the outside of the track is verygood, and the inside surface of the track is fairly wellrepresented also, although the track guide teeth could have beentaller, and more pronounced (although limitations in moldingtechnology may have prevented this).

The decals are highlyvariable. The different releases of this kit included differentmarking options. Most ESCI decals I have seen tend to be fairlythin, with matte carrier film, but seem to be chronically printedout of register. Luckily, some of these markings are singlecolor, so that's not a problem.

All in all, this is anexcellent kit, well before its time in detail and engineering.