7.5cm PAK/T-26

Manufacturer: Modelkrak (Kit #7215)

This was a fairly esoteric vehicle, which I have so far found referenced in only a single source (Encyclopedia of German Tanks of World War II, by Chaimberlain and Doyle). The gun was a captured French 75mm, mounted on a captured Soviet T-26 hull. I don't know how many were converted or used.

This is a typical Modelkrak kit, with excellent molding and casting of the resin parts. The hull details are really quite nice, but the interior seems a little simplistic. Without having reference photos of this vehicle, I have no idea of this is accurate or not. It just seems to me that there should be more "stuff" inside the fighting compartment. the gun is also very simple and plain. Perhaps it will be easier to find reference photos of the French gun.

The original T-26 kit was one of Modelkrak's earlier kits, so it has the wheels and tracks cast in metal. The wheels are very well done, but the tracks are not. Although they have guide teeth, and distinct individual links, there is no track pattern; each link is represented by only a rectangular block. Not very realistic. (The tracks which come with the Skif T-26 kits are equally poor - perhaps someday soon, PART or Extratech will provide us with some etched brass replacement tracks.) However, even though the tracks lack detail, I very much enjoy building cast metal tracks. It is incredibly simple to bend them into the proper shape, and it's possible to make realistic track sag very easily. I wish that more manufacturers would produce their tracks in metal (if properly detailed).

This is a very good little kit, and I am very pleased that Modelkrak is continuing to provide us with these unusual vehicles. Chances are that this type of kit would never be produced in plastic.