#72025 KV-1S Heavy Tank

This kit represents a KV-1S with the early pattern turret and road wheels with large circular lightening holes.

The road wheels included the kit were seen on some KV-1S vehicles but photographs suggest that wheels were more common, particularly from the spring of 1943 onward.  The kit includes the correct all-steel return rollers and late pattern drive sprockets with eight hub retaining bolts.

The integrally molded engine access hatch is the late domed pattern with central inspection port and the correct two lifting eyes at the rear corners.  Late pattern radiator intake screens are provided, again molded integrally with the upper hull.  The crew hatch and transmission access hatches are of the late pattern with raised lip and the missing “slice” near the hinges.  All of these features are present in photographs of KV-1S vehicles in service.

The upper hull provides the correct sloped roof for the transmission compartment.  The engine compartment and transmission compartment roof plates feature the correct bolt configuration, including the “missing” central bolt head on the rear edge of the transmission compartment roof plate.  Two episcopes for the driver are molded integrally with the upper hull and these are of the correct pattern for the KV-1S.

The kit includes appliqué armor for the upper hull sides and the hand-rails that were fitted along the upper edges of the hull sides on all but the earliest KV-1S vehicles.  The hand rails are overly thick and should be replaced with thin wire for a more in-scale representation.  The kit includes sufficient parts for four cylindrical 100-liter fuel tanks on the fenders, but not for the fifth tank commonly seen on the KV-1S. 

The turret is molded in two halves with a separate roof plate, leaving a vertical seam down the center of the rear face that must be filled.  The machine gun mount on the turret rear face, and its fairing, are molded as a separate part.  The turret provides the early pattern casting seams on the turret sides which are perfectly appropriate, but can be easily modified to represent a late production turret if you wish.  The kit includes the turret hand rails which can be added if you wish to model a late production example.

The turret hatch is molded separately and can be fixed in the open position if desired.  The torsion bar for the hatch is molded integrally with the turret roof however.  The cupola is molded separately for better detail definition.

The gun mantlet is a little too square when viewed from the front, and would benefit from rounding off with some judicious filing.  The handrails for the turret sides and rear are rather thick and replacing them with wire or thin plastic rod will greatly improve the appearance of the model.

Note that this kit includes the 45mm gun and ATO-42 flame projector for the KV-8S, allowing you to build one of the final ten KV-8S vehicles using this kit.

The decal sheet includes options for numerous vehicles, including unit markings, turret numbers and slogans in both white and red.  Photographs of KV-1S vehicles show that turret markings, particularly numbers and slogans, were common.