Russian medium tank T-34-85 COBI 2683 - World War II 1:28

 
T-34-85 | COBI^® 2683

This versatile 2-in-1 building set includes two sets of blocks, allowing you to choose whether the tank displays the insignia of the Soviet Red Army or the Polish armored units formed on the Eastern Front. The model stands out with an easily removable turret that offers a detailed look into the machine's interior. Another great feature is the opening rear deck concealing a replica of the V-2-34 engine. This engine can also be removed from the tank and displayed as a standalone piece. Naturally, it features a functional turret hatch for seating the crew and extensive external equipment. While the right side of the hull is fitted with an entrenching shovel, barrel cleaning rod, and track tensioning wrench, the left side holds a wooden crate, a tow cable, and iconic fuel drums. The set is perfectly complemented by a figure of a Polish tanker armed with a historic PPS-43 submachine gun and a collector's nameplate block.

Did you know that:

The initial concept for building an entirely new tank was proposed by Russian designer A. Firson, whom Soviet leader Stalin had executed, leaving this task to the young and ambitious engineer Mikhail Koshkin, who refused to settle for merely upgrading long-obsolete technology. In defiance of direct orders from leadership, M. Koshkin secretly drafted what would later become a true legend. 

During prototype trials in 1938 before the Defense Council committee, the new tank proved to be a highly capable machine. However, it encountered fierce opposition from Marshal Kulikov, who continually pointed out real or fabricated flaws until the committee rejected the T-34 prototype. Whether Kulikov's stance was driven by personal interest, sheer incompetence, or both remains unknown today. In any case, the designer was driven to an extraordinary measure that ultimately cost him his life. To prove the tank's innovative design to the military high command despite Marshal Kulikov's resistance, he personally drove the T-34 prototype through bitter freezing cold from Kharkiv to Moscow to meet Stalin. However, the young engineer made a fatal oversight during the tank's design: he forgot one vital feature, the heating. During the 800 km journey, M. Koshkin contracted severe hypothermia and died of pneumonia a few weeks later. Nevertheless, his mission succeeded. Once J. Stalin inspected the new tank, he immediately ordered its mass production.

Its manufacturing was engineered to be simple enough for unskilled laborers (regrettably women and children) not deployed to the front lines to handle assembly. More T-34 tanks were produced than any other tank during World War II. In total, over 80,000 units were manufactured across various variants, 44,900 of which were lost in combat. The Model 85 featured an upgraded 85 mm caliber gun. German General Paul Ludwig Ewald von Kleist declared the T-34 the best tank in the world during a general staff conference. Even today, it remains in active inventory in 9 countries across the globe.

The T-34/85 variant with a longer barrel and larger caliber entered production in late 1943 as an answer to heavily armored German vehicles. Have you also noticed the numerous casting imperfections, dents, and asymmetrical contours on the turrets of actual tanks? The Soviet Union struggled with producing casting molds, so laborers simply dug a tank-turret-shaped hole into the ground into which molten steel was poured. The tank turret ended up matching the exact shape of the excavated pit.

Technical specifications of T-34/85:

• length 6.75 m (8.1 m with gun), width 3.00 m, height 2.70 m
• weight 32,000 kg
• Christie suspension (USA)
• frontal turret armor thickness up to 90 mm, hull front 45 mm, sides and rear 45 mm, top and bottom 20 mm
• powerplant: 12-cylinder diesel engine V-2-34 8L V12 with an output of 373 kW
• maximum speed 50 km/h on road, 20 km/h off-road
• 5 forward gears and 1 reverse
• operational range 420 km on road, 270 km off-road
• fuel consumption 250 l/100 km summer and 290 l/100 km winter
• fuel tank capacity 815 l
• fording depth 1.3 m
• main armament: 85 mm D-5T cannon (ammunition supply of 56 or 60 rounds), maximum range 14,000 m, direct effective fire up to 7,000 m
• secondary armament: 2x 7.62 mm DTM machine guns
• crew of 5

From the memoirs of Lance Corporal Gustl Benz:

“We had been stuck for three weeks in the small settlement of Zhdanova, about 120 kilometers west of Kursk. One day while on watch, I spotted a large formation of Soviet tanks.” There were at least 80 T-34s along with other armored vehicles. There was no time for precise counts. I immediately delivered the report to Major Gorn, who began organizing our defense. A company of tanks was ordered to advance to the knoll and anti-tank guns to the rim of a nearby rise. But the Russians were faster. We barely had time to deploy according to orders when the T-34s reached us. They slammed straight into us. Stunned, I watched a T-34 chase down our Pz III across a cornfield like a rabbit. I ducked behind the armor plate and watched in amazement as another T-34 halted and set ablaze another Pz III with a single shot. Within an hour, the Russians withdrew just as abruptly as they had appeared. They left several smoking wrecks behind on the battlefield. Our losses were far higher.

About the COBI building set:

• the COBI 2683 building set is made of 1,046 high-quality ABS parts
• number of figures: 1
• collection: World War II
• scale: 1:28
• pad printed – no stickers
• authentic reproduction
• made in the EU
• compatible with other building block brands
• recommended age: 9+