Hello All and Happy 2018!
I've been working on a 15mm plastic Zvezda KV-1 Obr.40 tank has the option to build an earlier Obr.39 (simply a separate mantlet and barrel part). In fact, Zvevda has two different KV-1 boxes with exactly the same contents - they must be rolling in Rubels...
The KV is molded out of a soft plastic that is not the best for durability The basic shape of the model is well defined although there is some simplification of the finer details. Compared to resin, this kit is much easier to assemble and is straighter and more correct in scale. The lighter weight is an advantage to those of us who travel to game. The Battlefront resin/metal version of this kit weighs in at a hefty 1/4 pound! I for one cannot go back to resin unless there is no other available.
The turret top and rear deck detail is excellent! I did beat up the fenders and storage boxes.
One assembly issue I had was the fitting of the main gun mantlet and rear MG combo part - it just doesn't fit well and leaves gaps and miss-alignments. I chose to fill with evergreen plastic and scratch-build.
First coat and shadows...
