Plastic model of the T34-76 tank

A plastic model of the T-34/76 tank was made in the version from 1943. The work was presented at the 11th International Festival of Plastic Reduction Models Bytom 2014, in Poland.

The T-34/76 tank was a Soviet design from the Second World War. The number "76" in the name means that the tank was equipped with a 76 mm (3 in) gun. Only the version produced from 1944 had an 85 mm (3.34 in) gun.

The Germans had their first contact with the T-34 tank during the attack on the Soviet Union in 1941 (Operation Barbarossa). It was a complete surprise for them. T-34 exceeded the German weapons in terms of fire power and armor thickness. It drove better at the slushy terrain and the snow-covered hills than the German tanks.

The T-34/76 tanks had many disadvantages. Air filters, clutches and gearboxes were being failed in the early stages of exploitation. It happened that the crews of tanks took spare gearboxes with them. The crew's work comfort was also very low.

The production took place in 1940-1958 and amounted to approximately 84,000 copies. In 1996, the T-34 tank was still in use in the armies of 27 countries.

Some technical data (1943):

• Length: 6.68 m (21.9 ft),
• Width: 3 m (9.8 ft),
• Height: 2.45 m (8 ft),
• Armor thickness: 20-70 mm (0.79-2.76 in),
• Mass: 30.9 t (30.4 t, USA-34.1 t),
• V-12 cylinder diesel engine with a power of 500 hp (370 kW),
• Speed: 53 km/h (32.9 mph),
• Fuel consumption on the road: około 160 l/100km (UK-35.2 gal, USA-42.3 gal),
• Range on the road : około 468 km (291 mi),
• Stock of ammunition: 100 shells,
• Crew: 4.

Sources:

• https://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/T-34
• http://ciekawostkihistoryczne.pl/2014/11/19/przerabane-jak-w-ruskim-czolgu-cala-prawda-o-t-34/

29 Mar 2014