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The prototype T-18 was finished in late spring of 1927, and shipped to Moscow, where it underwent its first trials. In february 1928 an order was placed for 108 T-18 for the RKKA. The first production batch was delivered in time to participate in the in parades held in Moscow and Leningrad in November 1929. The production, however, went ahead at a slow pace, the bottleneck being the supply of engines, and up until the end of 1929 only 96 tanks had been delivered. The T-18 was a disappointment, but until new designs could arrived, it was decided to try and improve the T-18, for instance by redesigning the track plates and idler wheels, increasing the engine power. Also the turret was given a rear rear boxlike bustle. This was called the "T-18 Model 1930", but it was just a small improvement. Production was not halted until 1931, when the new T-26 was ready to take its place. The T-18 was first used in combat during the border disputes with China in 1929. All in all 959 were manufactured, and at the outset of Operation Barbarossa some 160 T-18's were still in service. My model has been made from the resin kit by Bull Models, and has been virtually straight from the box, save for some minor modifications. (The figures are from HÄT and - mostly - It Miniatures.) It has been made as one of those T-18's built for the RKKA by donations from Soviet workers, in this case "Rabkrinovets", which stands for "Ceramic Worker". The decal has been made by Michael Boer, and is part of a "Landships Decals" RKKA 1/72 set that hopefully will be available soon. Click on the thumbnails to see more photos of these models:
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The T-18 is notable for being the very
first Soviet designed and produced tank. The story of the T-18 starts in 1926, when a high placed
conference ordered the design of a small "Escort" tank, replacing
the FT-17's and FT-17 clones (KS-1) in Soviet service. There were many difficulties both in
the design and not least the building of the new tank - which was
done in the "Bolshevik" plant in Leningrad. The first design was
called the T-16, but was soo problematic, that it was immediately
redesigned - e.g. both the hull and the running gear was lengthened,
at the same time that both the engine and transmission was modified.
The result of this was the T-18 (also called MS-1).
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