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REVIEW
T-44 Tank
CMOT
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ARMORAMA
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Posted: Sunday, February 28, 2016 - 10:51 PM UTC
Andras Donaszi takes a look at the T-44 Soviet Medium Tank from MiniArt in 1/35th scale and with a full interior.

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If you have comments or questions please post them here.

Thanks!
Cantstopbuyingkits
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Posted: Monday, February 29, 2016 - 12:09 AM UTC
Interior is not full, nothing is provided for the driver compartment or transmission.
spongya
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Posted: Monday, February 29, 2016 - 12:55 AM UTC
Hm, this I have not noticed in the in-box review. (Kind of annoying.) This will come up during the building phase. Thank you for the correction.
pgb3476
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Posted: Monday, February 29, 2016 - 01:25 AM UTC
Agreed, not a full interior.....but a fine kit, that is for sure.
pgb3476
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Posted: Monday, February 29, 2016 - 01:27 AM UTC
The T-43 turret did not end up on the T-34/85. It was too small to handle the 85mm gun, it might have influenced it, but it was not the same turret.
Precious_rob
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Posted: Monday, February 29, 2016 - 02:32 AM UTC
This is a great looking kit and I am glad it has finally been tackled in plastic

Just one minor niggle, enough with the captured German markings on every single Russian release, "what if" or not there should not be a single German cross on that decal sheet
DerGeist
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Posted: Monday, February 29, 2016 - 09:15 AM UTC
I heard the crosses may be from a Soviet movie that featured T-44's as German vehicles like how the M47 was used as a German tank in various American films. Can anyone confirm?
Cantstopbuyingkits
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Posted: Monday, February 29, 2016 - 09:36 AM UTC

Quoted Text


Just one minor niggle, enough with the captured German markings on every single Russian release, "what if" or not there should not be a single German cross on that decal sheet



They are just giving you the option to have it as a hypothetical German captured machine, if you're not into that you can just built it in soviet service and ignore the German specific decals.
spongya
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Posted: Monday, February 29, 2016 - 03:03 PM UTC

Quoted Text

The T-43 turret did not end up on the T-34/85. It was too small to handle the 85mm gun, it might have influenced it, but it was not the same turret.



Wikipedia quote:

"The T-43 turret was adapted to mount a more effective 85 mm gun, and to fit on the T-34 tank hull."


http://www.tanks-encyclopedia.com/ww2/soviet/soviet_T34-85.php

"This new turret, ordered by The People’s Commissariat for the Armor Industry, was partly based on the T-43’s turret and was hurriedly adapted by Krasnoye Sormovo Factory chief engineer V. Kerichev. "



I've read something similar a year or so ago in one of the Osprey books, too. (Probably Zaloga's T-34/85. I can't recall; when I started to play World of Tanks more seriously, I've read about these "weird" Soviet medium tanks.)
spongya
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Posted: Monday, February 29, 2016 - 03:08 PM UTC

Quoted Text



They are just giving you the option to have it as a hypothetical German captured machine, if you're not into that you can just built it in soviet service and ignore the German specific decals.




Yeah; more options can't be a bad thing. At least you'll end up with a lot of German markings. The decals by MiniArt are usually quite good, so they can be used somewhere else. Like on a captured Sherman
M4A1Sherman
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Posted: Monday, February 29, 2016 - 06:20 PM UTC

Quoted Text

Andras Donaszi takes a look at the T-44 Soviet Medium Tank from MiniArt in 1/35th scale and with a full interior.

Link to Item

If you have comments or questions please post them here.

Thanks!



Re: The lack of a metal Barrel:

Just source an aftermarket metal 85mm (T-34/85) Barrel. Cheapest way out is probably an RB METAL's T-34/85 Barrel, but I'm sure that "all-new" A/M metal T-44 barrels will soon make their appearance on the market, anyway.

MINIART has a T-44M, 2which was armed with a 100mm Gun, slated for later release this year; whether it will include a metal barrel is anyone's guess. If not, see above.

The lack of a "complete" Interior and Transmission are not any kind of an issue with me, personally- I build my armor either "buttoned-up" or with open hatches, occupied by Crew Members, which will obscure a lot of interior details anyway. I DO however, make sure that ANY details that would still be noticeable with the Crew in place, are built-in before actually closing up the Turret and the Hull of the model in question.

Questions-

No Transmission:

Is the T-44's Transmission ACTUALLY seen through Engine Grilles, Louvers, Doors, Access Hatches, or whatever is the case on T-44s, once the kit is completed? If not, unless you plan on building a T-44 with an open Engine Bay, or undergoing an Engine/Transmission-change, what is the issue over the lack of a Transmission?

Incomplete(?) Driver's Compartment:

Unless you're going to complete your T-44 with a Hull that can be "cracked-open" for inspection of the kit's innards at contests, what's the point of having a "complete" Interior if you can't see much of said interior, anyway?

"COMPLETE" Interiors and Engine Bays just drive the initial cost of the kit in question through the roof. If ANY kit includes a "complete" Interior, then we hear and read all the negative comments: "TOO EXPENSIVE!!!", "WHY DOES THIS KIT COST SO MUCH?!?", ad nauseam.

In closing, MANY of us asked for a PLASTIC 1/35 T-44 in quite a few ARMORAMA "Most Wanted Kits" forums. Now that we have one, (FINALLY!), some of us are very quick to whine about the lack of a Transmission and an "incomplete" Interior! My comment on that is:

We have become too spoiled- The MINART T-44 is a VERY reasonably-priced kit; if memory serves, LUCKY MODELS has this kit in stock, priced in the mid-$30.00USD range. At that price, such a well-molded kit, with INDY-LINK Tracks and at least PARTIAL innards, IS A STEAL, considering what other plastic kit manufacturers are charging for THEIR wares...

It just goes to show- You CAN'T make EVERYONE happy...
spongya
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Posted: Monday, February 29, 2016 - 06:54 PM UTC
You do have a point, and don't get me wrong I was not bitching about the no complete interior issue (I did submit a corrected version to armorama, though). My preference for complete interior is that I simply like them. I like to build vehicles with everything in, and displayed -either as cutaway or as turret/panels removed.
bison126
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Posted: Monday, February 29, 2016 - 07:06 PM UTC
Thanks for the review.
How usually is the fit with Miniart products? This one is quite appealling, even with a not so full interior

Olivier
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Posted: Monday, February 29, 2016 - 07:22 PM UTC

Quoted Text

You do have a point, and don't get me wrong I was not ladying about the no complete interior issue (I did submit a corrected version to armorama, though). My preference for complete interior is that I simply like them. I like to build vehicles with everything in, and displayed -either as cutaway or as turret/panels removed.



Andras- Please, I didn't mean YOU, specifically. Others on this site have voiced their concerns over a lack of "complete" Interior and the lack of a Transmission in this kit when it was first announced on this site, prior to this forum. As I said previously, the inclusion of a "complete" Interior would drive the price of this kit up by quite a bit of money, something that many modellers would complain about, I think, MORE than the lack of features that we are discussing here.

AFV CLUB offers their T-34s with or without Interiors, and also with Clear Turrets and Upper Hulls to view these Interiors. Maybe, for the benefit of the Russo-Soviet AFV-modellers, MINIART could do the same. For me, personally, I don't require a "complete" Interior. Some other modellers also build their Tanks without interiors, generally in a "dio"-type fashion, loaded-up with stowage, Crew, etc, where a "complete" Interior would not be an issue, because much of said interior would be obscured, anyway...

It's entirely possible that MINIART MAY have considered doing a "complete" Interior for their new T-44, but opted out in order to keep the retail price at a "reasonable" level- This is just conjecture on my part...
SEDimmick
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Posted: Monday, February 29, 2016 - 08:55 PM UTC

Quoted Text

Thanks for the review.
How usually is the fit with Miniart products? This one is quite appealling, even with a not so full interior

Olivier



They are normally pretty good. There has been issues with their plastic over the past couple of years, but I think that has been fixed (thinking from 2013-2015) since the T-70 I built before that was fine...but the D7 dozers have had issues. Not sure if the early model Panzer III's have had that issue with brittle plastic.
bison126
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Posted: Monday, February 29, 2016 - 09:19 PM UTC
Thanks Scott.
I could give it a try.

Olivier
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Posted: Monday, February 29, 2016 - 09:56 PM UTC

Quoted Text

It's entirely possible that MINIART MAY have considered doing a "complete" Interior for their new T-44, but opted out in order to keep the retail price at a "reasonable" level- This is just conjecture on my part...



The more likely reason (and the one most Soviet/Russian "experten" are going with) is that there are no pictures of the driver's compartment to use as referances. Therefore, as opposed to making a fictitious one (which those same "experten" would then tear apart as wrong, with no references to back them up of course), they just left it out. The few pieces that would be required for the drivers area would be minimal and would not have raised the price of the kit.


Quoted Text

Is the T-44's Transmission ACTUALLY seen through Engine Grilles...



Short answer, no. Unless you build it with the engine deck rear portion unbolted and raised or removed, and the radiators that sit over the transmission swung up and out of the way, it will never be seen. All that can be seen through the grills is the flat tops of the radiators which sit in the hull horizontally.

I personally like full interiors and like how Meng (and a few others) has done it with their M3A3 Bradley kit by offering a separate kit for the interior. That way those who don't want it only need to buy the vehicle kit, while those of us who do want an it can also get the interior kit.
spongya
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Posted: Tuesday, March 01, 2016 - 02:51 PM UTC
Olivier,

I cannot comment on the fit yet; I just started to build it. I'll start up a build log soon. I've recently built the D7 armored dozer (https://butterfingeredmodelbuilder.wordpress.com/2016/02/19/miniart-d7-armored-dozer-review-1/), and the fit there was excellent; not sure what Scott is referring to. (Some holes were smaller than necessary, and maybe there were some minor issues with the floor of the driver's compartment -nothing you cannot take care of. I've just finished the SU-76, which is an older model, and does have fit issues, but I think they have moved on from that stage. Their newer models are light years ahead.


Dennis,

Don't worry, I was not taking anything personally; as I said, you do have a point. I think the optional version (like the AVF Sturmtiger is sold) would be awesome; this solution feels like "neither this, nor that" solution.
As you can see I have a fetish for these things:

https://butterfingeredmodelbuilder.wordpress.com/2016/01/07/sturmtiger-tamiya-135-eduard-pe-resin/

https://butterfingeredmodelbuilder.wordpress.com/2016/01/04/dml-panther-ausf-d-and-interior/

https://butterfingeredmodelbuilder.wordpress.com/2015/09/21/t-3485-with-full-interior-hobby-boss-148/

Even if the transmission does not show, it's nice to see how it worked, and I'd be happy to display the model with the panels unbolted, or do a cutaway version, anyhow.


I've built a pnzI, pnzII with interior (still to come onto the blog), and have a T-55, pnz III, IV, VI, VII, StuG III to be built yet. Not to mention Trumpeter's 1/16 T-34... I just think it's a lot of wasted empty space if there's nothing in there -when you have an interior, you show how this thing actually worked. (I'd love to have one of the autoloader Russian tanks, like the T-72, too...) That's a personal preference, so there it is. I'd preferred to have at least a driver's compartment. (I still can't believe I missed it.) As Gino said an extra 10 pieces would not have made any difference in price, so there must be some other reasons. (Lack of reference, as he suggests, is one.) I think, anyway, that the price of a model is not necessarily determined by the amount of plastic; it's more likely the design costs, and the creation of moulds that raises it up. If the tank has only exterior details, it would be cheaper, most likely.

As it stands I'll probably just sketch up something using the T-34/T-55 as a basis, but we'll see.

Anyhow; the blog on armorama will be up soon (probably by the weekend), because I started to work on the engine already.
M4A1Sherman
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Posted: Tuesday, March 01, 2016 - 03:15 PM UTC

Quoted Text

Olivier,

I cannot comment on the fit yet; I just started to build it. I'll start up a build log soon. I've recently built the D7 armored dozer (https://butterfingeredmodelbuilder.wordpress.com/2016/02/19/miniart-d7-armored-dozer-review-1/), and the fit there was excellent; not sure what Scott is referring to. (Some holes were smaller than necessary, and maybe there were some minor issues with the floor of the driver's compartment -nothing you cannot take care of. I've just finished the SU-76, which is an older model, and does have fit issues, but I think they have moved on from that stage. Their newer models are light years ahead.


Dennis,

Don't worry, I was not taking anything personally; as I said, you do have a point. I think the optional version (like the AVF Sturmtiger is sold) would be awesome; this solution feels like "neither this, nor that" solution.
As you can see I have a fetish for these things:

https://butterfingeredmodelbuilder.wordpress.com/2016/01/07/sturmtiger-tamiya-135-eduard-pe-resin/

https://butterfingeredmodelbuilder.wordpress.com/2016/01/04/dml-panther-ausf-d-and-interior/

https://butterfingeredmodelbuilder.wordpress.com/2015/09/21/t-3485-with-full-interior-hobby-boss-148/

Even if the transmission does not show, it's nice to see how it worked, and I'd be happy to display the model with the panels unbolted, or do a cutaway version, anyhow.


I've built a pnzI, pnzII with interior (still to come onto the blog), and have a T-55, pnz III, IV, VI, VII, StuG III to be built yet. Not to mention Trumpeter's 1/16 T-34... I just think it's a lot of wasted empty space if there's nothing in there -when you have an interior, you show how this thing actually worked. (I'd love to have one of the autoloader Russian tanks, like the T-72, too...) That's a personal preference, so there it is. I'd preferred to have at least a driver's compartment. (I still can't believe I missed it.) As Gino said an extra 10 pieces would not have made any difference in price, so there must be some other reasons. (Lack of reference, as he suggests, is one.) I think, anyway, that the price of a model is not necessarily determined by the amount of plastic; it's more likely the design costs, and the creation of moulds that raises it up. If the tank has only exterior details, it would be cheaper, most likely.

As it stands I'll probably just sketch up something using the T-34/T-55 as a basis, but we'll see.

Anyhow; the blog on armorama will be up soon (probably by the weekend), because I started to work on the engine already.



Thanks, Andras!

As I said earlier, any comments that I made regarding MINIART's "Interior" in their T-44, were strictly conjecture on my part. I APPLAUD your efforts to show the "inner workings" of your model vehicles- It's a daunting task to scratch-build an interior, especially if the kit in question doesn't come with even a "partial" one, or when there is little, or no reference material to work with.

The remarks that I made regarding the lack of a Transmission and a proper Driver's Compartment in this kit apply to modellers who generally show their vehicles in "in action" displays, i.e, "buttoned up" or with Crew Members exposed...

Frenchy
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Posted: Tuesday, March 01, 2016 - 03:44 PM UTC

Quoted Text

The more likely reason (and the one most Soviet/Russian "experten" are going with) is that there are no pictures of the driver's compartment to use as referances.



At least there's a TM drawing



H.P.
spongya
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Posted: Tuesday, March 01, 2016 - 04:54 PM UTC
That is just awesome; thank you. It looks remarkably like a T-54/55 driver's station -and we DO have AM for that.
Frenchy
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Posted: Tuesday, March 01, 2016 - 05:11 PM UTC
Here are two more interior views :





H.P.

spongya
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Posted: Tuesday, March 01, 2016 - 07:19 PM UTC
The awesomeness is getting even more awesome Thank you.
M4A1Sherman
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Posted: Wednesday, March 02, 2016 - 01:58 PM UTC

Quoted Text

The awesomeness is getting even more awesome Thank you.



Andras- Looks like you've got some really good drawings to go by, here! GOOD LUCK!
spongya
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Posted: Wednesday, March 02, 2016 - 02:42 PM UTC
Thank you Looking at the drawings it looks like the driver's compartment is remarkably similar to the T-54/T-55s... so it certainly looks possible to modify an AM set, where modification is needed.
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