We are pleased to preview the 15mm-scale
M34 Taylor Superheavy Tank, the American tank that turned the tide against the German supertanks in 1946 and went on to lead the assault against the Soviets when the Western Allies invaded Eastern Europe in 1947.
Named the "Taylor" by the British after American general and President Zachary Taylor, the M34's breathtakingly powerful 120mm gun proved more than capable of defeating the armour of the
Eisbar (the production name of the German vehicle called the
Maus while in development) and the IS-4, the most common Soviet heavy tank in the 1947-49 war. Fielded in independent heavy tank battalions by the Americans, Free French and the Poles, this enormous creature was one of the most powerful vehicles in the field in the late 1940s.
A note from the manufacturer -- Panzer 46 is increasingly popular with WWII gamers, with all sorts of interesting German supervehicles being made available. There are a few out there for the Russians as well, but we thought it would be fun to offer something to the Western Allies as well. Thus the M34, which is the conjectural name for the T34 superheavy tank that was actually manufactured and tested in small numbers (two) at the end of WWII. American tanks in development were generally given "T" designations, converted over to "M" once the vehicle went into production, so we feel that the designation "M34" is not unreasonable (and of course we could not market it as a "T34!"). The name "Taylor" is pure fancy, but not completely outside the realm of possibility. The war ended so the development of the T34 did as well, but what if the war had not ended? In that case, here is the T34, or the M34 Taylor, ready to bash in the armour of the German supertanks.
Some of you
true armour wonks will know that the American M103 Heavy Tank was developed largely based on the T34 test chassis.
This kit was painted by Troop of Shewe.
The Taylor will be released next week. If the model is favorably received we will release more Panzer 46 subjects, probably focusing on the allies, because the Hun should not have all the fun!
07 March 2010, 11:22:25 PM