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General KV-I history and
performance:
The KV-1 was well armored and well
armed for its time. Widely
considered the Russians version of
the German Tiger I before the Tiger
was introduced. The KV-I was in
widespread service when the T-34 was
relatively scarce and still in the
developmental stage. With the
introduction of the T-34, the KV-I
was comparably slow and more
difficult to maneuver. The KV-I
series was used until 1943 and
ultimately replaced by the IS series
tanks
Finding a comparable AFV to the KV-I
introduced in 1940 is difficult as
no other tank anywhere in the world
had the KV-I’s combination of armor
and firepower. To compare the KV-I
to German armor,
when the initial German invasion
took place in 1941, the Germans did
not have a tank, mobile gun or
anti-tank gun capable of penetrating
the KV-I from either the front or
the sides. Only the DP 88 could
penetrate the KV-I. The Germans had
the Pzkw-III and IV, both of which
were less well armed and had less
armor protection. The KV-I 76.2mm
high velocity gun was capable of
destroying any of the German tanks
at the time at all normal battle
ranges. Given equal crew skill
between Russian and German tank
crews, any German tank at the time
was easy prey for a KV-I. Of course,
crew skill was generally not equal.
There are recorded accounts during
the initial invasion where a single
KV halted the advance of an entire
panzer division.
 Comparing
the KV-I to other Russian tanks of
its time, standard Russian tanks
used 47mm guns (like the BT-7 and
T-26) or utilized low velocity
howitzers (like the T-28). As
greater numbers of T-34 tanks came
into service, the usefulness of the
KV-I declined. The T-34 used the
same engine, same gun, but had
faster speed, less weight and
better-sloped armor than the KV-I.
The closest Allied comparison to the
KV-I in terms of armor protection
was the British Matilda II or French
Char B, which were comparable, but
firepower of the Matilda II and Char
B were by far inferior to the KV-I.
The Americans had nothing comparable
to the KV-I, as production of the
M-2 medium tank had just begun
production at the time, which had no
more combat power than a T-26.
The KV-I had some drawbacks as well.
Reliability was problematic, with
the KV-I having the same engine as
the T34, but being 18 tons heavier.
The state of Russian tank crew
training left much to
 be
desired as well, so the KV-I never
had the opportunity to demonstrate
its true potential. The KV-I drive
train was weak compared to the T-34,
witha poor transmission, and was
also poor ergonomically. By design,
the turret ring of the KV-I limited
the potential for upgrading turret
and gun capacity. This inherent
design setback spurred the improved
design of the IS series, which
ultimately replaced the entire KV
series even though many aspects of
the KV and IS tanks were similar.
Of the innovations possessed by the
KV-I, the hull and turret were all
welded or cast, which was unusual in
1940, and had torsion-bar
suspension, which was also rare at
that time. The Soviet 76.2mm could
KO any other tank while also having
good HE capability. Unlike British
tanks, the KV-I had the means to
take on both tanks and towed AT guns
and unlike German tanks, the KV-I
could penetrate any opponent at long
range.
According to Steve Zaloga, as noted
in his books, concerning the period
of KV-I usage in 1941, the KV- I
performed so well in terms of armor
and firepower that it's significant
weaknesses were effectively masked.
For example, the KV-I could
withstand multiple hits from most
German weapons, even at relatively
short ranges. However, the Germans
recognized this and by 1942,
significant numbers of long 50mm and
75mm guns were deployed causing the
KV-I to become vulnerable. At that
point it became a much less
effective tank, and it was harder to
ignore the weaknesses. KV production
ceased in 1943 with only about 500
being made that year in favor of the
new IS series.
The model:
I had the opportunity to acquire
this unique model from Phil Edwards
from the United Kingdom where his
business is architectural scale
models, mostly boats in 1/20 scale.
This is the first one-off production
from his molds. The model was custom
built in 1/16 scale and cast from
industrial resin. Industrial resin
is more resilient than standard
resin typically used for model
building and can withstand the
rigors of converting to a durable RC
model. The model came pre-assembled
with moveable parts with design
considerations for full RC
conversion.
The industrial resin hull and turret
is quite sturdy approaching ¼ inch
thickness. The hull interior is
spacious enough for addition of
motors and electronics. Metal
threaded bolts have been
incorporated in the hull casting for
torsion bar installation to the
suspensionarms similar to the Tamiya
Leopard 2A6 set up. The
 suspension
arms are moveable with suspension
stop blocks and the roadwheels,
idler and sprocket rotate freely,
although these resin parts would
need upgrading to ABS or metal for
proper RC use. The turret is
rotational and removable. The
hatches are molded closed. The
turret ring is continuous and
prepared for a ring gear. There is
sufficient room in the turret to
accommodate a recoil and elevation
unit. The main gun barrel is metal
and seats in an elevating mantlet
with elevation and depression stops
accurate to the actual KV-I gun
elevation and depression angles.
The model represents a KV-I E
variant from an unknown unit
operating in the summer of 1942.
Several well-known pictures of this
particular vehicle exist depicting
field-testing for Russian
propaganda.
 The
detail of the model KV-I is fabulous
with interesting details such as a
partial engine under the engine
hatch, metal exhaust grills, rivets
and bolts for the appliqué armor,
intricate weld seams and even wire
for the headlamp. The KV-I is
lightly weathered and painted
Russian green. The tracks are
individually cast and linked by two
endpins complete with a bolt and nut
look. The tracks would need
recasting into more durable plastic
or preferred metal for the rigors of
RC running.
Preliminary work to cast metal parts
for the running gear is currently
being evaluated. So as perhaps the
first RC Russian heavy tank in 1/16
scale will be realized soon…
Eric Scott |
