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Soviet BT-2 Light tank Hobbyboss 1:35 History The KhPZ design bureau headed by Morozov barely changed any features of the original BT-1 chassis and Christie design, concentrating instead on the engine, transmission, turret and weaponry. The turret was of the simple “barrel type”, a cylinder made of several layers of steel, 5-6 mm (0.2-0.24 in) in all, which was designed to house a 37 mm (1.46 in) long barrel, high velocity AT gun. It was not ready for production at the time and was later in chronically short supply. Because of this, many BT-2s were delivered with a mixed armament of DP-DT machines guns only or a 37 mm (1.46 in) gun with or without a single coaxial DT machine-gun. The standard configuration included the gun and a coaxial DT machine-gun mounted in an oblique fixed position, in the Japanese style. Its traverse depended on the turret. The “full machine gun” version consisted of a single coaxial DT machine-gun and a twin DP-28 (Degtyaryov model 1928) light machine gun mount replacing the gun. The other important point was the engine. The Soviets imported a licence for the American Liberty L12, a water-cooled 45° V-12 aircraft engine capable of 400 hp (300 kW), built as the M5-400. This first model, although powerful and light, was also found difficult to maintain and unpredictable. The power-to-weight ratio meant excellent performance, although less impressive than the original Christie M1931, mostly because of the added weight of the turret and all the military equipment. The first run and trials of the BT-2 were successful and showcased a road speed of 100 km/h (62 mph), with an off-road speed of 60-70 km/h (37-43.5 mph) depending of the terrain. They were largely showcased for propaganda purposes and featured in movies throughout the thirties. In 1933, it was a completely new and unrivalled concept in the world, allowing “true” cavalry tactics built on speed, mostly for breakthrough exploitation and advanced reconnaissance missions. This emphasis on speed over protection also reflected the confidence in the naval “battlecruiser” concept, traduced in land warfare. The speed acted like an active protection on its own, since a target moving so fast was more difficult to hit. The M5 engine gave a 39 hp/t power-to-weight ratio and a 400 litre tank allowed a 300 km (186 mi) range at cruising road speed, with a tactical range of just 100 km (62 mi). This was impressive for the time, giving that it was at an average off-road 60 km/h (37 mph). The Kharkov Komintern Locomotive Plant delivered 620 BT-2 until 1935. Most were equipped with the 37 mm (1.46 in) model 30 gun, provisioned with 96 rounds. Some also received a radio “horseshoe” antenna fixed on the turret. The latter had only two side small vision slits. The gun mantlet also varied slightly in shape during the production run. Another external modification included the front mudguards, not mounted on the earliest model, and headlights. The Model The kit comes in a fairly small top opening box with an artists representation of the tank in the field. Inside there are five sprues and two separate parts in the standard tan styrene, two sprues of grey styrene, a small clear sprue, a very small sheet of etched brass and a decal sheet. This si one of those models that you just know is going to be a nice, quick build, until you get to the tracks. The thinness of the instruction sheet tells you that it is a fairly simple kit. The mouldings though are up to the usual standard with some fine detail, including the prominent rivets. There is no sign of flash or other imperfections, but a fair few moulding pips. Construction begins with the drilling out of various holes before the upper hull section is glued to the lower hull, along with the rear mounted drive covers, towing hooks, drive shaft cover and suspension bump stops, three per side. The five external beams either side are then glued into position, followed by the drivers hatch, suspension units and the eight piece front steering arms. The side plates are the attached, covering all the suspension detail, and the front wheels are attached along with their hub caps. On the hull roof there are six PE grab handles that will need to be carefully folded to shape before fitting. The two piece idler, and road wheels are joined together and glued to the their respective axle, as are the rear mounted drive sprockets. Now comes the fun bit, the tracks. The 48 individual links per side are quite small with the hinge parts moulded into them, these are glued together making up the track run, there’s not a lot of surface to glue so be careful, and they look to be particularly fiddly to drape over the wheels. Fortunately there was very little sag on the tracks of these vehicles so it may be best to make the top and bottom runs to length, glued them onto the wheels, then add the sections that go round the idler wheels and drive sprockets separately so that they can be curved to shape before the glue sets. The track guards are then attached, as is a large aerial looking item. These are followed by the exhaust silencer, engine hatch and engine grille. Finally the single main turret part is fitted with the lower turret ring, commander’s hatch and four piece gun/mantle. The turret is then fitted to the hull completing the build Decals The small decal sheet is sparse to say the least. What there are, are nicely printed and if previous experience has taught me, quite thin. All the sheet includes are two sets of numbers from 0 to 9 so you can choose whichever tank ID you like. There two colour schemes on the paint guide, Russian green overall or a mixture of red brown and flat black over flat white. Conclusion There is something about these inter-war tanks. It was a time of great experimentation throughout the world and while this was a quick tank it wasn’t a great success, but still is an interesting subject for your collection. There can’t be too many more Soviet inter-war tanks left to kit now. Review sample courtesy of

Hello folks I built this BT-2 as part of the less than a tenner group build. The pics over in the group build submissions don't include the base as it wasn't part of my entry. (One day I'll finish this base) Its a winter camo over its Russian green, mainly Vallejo Model Air, I tried out the Vallejo chipping fluid for the first time, various enamel washes and some pastel pigments. Build thread Thanks for looking.

Soviet D-38 Tank (84517) 1:35 Hobby Boss via Creative Models Ltd The D-38 was a derivative of the BT-2 “convertible” tank that could have its tracks removed and could run on its road-wheels for an extra turn of speed on metalled/tarmacked roads, although Russia had very little in the way of this type of road, so it was a bit of a waste of effort. The tank was pretty good for its time, and the D-38 was fitted with a faceted turret that was welded, and could carry a 76.2mm howitzer, with the M1927 being the choice as it allowed the tanks to offer fire support to advancing troops. It was a powerful gun for the time, but it came a little too late and suffered from comparison to the newer T-34 that proved to be a much more capable machine in every way. Production of the D-38 stopped in favour of the new golden girl, and the rest as they say, is history. The Kit This is a partial retooling of their earlier BT-2 kit, but with new parts to depict the turret and any other small differences between them. It arrives in their usual top-opening box with a painting of the type on the kid, and inside are eight sprues and two hull halves in sand coloured styrene, two track sprues in grey, a small clear sprue, a fret of Photo-Etch (PE), and a decal sheet containing two rows of white digits 0-9. The instruction booklet is slim, and there is also a sheet of painting instructions printed in colour on glossy paper slipped within it. It’s a small kit of a simple tank, so should be a fairly fast build until you get to the painting part, but detail is good throughout the exterior. Construction begins with the two hull halves, as this is an exterior kit and has nothing on the inside, not even a basic breech. A few holes need opening up, and a few more should be closed over with some rod or putty, then the final drive housings are bulked out by adding parts to the inside of the bell-shaped areas. Bump-stops are fitted to the side of the hull, followed by large perforated bars that separate the individual springs and suspension arms, with a different swing-arm for the front road wheels that have steering linkages poking through the armour for the road-going “travel mode”. The sides of the hull are then applied to the outer faces, closing in the suspension and the chain-drive to the rearmost road wheel. At the front the “steering” wheels are put in place with their central hub, then the paired road wheels are installed behind them, with the smaller idler wheel in front of the steerers, and a multi-part drive sprocket. Tracks are in grey styrene, and there are 48 links per side. Every other one has a guide horn, and the detail moulded into the links is very good. Make a run up and wrap it around the wheels while the glue is still soft, and hold the links in place with tape or some other method to ensure that the correct sag is present when the glue sets. The fenders are made from a front and rear part on each side, then at the rear a large exhaust muffler is made up and mounted on a pair of PE parts, just behind two engine louvers that might allow the viewer see the blank interior, so take the precaution of putting a coat of black inside before you close up, so that little will be seen. All that is left now is the turret, which is a simple top and bottom section, to which the main gun barrel are carriage are added behind a two-part mantlet, with a machine gun in a ball-mount to the right of it, plus a vent on the roof and grab handle at the rear. That’s it. I told you it was a simple kit. Markings The decal sheet contains two rows of 0-9 digits, with a pair of additional zeroes thrown in. There are no decals shown used in the side profiles, so do a little research and pick your numbers from the decal sheet. From the box you can build this Russian Green vehicle. Conclusion It’s a total dead-end of the Soviet armour programme, but an interesting one. If it weren’t for the T-34 it may have seen a lot more action, and could well have done a good job against everything but the Panthers and Tigers. A strange mix of Christie suspension, unusual design choices and a big gun. It’s quite a likeable tank. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of