The kit I am reviewing today is a T-34/85, one of the Soviet's most successful tanks, and one which helped change tank designs during World War Two. Warlord Games has recently recreated this tank in plastic for Bolt Action, for use by the Soviet forces. I have never made a Warlord Games model, so I cannot compare the tank to their metal/resin range of tanks, so for now this is just a simple review of this tank, not a comparison between plastic and resin.
It currently retails for £18 on the Warlord Games website. The price is fairly low for a 'medium tank', similar tanks from other games can cost much more than this. It is, however, much smaller than those other products. Having said that, this tank is the correct scale for the range it has been added to, and it is only fair to expect a smaller product for a much lower price.
My first impressions are very good. The kit comes on two sprues, with instructions and a small sheet of water transfers. The instructions are simple to follow and easy to read. They do not show how to add the optional tank commander, but it is a kit that comes with pain-free assembly, so it isn't really an issue. If it were a massively complex kit, then I could imagine issues, but I digress. There are a few options, but less than I'm used to: although the options I'm used to are choices between laser-cannons and plasma blasters (Warlord, if you're reading this, a T-34/85 with a laser cannon would be pretty cool!).
In terms of detail, the tank is covered in everything you expect from a kit in this price bracket. Details are very crisp and intricate, down to the fine pattern on the tank's track links. The wheels do lack a groove (where the track teeth would pass between), but that is kind of nit-picking, as I doubt you will notice during game-play when you're trying to hide from a King Tiger.
Having built the tank over an afternoon, I can say that I encountered no serious issues, if any at all. Pretty much all parts slotted together neatly, there was no warping to deal with, and the mould-lines were relatively simple to clear. Parts like the tracks aren't numbered on the instructions, but there is only one way for them to be attached to the model, so there is no issue here. It is a beautifully simple kit: the kind of kit you can lazily build on a sunny afternoon in an hour or two, with the very minimal of rage-quitting and a smile on your face. |
| GW Rhino and space Marine shown for scale purposes only |
In conclusion, this is a fantastic kit from Warlord Games, and as it is my very first kit from them, it has portrayed them in a very good light, scoring a very good 9.5/10 for those of you who like a number. I cannot wait to review more products from them in the future. As usual, here are my main points summarised:
Pros
-Cheap for a medium-tank
-Incredibly detailed for this price range and scale
-Very easy assembly
-0 defects
Cons
-More options would have been nice
-Instructions do not show how to assemble the commander