”Visiting grandpa in Russia”

    In late May 1942 this brand new T-70 M tank participated in the counterattack launched by the Russians on the German forces threatening Moscow. It was hit and abandoned in a ditch. A couple of years after the war it was found by local farmers and stripped of everything useful. In 1952 a young boy visiting his grandfather, crawls through a hedge, crosses a fence and discovers the tank.....

    The T-70 was introduced in March 1942 to replace the T-60. The vehicle had an improved power plant and a redesigned turret which was again offset to the left of the hull while the power plant was placed to the left for ease of construction and maintenence. Reliability in mud or deep snow was poor and the vehicle frequently became bogged in poor ground conditions. As with the T-60, the vehicles main failing was its two man crew, with the commander doubling as the gunner, which seriously reduced its combat efficiency. Production ended in 1943 but the vehicle remained in service until the latter stages of the campaign.

    The base is scratch built from foam board, wood, Das Pronto putty. The tank is MiniArts T-70 M Late. The gun barrel was replaced with styrene tubing. The engine screens are all custom made with etch+plasticard. Interior is completely scratch built. Mudguards and stowage bins are replaced with aluminium foil. The towing cable is replaced with a copper wire. The figure is Andrea Miniatures “Little Boy. Water is epoxi. Trees are roots, rubberized horsehair, moss and various Woodland Scenics scatter as well as ground up leads have been used..

    The whole diorama including the tank is finished in Tamiya acrylics with an Evolution Airbrush. Weathering with acrylics, oils, pigments and pastels.

Jonas Dahlberg