A SHORT GUIDE TO 1/72 T-34-85 TURRETS

IN MODELING...

Turret Markings

Soviet turret markings and slogans were not used on all T-34 tanks, but they were very common and their variety and uniqueness can really bring some life to a dull model. Popular were slogans such as "Kill The Fascist Beast" and "On To Berlin", or dedications to factory workers, the church or national heroes. Unit markings such as arrows, triangles with numbers, vehicle numbers, or victory marks such as on the barrel of my LEVA Composite turret, were also frequent.

Soviet-equipped Polish units typically had a Polish eagle in white. See the photos in this article and the references for examples.

Archer Fine Transfers, T-34-85 1/72 dry transfer markings No. 72030.

Below is a scan of the ARCHER T-34-85 dry transfers, also known as rub-on markings. Dry transfers are a somewhat different animal then the wet-applied decals we are used to. Dry transfers have no carrier film to see after application and can be applied to a non-gloss surface. In fact they are best applied to a non-gloss surface. I found that ARCHER transfers looked great and applied well. It is important to plan out their placement first. Lightly but securely tape the transfers to the location you wish them, and then burnish them. By burnish I mean rub firmly with a smooth round object such as a burnishing tool or dull #2 pencil. They do not need sealing but if the model is to be handled I recommend one or two light coats of dull-coat. Do not brush on liquid coating or the markings may float off.

[For another qualified opinion: Hugh Evans’ experience is that he tried out the Archer (dry transfer) German tank numbers set and had two problems. First, it was very difficult lining up the individual digits at exactly the right angle. Unlike with waterslide, you don't have the opportunity to play around with the transfer and position it minutely after it's transferred to the surface. Second, he brushed the transfers over with a thinned out solution of Humbrol 29, after placing them on the tank. The solution took the transfers right off the surface again and he couldn't replace them. Although Archer stuff is well printed and accurate, he went right back to using waterslide decals after that one experience.]

AER kit decals

The scan below is a sheet of AER’s decals, which also comes with ARMO’s full T-34-85 kit. The decals are the standard water slide markings and are wonderfully diverse. Unfortunately there is no reference information for their use with my kit.

The decals loosened from the paper reasonably well. A few broke during application but applied well anyway. I found them a little stiff but when applied over a gloss coat, a little setting solution on top, and then a flat (dull-coat) spray, the carrier film disappeared nicely. The white color was satisfactorily opaque.

Eastern Express Decals

At this time I have not seen or used the Eastern Express decals, though I will update this article when I have. I believe they should be at least for three different vehicles for the three variations possible in the kit (not including the possible flamethower tanks.)

Revell Decals

These are standard water slide decals, offering two different late WW2 Soviet vehicles. A scan of the decals can be seen below, with the decal location instructions. The decals applied well and after application over acrylic floor wax gloss coat, they reacted well to decal set and decal solvent and the film dissapeared satisfactorily. The options are for a vehicle of the 25 Guards Tank Brigade and 55 Guards Tank Brigade. Dave Showell has correctly pointed out that there is a minor error in the markings for the 25th Brigade. The small letter over the vehicle number should be a Cyrillic letter looking like a backwards "a", though Revell printed it looking like a number "5". Working with the white air identification stripe decals for the 25th Brigade is a project for the very experienced. These stripes going around the turret come in nine seprate pieces. Getting them to fit over the domed vents and around the turrets was less than successful. If I were not reviewing how they applied I would have masked and painted the lines. The all-white Revell decals were not satisfactorily opaque either. I recommend the Archer transfers for the fussy builder. Options of Middle Eastern, Korean, and North Vietnamese markings would have been good too.

YnoT Decals #W71 and #W72

These are 1/72, water-slide decals from Poland and include markings for a variety of Warsaw Pact vehicles including several T-34-85 tanks. I have not used them though they look good.

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