Features:
• Building difficulty: 7/10.
• Anticipated assembly time for players with average LEGO experience: 2.5 hour.
• Number of bricks: 872 plus extra spare bricks.
• Dimensions: L19.12 x W8.8cm.
• Detailed full interior structure.
• Compatible with LEGO® bricks.
• Printed instruction booklet included.
£43.99 – £45.99 Excluding VAT
The Soviet T-34 was the most-produced tank of WWII, with a total of some 84,000 units produced across both major versions during the war. It began with the debut of the T-34/76 in the fall of 1941. However, as the war progressed, the T-34/76 began to lose its dominance on the battlefield due to the release of the German Tiger and Panther tanks on the Eastern Front, which noticeably outmatched the T-34/76 in terms of armor protection and, more importantly, armament. The State Defense Committee met on August 25, 1943, following the battle of Kursk, and decided to upgrade the T-34 with a new gun: the titular 85mm cannon (initially the D-5T design in 1943 and replaced by the ZiS-S-53 in 1944), which was a dramatic improvement over the 76mm F-34 used by the T-34/76. The main change to the structure of T-34/76 was the replacement of the turret with a new, larger one, which was cast and had an elongated shape to accommodate not only the new 85mm gun, but also a third crew member. The only major change to the hull was a widening of the turret ring diameter to accommodate the new turret. While T34/85 could not match the armour or weapons of the heavier Panther and Tiger tanks, its improved firepower made it much more effective than earlier models, and overall it was more cost-effective than the heaviest German tanks. By May 1944, its production had reached 1,200 tanks per month. In the entire war, production figures for all Panther types reached no more than 6,557, and for all Tiger types (including the Tiger I and Tiger II) 2,027. However the production for the T-34-85 alone reached 22,559.
| Weight | 563 g |
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Wade –
I bought the T34/85 for Christmas and for my Tiger II, honestly very detailed inside. It was a pain putting the barrel of the turret together, I hope it’s going to be smoother. Interior was very nice as well is the engine, very fast build and very easy to put the bricks on, recommending to buy this kit! 👍🏻
Buildarmy (store manager) –
Hi Wade,
Many thanks for the feedback! We have noticed that the green bar is indeed very tight to be inserted into the pins and we will replace it with a grey one which has a better fit. We have already done this for the other kits.
Ruth Heape (verified owner) –
LongPowerBg –
This tank is one of my favorite !!!
Hunter (verified owner) –
wito (verified owner) –
Unfortunately, the chains often fall off, otherwise a great model
Raphaël H. (verified owner) –
Perfect
J0J0 –
I bought this for my son who loves WWI and WW2. The tank is brilliant, we love it. The treds are a bit flimsy, but the design is impressive, and the model is pretty sturdy. Very happy with our purchase, will definitely come back for more!
Josh Simpkins (verified owner) –
D van den Berg (verified owner) –
Noah (verified owner) –
Same as for the tiger. nice model with many little Details i really enjoy.
Will buy more in the future.
Anonymous (verified owner) –
Unreal tank
DEAN BANH (verified owner) –
This is the second vehicle set that I have purchased from Buildarmy, the first being the Tiger I model. I purchased the T-34/85 to serve as a counterpart to my Tiger I and also the Panzer IV Ausf. H which I have yet to build and review. I will discuss the design and features of the model roughly from the bottom up.
To start, it should be noted that this is the first T-34 vehicle variant available using the new seven (7)-stud-wide hull, as opposed to the previous six (6)-stud-wide original T-34/76 version 1 model which is currently out of production. While I do not own the T-34/76 v1 model, I can safely say that the switch to the seven-stud-wide chassis results in more accurate proportions for the model as a whole.
However, this improvement also introduces the perils of building with an odd number of studs as a width. Many overlapping sets of 2×3 and 3×3 plates mixed with 2×2 and 2×4 plates were used to build a solid foundation for the hull which, while not normally an issue, does inflate the parts count. This in turn can translate into “finger fatigue” for less-experienced builders due to pressing all of the plates together (although this can be remedied by splitting the build up into multiple sittings). I do not normally have any issues with building large and/or detailed models, but in the case of this T-34/85 (my first model using Buildarmy’s dark green bricks), I found that my fingertips got a bit sore by the end of the build. On that note, I noticed that the clutch power of the bricks used in this model tended to be much greater than those I encountered before building my grey Tiger I model, but whether this is due to a manufacturing difference between the green vs. the grey non-LEGO bricks or if it is simply a change in the molding procedure, I do not know. Either way, this should be a positive thing because it ensures that the model will hold up over time through display or light play.
In any case, the main chassis becomes quite sturdy once built, with the road wheels attaching securely to the bottom of the hull sides. The road wheels are also properly-spaced on each side, with the front two road wheels having larger gaps between them than the rear three wheels on either side, just as in real life. However, due to the lack of space between the road wheels and the track guards, there is no included movable suspension detail, unlike some of the other, larger models like the Tiger I.
The tracks are probably my greatest concern for the T-34’s design. Each side uses two pairs of single-wide track links along the length of the hull, resulting in four 57-link-long track sets for a total of 228 single-wide track links used. The links themselves have a good fit and are sturdy, but being non-LEGO pieces, they have a smoother finish than official LEGO chain links and thus do not produce enough friction to roll well at all on smooth/flat surfaces. Additionally, in my opinion the use of two sets of single-wide links per side negatively affects the aesthetics of the model, as the pairs of links tend to fall out of alignment and produce a messy appearance.
Furthermore, the track links are only engaged/connected to the model via the toothed gear wheels towards the front of the model, while simply looped around the rear “sprockets” and held on via a loose amount of tension. I can understand why these particular wheel arrangements were chosen, but they do have an adverse effect on playability. The lack of engagement on the rear wheels looks visually accurate to the real-life vehicle, but the use of two sets of single-wide track links per side unfortunately often results in the outer sets of links “walking off” the tank when being rolled, since there is no structure keeping the tracks aligned. I believe that using double-wide track links would be most ideal, both aesthetically and playability-wise.
The hull itself is fairly sturdy and captures the angles of the real-life vehicle quite well. Most impressive is the interior detail, which includes positions for both the driver and radio operator/bow machine gunner, as well as the turret basket. Plentiful lifelike detail for the engine and rear transmission is also included, and these rear details can be observed even when the model is complete thanks to a removable engine hatch and a hinged rear that can be lifted up to reveal the transmission area.
The turret itself is well-shaped and of generally solid construction, although I found that the commander’s cupola (formed out of two Technic wedge belt wheels, part 4185) easily swings out of place due to being connected by a single Technic pin to the turret roof. I remedied this by adding an extra Technic half-pin (included in the set) to the underside of the cupola, which fits in a recess along the upper side of the turret to act as a “stopper” of sorts. The turret holds onto the hull by gravity alone, allowing it to swivel smoothly 360 degrees. The 85mm cannon barrel itself can elevate and depress a fair amount, although elevating it results in the 1×1 modified plates with vertical clips (part 61252) above the gun mantlet being pushed up, requiring repositioning when depressing the barrel again. Said clips are probably my biggest gripe with the turret design, as they expose three bare studs on top, although I can understand that they were likely necessary for allowing the mantlet to elevate at all, as well as covering the gap behind the mantlet part itself.
Regarding the instructions, I noticed that on a few steps the colors shown for the required pieces in said steps seemed to be mismatched- for example, it appeared that two different steps at the end of the build called for green 3×3 plates, when I only had one green and one grey 3×3 plate remaining. Luckily, I was able to go to a previous step and put the grey 3×3 on an interior (hidden) part of the model to salvage an additional green 3×3 plate for the rear of the turret in this case. However, it seems that there were a couple other cases of minor miscolors in the instructions, although nothing too serious. On the whole, the instructions were clear and easy to follow.
This set included some waterslide decals as well, although I did not apply these because I do not have any decal setter or softer chemicals to work with. I think simple vinyl stickers would be a more straightforward alternative to waterslide decals thanks to their simplicity of application, even if their final appearance is inferior to that of both waterslides and dry transfer decals.
Overall, this is another highly detailed and sturdy model produced by Buildarmy, and I am glad to have it in my collection as a counterpart to their Tiger I version 3 model. I do recommend this kit, as the building experience was quite enjoyable thanks to the process of constructing the interior components (i.e., engine, transmission, etc.), although I believe that substituting the single-wide track links with double-wide tracks would really elevate it to the next level.
(Hopefully the photos I’ve attached are visible below)
Anonymous (verified owner) –
Although not Lego, it does look like it, and works like it. I am happy with my purchase and would buy more products in the near future.
A problem that is not major is the barrel of the tank would come off easily.
Pierrick T. (verified owner) –
A hyper-realistic tank & an accessible price ! What more ? Tanks !!! 👍🏻😜🔥
Kieran (verified owner) –
It’s a good price for what it is. There was no missing bricks unlike the other sets I bought which was amazing. This set was my first and it definitely surpassed my expectations. Can’t say it’s my favourite set yet but it’s definitely a contender for 2nd place.
admin –
Hi Kieran,
Thanks for your feedback. From the photo it seems that you have used the wrong colour (grey) for the 1×1 pin connector on the barrel. There should be green ones.
Cheers,
Willem E. (verified owner) –
Ben S. (verified owner) –
Excellent build. We be nice if there was a space for a mini figure on/in the turret.
Anonymous (verified owner) –
Matthias R. (verified owner) –
Anonymous (verified owner) –
John (verified owner) –
Missed 2 pieces, but was no problem since I had spares anyways from regular Lego.
Overall a very nice and detailed set for its price
Marc Gendron (verified owner) –
Enjoy to build this one to. Very accurate. Hope the T34 76 will by on stock again soon ! Sameting for the Panther model…
Wishmerhill (verified owner) –
Very detailed design, loved it. Sturdy and the instructions were very clear.
Stegi –
Building experience was smoothly. Great design!
Stickers are missing.
admin –
Sorry about the missing stickers. Please leave us a note in your next order so we can include them.