Video Build Review: Takom's 35th-Scale T28 & M28A1/A2 Super Assault Tank

We look at the first part of Clayton's build of Takom's T28 & M28 A1/A2 Super Assault Tank in 35th scale. See what's in the box & how it builds to primer in his video review...

Video Build Review: Takom's 35th-Scale T28 & M28A1/A2 Super Assault Tank

M28A1/A2 Super Assault Tank
From Takom
Kit No. 2210
1/35th scale

4 marking choices in the box
Metal parts & photo-etch included

The Subject: The T28 & M28 A1/A2 Super Heavy Assault Tank

The T28, later redesignated the T95, was an American super‑heavy armoured vehicle developed during World War II with a very specific purpose: breaking through the formidable German Siegfried Line. Conceived in 1943 and weighing roughly 95 tonnes, it featured exceptionally thick armour—up to 12 inches in places—and a powerful 105 mm T5E1 gun designed to destroy concrete fortifications. Unlike conventional tanks, it lacked a rotating turret, mounting its gun directly into the hull. This unusual configuration gave it tremendous frontal firepower but severely limited its ability to engage targets off‑axis.

Power of the bush! "I nearly didn't see you there..."

Manufacturing delays and shifting wartime priorities meant the first T28/T95 prototypes were not completed until early 1946, months after the war had already ended. By that time, the Siegfried Line had long been breached, leaving the massive vehicle without a battlefield role. Only two prototypes were ever built; both were used primarily for engineering tests rather than combat. Despite its impressive armour and armament, the tank’s enormous weight, slow speed, and poor mobility made it impractical for postwar military needs.

After the programme was cancelled in 1949, the prototypes met very different fates. One vehicle was damaged by an engine fire in 1947 and eventually scrapped, while the other vanished until it was rediscovered in 1974 abandoned in a field at Fort Belvoir, Virginia. Today, the surviving T28 rests at Fort Moore, Georgia, serving as a rare reminder of the U.S. Army’s brief experimentation with extreme heavy‑armour concepts. Its unusual design and limited production have since made it one of the most recognisable and historically intriguing armoured prototypes ever built.

The T28 more closely resembled an assault gun and was redesignated as "T95 gun motor carriage" in 1945, but in June 1946, the vehicle was redesignated again as "super heavy tank T28". The M28 A1/A2 version was never made, but several changes and upgrades were proposed for the T28 that never left the drawing table (or Wargaming's mind.)

The kit:

I have to admit, I have fallen victim to many a box art before, but none quite like this. I knew the moment I saw it I was hooked. What-ifs and prototypes aren’t usually my thing, but this one hits different. 

The M28 is a fictional rendition of the T28 that was built but never saw it go into production, of which Takom also has a kit. The box art has 4 suggested schemes, but being a fictional subject, these are, of course, only suggestions for those of us struggling for inspiration. 

It’s a big box filled with a heap of goodies! So, I’ll take a closer look at some of those for you now.

The name of the tank on the box is the M28 A1/A2 - but what does that mean, I hear you ask? 

The A1 and A2 versions on offer give you the option of using the 120mm T53 or the 155mm T7 gun. Interestingly, these guns were real experimental weapons developed for the T30 and T34 heavy tank programmes, so from a plausibility point of view, it makes a lot of sense.

There are two mantlets in the box, and they marry up with the barrel you choose, so be careful you have chosen the correct one. The instructions are a little confusing if you aren’t careful. 

There is a small piece of etch in the kit designed to create the guards for the lights as well as straps for the oil drums housed on the rear tray. 

The decal sheet includes a few different stars in black and white and a number of other fictional markings to recreate the suggested schemes. 

Looking over the parts, everything seems to be as you would expect. The rear plate shows the attempt Takom made to recreate the cast texturing over specified parts as well as the weld seams included in the moulding. 

The casemate comes moulded in a single piece and gives you an appreciation as to the scale of this tank. 

The appropriate parts display the cast texturing seen on reference images of the finish. 

It has been considered; however, this is an area that will be easy to improve with a touch of stippled putty. 

The side spindons, or outermost track guards, come as a single large, moulded section that kind of teases you into thinking this is going to be a quick build. The surfaces and details are all big and bulky, as you would expect for a subject like this. 

The drive sprockets and the wheel connector look nicely resolved. This is important because if you choose to build the model in the transportation mode (with the tracks being towed behind the tank), a lot of that detail will be on show and look lovely painted with washed-through those details. 

That fine texture finish carries over a lot of the parts, and whilst I suggested the casemate would benefit from stippled putty texturing, I think the texturing over these parts would be more than adequate and offer a degree of variation in the finish. 

There are a lot of small parts with a high degree of detail in the mouldings, and for the most part the positioning of the connector gate from the sprue has been considered so that when you are removing the part from the sprue, it won’t damage it. 

64 wheels in total makes for a lot of wheels! These, along with the pieces required for the suspension, are delivered over 4 sprues. 

Takom has, of course, made these parts workable, which is nice; actually, the engineering is really quite beautiful, but it definitely adds to the complexity of the assembly. 

I found by getting a bit of a production line together this part of the process was oddly enjoyable, even though I had to make 16 sets. 

Although the instructions suggest building the bogies and tracks for the main body and the outside sets as two separate stages, I figured I’d power through these repetitive tasks to get them out of the way on my build.

And of course, the elephant in the room, the tracks… I’m concerned we may not see too many of these kits making it to the table, and that is the workable tracks that come with the kit. 

These tracks consist of tiny pieces that use a jig system to help assemble them. In fairness the tracks are workable and look pretty good, but after timing how long it took to produce 7 links of the track, it took over 17 minutes. With 4 lengths of track and 100 links per track, that is over 16 hours on tracks alone… And when you consider I had just clipped the pieces off the sprue without cleaning them up, I think you could comfortably double that timing estimate to do it properly. 

How many modellers do you think would have the patience to put themselves through that?

 

I ended up upgrading my tracks with DN Studio tracks and would consider them a must-have upgrade if you are considering this kit. 

A shot of the DN Tracks for this kit:

Conclusion

Takom has done a great job with hooking the market with the box art and picking an interesting subject that is somewhat underrepresented in the hobby. 

In terms of build, it was one I really enjoyed, but it was also quite exhausting. Repetitive, complex assemblies require your attention and focus over long periods of time, and there is a degree of forward thinking required to piece this one together. That’s not a complaint by any means. When you commit to a subject as big as this with that number of wheels and tracks, there is always going to be a degree of discipline required to get through it.

Check out the video where I take you through the full build and highlight some of the areas that are great and some that aren’t so great. I'll also show you a couple of tricks to upgrade the model and make it something special! 

More to come on this kit with paint & weathering to come...

Clayton Ockerby

You can see more about Takom's kits on their website or on their Facebook page.

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