In Box Review of ICM 1/35th Scale
Soviet IT-28 Bridge-layer Heavy Tank
Kit no. 35031
By Ray Mehlberger
MSRP: $36.45
ICM is a model company based in the Ukraine.
By Ray Mehlberger
MSRP: $36.45
ICM is a model company based in the Ukraine.
HISTORY:
The IT-28 engineering tank – bridgelayer was designed in 1940 at the Kirov Factory In Leningrad. Its main role was escorting tank columns during marches and battle and to support regular tanks crossing natural and artificial obstacles.
The IT-28 was developed on the base of the medium T-28 tank. The shape of the hull front was changed. Two DT (7,62) machine guns were in spherical units, housed in the hull front formed the only armament. The eight-faced control housing was mounted instead of the artillery turret. For the bridging operations the IT-28 was equipped with a special engineering installation.
The bridge was of frame metal construction. Two tracks were covered with wooden boarding and was able to take a load of 50 tons, and could span an ditch of 12,5 meters. The tank crew was able to install the bridge within 3 minutes and to jack it up in 5 minutes without help from outside. Because of the wide tracks the bridge was used for big tanks: the heavy T-35, KV and medium T-34.
During June of 1940, on the proving-ground of the tank institute, the IT-28 prototype passed detailed trials, which demonstrated the extreme reliability of the tank and the bridge. Soon orders for serial building of the IT-28 were given to the Kirov Factory. Several IT-28’s were used during the first weeks of WWII in the Soviet Union in the Carpathian Mountains and Lviv region. One tank was captured and used by German troops.
Technical and tactical specifications:
Weight with bridge: 29 tons
Weight without bridge: 25 tons
Crew: 6
Weight of the bridge: 4 tons
Dimensions of the bridge: length 13,300 mm, width 3,500 mm
Dimensions of the tank with bridge: length 13,300 mm, width 3,500 mm, height 2,880 mm
Dimensions of tank without the bridge: length 7,440 mm, width 2,860 mm, height 2,800 mm
Ground clearance: 500 mm
Armor: front and rear 30 mm, hull sides 20 mm, hull top and bottom 10 mm, control housing 30 – 50 mm.
Speed: on roads 30 km/h, cross country 14 km/h
Range: on roads 150 kms, cross country 120 kms.
Engine: 4-stroke, V-12-cylinder, water-cooled, petrol aircraft engine M-17L, developing 450 hp.
Armament: two DT (7,62 mm) machine guns with 4,473 rounds.
THE KIT:
This kit comes in a shrink-wrapped tray and lid type box. The box art shows a IT-28 with a couple turreted version T-28’s in the background.
One side panel gives ICM’s street address in the Ukraine and a black illustration of the IT-28 with dimensions of the kit on it: bridge length 380 cm, tank length 212 cm, height of vehicle with bridge atop 82 cm. Beside this is a black illustration of a person with 10 + besides it, meaning the kit is designed for modelers over 10 years of age. These are followed by 3 full color box arts of other AFV kits that ICM markets: the T-28 turreted tank, the T-35, the German Luchs and the British Cromwell IV. No kit numbers for these is shown.
The other side panel says the kit was made in the Ukraine, followed by the history of the tank in Russian, Ukrainian, English and German.
WHAT’S IN THE BOX:
The kit contains 10 dark green trees of parts, 4 light grey trees, a separate dark green hull tub and hull roof and 10 dark green long girder support units for the bridge. The decal sheet and the instructions complete the kit’s contents.
I heard comments by modelers on the internet that this kit had a heavy coating of mold release on it, that needed to be washed off with detergent and water. I washed all my trees.
The instructions consist of a staple bound booklet of 8 pages in 8 ½” x 12” page format.
Page 1 of the instructions begins with a black and white repeat of the box art, followed by the history of the IT-28 again in Russian, Ukrianian, English, and German.
Page 2 and 3 have the parts trees illustrations on them, with international assembly symbol explanations across the bottom of both pages.
Page 4 through 6 give a grand total of 8 assembly steps.
Page 7 has a profile of the IT-28 with bridge attached. It is a vehicle during trials in June 1940. It is overall Soviet dark green with no markings.
Below this, is a 3-view of the It-28 without the bridge. It is a vehicle with the Engineering Detachment of the 8th Mechanized Corps., Western Ukraine, summer 1941. It is also in overall Soviet dark green with a white 123 on the hull sides and a small red star on the bow and stern of the hull.
A third 3-view shows a IT-28 without the bridge, also in Soviet dark green with a black German cross outlined in white on the hull sides, bow and stern. It is a captured vehicle with the German vehrmacht, Western Ukraine, Autumn 1941.
Page 8 begins with “cautions” in Ukrainian, Russian, English and German, followed by a list of paint colors in the Testor and Humbol brands in the 4 languages and decal application instructions in those languages. ICM’s street address and phone number is provided.
The IT-28 engineering tank – bridgelayer was designed in 1940 at the Kirov Factory In Leningrad. Its main role was escorting tank columns during marches and battle and to support regular tanks crossing natural and artificial obstacles.
The IT-28 was developed on the base of the medium T-28 tank. The shape of the hull front was changed. Two DT (7,62) machine guns were in spherical units, housed in the hull front formed the only armament. The eight-faced control housing was mounted instead of the artillery turret. For the bridging operations the IT-28 was equipped with a special engineering installation.
The bridge was of frame metal construction. Two tracks were covered with wooden boarding and was able to take a load of 50 tons, and could span an ditch of 12,5 meters. The tank crew was able to install the bridge within 3 minutes and to jack it up in 5 minutes without help from outside. Because of the wide tracks the bridge was used for big tanks: the heavy T-35, KV and medium T-34.
During June of 1940, on the proving-ground of the tank institute, the IT-28 prototype passed detailed trials, which demonstrated the extreme reliability of the tank and the bridge. Soon orders for serial building of the IT-28 were given to the Kirov Factory. Several IT-28’s were used during the first weeks of WWII in the Soviet Union in the Carpathian Mountains and Lviv region. One tank was captured and used by German troops.
Technical and tactical specifications:
Weight with bridge: 29 tons
Weight without bridge: 25 tons
Crew: 6
Weight of the bridge: 4 tons
Dimensions of the bridge: length 13,300 mm, width 3,500 mm
Dimensions of the tank with bridge: length 13,300 mm, width 3,500 mm, height 2,880 mm
Dimensions of tank without the bridge: length 7,440 mm, width 2,860 mm, height 2,800 mm
Ground clearance: 500 mm
Armor: front and rear 30 mm, hull sides 20 mm, hull top and bottom 10 mm, control housing 30 – 50 mm.
Speed: on roads 30 km/h, cross country 14 km/h
Range: on roads 150 kms, cross country 120 kms.
Engine: 4-stroke, V-12-cylinder, water-cooled, petrol aircraft engine M-17L, developing 450 hp.
Armament: two DT (7,62 mm) machine guns with 4,473 rounds.
THE KIT:
This kit comes in a shrink-wrapped tray and lid type box. The box art shows a IT-28 with a couple turreted version T-28’s in the background.
One side panel gives ICM’s street address in the Ukraine and a black illustration of the IT-28 with dimensions of the kit on it: bridge length 380 cm, tank length 212 cm, height of vehicle with bridge atop 82 cm. Beside this is a black illustration of a person with 10 + besides it, meaning the kit is designed for modelers over 10 years of age. These are followed by 3 full color box arts of other AFV kits that ICM markets: the T-28 turreted tank, the T-35, the German Luchs and the British Cromwell IV. No kit numbers for these is shown.
The other side panel says the kit was made in the Ukraine, followed by the history of the tank in Russian, Ukrainian, English and German.
WHAT’S IN THE BOX:
The kit contains 10 dark green trees of parts, 4 light grey trees, a separate dark green hull tub and hull roof and 10 dark green long girder support units for the bridge. The decal sheet and the instructions complete the kit’s contents.
I heard comments by modelers on the internet that this kit had a heavy coating of mold release on it, that needed to be washed off with detergent and water. I washed all my trees.
The instructions consist of a staple bound booklet of 8 pages in 8 ½” x 12” page format.
Page 1 of the instructions begins with a black and white repeat of the box art, followed by the history of the IT-28 again in Russian, Ukrianian, English, and German.
Page 2 and 3 have the parts trees illustrations on them, with international assembly symbol explanations across the bottom of both pages.
Page 4 through 6 give a grand total of 8 assembly steps.
Page 7 has a profile of the IT-28 with bridge attached. It is a vehicle during trials in June 1940. It is overall Soviet dark green with no markings.
Below this, is a 3-view of the It-28 without the bridge. It is a vehicle with the Engineering Detachment of the 8th Mechanized Corps., Western Ukraine, summer 1941. It is also in overall Soviet dark green with a white 123 on the hull sides and a small red star on the bow and stern of the hull.
A third 3-view shows a IT-28 without the bridge, also in Soviet dark green with a black German cross outlined in white on the hull sides, bow and stern. It is a captured vehicle with the German vehrmacht, Western Ukraine, Autumn 1941.
Page 8 begins with “cautions” in Ukrainian, Russian, English and German, followed by a list of paint colors in the Testor and Humbol brands in the 4 languages and decal application instructions in those languages. ICM’s street address and phone number is provided.
Dark green letter A parts tree holds: the perforated bridge raiser arms and brackets etc. (18 parts)
Dark green letter B parts tree holds: tools, hatch doors, control compartment roof, tow cable and tow hooks and machine guns etc. (26 parts)
Dark green letter B parts tree holds: tools, hatch doors, control compartment roof, tow cable and tow hooks and machine guns etc. (26 parts)
Dark green letter C parts tree holds: the bridge bed wood planks (54 parts)
Dark green letter D parts tree holds: the bridge support cross bars etc. (47 parts)
Dark green letter E parts tree holds: the muffler, one of the hull side plates etc. (23 parts) 5 of these parts are shaded out in the parts trees illustrations as being excess and not needed to complete the kit.
There is no letter F parts tree.
Dark green letter G parts tree holds: the other hull side plate, hull tub extension panels etc. (18 parts) 5 parts are excess.
Dark green letter H parts tree holds: a hull side panel, tow cables etc. (21 parts) 7 parts are excess.
There are no I or J parts trees.
Dark green letter K parts tree holds: the other hull side panel, engine air-intake screens and the engine compartment door, plus another tow able etc. (17 parts)
Dark green letter D parts tree holds: the bridge support cross bars etc. (47 parts)
Dark green letter E parts tree holds: the muffler, one of the hull side plates etc. (23 parts) 5 of these parts are shaded out in the parts trees illustrations as being excess and not needed to complete the kit.
There is no letter F parts tree.
Dark green letter G parts tree holds: the other hull side plate, hull tub extension panels etc. (18 parts) 5 parts are excess.
Dark green letter H parts tree holds: a hull side panel, tow cables etc. (21 parts) 7 parts are excess.
There are no I or J parts trees.
Dark green letter K parts tree holds: the other hull side panel, engine air-intake screens and the engine compartment door, plus another tow able etc. (17 parts)
There are 2 identical dark green letter L parts trees. They hold: drive sprockets, idler wheels, road wheels, return rollers and boggies etc. (48 parts per tree)
Lettering now jumps to the 4 identical light grey parts trees. They hold the individual track links (72 parts per tree)
The individual dark green hull roof and floor parts and the decal sheet complete the kits contents. There are no clear parts or crew figures included.
I have started some assembly of this kit. The hull is together with the bridge lifting arms, the engine and transmission (hidden in the rear hull compartment) and the bridge is together. I have to join these two sections together and assemble the tracks yet.
I have started some assembly of this kit. The hull is together with the bridge lifting arms, the engine and transmission (hidden in the rear hull compartment) and the bridge is together. I have to join these two sections together and assemble the tracks yet.
I got this kit years ago in trade with a fellow in Krakow Poland. It has a copyright date of 1998.