Tamiya 1:35 KV-2

[Adam Durrant]

My first build as a kid was a Monogram 1:48 Grumman Avenger, sadly discontinued. Second was a 1:48 F-15A by the same company...a bit blah really. My first real armour build was completed in a single wet weekend at boarding school, the Tamiya KV-2. Still in production, same kit, new box according to scalemates. Still not a bad kit but suffers from a lack of fine detail. Only 4 sprues, 2 of road wheels and the rest for the hull and turret.



Managed to get a start on things today (long Easter Weekend in NZ), and with everything closed for Easter Sunday I was able to get the running gear done and some of the tracks assembled. The Master Club tracks need a little clean up, and I've already broken one micro drill cleaning out the pin holes, but otherwise they go together pretty easily.

Holiday again tomorrow, should get a bit more done if I'm lucky!

[Adam Durrant]

Got to agree with Steve, Tamiya kits are shake and bake!

Running gear done, both sets of tracks are done. The Master Club tracks are nice, found them easier to assemble than Fruil and they have the added advantage of the detail on the ends of the track pins.



Turret also completed,
- Aber barrel added
- Coax gun sight drilled out (completely omitted by Tamiya)
- Missing bolts added to mantlet
- Convergence range finders drilled out and missing bolts added (again Tamiya just cast them as solid parts)
- Missing welds added around mantlet and rear hatch
- Flame cuts added/deepened where necessary
- Cast texture added
- MG barrel drilled out
- Handle added to rear hatch









Used the kit grab handles are they are very nicely molded.

Not sure if I'm going to use much of the Royal Models PE set. Its done in steel rather than brass and is pretty difficult to handle. Suspect I'll use selected bits. The hull is pretty basic but suspect I'll spend most of my time on it to add missing grills etc.

[Philipp Gross]

Very nice start Adam!

Not sure how much effort you plan to put into this, but a few more sugeestions:

- The splash guard in front and rear of the turret ring wasn't present on the KV-2
- The triangular fender supports weren't solid
- No inspection port on the engine hatch
- The round rear hull part was machined flat on top to match the hull side plates

Please feel free to disregard these mad ramblings of a lunatic who has spent too many years obsessing over KV tanks

Philipp

[Steve Hutchinson]

Looks good Adam

Shake and bake, check

I guess your bank holiday is now finished?

its snowing here

April 2nd, Easter Monday and bl**dy snowing, 2 to 3 inches deep already at 11 am.

Always good to have an obsessive member on the forum, who has specialised in your particular build

I am preparing to update my request to the StuH guru

Enjoy the fine tuning and detailing, that's the best bit of any build

regards

Steve H

[Adam Durrant]

- The splash guard in front and rear of the turret ring wasn't present on the KV-2
- The triangular fender supports weren't solid
- No inspection port on the engine hatch
- The round rear hull part was machined flat on top to match the hull side plates

- Splash guards will feel the wrath of my Dremel
- In the spirit of the build I’m not going to use the Royal Models “PE” fenders but will use the fender supports
- The engine hatch is the big central domed one right? Do I just fill in the round screw thingee?
- The round rear hull plate where it meets the top plate?

Yup, back to work tomorrow. Getting cooler here but still low 20s today.

Trying to keep the momentum going with this build as I wait between various oil applications on the A39 build to dry.

[Adam Durrant]

...just noted the box art has the splash guards absent, the fender supports as frames and a few of the other things I’ve corrected shown. Looks like what you see on the box is not necessarily what you get, the artist did more research than the kit manufacturer!

[Philipp Gross]

You need to cut off the cylindrical plug thing on the domed hatch and sand the dome smooth. That's about all

It's hard to find good photos of the rear hull, but this shows it a bit:



Of course this is a 1st series KV-2 ("KV big turret"), but the hull was still mostly the same. Your kit has mostly features of a 2nd series KV-2. The 3rd and last series had a number of subtle changes, adding them would probably be more effort. Most of all it had a thickened gun mantlet with notches cut in for the bolts. In addition all the periscope covers were bolted to the hull and turret roof instead of welded.



Lots more photos here

Philipp
(we're expecting 16C today and lots of sun)

[Adam Durrant]

As per the word of Philipp,



Splash guards (front and back) dremeled out and the damaged puttied ready for sanding, fender supports removed and sanded, engine hatch inspection port removed and area "rounded". Just need to sand a flat on the rear hull corner.

Just need to drill/file out the engine air intakes now, a task I am not looking forward to

[Philipp Gross]

Looks like you had a lot of fun with this

The mounting brackets on the rear fenders can come off as well, either there should be a stowage box or nothing at all.

Philipp

(please do tell me when I get too pedantic with details)

[Adam Durrant]

Still trying to decide between kit stowage box (not bad really) or the PE one. Easier to ding up the PE one, but not loving the Royal Models steel used for the PE, it’s a PITA to work with compared to brass.