Rapid Fire! (1/76th scale) 2nd Russian tank corps, Kursk 1943

 The second Russian Tank Corps I made was entirely built in 1/76th scale excluding the T-70 which are 1/72nd scale. Also placed here the american Lend-lease M3.

4th brigade: T-70 - Britannia; T-34 Matchbox and Frontline Wargaming.

5th brigade: same as the 4th, with PSC T-70.

6th brigade: M-3 - Frontline Wargaming; T-34 - Atlantic.

The Frontline Wargaming T-34 with added MG, fuel drums and stowage.

This was a crazy project in order to use the Atlantic T-34 of which I had plenty. The Atlantic version is a reasonable hull with a T-34/85 turret filled with faults. So, if used from the box, something pretty ugly comes out. I cutted the turret in the same way as I did to the Armourfast ones and built the same mantlet with a new Evergreen 76,2 mm gun. This one has a ESCI crewman.

Two of the Atlantic T-34 went to the recovery version. Quite easy to do as you only need a new cuppola and some stowage.

Another battalion of  M-3´s. The four to the left are Frontline Wargaming and the one to the right is Airfix.

 

 

I placed the balance weight to the barrel of the gun and a Skytrex crewman, besides the normal stowage, antennae and MG.

 

 

Rapid Fire! (1/72nd scale) 1st Russian tank corps , Kursk 1943

This Tank Corps was built in 1/72nd scale for the 1943 Kursk campaign.

1st brigade: T-70 - PSC; T-34 - Dragon, Armourfast and Matchbox.

All BA-64 are Frontline Wargaming with plastic commanders.

2nd brigade: T-70 - Britannia; T-34 - Armourfast, and ESCI.

3rd brigade: T-70 - PSC; T-34 - Altaya, ESCI and Armourfast.

The excellent Dragon T-34. A marvel of accuracy and detail. Britannia crewman.

The PSC rendering of the T-70. Three kits in one box makes this rare kit pretty cheap. Besides it´s a beauty!!

The Britannia T-70.

The Gaz jeep (Frontline Wargaming)  of the corps commander (Irregular Miniatures figures).

The Armourfast is a too big portrait of the T-34, both hull and turret. So I decided to turn the majority into the 1943 T-34 version. The turret was cut and a new mantlet made out of Evergreen and GreenStuff was made. Besides, as in most of my kits, I placed bedrolls and scratchbuilt fuel drums.

The Altaya version: some black wash and sand drybrush and it´s ready.

The old ESCI T-34 1943, a veteran of many battles. So many that stowage hides some  scars made on the table top and some falls, probably.

 

The ESCI T-34 1942 with a Britannia commander.

 

 

 

The two Tank Corps.

The six Motor Rifle Battalions from the six Tank Brigades. The figures have small stands so they can be placed at the rear of tanks.

AA 37mm guns from the Motor Rifle Battalions (Irregular Miniatures).

 

The small PPSH armed figures stands placed at the rear of a T-34.