#35087 Flamethrower Tank KV-8

Built from the box, this kit represents a KV-8 built on a KV-1 Model 1942 hull with the angular rear hull overhang, and mounting a 45mm gun and ATO-41 flame projector in an up-armored welded turret.

The kit includes single-piece all-steel road wheels and all steel return rollers, which are appropriate for a KV-8 manufactured in the spring of summer of 1942.  As with the other Eastern Express kits, this kit includes narrow split-link tracks.  While few photographs exist of KV-8 vehicles in service, those that do show the Omsh pattern single-link track, or the early pattern split-link track with guide “bump” on every second link.  Either of these track types are available from after-market manufacturers.

The kit utilizes a number of components from Eastern Express kit #35119 Heavy Tank KV-1 Mod 1941 Late Version, and many of the comments relating to the hull and fenders in that kit are equally applicable to this one.

The kit includes the uparmored welded turret with 90mm armor, introduced in July 1941, mounting the 45mm gun and ATO-41 flame projector.  Photographic evidence indicates that this combination of production features is correct for most of the 102 KV-8 vehicles produced.

The kit provides a one piece gun barrel for the 76.2mm ZIS-5 gun.  The instructions direct you to cut 15mm from the gun barrel to represent the shorter 45mm gun with its outer sleeve that made the barrel resemble the 76.2mm in thickness though not in length.  Depicting the correct inner and outer barrels however will require a considerable amount of work.  A better course of action would be to replace the barrel with Aber’s item 35-L52.