#84811 Russia KV-1’s Ehkranami

Built from the box, this kit represents a late production KV-1 Model 1940 with ehkrany spaced armor.  The kit provides the regular curved rear hull overhang, cast two-part resilient road wheels, pressed steel rubber rimmed return rollers without reinforcing ribs and early pattern sprockets with 16 hub retaining bolts.  Omitting the ehkrany armor provides you with the basis for a “regular” Model 1940 manufactured in August or September 1941, though you will need to modify the turret to represent the up-armored welded turret with 90mm armor, by adding the chamfer below the side-facing episcope covers, along with the protective splash bar.  You will also need to provide the appliqué armor for the upper hull sides which was common on such vehicles.

As noted above, this kit is a re-engineered version of Trumpeter’s 1/35 scale kit #00357 and many of the comments made for that kit are equally applicable to this kit.  Naturally, the kit also includes many parts from kit #84810 such as the hull, turret shell, F-32 gun and mantlet etc.

Fender stowage consists of three revised large rectangular stowage boxes for the number 7, 8 and 10 positions, plus a cross-cut saw for the number 5 position and a cylindrical stowage tube for the number 6 position.  From the end of January 1941, he cross-cut saw was typically mounted inside the stowage box on the number 10 position, and the stowage tube was gradually phased out at the end of June.  Given that the kit represents a late production vehicle from mid-July, I recommend omitting these parts but check your references for specific vehicles.

The engine compartment and transmission compartment roof plates have the correct bolt configuration.  An early domed engine access hatch is included with the inspection port molded in place.  The port was not fitted until the end of 1941 however, long after the ehkrany program had ceased, and should be removed for accuracy.  Late pattern radiator intake screens are included, and these were common on ehkrany equipped vehicles.

Appliqué armor is included for the hull front and driver’s front plate, as well as the ehkrany plates for the upper and lower hull sides.  By selectively adding or omitting parts, the kit allows you to build a vehicle with turret ehkrany only, or an example with both hull and turret ehkrany.  By fabricating your own appliqué armor for the upper hull sides or using parts from kit #84810, you can build one of the many examples featuring turret ehkrany with regular appliqué armor on the hull sides.

The turret represents a ChTZ production example with the ring-shaped weld marks on the turret roof.  Most vehicles fitted with ehkrany at the factory were LKZ vehicles, though some of the vehicles retro-fitted with ehkrany by Factory No.371 were originally built by ChTZ.  You can leave the ring-shaped marks in place to represent one of these vehicles or sand them away to depict a more common LKZ example.

Like kit #84810, the recuperator housing for the F-32 gun features a weld seam on its front face which must be sanded away for accuracy.  The correct weld seam on the sides, top and bottom of the housing can then be added from rod or putty.