Having ordered the Voyager PE fenders set for my Trumpeter KV-2, now that I've almost finished assembling the beast I find that I really like the look of it without fenders over the tracks.

It looks very imposing and mean - so I've been considering saving the PE set for a later KV-1 build (of which I have 2 in the stash), filling in the fender locating slots and having my KV-2 'fenderless'.

However, I haven't been able to find any contemporary photos of KV-2s without fenders - can anyone help? Or do I definitely need to fit the fenders for accuracy's sake?

Thanks in advance.

- Steve

Hi Steve. Firstly I think you should roll with your idea ... a little creativity is never wrong ... and the KV2 without fenders does look mean. There are pics with these beasts without fenders ... but how, why, when, etc, is another story. Make the damage suit your scene. There are nice thin fender braces ... haveing some of these remaining and suitably damaged/weathered, adds to the effect.
Images below are part of the discussion only...

Here is one picture more:

A captured KV-IIA rolls through a German city

Hi Steve,

Having examined a *lot* of photos of KVs...as you may or may not know, I'm finishing off a book on the KVs...there are very few photos that show the fenders completely missing on both sides of the vehicle. The only one that can be reliably identified is the vehicle that was sent back to Germany, paraded through Berlin (see Frank's reply to your post) and eventually wound up at the Krupp plant where it was captured by U.S. forces in early 1945.

That said, go for it! The KVs certainly look good without fenders, and a little artistic license is always a good thing.

Cheers,

Neil

Thanks for the input and the photos, chaps.

Working on the probability that "if there was one, there were most likely others as well", I'm feeling inclined to say what the hell, and just go for it.

As you say - a bit of the old artistic licence doesn't hurt!

- Steve