Kit: No. T35006
Scale: 1/35
Manufacturer: CMK, distributed by Eduard, 800 Proctor Ave., Ogdensburg, NY 13669, phone 613-224-9071
Price: $15.99
Comments: Injection molded, 185 parts, decals.
The pre-World War II Czech LTvz. 35 was a product of the Skoda arms factory. When the Germans occupied Czechoslovakia, they immediately integrated the tanks into their panzer units as PzKpfw 35(t). These units participated in the first major action of WWII, the invasion of Poland, and were later used in attacks against France and Russia. Germany gave a number of vehicles to its allies and some of them served until the end of the war.
The CMK 35(t) is beautifully executed, nicely packaged, and the first 1/35 scale injection-molded kit of this vehicle.
Most of the parts are cleanly molded in hard gray plastic, but the soft plastic tracks (molded in single and extended lengths) are thin enough to drape realistically across the return rollers. Optional machine-gun mountings are included for Czech or German versions. Though mentioned on the color guide, the unique German night-driving light is not included.
The hull and turret consist of numerous parts, but they go together well. I had problems with the glacis plate (part No. B5) and removed 1/16″ from the back edge to make it fit. If you install bulkhead C11, remove 1/32″ from the top to allow the hull top to fit properly. There is a prominent seam on gun rotor B10. Clean it up as it will be obvious after it’s painted.
The suspension units are complex, and there are a few ejector-pin marks to remove from the arms. It’s best to assemble bogie trucks without the wheels. After the glue has set, pop in the wheels. The wheels have tiny mating surfaces requiring careful assembly to keep them true. The tracks fit fine, but there are no extra links.
I followed the assembly instruction sequence closely. I painted the major hull components with Polly Scale acrylics before assembly to allow better access when installing the tracks.
CMK provides decals for one Czech, one Slovak, and two German vehicles. I marked mine as one from the 11th Tank Regiment in Poland in 1939. The decals went on without trouble, but the white crosses are translucent. I didn’t use the white air-recognition band supplied, but painted it instead.
The kit scales perfectly to the plans I found in Skoda LTvz. 35 by Francev and Kliment. It took only 15 hours to build, and I enjoyed it so much that I probably will build another soon!
Jim Zeske