#84818 Pz.Kpfw. KV-1 Tank

This kit represents the single KV-1 that was captured by German forces, re-armed with a 7.5cm Kwk 40 L/43 gun and used by the 204th Panzer Regiment, 22nd Panzer Division in the summer of 1942.  The kit is a 1/48 scale version of Trumpeter kit #00366 and like that kit, depicts a KV-1 Model 1941 with an early cast turret.  Unfortunately however, photographs suggest that the subject vehicle was in fact a late production Model 1942 manufactured during the summer of 1942, since it carried circular mounting plates for the front towing eyes and corresponding round cut-outs in the appliqué armor on the hull front.

The kit provides a hull with the regular curved overhang, all-steel reinforced road wheels, all-steel return rollers and late pattern drive sprockets with eight hub retaining bolts.  As noted above, the hull should be swapped with a Model 1942 hull from kit #84812 or #84814 for accuracy.  Such a swap will allow you to build the subject vehicle accurately and have sufficient left-over parts to build an accurate KV-1 Model 1941 with either a simplified welded turret or reinforced cast turret.

The Omsh pattern tracks provided in the kit do not match photographs of the subject vehicle, which carried early pattern split link tracks with a guide “bump” on the split links.  The kit tracks should be replaced with Friulmodel set ATL-4808.

The trapezoidal mounting plates for the front and rear towing eyes should be replaced with circular plates cut from styrene sheet.  Similarly, the cut-outs in the appliqué armor on the hull front should be round rather than trapezoidal, so the appliqué armor plate should be replaced with one cut from 0.6mm styrene sheet.

The kit provides the lower appliqué armor for the driver’s front plate as fitted to hulls manufactured at UZTM, but photographs of the subject vehicle show that it was fitted with the taller appliqué armor used by Factory No.200.  The kit part should be replaced with a taller plate cut from 0.6mm styrene sheet. 

The kit instructions direct you to use the standard Soviet antenna and mounting.  Photographs show that the subject vehicle was fitted with a German antenna for the Fu.Spr.Ger. ‘d’ radio set, mounted within the cylindrical antenna housing.  The kit part should therefore be modified to reflect this fitting using a German antenna base from the spares box.

The kit includes the standard Soviet headlamp whereas photographs show that the vehicle mounted a German headlamp, of the same pattern as used on the Pz.Kpfw.III and early Pz.Kpfw.IV, on the driver’s front plate.  For accuracy, the kit part should be replaced with a German headlamp from your spares box.

The kit includes a number of German stowage items including tool boxes on the number 3 and 6 fender positions, and a rack of four jerry cans on the five 7 position.  While the presence of a tool box on the number 6 position can be verified from photographs, the tool box on the number 3 position and the jerry cans should be regarded as suspect.

The subject vehicle carried a stowage rack on the roof of the transmission compartment, fabricated from angled steel strips.  The kit lacks this rack.  If you choose to include this feature, you will need to build your own stowage rack from styrene or brass angle.