The KVII was the support version of the Klimenti Vorishilov heavy tank. Primarily designed for busting bunkers, it carried a 152mm howitzer in an enlarged turret, and proved to be cumbersome and unstable. The turret could only be traversed on relatively even ground. 334 were built before production ceased in 1941.
FUJIMI makes this excellent model. Conversion turrets can be obtained from VAC-U-CASTS to add variants to your collection.
The company EASTERN EXPRESS has brought us this 1/72 plastic model of the SU-122 Soviet self-propelled gun (on a T34 chassis). While this company may use some of the same molds as AER/TOGO/COOPERATIVA, this kit is an improvement compared to the T34 parts from AER. The wheel spacing is correct, which was a major error in the AER molds. The parts went together nicely; there was a little bit of flash that needed to be removed. My package did not have decals, but they sometimes are included. The instructions were good illustrations on a single page, but no historical background, or painting/decal scheme was included.
The SU-122 entered service in 1942, and eventually formed the first regiment of of SP artillery. The vehicle is a 1938 122mm field howitzer mounted on a T34/76 model C chassis; note that a SU-122 with a KV chassis also existed). I gave the model a thorough white paint job and added the antenna. Doug Chaltry at On the Way put together a nicer kit with the summer green camo and several scratchbuilt parts.
At the start of the war
in the East the Russian Army had no self-propelled guns, but did note the
use of such vehicles by their German adversaries. The T70 chassis was chosen
for this conversion, which involved rearrangement of the engine, fuel tanks,
and driving position. An additional suspension unit was also added. The
result was the SU 76, which was armed with a 76.2mm AT gun. About 12,000
were built, and the type still saw service in Korea.
UNIMODELS has been putting out some really nice kits of Soviet WWII armor. They are some of the nicest 1/72 plastic kits around! This is the SU76 SP gun with the fully enclosed crew compartment. The kit goes together real nice (this one is out of the box) and I had no fit problems, except for a little gap in the front where the upper and lower hulls meet. The plastic tracks went on well and they are long enough to create some sag. The instruction are well illustrated, with two color scheme suggestions and a set of decals for both.
With this kit I have experimented with a winter whitewash finish. This was often applied as a temporary camo, which would either wear off or could be easily washed off with water in the springtime. To recreate this, I used Tamiya's water-based "flat base" (normally used to make gloss paint look matt). I painted it on liberally, then used a dry brush to wear it down. The more you brush, the more the "whitewash" comes off, and you can recreate the wear that occurred in the field. You can even erase the flat base with a wet brush and start again, or if you wear it down too much, just reapply.
In 1943, 190 captured PzKpfw III and StuG III chassis were modified by the Soviet Army, being given a box-like superstructure mounting a Soviet 76mm gun, and redesignated SU76(i). They were used like the SU76M, generally operating in Regiments of 21 vehicles. There were different configurations: some having a muzzle break, others without the gun shield depicted in this model.
The model is an OSTMODELS resin kit. It went together quite well, and has the usual good casting quality. An alternative kit is the conversion set from Vac-U-Cast, for which you will need a Matchbox PzIII or possibly an Airfix StuG III.
OSTMODELS also makes this model of the SU 152. There is still no plastic-injection model of this vehicle, so until PST or Italeri make one we will keep this resin kit in the museum. SU 152s were quite rare by the end of the war, being replaced by the ISU-152. A total of 704 were bulit, and first saw action at the battle of Kursk in 1943.
Here's a Russian behemoth from the early war years. The Soviet Army was experimenting with several multi-turreted heavy tank designs, and one of these was the T100. One prototype was used operationally on the Finnish front, but battle performance revealed that the vehicle could not meet demands.
However, the leftover chasses were successfully used in the defense of Moskow as self-propelled guns, such as the SU-100Y gun motor carriage (seen here as an OSTMODELS resin kit). The armament is a 130mm Br.3 gun, it carried a crew of 6 and had armor up to 60mm thick. It carried a more powerful engine giving it a top speed of 28 mph.
I assembled this model pretty much as offered, adding only a headlight on the front hull, and some decals. I don't know if these tanks actually carried any markings, but figured that a moral-bolstering slogan would not be too far off. Color scheme is standard Soviet Armor Green, with heavy dusting of reddish dirt.
A nice big addition to the museum!
I purchased this 1/72 plastic model of the Katiusha Rocket launcher atop a ZIS-5 truck (BM-13) in an "AER" package. The model can also be found packaged by TOGA or COOPERATIVA. The model was made in Moldova. Kits from Eastern Europe are now becoming more widely available.
Assembling the model was a bit of a challenge. The instructions were not always clear as to the placement of parts, and some parts needed extensive filing to get an acceptable fit. The rocket ramps do elevate and swivel somewhat; there were plenty of decals but no guidelines as to placement thereof. I added clear plastic for windows, otherwise the model is OOTB.
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