The WWII Soviet T-34 is one of the most recognizable tanks out there. There is nothing about the T-34 that I can tell you that you probably don’t already know.

ICM’s newest release is something that you don’t see too often, and to my knowledge is the first time this variant has appeared in kit form. The ICM #35371 1/35 T-34 “Tyagach” Model 1944 Soviet Recovery Machine. This kit represents the ‘tractor’ version of the T-34 – made by replacing the turret of a damaged tank with a welded plug/hatch. These vehicles were used for towing and recovery operations during the World War II.

The kit comes in a nice study inner box with a hinged lid. The colorful box top comes off from that and has the typical printed information. Inside, this kit has six trees plus the upper and lower hull molded in green, one clear tree, four vinyl track parts, and two vinyl tow cables.

Thank you to Phil and to Bill for all the work that you do!

History

The JSF Joint Strike Fighter Program was a developmental project to create a new 5^th generation all-weather multirole combat aircraft to replace the existing American and NATO strike-fighter force. The F-35B employs stealth technology and is characterized by its trapezoidal wings and application of the most advanced hi-tech systems, materials and avionics. The F-35B STOVAL (Short Take Off and Vertical Landing) capability has been specifically designed to operate from modern aircraft carriers such as the British H.M.S. Queen Elizabeth or the Cavour, the flagship of the Italian Navy. The U.S. Marines plan to deploy the

F-35B in both attack and ground support roles. From Italeri.

Towards the end of World War 2 some of the most vicious tank battles were being fought on the Eastern Front as Russian forces pushed their way into the back door of the Third Reich. Although not on the scale of the Kursk campaign earlier in the war, these slugfests involved some of the heaviest, most sophisticated armored units the world had seen up to that point, and most engagements were hammered out between the opposing forces with no quarter given or taken. The atrocities that these two countries had inflicted on each other during the previous five years ensured that.

My father was a professor of history, and he wrote a number of books relying on primary sources. Igor Nebolsin’s book on the subject of these brutal encounters likewise draws on a plethora of first-hand information, from battle reports to statistical data from both sides, to first-hand reminiscences of combatants. Ultimately, this becomes a virtual day-to-day study of this period in history.

This book is a comprehensive work covering the range of modern small arms used in today’s world armed forces.

The chapters cover the main weapons in use as follows

• Chapter One - Combat Pistols
• Chapter Two - Sub Machine Guns and Personal Defense Weapons
• Chapter Three - Assault Rifles and Carbines
• Chapter Four - Battle and Designated Marksman Rifles
• Chapter Five - Combat Shotguns
• Chapter Six - Sniper and Anti-Materiel Rifles
• Chapter Seven - Light Machine Gun, Light Support Weapons and Squad Automatic Weapons
• Chapter Eight - Support Weapons

Each chapter goes in to great details of each weapons in the category and provides a lot of reference work for anyone interested in modern weapons. It is also a treasure trove of information and photos for modelers of modern troops and weapons.

The 9K330 Tor is the newest vehicle in the Russian arsenal for self contained anti-air missile defense system. The missile system is the SA-15 Gauntlet and it is mounted in the 9K330 Tor tracked chassis. The vehicle has an integrated rotating search radar, a tracking radar in the front of the turret, antennas for guidance and 6 vertically stored missiles in the center of the turret. Interestingly, these missiles are stored internally and are launched similar to US naval vessels. In 2016, Panda Hobby released the original version of this kit and it remains the only styrene kit of this subject. This new release from 2019 adds replacement white metal tracks to the kit.