#72008 KV-85 Heavy Tank

This kit represents a KV-85, since there was little variation between the 148 production examples of this variant.  The kit shares many common components with kit #72025, including road wheels with large lightening holes, all-steel return rollers and later pattern drive sprockets with eight hub retaining bolts.

Photographs suggest that the wheels provided in the kit were not a common feature.  Photographs suggest that wheels with small lightening holes were fitted to most if not all KV-85s either at the factory or in service.

The kit’s upper hull includes the enlarged turret ring, missing crew hatch and the final pattern episcope housings for the driver.  The engine access hatch is of the late domed pattern with central inspection port and two lifting eyes.  Late pattern radiator intake screens are included.  The engine compartment and transmission compartment roof plate feature the correct bolt configuration.  The transmission maintenance hatches however, are of the pattern more common on KV-1 Model 1942 hulls than on late production KV-1S hulls, with flat tops and beveled edges.  The KV-85 typically carried transmission maintenance hatches with raised lips.  The kit includes hand rails for the upper hull sides, but these are rather thick and should be replaced with thin wire for a better scale appearance.

The kit includes the turret sprue from PST’s IS series kits, providing the 85mm turret and gun.  The machine gun fairing on the rear of the turret is molded as a separate part, as is the machine gun mount itself.  The sprue includes multiple mantlets and front turret castings for early and late production IS-1 and IS-2 turrets, so follow the instructions carefully.

The turret shell includes the commander’s cupola and turret hatch molded integrally, though the two-part hatch for the cupola is molded as separate parts allowing the hatch to be posed in the open position.  The domed ventilator housing for the turret roof is molded separately, but the loader’s hatch lacks the torsion bar.  These items should be added for an accurate representation of the turret.  The kit also lacks the turret hand rails that were typically seen on the KV-85, though these can easily be added from thin wire.