In Box Review of AER SRL Moldova 1/35th Scale
T-18 The First Soviet Serial Tank
Kit no. T80018
By Ray Mehlberger
Copyright 1993
Out of production
I paid $24.96 for my kit back in the 90s at a local shop that went out of business.
By Ray Mehlberger
Copyright 1993
Out of production
I paid $24.96 for my kit back in the 90s at a local shop that went out of business.
HISTORY:
At the end of 1928, the T-18 was put into mass production at Leningrad Bolshevik Works. The first 30 tanks were made using Osoaviakhim Organization resources and in the spring of 1928 they were transferred to the Army in the field under the title of MC-1, (which means small trackings).
MC-1 tanks were successfully used in the course of the conflict, evoked by Chinese militarists on the East-Chinese rail-road. On November 20, 1929 the Red Army units, being supported only by one MC-1 tank company (9 tanks), smashed the White-Chinese Guards, exceeding the Red Army units twice in number. The enemy soldiers, who had never seen the tanks before, scattered in panic.
In the summer of 1938, during the armed frontier conflict at the Khasan Lake, the veteran tank, by that time already removed from the regular armament, was used as an immovable armoured weapon placement against Japanese samurais.
The T-18 design was later adopted as traditional. Joining a 45 hp air-cooled engine with power generating set into one unit, allowing placing it transversely in the rear of the casing, thus making it shorter and lighter.
Taking the First World War experience into consideration, the designers could find a simple and original way to increase the tank’s passability to overcoming wide ditches and cones. It was a removable tail, attached to the stern armoured plate.
Due to the compact arrangement, the T-28 tank was almost a ton lighter , than its forefather-Ren PTs, and as for the armament, armouring, speed and fuel distance, it could compete with its contemporaries.
Later, the MC-2 and MC-3 modernized designs ere equipped with more powerful engines of 40 hp and the armoured casing was thickened up to 16 mm. A stern recess, arranged in the tower, housed an additional armament kit and machine-guns of Fyodorov system were replaced by modern DT (Degtyaryov for tanks.
The T-18 (MC-1) tank was kept in mass production from 1928 to 1931 and became the first Soviet mass produced tank (there were 900 tanks made), which allowed the formation of large scale tank units. In May 1930, a mechanized crew was formed, being equipped with MC-1 tanks, armoured vehicles and other auto prime-movers, all home-made. It was the first such unit in the world.
At the end of 1928, the T-18 was put into mass production at Leningrad Bolshevik Works. The first 30 tanks were made using Osoaviakhim Organization resources and in the spring of 1928 they were transferred to the Army in the field under the title of MC-1, (which means small trackings).
MC-1 tanks were successfully used in the course of the conflict, evoked by Chinese militarists on the East-Chinese rail-road. On November 20, 1929 the Red Army units, being supported only by one MC-1 tank company (9 tanks), smashed the White-Chinese Guards, exceeding the Red Army units twice in number. The enemy soldiers, who had never seen the tanks before, scattered in panic.
In the summer of 1938, during the armed frontier conflict at the Khasan Lake, the veteran tank, by that time already removed from the regular armament, was used as an immovable armoured weapon placement against Japanese samurais.
The T-18 design was later adopted as traditional. Joining a 45 hp air-cooled engine with power generating set into one unit, allowing placing it transversely in the rear of the casing, thus making it shorter and lighter.
Taking the First World War experience into consideration, the designers could find a simple and original way to increase the tank’s passability to overcoming wide ditches and cones. It was a removable tail, attached to the stern armoured plate.
Due to the compact arrangement, the T-28 tank was almost a ton lighter , than its forefather-Ren PTs, and as for the armament, armouring, speed and fuel distance, it could compete with its contemporaries.
Later, the MC-2 and MC-3 modernized designs ere equipped with more powerful engines of 40 hp and the armoured casing was thickened up to 16 mm. A stern recess, arranged in the tower, housed an additional armament kit and machine-guns of Fyodorov system were replaced by modern DT (Degtyaryov for tanks.
The T-18 (MC-1) tank was kept in mass production from 1928 to 1931 and became the first Soviet mass produced tank (there were 900 tanks made), which allowed the formation of large scale tank units. In May 1930, a mechanized crew was formed, being equipped with MC-1 tanks, armoured vehicles and other auto prime-movers, all home-made. It was the first such unit in the world.
THE KIT:
AER is an old prolific model company based in the Ukraine. They manufacture all manner of model subjects in the popular scales.
This kit came in an end-opening type box, that is not shrink-wrapped and it is scotch taped shut.
I am no fan of this type of box, because invariably parts or the decal sheet will find their way past one of the end flaps of the box to become lost forever.
Give me a tray and lid type box any day of the week.
The cover art shows a color illustration of a T-18 moving across a grassy plane near a forest. It is overall matt-green, with no markings shown. It is firing its turret gun.
The two side-panels of the box are identical. They just say T-28 and have a small color repeat of the box art on them.
The bottom of the box shows a color 3-view of the T-28 in the box art scheme. It includes specifications for the tank:
Crew: 2
Mass: 5,9 ton
Length: 3,5 m
Width: 1.8 m
Height: 2.2 m
Armament: 1 anti-tank gun by Hotchkis, 1 machine-gun by Degtyaryov
This is said in Romanian and English.
AER is an old prolific model company based in the Ukraine. They manufacture all manner of model subjects in the popular scales.
This kit came in an end-opening type box, that is not shrink-wrapped and it is scotch taped shut.
I am no fan of this type of box, because invariably parts or the decal sheet will find their way past one of the end flaps of the box to become lost forever.
Give me a tray and lid type box any day of the week.
The cover art shows a color illustration of a T-18 moving across a grassy plane near a forest. It is overall matt-green, with no markings shown. It is firing its turret gun.
The two side-panels of the box are identical. They just say T-28 and have a small color repeat of the box art on them.
The bottom of the box shows a color 3-view of the T-28 in the box art scheme. It includes specifications for the tank:
Crew: 2
Mass: 5,9 ton
Length: 3,5 m
Width: 1.8 m
Height: 2.2 m
Armament: 1 anti-tank gun by Hotchkis, 1 machine-gun by Degtyaryov
This is said in Romanian and English.
WHAT’S IN THE BOX:
The kit holds 4 medium-gray trees and the decal sheet in a sealed clear cello bag.
The instructions consists of a single-sheet that is folded in the center to create 4 pages in 5 ¼” x 7 ¼” page format.
Page 1 begins with a black and white photo of a T-28 that is being viewed by a large group of Russian soldiers, over the history of the T-18 in Romanian and English.
The left side of page 2 shows the parts-trees illustrations.
On the right side of page 2 and all of page 3 gives a grand total of 4 very busy assembly steps.
Page 4 shows 7 line drawings of box arts of an aircraft kit and 6 AFT kits that AER manufactures.
A SU-1 fighter plane, a T-38, a T-18 (this kit), a Komsomolets tank, a Zis-30, a ASU-57 and a BA-64.
All Soviet tanks. I believe the tanks are all to 1/35th scale, but don't know what scale the plane is to??
The right side of page 4 shows a 3-view profile of the T-28 in the box art scheme over a repeat of its specifications and 6 illustrations of tools being used to build the model.
The kit holds 4 medium-gray trees and the decal sheet in a sealed clear cello bag.
The instructions consists of a single-sheet that is folded in the center to create 4 pages in 5 ¼” x 7 ¼” page format.
Page 1 begins with a black and white photo of a T-28 that is being viewed by a large group of Russian soldiers, over the history of the T-18 in Romanian and English.
The left side of page 2 shows the parts-trees illustrations.
On the right side of page 2 and all of page 3 gives a grand total of 4 very busy assembly steps.
Page 4 shows 7 line drawings of box arts of an aircraft kit and 6 AFT kits that AER manufactures.
A SU-1 fighter plane, a T-38, a T-18 (this kit), a Komsomolets tank, a Zis-30, a ASU-57 and a BA-64.
All Soviet tanks. I believe the tanks are all to 1/35th scale, but don't know what scale the plane is to??
The right side of page 4 shows a 3-view profile of the T-28 in the box art scheme over a repeat of its specifications and 6 illustrations of tools being used to build the model.
Trees are not alphabetized. They do, however, have part number tabs next to the parts on the trees. Careful study of the parts-trees illustrations will be needed to get the correct parts for each assembly.
The 1st medium-gray tree holds: the hull sides, fenders, turret walls etc. (27 parts)
The 1st medium-gray tree holds: the hull sides, fenders, turret walls etc. (27 parts)
The 2nd medium-gray tree holds: the floor, roof, nose, machine guns and more turret parts etc. (26 parts)
The 3rd medium-gray tree holds: final transfer covers, drive sprockets, road wheels, idler wheels, return rollers, bogies etc. (90 parts)
The 4th medium-gray tree holds the individual track links (120 parts)
The decal sheet completes the kit contents.
The instructions have a photo of a T-18.
There are no clear parts or crew figures included.
Detail is very good. Recommended
Detail is very good. Recommended