Zvezda T-35 Soviet Heavy Tank Build in 1/72 Scale

This is a relatively new release from Zvezda, it just came out last year.  The subject is an unique design, a five-turreted heavy tank which entered service in 1933.  These were monsters and were mainly used in parades in Moscow to show off Soviet military might.  They suffered rather badly in actual service during the Great Patriotic War due to their thin armor.

The box says the kit consists of 237 individual parts.  I didn’t bother to count but that sounds about right.  The main hull is a single piece of slide-molded wizardry, the other two sprues pictured here are the upper hull details and turrets.  Details are crisp and the molding is free of flash.

The bulk of the kit parts are used to build up the running gear.  These parts are very nicely detailed, but much of that will be hidden behind side skirts.  Tracks are length and link.

Here is the running gear in place on the lower hull.  The parts are molded in a rather hard plastic, but presented no problems during assembly.

The tracks went on without difficulty.  Most of this is long runs, with mainly the sections which curve around the drive and return rollers being comprised of individual links.  These all mated well and there was even a short length of extra track left over at the end.

I added some extra heft to the model using BBs and casting resin poured into the lower hull.  Completely unnecessary but I like the feel.

Here is everything assembled prior to painting.  The machine gun barrels were replaced with Albion Alloys tube, which makes them harder to knock off and provides a hollow barrel.  I left the skirts off at this stage to better paint the running gear.

The model was first sprayed with Mr. Surfacer 1000, then painted with Mister Color Russian Green 4BO and  highlighted with a lighter mix of the same.  Tracks were painted Mister Color Tire Black.  The model was then sprayed with Testors Glosscoat prior to decals and weathering.

Decals are from the kit and performed well.  These tanks were relatively well maintained, so I used restraint on the weathering.  I picked out details with Tamiya Panel Line Accents and gave the completed model a covering of Testors Dullcoat.  Finished!  A large and unusual addition to the Russian armor collection.