Poetic Armour

Historical Background

During the Interwar period, the Red Army fielded the large but cumbersome (not to mention mechanically unreliable) T-35 multi-turreted heavy tank. The T-35 conformed to the 'heavy penetration tank' portion of contemporary Red Army doctrine of 'deep battle' where the heavy tank (also known as 'siege tanks') would be used at key tactical positions to draw and concentrate enemy fire or destroy enemy fortifications while supporting the infantry. Therefore the heavy tank emphasized on very heavy armour and firepower at the cost of mobility. Disappointment with the T-35 caused the Red Army to draw up a requirement for a new heavy tank in 1937. The TsKB-2 design bureau led by its chief engineer Zh. Kotin designed the tandem-turreted SMK (Sergey Mironovich Kirov). At the same time, the team also designed the smaller KV (named after Defence Comissar Kliment Voroshilov) tank, essentially a single turret SMK. Although actually not designed for production, the KV was given approval by Stalin.

The SMK and KV, together with the rival T-100 were presented to the General Staff in September 1939. The tanks were tested at the Kubinka Testing Grounds near Moscow and soon the war against Finland allowed the prototypes to be tested under combat conditions. While all three candidates showed their resilience against enemy anti-tank weaponry, the SMK and the T-100 showed very poor mobility and reliability. The SMK was disabled by an anti-tank mine on 19 December 1939 and had to be abandoned until it was recovered in February 1940, The KV however performed well and subsequently  50 pre-production vehicles were ordered. Also, during the Winter War with Finland, the Red Army found it difficult to deal with the Finnish concrete bunkers and ordered a heavy turreted howitzer mounted onto the KV tank chassis. Initially, the 76.2mm armed KV tank was known as the Little Turret and the 152mm howitzer-armed tank was known as Big Turret; they were later redesignated as KV-1 Heavy Tank and KV-2 Heavy Artillery Tank respectively.

The KV-1 weighed 45 tons in its initial 1939 model, with a fairly long hull at 6.75 meters. The suspension is of the torsion bar system with six twin roadwheel bogies. The caterpillar tracks are wide, lowering the pressure footprint and allows better traction in snow and mud. Because of the weight of the tank, the designers had to use a 20-year old Caterpillar transmission which was sturdy but unreliable and the tank need to stop to shift gears (it was also known that a hammer was used to shift the gears), making the KV tricky to handle. The weight also reduces the top speed and limiting its ability to cross bridges. When combat experience resulted in more armour and other improvements without an increase in engine power, the later models have more trouble keeping up with the medium tanks and with difficult terrain. The armour however was unheard at the time, with up to 90mm thick on the glacis and turret face; only the British Matilda II and the French B1 can rival the KV's armour. Subsequent variants received more armour, in the shape of thickened hide or applique armour, but without an increase in engine power, their mobility suffered further. The KV-1 was initially armed with the L-11 76.2mm gun. It was later armed with a F-32 or F-34 gun of the same caliber and finally the Zis-5 anti-tank gun. Three to four 7.62mm DT machine guns round-up the armament.

On 22 June 1941, the Red Army had 508 KVs on strength. They made first contact with the German panzers a day later at Raseiniai when the KVs of the Soviet 2nd Tank Division attacked and overran the German 6th Panzer Division near Skaudville. The 37mm PAK 36 anti-tank guns and the Panzerkampfwagen 35(t) were ineffective against the KVs. Although out of ammunition, the KVs, using their invincibility, literally ran over the anti-tank guns. On the next day, a single KV-2 blocked the Germans' advance, shrugging all attempts to knock it out. On 18 August 1941, the German 8th Panzer Division was approaching the town of Krasnokvardeysk, near Leningrad when it was ambushed by five well-hidden KV-1s led by Lieutenant Zinobiy Kolobanov. His unit destroyed 43 German panzers and AFVs in a single half-hour action. Lt Kolobanov was awarded the Order Of Lenin for his actions. The appearance of the KVs (and T-34s) came as a surprise because of faulty German intelligence. The Germans, shocked by these tanks, studied any captured examples and came up with their response later in the war, in the shape of the Tiger and Panther tanks. Nevertheless many KV-1s were lost, being destroyed by air attacks, 88mm Flak and field artillery and anti-tank infantry squads. Many were also abandoned through lack of fuel, breakdowns and general confusion of war. The KV was used throughout the great battles of 1942 and 1943 although it found itself unable to keep pace with the faster and more maneuverable T-34s. The armour was also becoming obsolete in the face of better German tank and anti-tank guns. By 1944, only the interim KV-85 sub-type were still in service, although a regiment of KV-1s saw action in Manchuria during August 1945. 5,219 KV tanks (all variants, including prototypes) were built. 

The Kit

Trumpeter Kit No. 00358 was that company's fifth KV tank in their catalogue after KV 'Big Turret', KV-2, KV-1 Model 1941/KV 'Small Turret and KV-1's (sic) Ekhranami. The kit depicted a KV-1 Model 1942 with a 'simplified' welded turret and ribbed steel road wheels. The kit contains 237 parts spread among 9 light gray and 1 clear sprue. Two types of track is provided - continuous 'rubber band' style and link-and-length. The latter incorporates the sag for the upper run while the former is flexible enough for a modeler to use his/her favourite technique in order to replicate the sags. The kit can also be built into a KV-8 flamethrower tank as it include parts for the flame and the 45mm guns - although no clear indication is  made of the KV-8 - just an optional step in the instructions. No PE is included, not even for the engine deck grilles. Online reviews of this kit (and every other Trumpeter KVs) speak of great accuracy and I take their word for it. Of course there are some minor glitches, but they can either be safely ignored or require minor corrections. Only one marking option was provided - 'Besposhadniy' of the 6th Guards Tank Brigade.

Construction

The lower hull consists of the usual tub with separate rear plate. The tub is however made up of a basic structure (with no details) and applique plates which need to be glued to the former. Once the basic structure has been completed, the detail parts (axle bump stop, final drive housings and return roller mounts) were added onto it. This was followed by the two- (four if you count the additional armour plate on the glacis and the turret ring armour) piece upper hull. Then the suspension parts (road wheel axles and track tensioning mounts, for the time being) were cemented onto the hull. The axles have hexagonal locating stubs which correspond to the similarly shaped holes in the hull sides which ensure correct positioning. Part A22 of the track tensioning arm were left unglued. At this time I'm not sure whether this would help in the track assembly, but better safe than sorry.

The detail parts for the upper hull then cemented onto their places. This include the solid, but with petite raised details, engine grilles. These unfortunately hides the reasonably detailed engine vanes moulded onto the rear upper hull and are best replaced with aftermarket ones. The V-shaped bullet splash protector was cemented after dry-fitting it to the hull, looking for the best location and I think there are indentations underneath the upper hull but Trumpeter did not indicate those in their instructions. The roadwheels, idlers and sprocket wheels were then assembled. The first mentioned have a poly cap inserted between the halves to ensure snug fit and also allows some movement, easing the painting process. The wheels were left off and I moved on to the turret.

The square welded turret (hence the title 'simplified turret') came in one-piece main shell and the turret bottom (with a separate turret ring attached to the hull). The weld seam on the turret looks well done - showing all the subtlety of Russian wartime craftsmanship. The various fittings were then cemented onto the turret. These include a reasonably detailed turret hatch inner face, which allows it to be posed in the open position. Nevertheless a modeler might want to add a figure inside the hatch or add their own turret interior as it was totally empty inside the turret, not even a rudimentary gun breech. The business end of the turret was made up six parts, including a single-piece plastic barrel. And as mentioned before, alternative parts were included if one wishes to build a KV-8 flame-throwing tank. The machine gun barrel at the back of the turret was however left off to avoid breakages.

Afterwards, I returned to the hull. The wheels were first attached to the hull. The idler and drive sprocket remain free to allow adjustments when fitting the tracks. I however add a small amount of cement on the locator stubs to allow some friction. For the tracks, I decided to use the link-and-length plastic track as it has the sags pre-formed. There are ejector pin marks on them, but they were easily scraped off using hobby knife. When the glue has dried, the tracks were removed, along with the wheels for painting. One last step to do before commencing the painting stage was attaching the track guards/fender. The fender supports are of the solid and hollow types I have to keep an eye on the instructions. There is some gap but the excess cement covered them up. A storage box is fitted on the left-hand fender but there is no mention of drilling holes to accept the locator tabs - I just cut off the tabs and fit the box between two fender supports as indicated.

Painting and Decaling

Trumpeter provides just one marking option for this kit. Like many of my Soviet AFV kits before this, the KV was also painted in my interpretation of the Russian 4BO Green. The tracks were painted metallic grey and once dry, was washed with AK Interactive's Track Wash liquid. A 2B pencil was used to add a metallic sheen to the contact surface of the wheels, simulating wear. The same effect was applied onto the the tracks by dry-brushing Mr Color Silver. The decal sheet provides markings for 'Besposhadniy', a KV-1 Model 1942 presented to the 6th Guards Tank Brigade by seven Stalin Prize art laureates. The sponsors (four artists and three writers) named the tank Besposhadniy (merciless) with a cartoon of a tank blowing Hitler to pieces and a poem, when translated to English:

Through the blazing fire we go
In our heavy tank
On to the rear of the enemy
Where we smash him in the flanks
Your tank's crew is fearless
Our eyes never close
As we carry out
Stalin's combat orders!

Besposhadniy was presented to the brigade during a ceremony held in Moscow on 25 May 1942. The tank was commanded by one Lt Pavel Khoroshilov and cut a swath of destruction between the end of May 1942 and March 1943. After 700 kilometers and destroying 27 tanks, 7 armoured cars, 4 self-propelled guns, 9 mortar emplacements, 10 artillery pieces, 17 machine gun nests, 10 trucks, a staff vehicle, 5 motorcycles and a supply dump, it was knocked out near the village of Ashkovo, killing the commander and wounding the driver. It was however recovered and presumably preserved at the Museum of Armoured Vehicle Technology at Kubinka, outside of Moscow. The decals are reasonably thin and reacted positively against setting solutions. The decal sheet includes Besposhadniy's kill tally in the shape of stars, triangles and circles towards the rear of the turret. The decal sheet however omitted the poem's title on the driver's front plate. I thought of hand-writing it but decided not to as the actual inscription was more of the 'print' type. The model was then subjected to the usual wash process.

Finishing

The track assembly together with all the wheels are now permanently fixed onto the model. There isn't much else cemented onto the model except for two pairs of spare track links on the track guards and a pair of tow cables. Trumpeter supplies a length of braided wire which was cut into the specified length onto which the plastic end shackles were superglued. The cables were painted XF-56 Metallic Grey and washed with AK Interactive Track Wash (the latter can also be used for this purpose). One end of each cable was slipped into the towing eye and the latter was then attached to its position uncemented. The other end was slipped onto the hook on the hull side. The machine gun barrels were then painted and cemented onto their places, finishing the basic build. To weather the vehicle. I started off by applying heavily diluted XF-57 Buff on all the horizontal surface of the model. The same was applied on the vertical surfaces but in vertical streaks, creating the so-called 'rain marks'. The lower hull, wheels and tracks were then liberally dabbed with Mig Productions' African Earth pigment in enamel thinner. Once dry the excess was removed using stiff brush. For crew figure, another one from the excellent MiniArt Soviet Tank Crew At Rest set was used.

Conclusion

Tamiya has a serious contender in kit engineering with the emergence of Trumpeter, well, at least for the KV tanks. The Trumpeter kit is fairly easy to build without sacrificing the details which the old Tamiya kit lacks. Sure, it needs some help with aftermarket goodies to make it even more outstanding. Despite being much newer, the Trumpeter kit is not much more expensive than the Tamiya kit (or everybody else's for that matter).  I however think that better value for money could be had by us modelers if Trumpeter adds just another couple of markings for variety. 

North African Green Tiger

Historical Background

Henschel's Panzerkampfwagen VI Tiger I design stretched back to 1937 when the Waffeanamt requested them to develop a Durchbruchwagen (breakthrough vehicle) in the 30 ton range. Before the prototype was completed, a request was issued for a Durchbruchwagen II, weighing 36 tons, with 50mmm frontal armour and mounting a Panzer IV turret armed with a short 75mm gun. Its development was also dropped in favour of the more advanced VK3001(H) medium tank and VK3601(H) heavy tank designs. In 1938, Henschel received permission to develop the two designs, the first German tanks to use the overlapping and interleaved Schachtellaufwerk main road wheels concept, which were already in use with the Wehmacht's half-track vehicles. Weighing 40 tons, it was to be armed with a 7.5cm L/24, or a 7.5cm L/43, or a 7.5cm L/70, or a 12.8cm L/28 gun and protected by 100mm, 80mm and 60mm of armour at the front, turret sides and hull sides respectively. Combat experience against the British Matilda I and II infantry tanks and the French Somua S35 cavalry and Char B1 heavy tanks showed a need for a better armed and armoured tanks.

In May 1941, Porsche and Henschel were asked to submit new designs for a 45-ton tank, to be ready for trials in June 1942. Porsche decided to update its VK3001(P) Leopard prototype while Henschel decided to update the VK3601(H) design as VK4501(H) H1 armed with a 88mm L/56 gun and VK4501(H) H2 armed with a 75mm L/70 gun. About a month later, during Operation Barbarossa, the German Army were shocked to encounter the superior T-34 and KV-1 tanks of the Red Army. An immediate revision of the requirements was made: weight was increased to 45 tons and armament was to be of the 88mm calibre. The design however did not include sloping armour and the deadline was shortened to 20 April 1941, which was Adolf Hitler's birthday. Both companies' designs made use of the same Krupp turret and were presented before Hitler at his HQ in Rastenburg. The Porsche design was rejected as its petrol-electric hybrid power unit was problematic and used too much copper, a strategic war material. The new tank was given the nickname 'Tiger' by Ferdinand Porsche.

The Tiger tank represented a new approach in German tank design by emphasising more on firepower and protection. The armour thickness was 100mm (hull front) and 120mm (turret front), the hull side plates were 60mm thick while rear and side superstructure and the turret rear and sides were 80mm thick. The Sherman tank's 75mm gun could not pierce the frontal armour of the Tiger at any range and need to be suicidally close (around 100 meters) to penetrate the side armour. The US 76mm gun can penetrate the side armour at 500 meters using M62 APCBC round and can penetrate the front armour at the same distance using the HVAP round (which were however always in short supply). Only the M3 90mm gun of the M26 Pershing and M36 Jackson plus the British 17-pounder gun firing APCBC round can pierce the frontal armour at a respectable 1,000 meters. On the Eastern Front, the 76.2mm gun of the T-34/76 and KV-1 have the same performance as the American 75mm gun against the frontal armour but able to penetrate the side armour at 500 meters using APCR rounds. The 85mm gun of the T-34/85 had better performance, able to penetrate the frontal armour at ranges between 200 to 500 meters while the powerful 122mm gun of the IS-2 can penetrate between 500 and 1,500 meters. The Tiger's main armament was the 88mm KwK 36 L/56 gun which was derived from the more famous 88mm Flak 36/37 dual-purpose gun. It has a high muzzle velocity and the projectiles were fired in a very flat trajectory. Aided by excellent targeting optics, it allowed greater first-shot kill probability.

The Tiger was powered by a Maybach HL210 P45 petrol engine developing 650hp at 3,000rpm but from the 251st Tiger, it was replaced by a 700hp Maybach HL230 P45. Even so, the Tiger was redlined at 2,600 rpm due to the inability of the transmission to hold up under the strain of transferring the power to a 56-ton vehicle. An engine governor was later installed, cappping the engine at 2,600 rpm and the maximum speed at 38km/h. The Schachtellaufwerk suspension system allowed a more uniform load distribution on the tracks, however it came at the cost of complexity and increased maintenance. For example, replacing a rubber tyre from an inner wheel require a removal of up to nine outer wheels. During the autumn and winter conditions of the Eastern Front, mud and snow could become packed between the roadwheels, which could then freeze, immobilizing the vehicle. presumably the German designers felt that the improved road performance, retaining mobility while having some wheels shot off and the extra protection was worth the trouble.

The Panzerkampfwagen VI Tiger Ausf E as it was officially known, were organized into independent heavy tank battalions, of which the Army's Schwere Panzer-Abteilung 501 and 502 were the first units set up. The Tiger entered operational  service with Schwere Panzer-Abteilung 502 in August 1942 and joined combat on 16 September 1942 at the Leningrad Front. The 501st was assigned to the North African Theatre, arriving there between November 1942 and January 1943 and first saw action near Terbouba, Tunisia on 1 December 1942. Based on these early engagements, the Tiger acquired a near-mythical reputation among the Allied troops facing them, despite their relatively small numbers. Fourteen Tiger I (the Roman nomenclature was added after the introduction of the King Tiger tank) commanders achieved more than 100 kills and the tank was forever associated with panzer aces SS-Hauptsturmfuhrer Michael Wittmann of the schwere SS-Panzer Abteilung 101 and Oberleutnant Otto Carius of schwere Heeres Panzer Abteilung 502. The Tigers served until the end of hostilities in May 1945.

1,355 Tigers were built from August 1942 until August 1944. The relatively low production numbers was caused by the complexity of the vehicle and the usage of expensive materials and labour-intensive production methods, and in turn, money. A Tiger tank cost more than twice the cost of a Panzer IV and four times the cost of a Sturmgeschutz III. Also, unlike most other German tanks, there was only one official variant, the Sturmtiger assault gun / self-propelled rocket launcher.

The Kit

Tamiya's 'modern' family of 1/35 Tiger kits began 1989 when they released a late production Tiger. Since then Tamiya has come out with various reboxings of the original kit and then worked backwards in releasing their Tigers. In 1997 they released the kit of an Early Version Tiger and a year later came out with this kit. The parts were moulded in dark yellow and were spread among six sprues, a lower hull, two cementable flexible plastic tracks and a small decal sheet. There are no PE parts included although a set of PE grills were available separately. The parts in this kit are actually the same with those in the Early Production kit but with additional parts to make the initial version supplied to Rommel in North Africa, such as fenders, early version of the Feifel air cleaners, tropical exhaust covers and early mantlet. A commander's figure in a relaxed pose is included. The decal sheet provides markings for four 501st Abteilung vehicles with its distinctive large turret numbers.

Construction

To begin with, the suspension arms were cemented onto the lower hull. Each arm has a smaller location tab so that all of the suspension arms would be of the same angle. The rear plate and the final drive covers were then cemented with no major issues (there is a slight gap at the rear plate but easily filled). Then came the most tedious part of this built - the wheels. Sixteen sets of wheels needed to be assembled and because the Schachtellaufwerk suspension system may cause problems with painting, the wheels were painted first and then set aside. In the meantime, I moved on to the upper hull. The front armor plate and its assocociated parts were assembled and cemented onto the upper hull/hull roof. The  kit did not include PE mesh screen for the engine deck but luckily the local Tamiya stockist at the time (this kit was actually built several years ago, when the Malaysian rights for Tamiya distribution was held by Daisheng) had one which was dutifully grabbed by me.

I did not realise it at the time but I forgot to install Part A22 after supergluing the PE mesh! At least that area would be partially hidden by the tow cables and perhaps I could hide it further with some accessories..... The hull roof was then cemented onto the hull and was followed by the glacis plate. But before attaching the latter, holes were made into it in order to accommodate the shovel. Two further holes are also needed to be drilled (for the headlights) if one is building either marking options A or B. I then returned to the lower hull, first painting it and then cementing the interleaved wheels into place with the exception of the outermost wheels (parts B6).

Moving to the rear of the hull, Step 7 involved fitting the exhausts, towing eyes and the rear fender. The last was left off until the tracks were fitted. Next were the Feifel air pre-cleaners. The main part of the system was made from two halves, resulting in a seam that was difficult to remove. The tubes leading in and out of the canisters were cemented on the canisters. The latter were then dry-fitted onto the model to check the position of the tubes (the tubes have keyed tabs, but I did it just in case). Step 9 was skipped partially as the jack and the spare tracks would be added after painting. Returning to the Feifel system, I cut the provided vinyl hoses using the templates in the instruction sheet. The hoses have details that replicate the original items nicely and have good fit - I did not superglue them as instructed. The completed assembly was then cemented onto their places. This was followed by attaching the exhaust shields and hose guards. Finally the hatches, headlights and the front towing eyes were cemented before I moved on to the turret.

The mantlet was assembled first and Tamiya includes a rudimentary breech for the main gun. The turret halves were then mated together, along with the mantlet. There were seam lines at the front and the back, but were no big deal. The turret roof was the cemented, also with no fuss. Purists however might want to add welding beads along the edge of the roof. The two-piece gun barrel was cemented and, with care, no seam would be visible. Mine did but I add Tamiya Extra Thin Cement, and press the halves tighter. The resulting ooze, once dry, was trimmed away with a sharp hobby knife. The commander's cupola was assembled, also with seams at its bottom. To finish the basic build, the loader's hatch was also cemented in the closed position.

Painting and Decaling

The model was then painted Tamiya XF-60 Dark Yellow with some XF-64 Red Brown added to simulate, more or less, the brownish yellow colour which the Tigers of the 501st were painted in. I then chose the markings for tank 731 / 'Norbert'. The decals have good colour registration, yet they were thick - thick enough that the edges of the carrier film was quite visible. The model then was then completed in the usual manner. Anyway, after a number of years, I was intrigued by online discussions of the Tiger I in North Africa, specifically its colours. While many are of the opinion that the Tigers were painted the normal Afrika Korps colours, others argued that it was painted brown, and most intriguingly, green (at least on some of the Tigers). Well, not dark green but pea green or even captured olive drab. Interested by this line of argument, I decided to repaint my Tiger. After stripping the decals and removing the pioneer tools, I used Tamiya's instruction in their 1/48 Tiger kit as a guide, by mixing equal parts of Tamiya XF-60 Dark Yellow and XF-58 Olive Green (although I think there is slightly more XF-58 in the mix). I have to admit that it looks weird for a Tiger to look greenish instead of panzer grey and/or the predominantly dark yellow camo scheme. For the new markings, I chose '813', however, I have lost the stalking tiger insignia of the 501st, making the markings for '813' less than complete. The large decals were then subjected to a virtual bath of Mr Mark Softer in an attempt to draw them down to the model's surface. The model was then subjected to the usual wash process.

Finishing

To begin with, the one-piece tracks were painted XF-64 Red Brown and set aside to dry. In the meantime, pioneer tools were painted XF-59 Desert Yellow and Gunze 28 Steel. The towing and track repair cables were painted XF-56 Metallic Grey. The tracks were then looped and glued using superglue. To place the tracks, I first looped them over the already-assembled suspension units, then the still loose sprocket wheel was placed in the loop and the tracks were stretched until the sprockets engage the holes in the final drive housings. The outermost wheels were then cemented and the upper run of the tracks superglued to the wheels. While they look OK, the drape of the tracks can't beat workable aftermarket tracks such as from Friulmodellismo or Modelkasten. The pioneer tools were then cemented on their places. On the rear plate, the jack was placed onto into its place, I however decided not to add the spare track links. The holes were sealed and the paint re-applied.

Afterwards it was time for weathering. The tracks were first subjected to AK Interactive's Track Wash solution. I found that it worked all right although I later found out that it works best if the track was base painted in light colour, such as Tamiya XF-57 Buff. The tracks were then drybrushed silver at the raised areas. Finally, Mig Productions Gulf War Sand mixed with enamel thinner was liberally applied to the lower hull and tracks and once dry, the excess was removed using old, stiff brush. A length of brass wire was cut and glued to the aerial base. Finally, to finish the build and to hide my omissions, an 88mm ammo crate from Academy and two jerrycans from AFV Club (the latter were among the best I have ever seen, IMHO) were placed onto the rear deck.

Conclusion

In short, another great kit from Tamiya. Virtually all the parts fit perfectly and amount of detail included is adequate for an out-of-box build. My gripe with this kit was the thickness of the decals and the separately available engine deck grilles, especially the latter. Later, I found that Terry Ashley of the Perth Military Modeling Site in his review of this kit's 1/48 brother pointed out that all of 501st Tigers have their headlights located on the glacis plate. So, retrospectively, Tamiya got their instructions wrong for '731' and '813', but I think I can live with that. I highly recommend this kit, especially to those who got intimidated by the more complex kits offered by Tamiya's competitors.   

Stalin's Sledgehammer

Historical Background

In November 1942, the State Defence Committee, after noticing the effectiveness of the German Sturmgeschutz assault gun, ordered the construction of assault guns for infantry support. While the SU-76, with a ZiS-3 76.2mm gun and the SU-122 with a M30 122mm howitzer were adequate for the task, Operation Uranus, the Stalingrad counteroffensive showed that the Red Army needed mobile heavy guns to smash German fortifications. During the operation, the Red Army still relied heavily upon towed guns which lack mobility and exarcebated by the snowy and muddy conditions, especially the heavy 152.4mm howitzers. The guns were also vulnerable to counter-battery fire and incapable to cross rivers, unless using bridges. The Red Army did have a self-propelled heavy artillery, the KV-2, armed with an M-10 152.4mm howitzer but it's silhouette was too high (consequently with a too high centre of gravity), sluggish manual turret traverse and a slow reload rate. The Committee specified that the new self-propelled was to be armed with the ML-20 gun-howitzer mounted on a casemate-style superstructure. In December 1942, three designs were submitted to the Committee, all using the KV-1S tank chassis. The design submitted by Iosef Yakovlevich Kotin was chosen for mass production. The project was designated KV-14 and started production in February 1943 at the Chelyabinsk Kirovski Zavod (ChKZ). The designation was later changed to SU-152.

Analysis of the combat performance of the SU-152 showed a need for newer model, based on the IS tank chassis. Development began in July 1943 under the designation IS-152. Trials commenced in September 1943, revealing a number of shortcomings. In October of the same year, a second variant, designated Obyekt 241 was ready. In November 1943, Obyekt 241 was accepted for production under the designation ISU-152 and in December 1943, ChKZ stopped the production of the SU-152 and replaced it with the ISU-152. Production soon went into full gear, causing a surplus of hulls which were armed with the A19S 122mm gun, creating the ISU-122. The ISU-152 followed the same design of other Soviet self-propelled guns - fighting compartment at the front and the engine and transmission to the rear. The crew was made up of five persons - driver, loader, gunner, lockman and the commander. The gun was the same with the SU-152 : the ML-20S 152.4mm gun-howitzer. Close-range self defence armament consist of a pair of PPSh-1941 sub-machine gun and 20 grenades. A 12.7mm DShK heavy machine gun can be placed by the right forward hatch for AA defence and also against enemy tank-killer squads. Because of the size of the ammunition, only 20 rounds can be stowed inside the vehicle, usually consisting of 13 HE and 7 AP/Concrete Piercing rounds.

The ISU-152 can be used for three roles: heavy assault gun, heavy self-propelled artillery and heavy tank destroyer. As a heavy assault gun, it was extremely useful for close-quarter, urban combat operations. The thick armour (sloped and 90mm thick) made it impervious against most German anti-tank guns while the heavy, high explosive rounds were excellent against enemy fortifications. The ISU-152 can also be used in the indirect fire role for preparatory or support bombardments despite the low rate of fire and medium firing range. Finally, while not specifically designed for the role, it can act as a heavy tank destroyer. In this role, it inherited the Zveroboy (animal killer) nickname from the SU-152, for its ability to destroy the heavy 'animal' German armoured vehicles (Tiger and Panther (later joined by the King Tiger) tanks and the Elefant tank destroyer). Although the gun has a low rate of fire and the 152.4mm shell is of low velocity, its heavy charge has sufficient blast effect to blow even a Tiger's turret off. Although generally unable to penetrate armour, the concussive effect causes the interior of the target tank to spall, killing and injuring the crew. While AP rounds were developed, it was not a great improvement over the regular HE rounds. To compensate for the low rate of fire, the ISU-152s used ambush tactics with some 4 to 5 vehicles firing in salvo against a single target. The ISU-152 was used all over the Eastern Front and was especially useful when smashing the fortress cities of Konigsberg, Budapest and Berlin. The vehicle was also used to crush the Hungarian Uprising of 1956 and was probably used as late as 1991 by Iraq during the First Gulf War. A total of 3,242 vehicles were built between 1943 and 1947 and many were exported to Soviet satellite and client states.

The Kit

In the 1990s, Dragon issued a number of IS tank-based model kits, from the IS-1 gun tank to ISU-series assault guns. Kit #6803 Chinese JSU-152 Howitzer was based on its baseline ISU-152 kit and was issued under their 'Korean War Series'. I did not have the opportunity to inspect the original release, but I believe that the contents of both boxings are actually the same. The parts are well-moulded and and generally have good detail. The engine deck screens are however moulded solid and have no PE alternative (save for aftermarket ones of course). The tracks are of single link type and being a 1990s kit, need to be cut off their sprues and cleaned up before assembly and painting. The ISU and IS series have two types of tracks, one being with guide tooth on every link and the other with guide tooth on every other link. For this kit, Dragon provided the former.

Strangely, Dragon did not include parts for the DShKM 12.7mm AA MG. Sure, not all vehicles were fitted with it but I think it should be included as an option. Regarding accuracy, the kit actually included a mish-mash of features from early production to post-World War 2 vehicles. However, internet websites and online forums provided advice and pointers in order for modelers to accurize their kits. And, being of the same mould with the rest of Dragon's IS series, the kit suffers from undersized roadwheels and too low a hull. The kit provides five marking options, and rather strangely, despite its title, only one of the markings is for a PLA ISU-152:

- Chinese PLA Artillery Regiment, 1951

- Guards Heavy Assault Gun Brigade, near Berlin 1945

- Third Baltic Front 1945

- Polish LWP 13th SP Artillery Regiment, Warsaw 1945

- Soviet Heavy Assault Gun Brigade, Berlin 1945

Construction

As the normal practice for AFV kits, construction starts at the lower hull. But first, two sets of idlers, two sets of sprocket wheels and 12 sets of roadwheels have to be assembled. The suspension arms fitted nicely into their slots although I still have to lay the lower hull flat on the table to ensure that all the wheels would touch the ground. Afterwards, all the wheels were cemented, with the exception of the sprocket wheels, which remain free. Holes were cut into the front plate to accommodate the spare track links - a rather tedious work as the plastic was quite thick (holes were also made into the upper hull, which is thicker than the lower hull). The lower hull was then painted and set aside for a while. The track links were painted on the sprue and once dry, were cut off them, the paint retouched and were put into a container. The assembly of the links however took some time as they have too tight a fit and I had to sand / file the mating surface for a better fit. The IS series of vehicles have notable sag of their tracks and to achieve that, after laying the upper run of the tracks, I simply push the tracks down at the appropriate locations once the cement were nearly dry. As stated before, Dragon's hull is too low and should be raised by 1.5mm using plastic strips. Lacking the necessary items at the time, the hull was left as it is.

Moving on to the upper hull, Dragon rather bafflingly instructed the modeler to drill two holes for the gun travel lock....appropriate for the turreted IS tanks, but not for the ISU with its casemate-mounted gun (how the hell the crew is supposed to turn the gun around?), so I skipped off this task. The engine access hatches  were moulded in situ; nothing wrong with that but I think the engraved panel lines were too fine. The grills were also moulded on and are best replaced with PE replacements. I also fit all the external fuel tanks. Each was made of six parts (main body halves, ends and two pylons) - there is a visible seam between the halves and need to be cleaned up. All of the hull fixtures and fittings were also fitted, save for the pioneer tools. The tankovy desant rails were cemented at this time but I discovered, too late, that the foremost pair of handrails were actually a post-World War 2 addition and were only suitable for the Chinese marking option. Yes, I can simply cut them off and sanded the stub but I decided not to. The gun assembly was next. Together with the upper hull, there is no interior detailing, not even a rudimentary breech. The big gun mantlet feature respectable cast pattern, although lacking the casting numbers.The barrel is a two-part assembly, and with careful alignment, can be mated together without a seam line. The upper hull assembly was then mated to the lower half, and the low hull of the Dragon kit became immediately apparent when there is hardly a room between the track guard/sponson and the track itself, especially at the return rollers and the sprocket and idler wheels.

Painting and Decaling

The model was painted in Russian Green, made from a mixture of Tamiya XF61 Dark Green, XF2 Flat White and XF3 Flat Yellow. Chipped paint were then added selectively using XF61 Dark Green. For markings, I was split between two options - the second with number 65 and the slogan 'Liberated Kirovskaya' or the third, with number 25 and slogan 'Death to German Occupiers' (I think). I eventually settled for the latter, as it includes a drawing of an arrow-pierced heart. The decal has somewhat yellowed with age but still good. The model was then subjected to a black-brown wash process.

Finishing

The remaining parts, such as the pioneer tools and the spare track links were cemented onto the model. I also robbed the DShKM heavy machinegun from my old Dragon IS-2 kit, and fit it on the right side of the commander's hatch (my IS-2 actually do not need it as photos of the real tank '414' show that it was not fitted with the weapon). This was followed by the remainder of the weathering process. The tracks were given a wash of red brown-black mix, a bit thicker this time. Once dry, the tracks were subjected to silver drybrushing. Afterwards Mig Productions' pigments were applied in a slurry all over the model - thicker on the lower hull and the running parts and lighter on the rest of the model. I used a mixture of Rubble Dust, European Dust and a bit of Gulf War Sand. When dry, the excess was removed using a stiff brush. Tamiya Weathering Master Rust and Soot were applied onto the exhausts and X19 Smoke was applied onto the external tanks and the rear deck.

A figure from MiniArt's Soviet Tanker At Rest was used to round up the build. While assembling the figure, I noted that there is an extra part not mentioned in the instructions. After scratching my head for a while, I realized that the said part is actually the left sleeve of the tanker's overall! I could not find where it should be cemented to (yes, I know, the left shoulder of the overall, but exactly where as the figure is in the act of putting on the overall). Google came to the rescue after I searched for pics of completed figures. The figure was then painted using acrylics but somehow my paint mix for his uniform went wrong and it dried with a slight sheen....hmphhh!!!

Conclusion

Despite being overtaken by Tamiya's JSU-152 kit, the Dragon version can still hold its own. Sure, it was dimensionally less accurate than the contemporary Zvezda offering but the finer surface details made up for it. After all, it's shortcomings are not really a deal breaker as they can be overcome with minimal work. While the roadwheels were undersized, they were not grossly so and can be safely ignored. I however find some omissions annoying, such as the lack of the AA MG and tow cables. A good substitute for the Tamiya kit with a lower price. Dragon has also tweaked the kit, increasing the height (although the original roadwheels remain) and use their Magic Track track-link concept in their 3-in-1 ISU-152/ISU-122/ISU-122S kit.