UVS models: Salute 2021 11/12/2020

[ripley]

Pictures in the WWP T-26 Variants book show some T-26s of the year model ( 1937 -39 ) with a rear turret mg . Of the about 2 dozen tanks pictured  who's turret rear is visible , 4 have either the mg sticking out the turret rear or at least the mount . The rest have the pistol port hole . So it was a feature , but doesn't seem to be a issued across all vehicles .

[ultravanillasmurf]

So I have finally obtained some 7mm to the foot shackles and some split pins.

Cool, who makes them?

Ambis Engineering:
http://ambisengineering.co.uk/

They also do a bottle type, which might have been better.
The split pins are from Eileen's Emporium. https://eileensemporium.com/

[ultravanillasmurf]

Pictures in the WWP T-26 Variants book show some T-26s of the year model ( 1937 -39 ) with a rear turret mg . Of the about 2 dozen tanks pictured  who's turret rear is visible , 4 have either the mg sticking out the turret rear or at least the mount . The rest have the pistol port hole . So it was a feature , but doesn't seem to be a issued across all vehicles .

Thanks.
That turret design appears to have had it deleted in January 1939. The Bradford book has the pistol port drawing.
Did any of your examples with the rear mg have the part B06 style armour? That would be useful to know for the next one?

[ripley]

The B06 upper hull seems to go with the later , no rear mg turret . Both Engines of the Red Army  and the  Armchair General sites  state that there were 2 styles of conical turret , an early welded one ( optional rear turret mg mount ) and a cast one ( no mg mount fitted ) . Both look very similar in 70 year old black and white photos so identification is iffy at best . For some reason I'm having problems posting images , so check out Armchair General site , as they have blue print type drawings of various T-26 types ( among other tanks ) and all sorts of interesting info



Managed to figure it out and post pictures ( I have no idea what I did though … ) Notice lower picture has B06 part type hull

[ultravanillasmurf]

Thanks for those.

I only have the NVG 218 book by Zaloga and the aforementioned Bradford (Allied AFVs in 1/72).

There are only front shots of 1939s in the NVG, which is not much help. The cut-away plate is a 1939 without the turret rear mg and the B06 armour. Plate G2 is of a 1938 (with rear mg) but it has the B06 armour, same as plate F.

Page 36 has a view of a 1938, C21 upper hull and possibly no rear mg. One feature that is  notable is the commander's hatch appears to be on a ring (with the P40UM AAMG), as the opened hatch appears both fore and aft in different photographs. The AA mount is mentioned on page 13.

My next one will probably be a 1933 one with the classic SCW Ginsberg Integrated bustle.

One of the big sellers for this kit (beyond its versatility) is you need so many of them to match anything except Japanese tanks (Bolt Action is three Pzr 38(t)s to four "T26Bs" and What a Tanker has two Pzr 38(t)s to three T26 1933+).

[ripley]

Check out the Armchair General site , they must have a dozen diagrams like that of T-26 variants IRC .  Still haven't decided on which version I'm going to build  , so many choices  .

[ultravanillasmurf]

Still haven't decided on which version I'm going to build  , so many choices  .

Paralysis by analysis ^___^.

My first one is base coated.

[ultravanillasmurf]

I also added some soft stowage (it hides the tools which I have difficulty painting accurately).


Showing the deleted rear MG.


Sprayed with Humbrol Dark Green (not quite 4OD).

[ripley]

Looks great . Are you going to add a spare wheel pair , usually found mounted on the rear deck ? Some 1/72 Airfix tank wheels might work , at least I think I have some in the parts box somewhere that will look the part

[ultravanillasmurf]

Thanks.

I will probably not add the spare wheels (one at the bottom right of the engine deck, the other against part B06, on this one) however I will have a go at making some from Evergreen tube (hopefully I have a suitable diameter in stock). I might try and make a jack for the engine deck as well.

I do have the PSC ammo boxes, which might well be suitable as stowage.

I will have a look at the drawer of sprue, which apart from digging out a 1/35 scale modern weapons sprue has not been disturbed for over 20 years. No idea what I will find in there.

[Ballardian]

 Many thanks UVS for the source of the shackles & split pins

[ultravanillasmurf]

For Pinky. I have filled the gap in the sponson.

[ultravanillasmurf]

The T34/76 provides some scale to a Sarissa Russian outbuilding.

[ultravanillasmurf]

So the T26 is now "painted". It will get some weathering, but that will wait until the rest of the tank platoon are completed.








The rear of the turret is still not quite right.


With the T34/76.

[ultravanillasmurf]

As mentioned elsewhere, I was thinking of getting a Warlord Chi-Ha as an opponent for the T-26. I picked one up from Dark Sphere in London.

The non duplication of the the commander's cupola and the turret machine gun are the only components that would prevent the assembly of both the original Ch-Ha and the larger ShinHoTo turret with the 47mm AT gun. At some point I might try and build a second cupola.

As this is to be an opponent for the T-26 1939 for games of What A Tanker!, it was built with the large turret (when I get round to building a T-26 1932 I will need an original Chi-Ha).

Most examples appear to have been painted into the three colour camouflage, however I went for a plain green paint job.


I added the flower logo as otherwise the only markings are the Japanese numeral one on the hull side.


Facing off against the T-26.