1:35 Hungarian Medium Tank 40.M

Hungarian 40.M Turán I medium tank in 1:35 scale (Bronco Models)

Injection-molded plastic kit of the Hungarian 40.M medium tank, known by the name Turán I, in 1:35 scale from Bronco Models. The package contains plastic sprues, photo-etched sheet, clear parts and decals. It is a fairly rare subject, which stands out as a striking exception among collections of the usual German and Allied vehicles.

The real subject

The Turán I was based on a Czechoslovak medium tank developed at the Skoda works, the license for which Hungary acquired at the end of the 1930s and adapted to its own requirements. The vehicle had a combat weight of around 18 tons, a home-built gasoline engine and frontal armor 50 mm thick. The main weapon was a 40 mm gun completed by two machine guns. Production ran slowly and about 285 vehicles were completed. By the time they reached action their armor and armament already lagged behind the standard of medium tanks of the day.

Building and painting tips

Finish and paint the running gear with its many small road wheels and return rollers before you close up the hull, otherwise you will not reach it later. Bend the photo-etched parts, the covers and the tool brackets above all, over the edge of a steel ruler. Mask the clear parts and paint them at the very end. Hungarian vehicles are often finished in a multicolor camouflage with soft transitions, which sprays best with an airbrush at low pressure. A dark wash in the seams, carefully worn edges and lighter dust pigments on the chassis complete the weathering.

Who the model is for

• Collectors of less usual subjects of the Second World War
• Anyone interested in Hungarian military vehicles
• Modelers with experience of photo-etched parts
• Builders of dioramas with vehicles of eastern and central Europe

The model is supplied unassembled and unpainted. Glue, paints and accessories are not included in the package, unless stated otherwise.