#84813 Russia KV-1 Model 1942 Heavy Cast Turret Tank

Despite its title, like Trumpeter kit #00359, this kit depicts a KV-1 Model 1941 manufactured in the spring of 1942 with early cast turret and ZIS-5 gun.  Since the Hobby Boss kit is a re-rendering of Trumpeter kit #00359 in 1/48 scale, the comments made for that kit are equally applicable to the Hobby Boss kit.

The Hobby Boss kit includes a Model 1941 hull with regular curved rear overhang, all-steel reinforced road wheels, all-steel return rollers and late pattern drive sprockets with eight hub retaining bolts.  The suspension arms are the late pattern with three retaining bolts for the torsion bar hubs.

The lower hull sides include faint raised lines that define the location of the hull ehkrany for kit #84811.  These must be gently removed with a blade or fine file.

Fender stowage is provided in the form of a single narrow rectangular stowage box for the number 7 position, and two spare track links in brackets for each of the number 9 and 10 positions.  The stowage box lacks the mounting brackets and straps, while the spare track links feature four brackets on each set rather than the correct three.  Carve away the forward bracket from the outer link on each side for accuracy.

By omitting the kit’s fender stowage and substituting revised larger rectangular stowage boxes on the number 9 and 10 fender positions, you can back-date the kit to depict a vehicle manufactured in January or February 1942.  Many vehicles from that period carried the mounting brackets for 50-liter fuel tanks, though the tanks themselves were often absent.  Check your references for the vehicle you intend to model.

Appliqué armor is included for the hull front, driver’s front plate and upper hull sides.  The chevron-shaped bar armor on the forward hull top and the straight bars at the rear quarters of the turret are also provided.  The appliqué armor for the driver’s front plate is the shorter pattern used by UZTM.  If you want to model a vehicle with a Factory No.200 hull, you must fabricate your own appliqué plate from styrene sheet.

The upper hull features early pattern transmission maintenance hatches with curved edges but the crew hatch is of the late pattern with raised lip.  The crew hatch is correct for this variant but most photographs of vehicles produced in the spring of 1942 show flat transmission maintenance hatches sitting flush with the transmission compartment roof plate.

The kit provides a late pattern domed engine access hatch with inspection port.  Late pattern radiator intake screens are included, and both these features are appropriate for the variant depicted by this kit.  The engine compartment and transmission compartment roof plates have the correct bolt configuration with eight paired bolts across their front and rear edges.

The kit provides an early cast turret with ZIS-5 gun.  Fittings such as the turret roof ventilator and episcope houses are correctly depicted without flanges.  Conical periscope housings are included and these are evident in most photographs of early cast turrets.  The turret hatch includes a central socket allowing it to be opened from the outside with a wrench, but most photographs show this feature to be present only on the hull crew hatch and transmission maintenance hatches, so the socket should be eliminated for accuracy.