T-54-1
The T-44 was heavily influential on the design of the T-54-1, the first model of the T-54 main battle tank. However, the T-44 still used the same 85mm tank gun as the T-34-85 medium tank. The Soviet army wanted a tank armed with a more powerful 100mm gun.

Shortly after the T-44 design was completed, unsuccessful efforts were made to fit the 100mm gun to the T-44 turret. Instead, a new roomier turret that could fit the larger gun was designed. In addition to the improved firepower, designers were able to increase the turret and hull armour.

This new tank was put into production as the T-54-1 tank and officially entered service in April 1946.

Global Tank
The T-54 (and T-55) series of tanks would be used in conflicts throughout the world. Mechanically reliable, robust, simple to operate and maintain and with good mobility, the T-54 had everything that a commander needed on the battlefield.

Combat Proven
The T-54-1 was armed with the 100mm D-10 tank gun, the same gun that the SU-100 mounted. It could easily penetrate the front armour of a German Panther tank, giving the T-54-1 an advantage in one-on-one duels.

T-54-3
The T-54-3 was the next evolution in the T-44 / T-54 series of tanks and replaced the T-54-1’s pancake shaped turret with what would become the iconic T-54/T-55 shaped turret. Much like the IS-3, the T-54-3 (and other variants) greatly concerned the West when first discovered by British intelligence. In the case of the T-54-3 it was the the combination of heavy armour and high mobility that gave Soviet forces a tank that could overwhelm enemy units when used en masse. This directly lead to Western armies reviewing the capabilities of main battle tanks and spurred on the next round of designs.

Like its predecessor, the T-54-3 carried the 100mm gun, but post war developments in ammunition resulted in the creation of an improved ballistic capped armour piercing round that gave the newer tank an edge over its earlier cousins.

Continuously Improving
T-54-3 was the first generation of the T-54/T-55 series of tanks that looked like the modern tank that would be used in conflicts around the world.

A Tank For A Modern Battlefield?
The T-54 was mechanically reliable, robust, simple to operate and maintain, with good mobility. The T-54 had everything that a commander needed on the battlefield.

T-44
The T-34 tank is one of the most recognisable and well-regarded tanks of World War II, but as the war progressed the limitations of its armour protection were increasingly evident. T-44 was one of the replacement options that made it off the drawing board and onto the battlefield.

Initial prototypes of the T-44 featured several innovative design solutions that resulted in a decrease in the size of the engine compartment, an increase in total armour protection without increasing the weight of the tank, as well as improving the crew fighting compartment size.

The T-44 officially entered service with the Red Army on 23 November 1944, with almost a thousand tanks built by the end of 1945.

Improved Armour
The T-34/85 had excellent armour for its time but the increasing capabilities of German guns meant the Soviet Army needed a medium tank with significantly improved protection. The T-44 could shrug off hits from all but the largest German tanks.

High Altitude
Like many powerful tank guns, the 85mm on the T-44 started life as an air defence gun capable of hitting high altitude bombers. Modifications to the gun to make it fit inside the T-34 turret would see the tank gun used on both the T-34-85 and T-44.

Next Generation Recon
The swift pace of Soviet tank designs meant that older models were now being handed down to the reconnaissance troops, giving them tanks that were more survivable on the modern battlefield.

THIS BOX CONTAINS:

• 5x Highly Detailed Plastic T-54-1, T-54-3 or T-44 Tanks

These miniatures require assembly and are supplied unpainted.