#7236 Russian KV Big Turret Tank

This kit represents one of the 20 series production KV s bolshoiy bashniy manufactured in June/July 1940 and fitted with the MT-1 turret.  Despite their small numbers, these vehicles did see service in the summer of 1941.

Like all the Trumpeter kits, the lower hull is comprised of a tub that includes the underside, hull sides and the lower front hull.  The underside includes bolt detail for the engine bearers, filled bolted holes along the joints betweenthe underside plates and the hull sides, drain ports for the transmission and final drives, and the emergency escape hatch.  The circular access port beneath the engine is missing however.  The hull sides include integrally molded suspension swing arms, shock absorbers, sprocket and return roller mounts.

The grille beneath the rear hull overhang and the exhaust air deflector plate are included as a single, separate component and the deflector plate is commendably thin.

The lower rear hull includes integrally molded base plates for the rear towing eyes.  The forward towing eyes are separate component that attach to hull tub.  All the towing eyes feature separate towing shackles with integrally molded retaining pins.

The suspension swing arms are of the correct early pattern and include the correct six retaining bolts on the torsion bar caps.

The idler mounts and adjustment mechanisms are separate assemblies with three parts each.

The nose plate is smooth and lacks the 11 filled bolt holes across each face.  However, these holes would be barely visible in this scale so the omission is not a major problem.

The kit includes pressed steel two-part resilient road wheels with lightening holes and eight cooling vents on the inner discs, as fitted from April until October 1940, and which are therefore correct for a June/July 1940 production example.  The outer rims of the road wheels are quite thick however, and will benefit from sanding.  The return rollers are the pressed steel pattern with rubber rims, and are also correct for this variant.  The sprockets feature the correct 16 bolts securing the convex hub cover.  The mud scrapers are the correct welded design, though you must take care when attaching them to ensure that the joints between the separate mud scrapers and the base plates molded onto the hull sides are filled, since the base plates on the rear vehicle were part of the mud scrapers themselves.

As on all Trumpeter's KV kits, the tracks are the reinforced Omsh pattern that were in fact not introduced until July 1941, and are therefore incorrect for a vehicle completed in 1940.  However, the differences are very minor and will go unnoticed by most observers.

The entire upper hull, including the fenders, fender brackets and most hatches, is molded as a single component.  The fender brackets are all of the solid type, whereas most KVs in 1940 carried the skeletal pattern.  The brackets are also quite thick and would benefit from replacement with thin styrene or brass.

The glacis plate includes an integrally molded antenna mount and protective cover.  The cover is rather thick and should be thinned down iwth a hobby knife for a better appearance.  The glacis plate also includes the protective armor fillet below the hull machine gun.

The driver's visor is molded integrally with the driver's plate, though the hull machine gun, headlamp and siren are separate components.

The crew hatch in the forward hull is a separate component.  It depicts the correct early pattern with rounded edges, appropriate for a 1940 vehicle.  The kit part includes the hinge, locking bars and operating cam on the interior face of the hatch cover, but the grab handle and operating handle are missing.  The driver's epsicope cover includes a flange, which is incorrect for a 1940 vehicle since the flanges were not introduced until March 1941.  The fuel, oil and water filler caps are all present, correctly positioned and of the correct design.

The bolt configuration on the engine compartment and transmission compartment roof plates is correct, with eleven equally spaced bolts across the rear edge of the engine compartment roof plate, and the same number on the front and rear edges of the transmission compartment roof plate.  The bolts have the correct conical heads for a 1940 vehicle.  The lifting eyes are molded integrally and are of the correct shape, including those beneath the turret bustle.  However, Trumpeter includes four lifting eyes on the transmission compartment roof plate, rather than the correct two.  Carve away the two lifting eyes in the rear corners of the plate.

The engine access hatch is molded integrally and is the correct early pattern without the inspection port, and with only a single lifting eye.  The cable and hook used to secure the hatch in the open position are molded integrally with the hatch.

The radiator intake screens are also molded integrally with the upper hull.  The kit includes the early pattern screens appropriate for a 1940 vehicle.  The screens are molded solid however, and the model would benefit from their replacement with etched brass items.  The exhausts are also integral components and lack the undercuts that correctly separate them from the hull top.  Careful work with a sharp hobby knife can rectify this.

The transmission maintenance hatches are molded integrally with the hull top.

The kit includes the regular curved rear hull overhang which is appropriate for a May/June 1941 hull.

The kit includes three initial pattern large rectangular stowage boxes for the fenders, and the instructions show the correct positioning on the number 7, 9 and 10 positions.  A cross-cut saw and its mounting bracket are included for for the number 5 position on the left-hand fender.

The kit includes the correct early pattern towing cables with grommets and sleeves on the ends.  These are molded in vinyl on the track sprue.

The kit provides an MT-1 turret with roof-mounted ventilators, which is correct for the 20 series production examples.

The episcope and ventilator covers lack flanges, which is correct for this variant.  The conical covers for the periscopic sights are molded integrally with the turret shell and lack detail.  The grab handles for the edges of the turret roof are included as separate components, but are rather thick and you may wish to replace them with brass wire.

The kit's gun barrel features the armored reinforcing band around the muzzle, though this was not fitted to the MT-1 turrets.  The barrel also features deep grooves around the circumference of the barrel, representing the joints between the sections of the barrel sleeve.  In reality, these joints were barely visible.  Fill and sand the grooves.