#00360 Russia KV-1 Model 1942 Lightweight Cast Tank

This kit depicts a KV-1 Model 1942 with the reinforced cast turret.  Such vehicles were produced from the end of January 1942 until August of that year.

The kit provides the Model 1942 hull with the angular joint between the engine deck and upper rear plate, all-steel reinforced road wheels and all-steel return rollers.  Both early and late style hubs are provided for the ends of the torsion bars, with 6 or 3 retaining bolts respectively. Note however, that most suspension swing arms with six retaining bolts on the hub were of the earlier shape with squared off ends.  The kit tracks are the reinforced Omsh pattern with a guide tooth on every link.  These tracks were commonly fitted to the KV-1 Model 1942, though the later split-link tracks were becoming common by the summer.

The fenders provided are the revised, narrower type.  Both skeletal and solid reinforcing brackets are included.  Note that by early 1942 when the reinforced turret became common, the brackets were often welded to the hull sides rather than bent and bolted.  However, the kit instructions do not direct you to remove the molded-on flanges from the hull sides (parts B1 and B2).  This was a common but apparently not a universal modification, so check your references and remove them if necessary.

A single narrow rectangular stowage box is included for the number 5 position.  The larger rectangular boxes, the saw and the cylindrical object are not included in this kit.  While the larger stowage boxes were occasionally seen on vehicles with the reinforced cast turret, these appear to have been earlier hulls with the rounded rear contour, and the vehicles may have been rebuilds.

Two sets of two spare track links are included for the number 9 and 10 positions.  These feature four mounting brackets whereas there should be only three; the forward bracket on the outermost (furthest from the hull) link should be removed.

The kit includes the later cast towing table ends.  The ends are hollowed out to accept the brass wire cable provided in the kit.  Note that the mounting plates for the towing eyes are of the earlier trapezoidal pattern as fitted to vehicles manufactured in the spring of 1942, whereas vehicles built in July and August often carried the later round mounting plates as fitted to the KV-1S.  Check your references for the vehicle you intend to model.

Only the later pattern domed engine access hatch with two lifting eyes is provided in the kit.  While you have the option to include or omit the inspection port the vent in the center of the dome, photographs indicate that the dome was almost universally present on Model 1942s with the domed hatch.  The flat engine access hatch is not included in the kit, though at least some Model 1942s with the reinforced cast turret carried this hatch.

The correct late style hull hatch is provided with the raised lip on the hatch itself, and a plain hatch surround.  The hatch is circular and does not have the small “slice” omitted from its lip, a feature which was increasingly common by the time the reinforced cast turret entered production.  You can modify the kit hatch to include this feature if you wish. Note also that the separate molding of the hatch surround results in a seam that must be carefully eliminated.

The transmission maintenance hatches are the early type with rounded edges, typically seen on the Model 1939 through Model 1941.  By the late spring of 1942 when the reinforced cast turret became common, these hatches had typically evolved to the type with beveled edges.  However, this was not necessarily true for all vehicles so check your references.

The kit includes additional armor plates for the hull front and driver’s front plate, as well as for the hull sides protecting the turret race.  The appliqué armor on the driver’s front plate is the shorter variant produced by UTZM, rather than the taller pattern produced by Factory No. 200, which was more common by the late spring of 1942 and universally fitted to vehicles manufactured from mid-June onward, since UZTM switched to T-34 production at that time.  The appliqué armor for the hull front features trapezoidal cut-outs for the towing eye mounting plates, but a number of photographs show the trapezoidal cut-outs even when the mounting plates themselves were of the later round pattern.

The V-shaped armor plate for the front of the hull top, designed to protect the turret race from the front, is provided as a separate part.  The engine deck, molded separately from the forward hull top, also includes the added armor to protect the rear quarters of the turret race.

The kit provides the reinforced cast turret with 76.2mm ZIS-5 gun.  This is the only turret in the series that Trumpeter does not provide as a single part.  The turret is molded in two halves with a separate roof plate, resulting in a vertical seam on the turret rear that must be eliminated.  While the fit of the kit parts makes this a relatively easy task, you may need to restore the cast texture with Mr. Surfacer or liquid cement.  The fit between the sides and the roof is somewhat loose, and filler will be needed to create a smooth joint.  Note that as with the early cast turret, the mountings for the periscopes are provided as separate inserts that must be glued into the turret.  This results in a faint seam that must be carefully eliminated.