T-44M

Plastic kit from MINIART, for the assembly of a Soviet tank of WW II, in 1/35 scale. Includes sprues with plastic parts, assembly instructions, P.E. parts, clear parts and decals.

The T-44 is a medium tank first developed and produced near the end of WW II by the Soviet Union. It was the successor to the T-34, offering improved ride and cross-country performance and much greater armor. Designed to be equipped with an 85 mm main gun, by the time it was fully tested the T-34 had also moved to this weapon. Both tanks offered similar performance, so introducing the T-44 was not considered as important as increasing T-34 production. Fewer than 2,000 T-44s were built, compared to about 58,000 T-34s. Although the T-44 was available by the end of the war, it was not used in combat. However if it were used in combat it would have been a significant upgrade to the T-34. Its armor could take a hit from the German 88mm gun found on the Tiger I and Tiger II from the hull front.

T-44M (1961) – T-44A modernization incorporating a drive train upgraded to match the one used in T-54 including the V-54 12-cylinder 38.88 liter water-cooled diesel engine developing 523 hp (390 kW), gearbox, tracks, 'starfish' road wheels and a conventional toothed drive sprocket, flush with the outer track edge. It had an increased ammunition stowage (from 58 rounds to 61 rounds), new R-113 and R-120 radio sets, a heater and infra-red night sight, TVN-2 night vision device for the driver as well as another fuel tank which increased the fuel capacity by 150 liters to 650 liters and 800 liters with additional fuel tanks. The maximal road operational range of the tank increased to 420 km - 440 km. The original fenders were replaced with T-54-style ones. The catwalk stowage was changed to the flat T-54 rectangular external fuel tanks with embossed circle and cross. Hence the T-44M had a different arrangement of additional fuel tanks and stowage boxes. There were four rectangular external fuel tanks as well as two smaller ones on the right fender and fastenings for four spare track chain links, one rectangular external fuel tank as well as two smaller ones and one stowage box. The tank received a mount for an antiaircraft machine gun. A T-54-style headlight cluster with two headlights was added to right hand side of the glacis plate and the T-34-style headlight on the left hand side of the hull was removed