Background
First off, I’ve always loved the KV series of Russian tanks. There is just something awesome about their aesthetics. Maybe it’s their hard edged, jagged lines, maybe it’s their imposing size or maybe it’s just the fact that they were virtually unstoppable in the opening days of the WWII. Whatever the case may be, the KV-1 is one of my favorite tanks of all time and I celebrate the entire history of this Russian behemoth.
When Trumpeter first announced that they would be releasing different versions of the KV family, in 1/35th scale, I was very excited! At that time our options for KVs were limited, relying on Eastern Express, which always had a ton of flash on their parts and the old Tamiya kits, which were produced in the 1970s. We definitely needed more options.
Generally speaking, I've always liked Trumpeter kits and most of my experiences with their releases, have been very pleasant. As you can imagine, as soon as the KVs became available, I purchased one the next day and dug into it immediately.
The plastic was a thing of beauty, the kit was easy to assemble, it had a very intuitive part break-downs and the kit include some extras like brass wire tow cables and your choice of either vinyl or link-by-link hard plastic tracks. It built up extremely well and looked fantastic when completed, so I was so very happy. Of course, little did I realize, Trumpeter had made a few miscalculations, which had resulted in more than a few inaccuracies and variant issues. Some were less egregious then others, but regardless they were there. Enter our KV-1 model 1939.
As I started to do my research, I quickly realized that this kit was in fact not exactly an early 1939 KV at all. It was actually a 'hybrid' KV-1, combining elements from both the 1940 and 1941 production runs. This means that the kit actually represented a rebuilt vehicle with a spring 1941 hull and a spring/summer 1940 turret. Not exactly what I assumed I was getting.
As we know Russian armor often went through extensive rebuilding programs, so combinations like this certainly existed, but this unfortunately meant that I could not build as accurate of a kit as I had hoped. Regardless, I soldiered on and tried to make a few minor adjustments to help with some of the inaccuracies. I think I was successful enough, but to truly build an authentic and accurate early KV-1, I would have had to kit bash several different Trumpeter KVs and I just did not want to invest that much money or time. Instead, I just did my best with what I had.
Generally speaking, I've always liked Trumpeter kits and most of my experiences with their releases, have been very pleasant. As you can imagine, as soon as the KVs became available, I purchased one the next day and dug into it immediately.
The plastic was a thing of beauty, the kit was easy to assemble, it had a very intuitive part break-downs and the kit include some extras like brass wire tow cables and your choice of either vinyl or link-by-link hard plastic tracks. It built up extremely well and looked fantastic when completed, so I was so very happy. Of course, little did I realize, Trumpeter had made a few miscalculations, which had resulted in more than a few inaccuracies and variant issues. Some were less egregious then others, but regardless they were there. Enter our KV-1 model 1939.
The Kit
I picked this kit up in April of 2013, along with a few other KVs that were on sale at the time. I had really wanted to build an early KV and this kit contained what I assumed were the parts to do so. It had the early rounded turret, the older L-11 gun, no bow machine gun and an unarmored rear turret machine gun mount. Perfect, right? Well, not really.As I started to do my research, I quickly realized that this kit was in fact not exactly an early 1939 KV at all. It was actually a 'hybrid' KV-1, combining elements from both the 1940 and 1941 production runs. This means that the kit actually represented a rebuilt vehicle with a spring 1941 hull and a spring/summer 1940 turret. Not exactly what I assumed I was getting.
As we know Russian armor often went through extensive rebuilding programs, so combinations like this certainly existed, but this unfortunately meant that I could not build as accurate of a kit as I had hoped. Regardless, I soldiered on and tried to make a few minor adjustments to help with some of the inaccuracies. I think I was successful enough, but to truly build an authentic and accurate early KV-1, I would have had to kit bash several different Trumpeter KVs and I just did not want to invest that much money or time. Instead, I just did my best with what I had.
I did end up making a few alterations to the basic plastic. Since it would have taken a very large effort to correct everything, I just settled for smaller changes here and there. I ended up modifying the curved rear hull overhang by sanding a flat spot in the upper portion of that part. I also modified the turret roof plate and lowered the entire turret by removing the turret lip.
Aside from a few other cosmetic fixes here and there, I left the hull, road wheels, storage boxes, fenders and tracks all the same. If I had been trying to make all of the necessary fixes, then all of those areas would have needed to be changed.
For a really detailed look at the inaccuracies of this kit and the other KVs, go checkout www.4bogreen.com. That site has a wealth of information that is very helpful to anyone building or reading up on the KV family of Russian heavy tanks.
As it is with most tanks, the real challenge wasn’t building the model, it was applying the finishes and weathering. Since I’m still new to this process, I proceeded cautiously and tried a variety of different techniques like preshading and oil washes. Tamiya paints like NATO Black and JA Green were used in the build. Pastels, powders from AIM and some oil paints were used in the weathering process, along with some homemade dirt mix for a bit of mud.
I tried to keep the mud and dirt to a minimum, even though it's probably not very realistic. I would have liked to add a bit more, but it seems like most beginners make the mistake of overdoing it on the weathering and I didn't want a vehicle that looked like it had been dunked in mud.
If 100% accuracy isn't your game and you are alright with minor variant discrepancies, I say pick one of these up and have fun. If you want to create the most accurate early KV-1, then make sure to head over to www.4bogreen.com and read up on the subject. It is possible, just a bit too advanced for me right now.
Feel free to checkout my complete KV-1 build over on YouTube! It was my very first attempt at YouTube modeling, so it is rough, but we all have to start somewhere.
Anyway, until next time, stay safe and happy modeling.
Aside from a few other cosmetic fixes here and there, I left the hull, road wheels, storage boxes, fenders and tracks all the same. If I had been trying to make all of the necessary fixes, then all of those areas would have needed to be changed.
For a really detailed look at the inaccuracies of this kit and the other KVs, go checkout www.4bogreen.com. That site has a wealth of information that is very helpful to anyone building or reading up on the KV family of Russian heavy tanks.
As it is with most tanks, the real challenge wasn’t building the model, it was applying the finishes and weathering. Since I’m still new to this process, I proceeded cautiously and tried a variety of different techniques like preshading and oil washes. Tamiya paints like NATO Black and JA Green were used in the build. Pastels, powders from AIM and some oil paints were used in the weathering process, along with some homemade dirt mix for a bit of mud.
I tried to keep the mud and dirt to a minimum, even though it's probably not very realistic. I would have liked to add a bit more, but it seems like most beginners make the mistake of overdoing it on the weathering and I didn't want a vehicle that looked like it had been dunked in mud.
Conclusion
Overall this kit was a pleasure to build. Aside from my lack of weathering experience, I think that it turned out far better then I had expected. The fit was fantastic, the plastic was free of flash and distortions, plus I absolutely loved the subject and it even gave me an excuses to pickup a few additional references.If 100% accuracy isn't your game and you are alright with minor variant discrepancies, I say pick one of these up and have fun. If you want to create the most accurate early KV-1, then make sure to head over to www.4bogreen.com and read up on the subject. It is possible, just a bit too advanced for me right now.
Feel free to checkout my complete KV-1 build over on YouTube! It was my very first attempt at YouTube modeling, so it is rough, but we all have to start somewhere.
Anyway, until next time, stay safe and happy modeling.
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