Mirage-Hobby 72608 TP-26 Armoured Personnel Carrier

The TP-26 is a Soviet prototype tracked armored personnel carrier from the interwar period and the initial phase of World War II. The first copies of this vehicle were built around 1933, but the vehicle never entered mass production. In total, only a few copies were made. The length of the car's hull was about 4.6 m, with a width of about 2.45 m and a height of up to 2.25 meters. It is assumed that the weight of the wagon without landing was 6.1 tons. It was armed with a single 7.62 mm DT machine gun.

The TP-26 transporter was developed for the needs of the Red Army based on the chassis and many components of the T-26 tank. Compared to its prototype, it has changed quite significantly, because the power unit was moved to the front part of the car, the rear part of the car got a completely superstructure, which was a compartment for the infantry landing. It is assumed that up to 14 infantry soldiers were able to enter this compartment! What's more, there are many indications that the TP-26 also received a completely new power unit with more power than that used in the T-26. However, in the course of the field tests of the new vehicle, numerous design flaws became apparent (e.g. very poor ability to negotiate water obstacles), which ultimately prevented its entry into service. Nevertheless, it was probably one of the first, if not the first, tracked infantry transporter in the USSR.

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