War Thunder Developer Gaijin Restores T-44

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Hello everyone,

I don’t usually write about War Thunder, but this is something I can really appreciate. Kubinka tank museum has (had) a really sad looking T-44 and so, it was decided to restore it to its former glory in cooperation between the Kubinka museum and Gaijin.

This is how the vehicle looked like before the restoration. The restored version was allegedly shown to public on Saturday (21.2.), but I haven’t found any report yet. The vehicle stood in disrepair in Kubinka for 55 years and as you can see, it was in pretty poor shape (the hull was deformed and the engine was missing). Kubinka experts (with Gaijin funding) managed to restore the tank to working order in half a year, the goal was for it to be ready for the 70th anniversary of the end of the war. Very good job I’d say, it’s always good when an old tank gets restored.

And what about Wargaming restoration projects?

Yea… this info comes again from WG RU, I learned it during my meeting with the guys.

- the Maus restoration was cancelled very early on a long time ago, after WG realized the staggering costs and bad PR (they announced it close to the Victory Day, which is taken very seriously and as a result, Kubinka had a fit of rage, you might remember the affair). The “father” of this idea was Viktor Kislyi, because he’s a huge Maus fan.
- remember that KV-1 they pulled out of the river? Yea, that was also cancelled, after they dragged the wreck to the repair depot and one of the engineers told them there’s no way that could be restored, as the hull was completely deformed

As a result of these “successes”, Wargaming cancelled all restoration projects. Okay, just so I don’t sound like a hater, Gaijin had its share of fuckups, like the “T-35″ restoration, where they moved the T-35 on its own power from the museum and it was in such a poor shape that they almost destroyed its engine while doing that PR stunt. Nevertheless, I am looking forward to see more photos of the restored T-44.

32 thoughts on “War Thunder Developer Gaijin Restores T-44”

    • 6 replys ive deleted. for fear of speaking my mind. Nice T44. Very nice. Well done Gaijin.

      That’s one of the most under appreciated vehicles in tank history.

      Great job and great choice.

    • Actually the reason why they done it is because people from Russia And Ukraine Were Teamkilling each other for having the flag on the plane/tank, is a shame they had to do it with every other flag decal aswell but it wont stop the problem but will reduce it for now…

        • I was just thinking, he makes it sound as if the Game devs and the office people were moving this tank themselves, lol.

          Ill bet they had someone do it, and, the someones who own that vehicle have a responsibility to oversee this project as well, but that’s just how I would do it……

  4. Don’t forget WoWP. They funded the failed search for Spitfires allegedly buried in Burma. Since nothing was found, no restoration is possible.

    And if Kislyi is really a “huge Maus fan”, he would have donated money from his own pocket to restore it. Surely he has the wealth to cover the costs.

  5. I never really expected the Maus idea to go anywhere never seemed a particularly feasible task. Shame WG has cancelled all their restorations, hopefully their just re-evaluating how they choose projects.

  7. I’m willing to grant WG that they meant well. Very few people ever have a proper idea of the staggering costs involved in this sort of thing. And even though the Maus and Spitfire debacles amounted to nought, they *did* put their money into it.

    • StuH – no, he restored with “Field of Battle” military festival support. Alexander Klishin, founder of “Field of Battle”, was main sponsor of StuH 42 restoration.
      Same situation with T-35. Alexander help to Kubinka as a sponsor. In fact, T-35 can move, yes, but still need lots of work.

      For me, as a historian, any company, who support restoration, it’s really good. WG, Gaijin, Fiels of of Battle – anyone. On the finish line restored exhibit anyway :)

      • I like how inanimate objects are gendered in some languages. More endearing for StuH to be a ‘he’ rather than ‘it’.

        (Yes, I know English does that with ships and occasionally other stuff, but it isn’t common.)

  10. Too bad the Maus project was cancelled, if they would’ve restored it to working condition it would have been an amazing achievement.