"Minairons 1:72 T-26 tanks painted" Topic

…not the ultimate plastic models yet, but some resin prototypes instead!

The brilliant painting artwork has been perform by Heresy Brush, who's had a hard time dealing with those prototypes --for they lack some amount of detail such as plates riveting, mudguards add-ons.

Please take a look at what did one such models look like before painting:

And now, let's see what can Heresy Brush do with them:

A few pictures else can be watched at Minairons' news blog: link

As for release date, we're hurrying as much as we can to have it ready for Salute 2013.

Outstanding, even for a prototype!

He's done a brilliant job with the lining. I know that modelers would criticize it for looking cartoony close up, but on a table top you need that soft of pop or it turns into a tan blob.

These were just resin prototypes whose only purpose was for verification --getting assured parts fitted OK, no erroneous dimensions, and so.

Ultimate plastic models will show a crispier detail, though. Hull and mudguards rivetting, shovels and other add-ons, wheels highlighting, etc.

Of course, modelers will keep considering it a poorly detailed, sturdy model. I'm aware of this ;)

Espléndido!

Very much looking forward to these; the Uni Models tanks I have contain way too many parts for gaming purposes.

Easy built T-26s are welcome addition to my Winter War Russians and Continuation War Finns.

Any chance you will also have the T-26c turrent available in the kit?

Nice looking!

Nice. But should the stowage box on the fender be a bit larger?

I'm looking forwards to these appearing in the stores, hopefully with rivets.

Any chance you will also have the T-26c turrent available in the kit?

Only the "A" model 1931 twin turrets and the "B" model 1933 cylindrical turret.

True that other turrets might be installed, such as those below:

Or even the model 1938 conical turret --still using the same hull as previous versions:

But we thought it exaggerated to include 5 turrets in a 8-10 parts tank sprue. Maybe separate resin turrets would do the job?

But should the stowage box on the fender be a bit larger?

this is what the model will look like when brought into plastic:

Mmmm… true, we might enlarge a bit the stowage box. Shall talk with toolmaker, it won't be necessary to modify design.

Lluis, c'est magnifique!

As for alternate turrets besides the Model 1933, redundant T-26 turrets were IIRC used for fortifications in the Stalin and Molotov Lines during Operation Barbarossa, as well as on some armoured trains.

An easy conversion for the T-26 twin turret variant is that of the cannon-armed platoon leader's vehicle, which was still in service when the Germans began their invasion of the former Soviet Union in 1941:

And a radio-equipped variant:

And of course there's my personal favorite T-26, the "Chemical tank" (which is Sovietese for "flamethrower tank"):

Retruning to the T-26 Model 1933, a possible conversion idea for Miniarons would be a separate gun mantle plate for the OT-130 "Chemical tank:"

As near as I can tell with my reading glasses on, the OT-130 differs externally from the gun tank variant entirely in the gun mantle's configuration and details. Otherwise, its the same machine (except for all that highly inflammable interior fuel storage in that thinly-armoured hull… YIKES!).

IMHO a wargamer-friendly quick build plastic model of the T-26 is a brilliant idea long overdue in 1/72 scale. I plan to start buying at least one box a month to start, as I have to cover my Spanish Republicans with at least a dozen, some captured T-26s "under new (Nationalist) management," a dozen Chinese KMT T-26s for the 200th Division, Finnish T-26s both single and twin turreted, and a horde or three of Red Army service T-26s of both single and twin-turreted flavors, for both summer and winter campaigns, so I figure circa I'll wind up in the end with three or four *dozen* of these models after all the dust settles.

Lluis, yer a freakin' genius I say!

Leland R. Erickson
Metal Express
metal-express.net

Black Widow, if you look carefully there's an upright pipe at the rear of the OT-130, not present in regular MG and gun tanks. It's the smoke generator system's nozzle.

I'm hoping the stowage boxes will be separate so that one can elect to not install them as they weren't originally present in many of the older versions of T-26.

There is one other point of external difference between the OT130 and the standard T26 – the turret on the gun tank is offset to the left of centre, that on the OT130 is offset to the right of centre…

Gents, points well made. I still maintain that conversions/adaptations shouldn't prove to be too difficult to implement; note that Miniarons has a separate top deck plate for the twin turret vice the single turret variants. Shouldn't be too difficult to cook up a distinctive top deck plate for the offset OT-130 turret and the smoke nozzle thingee… I hope, anyway!

Lluis, yer a freakin' genius I say!evil grin

Leland R. Erickson
Metal Express
metal-express.net

These are really great and I'm looking forward to the kits when they are available. In the case of the many variants that could be produced. why not just make a separate conversion set with spare resin turrets at some point?

Leland, you are correct that Lluis is a genius. He has produced yet another kit that I will inevitably need multiples of. Not just for my Spanish Civil War forces (of course I'll need both Republican and captured Nationalist versions), but I have to have T-26's for the Winter War and Barbarossa.

Such a useful tank.

Thanks for your appreciations, Sirs. We'll do our best to fulfill your expectations --such would make us happy! …and not just for a money matter, but for sensing oneself as useful

If things run well enough to our company, it shouldn't be that difficult with time to provide accessories and variants. Nevertheless, we're trying to design the models so as to be easy to adapt (or improve) by users themselves --either by scratch building, or by pulling out from each one's spares box…

Luis why no release a conversion pack with the bits to make 4 or so different versions of T-26?
Bit similar to PSC's halftrack conversion boxes

I shall explore it, no doubt.

Mainly suggested the conical C type turret just in case you had room in the sprue(s).

Almost as good choice would be to be able to acquire a conversion kit containing them.

Will be at Salute for the T26s.

Will be at Salute for the T26s

There you'll find them! At Caliver Books' stand, to be precise.