The Modelling News: Hobbyboss' new armour and aircraft releases for July..

Hobbyboss has released four new kits this month - although three of them are Soviet WWII tanks there is a 1/16th T-34/85, a pre-war 1/35th T-26 and a five turreted T-35 land battleship - for the aircraft guys there is a Shooting Star to cast your wishes on..

Hobbyboss new releases of July 2014

1/35^th scale Soviet T-35 Heavy Tank – Early

The T-35 was a Soviet multi-turreted heavy tank of the interwar period and early Second World War that saw limited production and service with the Red Army. It was the only five-turreted heavy tank in the world to reach production but proved to be slow and mechanically unreliable. Most of the T-35 tanks still operational at the time of Operation Barbarossa were lost due to mechanical failure rather than enemy action. Outwardly it was large but internally the spaces were cramped with the fighting compartments separated from each other. Some of the turrets obscured the entrance hatches.

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Model Dimension: Length: 281mm Width: 98mm

Total Plastic Parts 590+

Total Sprues 18 sprues , lower hull , upper hull and turret

Metal Parts copper cable

Photo Etched Parts 3 pcs

The kit consists of over 590 parts

Multi-slide moulded turret and lower hull

Photo etched parts included

1/48^th scale F-80C Shooting Star

The F-80 Shooting Star was the first jet fighter used operationally by the United States Army Air Forces, and saw extensive combat in Korea with the United States Air Force as the F-80. As one of the world's first successful turbojet-powered combat aircraft, it helped usher in the "jet age" in the USAF and other air forces worldwide. One of its claims to fame is in training a new generation of pilots, especially in its closely-related T-33 Shooting Star trainer development.

Model Dimensions Length: 218.3mm Wingspan:246.6 mm

Total Plastic Parts 110+

Total Sprues 7 sprues

Photo Etched Parts 1 piece

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The kit consists of over 110 parts

-Detailed fuselage&wing w/accurate design

-Detailed gear cabin & cockpit

-Photo etched parts for safety belt etc.

1/16^th scale Soviet T-34/85

Considered by many as “possibly the best tank of World War 2, the T-34/85 was fast, manoeuvrable and hard-hitting. Appearing in huge numbers from early 1944.it led the assault on Germany until the end of the war; when it was widely exported to many communist nations. The major change in T-34 production after 1943 was the arrival of the 85mm (3.34in) gun T-34/85,which had a new three-man turret and a larger-diameter turret ring. Both the T-34/76 and /85 were built in parallel until mid-1944, when production of the former stopped after 35,099 had been completed.

The huge losses of T-34s in 1941 and 1943 were due respectively to the speed and surprise of the German Blitzkrieg and the development of new German heavy tanks, such as the Tiger and Panther. The Panther in particular, was designed with sloped armour modelled after the T-34 and with a long-barrelled 75mm (2.95in) gun that matched the Soviet 76.2mm (3in) gun.

Although similar in appearance and using the same automotive components, the T-34/85 was a major redesign, with a new three-man turret, the same as that used on the KV-85.The new gun was the D-5T85 (later replaced by the ZIS-S53) dual-purpose 85mm (3.34in) gun, which could fire shells able to penetrate102mm (4in) of armour at 1000m (3280ft).This was enough to defeat a Panther or Tiger at closer range.

The T-34/85 was rolling off the production lines in January 1944, only five months after the design was initiated. That year over 11,000 were produced and these played the major role in pushing the Germans back into Germany in late 1944.The T-34/85 remained the principal Soviet tank until the late 1940s”1.And was produced for Third Party Nations well into the 1960s.

This kit depicts the T-34/85 Model 1944 with “flattened” turret, later style one piece commander’s hatch, and non-pierced rubber-rimmed road wheel.

Scale 1:16

Model Dimension Length: 502.9mm Width: 188mm

Total Plastic Parts 390+

Metal Parts screw, spring, shaft

Soviet T-26 light tank (1938)

Soviet T-26 tanks, a light infantry tanks, in many conflicts in the 1930s and during World War II have used. It is one of Britain's "Vickers" 6 tons tank development model is most widely used for 30 years, the most successful tank design.

Its yield far more than the same period of other tanks, more than 11,000 vehicles. During the 1930s, the Soviet Union about the development of the 53 kinds of T-26 tank variants, including other combat vehicles based on its chassis. There are 23 kinds of which put a big production.

T-26 is widely used in Spain, China, and Turkey's army. In addition, Finland, Germany, Romania and Hungary, the army also used captured T-26 light tanks.