Review - T-28 from JSC (1/56 or 28mm)

While waiting for Rubicon Models releases (T-26 and GAZ-AA for my Soviets) I’ve decided to buy myself a present. I choose T-28 from JSC made by a Pole - “Rilian”. If you check the BA rules for T-28 you’ll find it’s a weak, overpriced in points, useless brick which won’t hide even behind a barn. On the other hand, with two of my friends we've agreed to play Bolt Action in the Early War setup. Literally it means: “even if it doesn't make any sense it's still OK”. I pressed the [ADD TO CART] button and in comment section I've made a note:

“I would prefer to get a model without any bubbles and deformations. It’ll save you and me some time on complaint and returns. Thanks!”

Why do I mention it? Keep reading.

What variant did I just buy?
Describing the tank as T-28 is half true. The producer (and the designer) doesn’t tell us precisely which tank variant it is. We can be almost 100% sure that the tank gun is KT-28 (a gun mounted in early versions) and the armour is not yet reinforced. What about the rest? Don’t even try to figured it out. It will give you a serious headache. Sources completely contradicts one another. Descriptions, even those in Russian don't match blueprints and photos (if dated correctly) and prove both sources and descriptions to be incorrect. But if you really want to feel the pain, start with Russian-language wikipedia about T-28 followed by armchairgeneral web page with tank technical drawings and blueprints and details.
Example? Let’s check out the periscopes:

• According to blueprints and descriptions, reinforced periscopes were added in late 1939
• Technical drawings (Russian wikipedia) show reinforced periscopes on tanks from 1938
• Photos from Winter War (1939-1940) show tanks without reinforced periscopes but with an L-10 gun.

And there is more. Much more. Before painting the model I'll sand the periscopes down a little. With Plastruct rods I'll try to imitate the old periscopes variant (before reinforcing). I want to be absolutely sure the tank will be historically accurate for both the Soviet Invasion on Poland (1939) and the Soviet-Japan border conflict in Manchuria (1938-1939).

Box
The tank came in a regular cardboard box. No WOW! No paper wrapping with photos in color. No games or company logotypes. Models  ordered from Warlord Games shop (FAI, 7TP and Ha-Go) were packed in the same way so there's nothing unusual about it.

What's inside the box

• 1 hull
• 1 big turret
• 2 small turrets
• left and right tracks
• sprue with KT-28 gun, 4 DT machine guns and 2 periscopes
• foiled 4 neodymium magnets 3x2 mm

All the elements are resin casts. There was also some soft grey sponge in the box. I think the sponge is not necessary because all the elements are… really, REALLY solid.

Resin cast
I've divided this section into 3 parts. The first one is about the tank model and the resin. The second one is about the parts you will see after gluing up the model. Finally, the third one is about the hidden spots.

1. The Model
When I first saw the parts I was pleasantly surprised. The flash is very thin and it’s easily removable. There was no sign of deformation caused by bad fitting moulds, shrinkage or a not yet solidified resin. Magnet holes for small turrets are pre drilled. It saves you some drilling and helps avoiding mistakes that can be made at this point. The same solution should be applied for the big tower but sadly, it isn’t. If you want to mount this element with magnets too you have to drill the hole yourself.

2. Elements visible after gluing up
Small elements are sharp and don’t blend with each others. Rivets and hinges have really good visibility. If there is no clearance (e.g. lower rollers in tracks) I guess the main purpose of it was to reinforce this section. You shouldn’t have a problem with this since the elements depth is more than enough. The biggest shortcoming is in the front section of  the so-called “driving wheels”. Because of the one-side cast those elements are flat. Solution? You can work with drilling and filling tools. Even easier solution is to make them look dirty using some really thick mud paste. Problem solved!

3. Elements mostly invisible after gluing
Take a deep breath. One more. And another one. Okey, you can continue reading. So… it’s below average. For some of you it might be even unacceptable. I guess the main problem is where the pouring channel is located and it looks like there are no air channels. The hull part looks like it was poured upside down so you wouldn’t get any bubbles on the front surface. Is it a problem? If you don’t mistake “greenstuff” with some kind of a hipster-vegetarian salad everything should be okey. I've fixed the sections with the bubbles with some greenstuff and then sanded them with fine sandpaper and filing tools. I won’t lie you, this isn’t a nice and easy walk on a beach. While sealing the gaps I kept saying to myself:

“Oh common! For fuck sake! Seriously? Another one? Fuck this!”

I've overlooked many gaps at first, but with sanding more and more started to pop up. But finally I fixed all the holes.

I magnetized turrets a bit differently but I've used the original holes as guides. I filled the turret gap with greenstuff and then used 3x1mm magnets. I drilled the hull and used two 5x1mm magnets.

Model glued

Size comparison
From the left: Sd.Kfz.251/1 (Warlord Games), Sturmgeschütz III (Rubicon Models), T-28 (JSC), BA-3 (Warlord Games), FAI (Warlord Games).

Overall
It’s a really good tank model for a reasonable price. It required some work but you shouldn’t be scared at all.

The good

• Really sharp details
• Holes for magnets (you won’t screw it with drilling)
• Good element fitting
• The PRICE! 

The bad

• No information about the tank variant
• Air bubbles in invisible or half-visible places
• Tracks are one-sided casts