OT-130 Flamethrower Tank
The OT-130 was a Soviet flamethrower tank developed from the widely used T-26 light tank. Combining a familiar early-war chassis with specialised close-assault equipment, this detailed model captures one of the Red Army’s distinctive armoured engineering vehicles. Its flamethrower armament earns it the SPECIAL WEAPONS badge.
Historical Role
Developed during the 1930s, the OT-130 was intended to support Soviet infantry by attacking fortified positions, trenches and other defended areas at close range. Rather than engaging enemy armour with a conventional cannon, it delivered flame against positions that were difficult to suppress with ordinary small-arms fire. Vehicles of this general type served during the pre-war period and the early campaigns of World War II.
Distinctive Appearance
The OT-130 retained the recognisable tracked hull, suspension layout and compact proportions of the T-26 family. Its specialised turret armament provides the key visual difference: a prominent flame-projector nozzle replaces the standard tank gun, giving the vehicle an unmistakable close-assault profile.
Variant Differences
Developed from the single-turret T-26, the OT-130 replaced the base tank’s 45 mm gun installation with a turret-mounted flamethrower system. Flame-liquid storage and pressure equipment were carried within the vehicle, requiring a substantially different internal arrangement. For modellers, the altered turret fittings and short projector nozzle are the most obvious identifying features. The conversion existed to provide Red Army formations with a mobile weapon for assaulting fortified positions.
Modelling Uses
This specialised vehicle is ideal for Eastern Front dioramas, early-war Soviet armoured columns and fortified-position scenes. It also makes an unusual focal point for model railways, historically themed wargaming displays and collectors building a comprehensive T-26 family or Soviet special-purpose vehicle collection.
Fun Fact
Soviet flamethrower tanks were historically described as “chemical tanks,” which explains the KhT designation often associated with vehicles such as the KhT-130. Despite the name, their principal battlefield equipment was the flamethrower system.
Available Scales
1:87, 1:76, 1:72, 1:48 and 1:35.
Finish Options
Cleaned Resin Grey, Grey Primed - Ready for Painting, and Historical Base Colour.
Very small details may vary slightly depending on the scale selected.
