T-30 - the USSR light tank

The floating tank T-40 has been produced in the Soviet Union since 1940 and was supposed to replace the T-37A and T-38 tanks of the same purpose. As in its predecessors, it makes extensive use of truck assemblies and mechanisms. The engine and transmission were installed on the right side, so the tower with machine guns DShK and DT was moved to the left side. The tank body is made of rolled steel plates by welding and riveting them. The chassis consisted of 4 rubber-covered wheels per side, which had an individual torsion suspension. A four-blade propeller and two rudder plates were installed in the rear recess of the bottom for movement in water. At the beginning of June 1941 the Red Army had 220 T-40 tanks. But already the first battles showed, that their weaponry was not enough, but this happened, because these machines were mostly used not for reconnaissance tasks, but for immediate fire support of the infantry. And as a floating tank, it was practically never used. Starting in August 1941, the design of the T-40 began to be modified in order to simplify the production process. The rear hull plate became vertical and without a propeller niche, and due to the weight, released after the liquidation of the watercourse equipment, the thickness of the front and side armor of the hull was increased from 12 to 15 mm, and the trim of the turret box, tower sides and armament mask - up to 20 mm. The construction of the hull became more rational for war conditions and began to be joined only by welding from homogeneous armor steel. Everything else remained unchanged. Due to the fact, that this machine was marked with the index "030" during the design, the tank began to be marked with the name T-30. But it did not catch on: both in units and in statistical reports, the tank is called the T-40 as before. Starting in September 1941, some T-30s were equipped with a TNSh-20 cannon with a reserve of 750 rounds.

A small, uncomplicated, well designed and detailed model with no internal equipment detalization, for modelers of all experience. Only beginners and less experienced modelers are recommended to work under the supervision of a more experienced colleague and this should not be one of the first more complex models You build. The tracks are only stripe, there are no color reserves, the graphic instructions are quite clear and comprehensive, the textual ones only contain general provisions in Russian, English, German and Polish.