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Jim C
James C (Jim C)
NZ

US T34 Heavy Tank

Album image #1
The parts, rinsed and left to air dry... 
 

Album image #2
The parts, rinsed and left to air dry... 
 

Album image #3
Suspension assembly 
 

Album image #4
Suspension assembly 
 

Album image #5
Suspension assembled. The kit provides forms to ensure that the suspension arms are all sitting straight and level. The same forms will later be used to assemble and shape the link and length tracks as well. 
 

Album image #6
Test fitting road wheels and upper rollers. 
 

Album image #7
Track sections laid out and ready to assemble on the jig/form per the instructions. 
 

Album image #8
Left side completed ok but ended up a link short. Fortunately there are spare single links included. 
 

Album image #9
Right side track run assembled on the form 
 

Album image #10
As with the left side, I was a link short again by following the instructions. The gap was filled with the spare link in the background. 
 

Album image #11
Main hull assembly completed 
 

Album image #12
Main hull assembly completed and both runs of tracks fully cured.
Note that I haven't glued the track loops closed or I will be unable to mount them over the wheels and upper rollers after painting etc.  
 

Album image #13
Sponsons assembled and dry fitting on hull.
Assembly begun on turret and main gun. 
 

Album image #14
Sponsons assembled and dry fitting on hull.
Assembly begun on turret and main gun. 
 

Album image #15
Sponsons assembled and dry fitting on hull.
Assembly begun on turret and main gun. 
 

Album image #16
Sponsons assembled and dry fitting on hull.
Assembly begun on turret and main gun. 
 

Album image #17
Sponsons assembled and dry fitting on hull.
Assembly begun on turret and main gun. 
 

Album image #18
Assembly completed.  
 

Album image #19
Assembly completed.  
 

Album image #20
Primered & ready for paint.
 
 

Album image #21
Base colour applied using Mr Hobby H78 "Olive Drab 2" and wheels/upper rollers installed. 
 

Album image #22
Tracks painted Tamiya XF-56 "Metallic Grey" then given a wash to dirty them up a bit prior to installing. 
 

Album image #23
Tracks mounted and sponsons installed. Applied a little post shading to accentuate the highlights and begun the detail painting. 
 

Album image #24
Tracks mounted and sponsons installed. Applied a little post shading to accentuate the highlights and begun the detail painting. 
 

Album image #25
Tracks mounted and sponsons installed. Applied a little post shading to accentuate the highlights and begun the detail painting. 
 

Album image #26
Tracks mounted and sponsons installed. Applied a little post shading to accentuate the highlights and begun the detail painting. 
 

Album image #27
Tracks mounted and sponsons installed. Applied a little post shading to accentuate the highlights and begun the detail painting. 
 

Album image #28
Detailing completed and ready for final weathering. 
 

Album image #29
Detailing completed and ready for final weathering. 
 

Album image #30
Detailing completed and ready for final weathering. 
 

Album image #31
US T34 Heavy Tank
Testing & Evaluation - 1948 
 

Album image #32
US T34 Heavy Tank
Testing & Evaluation - 1948 
 

Album image #33
US T34 Heavy Tank
Testing & Evaluation - 1948 
 

Album image #34
US T34 Heavy Tank
Testing & Evaluation - 1948 
 

Album image #35
US T34 Heavy Tank
Testing & Evaluation - 1948 
 

Album image #36
US T34 Heavy Tank
Testing & Evaluation - 1948 
 

Album image #37
US T34 Heavy Tank
Testing & Evaluation - 1948 
 

Album image #38
US T34 Heavy Tank
Testing & Evaluation - 1948 
 

Album image #39
US T34 Heavy Tank
Testing & Evaluation - 1948 
 

Album image #40
US T34 Heavy Tank
Testing & Evaluation - 1948 
 

Album image #41
US T34 Heavy Tank
Testing & Evaluation - 1948 
 

Album image #42
US T34 Heavy Tank
Testing & Evaluation - 1948 
 

Album image #43
Album image #44
US T34 Heavy Tank
Testing & Evaluation - 1948 
 

Album image #45
US T34 Heavy Tank
Testing & Evaluation - 1948 
 

Album image #46
US T34 Heavy Tank
Testing & Evaluation - 1948 
 

Album image #47
US T34 Heavy Tank
Testing & Evaluation - 1948 
 

Album image #48
US T34 Heavy Tank
Testing & Evaluation - 1948

A size comparison next to an M4 Sherman & M24 Chaffee 
 

Album image #49
US T34 Heavy Tank
Testing & Evaluation - 1948

A size comparison next to an M4 Sherman & M24 Chaffee 
 

Comments

40 27 October 2021, 02:39
Rui S
Here we go... Taking a seat 😎
31 October 2021, 12:02
James C
Thanks Rui 🙂

A welcome change after the Tornado build 😉

Nice molding and great fit so far, although I have encountered a slight issue where the shafts on the axles of the suspension arms for the front idler wheels are slightly too wide to insert into the wheels.

Will need to thin them down a tad in order to fit.
31 October 2021, 16:02
James C
I was able to thin the axles down quite easily in the end and it only took a couple mins per side with a 5mm sanding stick.
With that done, I moved onto the track assembly using the forms provided in the kit.

While they did make assembly a little easier, it's still a fiddley process that I dislike with these types of track, as I have yet to assemble them and be fully satisfied with the end result. You just cant beat workable links made from white metal.
While some people swear by link and length tracks, I find that I mostly just swear AT them!

Anyway, with the tracks assembled, I completed the assembly of the main hull.
Next up is the sponsons, then the enormous turret.
1 November 2021, 04:26
Robin (WhiteGlint)
Oh, watching! 🙂 This jig seems to be a nice help.
1 November 2021, 12:02
James C
Welcome aboard WG 🙂

I finished assembling the sponsons today, then made a start on the main gun barrel and turret. The sponsons aren't secured yet as I will paint them separately from the hull and install them permanently after the wheels and tracks are painted and mounted etc.
2 November 2021, 05:22
James C
Assembly is completed now.
Just a little clean-up still to do, then I will give it a coat of black primer.

It's a BIG beast!
3 November 2021, 02:08
James C
I gave everything a coat of Stynylrez black surface primer yesterday and can now begin applying a bit of colour to it today.
4 November 2021, 19:02
Robin (WhiteGlint)
Sure is a big boy. Looking forward to the paint.
4 November 2021, 19:05
Clifford Keesler
Looking nice James, though I know nothing about building Armor.
5 November 2021, 00:42
James C
Thanks WG and Clifford 🙂

@ Clifford - I find that building armour is a great way to switch things up a bit and learn new techniques. They generally go together much faster than aircraft, but also sometimes have their own unique challenges that you don't encounter on aircraft builds etc. I'd definitely recommend any 1/35 scale kit by Tamiya that was released after 1995 as it will have great engineering and few of the more common headaches of other kit manufacturers.

I got the base colour done yesterday and installed the road wheels and upper rollers.
I still need to give it a little post shading to pick out the highlights, then will move onto the detail painting on the tools and dust cover.
5 November 2021, 18:26
Murad ÖZER
it's a behemoth. following with great interest. 🙂
5 November 2021, 18:30
Clifford Keesler
Thanks James. I have a 1/35 Tamiya Bradley, I guess I will give it a try. I also have a load of submarines, and ships.
5 November 2021, 19:32
James C
Thanks Murad 🙂

@ Clifford - Will keep an eye out for it 😉👍

I got the tracks mounted and then installed the sponsons.
Have also begun the detail painting, including the canvass cover on the main gun which has received a base coat; but still needs a little dry-brushing to pick out the highlights.
6 November 2021, 20:58
Simon Nagorsnik
"heavy metal" 😁 following...
6 November 2021, 21:04
James C
Finished with the detailing and now ready to begin with final weathering.
7 November 2021, 20:29
Clifford Keesler
Looking really nice.
8 November 2021, 23:41
James C
Thanks mate, nearly done now 🙂
9 November 2021, 17:26
James C
Some background info:

Towards the end of WW2 the US Army requested a new design for a "Heavy" tank to better match, and combat against heavier German designs (such as the Tiger 1, King Tiger and Jagdtiger) that were being encountered on the battlefield.

On 1st March 1945, the T29 was proposed to fulfill this requirement, with an initial production run of 1200 units. The T29 was based upon a lengthened version of the T26E3 chassis, but would feature heavier armour protection, a more powerful engine, and would be armed with a 105 mm main gun in a massive, heavily armoured turret.

By April 12th 1945, this initial order was revised to 1152 units due to the conflict in Europe obviously drawing to a close, before being scrapped entirely by the wars end; with the exception of 8 already assembled units which were intended for post war testing.

Developed at the same time as the T29, the T30 Heavy tank was virtually identical, but was armed with an even more powerful 155mm main gun, of which two vehicles were produced. The final variation of the T29 concept, the T34 Heavy Tank (not to be confused with the Russian designed T-34) mounted a 120 mm (4.72 in) main gun, which was based upon the M1 anti-aircraft gun, to further increase the armour penetration capability, in much the same way as the Germans had done with their highly successful 88 mm gun. Extra armour plating was added to the rear of the turret to act as a counter weight for this heavier armament.

Ultimately, the vehicle would not go into production due to the design being deemed too heavy for practical use in the field. A surviving example still exists in the National Armor and Cavalry Museum at Fort Benning, Georgia.

The Kit:

A very nicely molded kit, with some superb detailing and a nicely cast texture on the turret.
While no photo-etch is included, the quality of the molding does away for any need for it, for all but the serious super detailers out there. I personally found the kit more than adequate right out of the box.

I didn't encounter any flaws/errors during assembly or in the instructions etc, but you will need to pay careful attention in places... particularly with the track assembly. There were a fair few ejection molding "towers" from the molding process that needed to be cleaned up on a couple of the larger components but these were all very easy to deal with and remove.

The inclusion of a "jig/form" for ensuring the suspension arms are straight and level, and for assembling the link and length tracks is a nice touch, but I still struggled with the track assembly and have never had much luck in getting them looking right... but I suspect that's just me.

You have the option of building it as either the T30 or T34 with the choice of three different main gun barrels. The 120 mm armed T34 can be built either with or without the canvas dust cover, while the lower velocity 155 mm T30 can only be built without the cover. It should be noted that if you opt for the T34 with the dust cover option (like I did) you will not be able to pose the elevation of the barrel as it becomes fixed at a very flat trajectory.

The only thing that I'd go to the extra expense of replacing are the tracks.
A set of metal workable links would be ideal on a kit like this, making it more robust while handling and giving you the option of painting with the sponsons securely attached rather than having to paint them separately.

Anyway, thanks for following 🙂

Youtube Video
 
11 November 2021, 23:10
Daniel Klink
Damn cool result James👍
And always love that background👍
11 November 2021, 23:16
James C
Cheers Daniel 🙂👍
11 November 2021, 23:31
Clifford Keesler
Beautiful result. I have seen the real one in the musuem.
12 November 2021, 01:53
Simon Nagorsnik
Turned out pretty good, nice weathering!
Exhausts looks great- well done rust effects!
The parts in the lighter green tones eliven the overall impression👍
12 November 2021, 05:07
Alex Rodionov
WoW. Nice US-heavy and nice US team. Thanks for story. 👍
12 November 2021, 05:23
Sebastian Meyner
Looking great James 👍
12 November 2021, 07:01
Robin (WhiteGlint)
Awesome result, James! 👍 Now I want one too. 😄
Simon said it pretty much already: the different tones of green and the rust on the exhaust make it a real looker. A nice set of colours.
12 November 2021, 11:11
Neuling
Top build and photography. Modelling at its best. And a cool juxtaposition of tanks.
12 November 2021, 11:18
James C
Many thanks Clifford, Simon, Alex, Sebastian, WG and Neuling. I really appreciate the positive comments guys. 🙂

@ Clifford - The Tank museum in Georgia sounds like an interesting place to visit for a few days (along with the Bovington museum in the UK) Another one added to the bucket list 😉

@ Simon - Thanks mate. The different tones were achieved with oils and Tamiya weathering pastels. Olive Drab is a tedious looking colour on it's own and needed breaking up. But it's a fine line between too little and too much and I also didn't want to over-do it in regards to the final weathering either.

@ Alex & Sebastian - Cheers guys 😉👍

@ WG - It's an awesome kit and I'd highly recommend it. I've got the T29 planned for the new year 😉

@ Neuling - Thanks mate. For the last two pictures I wanted to give an impression of how large it is in comparison. In hindsight, maybe I should have pictured it with the King Tiger as well or instead?

12 November 2021, 16:51
Murad ÖZER
Great result James. love the last shot with all 3 for size comparison. 😎

if anything, instead of a contemporary put it next to to something modern like an m1 or a leo.

the shapes on this tank would be a weathering dream or nightmare depending where you wanna go. so many tricks could be utilized, probably taking a year to finish... 😄
12 November 2021, 17:29
Rui S
Great result. I realy like the birds eye views, beautiful waethering👍
12 November 2021, 22:51
Ingo F
Wonderful! 👍
12 November 2021, 23:13
James C
Many thanks Murad, Rui and Ingo. I appreciate your positive feedback guys 🙂
13 November 2021, 16:49
Guy Rump
Beautiful job 👍
13 November 2021, 17:42
James C
Thanks Guy 🙂
14 November 2021, 16:48
Logan Eden
Good day, James Thanks so Much for sharing the build. What can I say that was not already stated on the comments above. I echo all comments. Was looking at the T30/34 as I have just finished the build stage, and looking at some other work of inspiration. Yours helped immensely. Catch Ya, Logan
30 March 2022, 19:03
James C
Cheers Logan, much appreciated mate 🙂👍
30 March 2022, 19:58
Kim Branders
NICE, this makes me want to build one too James 😉
30 March 2022, 20:19
James C
Thanks Kim. 🙂

I would definitely recommend building it or one of the others in this Takom series.
31 March 2022, 17:34

Album info

Towards the end of WW2 the US Army requested a new design for a "Heavy" tank to better match, and combat against heavier German units (such as the Tiger 1, King Tiger and Jagdtiger) that were being encountered on the battlefield.

On 1st March 1945, the T29 was proposed to fulfill this requirement, with an initial production run of 1200 units.
The T29 was based upon a lengthened version of the T26E3 chassis, but would feature heavier armour protection, a more powerful engine, and would be armed with a 105 mm main gun in a massive, heavily armoured turret.

By April 12th 1945, this initial order was revised to 1152 units due to the conflict in Europe obviously drawing to a close, before being scrapped entirely by the wars end; with the exception of 8 already assembled units which were intended for post war testing.

Developed at the same time as the T29; the T30 Heavy tank was virtually identical, but was armed with an even more powerful 155mm main gun, of which two vehicles were produced.
The final variation of the T29 concept; the T34 Heavy Tank (not to be confused with the Russian designed T-34) mounted a 120 mm main gun, which was based upon the US M1 anti-aircraft gun, to further increase the armour penetration capability in much the same way as the Germans had done with their very potent 88 mm gun. Extra armour plating was added to the rear of the turret to act as a counter weight for this heavier armament.

Ultimately, the vehicle would not go into production due to the design being deemed too heavy for practical use in the field.
A surviving example still exists in the National Armor and Cavalry Museum at Fort Benning, Georgia.

Completed November 11th 2021

49 images
1:35
Completed
1:35 T30/34 (Takom 2065)

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