T-34/76Model 1943

ESCI Kit 8047; Aurora/ESCI# 6208; ESCI/Revell # H2347; ESCI/Ertl # 8335

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 inprice since the Eastern Express kits have been released).

The two ESCI kits sharethe same hull, and differ only in the wheels and turret. Thislater version, the Model 1943, comes with the all-steel wheels,and the hexagonal turret. (I show two scans of the top and bottomsides of the hull sprue, but of course, only one hull comes ineach kit.) This is also called the Model 1943 in the Ledwochbook, because the turret has a commander's cupola.

There have been persistentrumors spread through the internet that this kit is actually1/76th, but according to all of my references, that is untrue.The kit hull measures out very well to 1/72nd, and may even be aslight bit larger. The turret is a little too small for 1/72nd,and scales out close to 1/74th. So actually, it could be used oneither 1/72nd or 1/76th scale kits without too much difficulty.

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 hatches can beposed open, but there is no detail on the inside of the hatchesor turret. The ventilator cover is molded as a solid dome, whenin fact, there should be four, evenly spaced openings around thebottom edge of the cover. The gun mantlet is molded in twohalves, so as not to lose the bolt detail. The turret is missingthe two vision slots which should be on the turret sides. Thehexagonal turret represents the "hard edge" type. Thewheels are a little flat in detail, and could have been moldedmore sharply and with more distinct detail. However, they arenicer than the steel wheels which come with the AER T-34/85 kit,and include the correct number of lightening holes. The rims aretoo thick.

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 ammunitionbox, 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. Two nicely molded tow cables are also included,which need to be heated and bent into shape.

The tracks can be good orbad, depending on which type you get. The early releases of thiskit (all but the ESCI/Ertl kit) came with the old, vinyl,single-piece belt tracks, which are very poor. Not only do theylack any semblence of detail on the inner surface, they are alsovery difficult 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. The decals on the left are reallyold, and likely are no longer useable.

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