I have the same problem, but the KV-2s appear to be breeding faster than the KV-1s, thereby proving that size does indeed matter.

Neil - "is that an M-10S howitzer, or are you just glad to see me?"

Nice one Neil

...heading down to the hobby room right now to light some candles and put on some mood music.....I want some more KV's....

You guys are killing me here, oh it's good to laugh. The Killer KV campaign is going to be great with such characters participating in it

I will likely be "finishing" my KV-1 during the campaign because of an unfortunate accident.

Sounds bad Jessy, what happened?

In a poor judgment, i placed the turret too close to a flood light for too long, and it melted and badly deformed the plastic. I'm in the process of getting a replacement.

Just a simple observation if I may?

Have any of you guys tried putting the top plate/turret ring etc parts on first before the hull side armor plates? This may allow a little more freedom of movement for the hull tub?

Unless I missed something ......

Nice model and thread, I have the KV2 big turret and the KV1 42 heavy cast turret

Paul

PS working on a JSU 122 now

Jesse: That's bad, I've had a similar experience with leaving plastic near a flood light, it actually burned a hole through it. Just glad it wasn't a model kit.

Paul: I'd be willing to give it a try.

Back again with an update!! All major construction is now done, just the clear parts left and those will be added after paint. Here is a shot of the finished product minus tracks:


It is still wet from the cleaning it just recieved. Here is a shot from above:


Here is a shot of the tracks finished, they went together beautifully and in this shot are not even completely glued! They snap together quite firmly.


And here is everything ready for a coat of primer:


I am going to use Model Master Acryl Russian armor green for the over all color, it is my first time using this color (used Tamiya in the past) and am hoping for good results. I am going to prime the beast today and hope to be laying down some paint real soon!

Thanks - B

Lookin good there Brandon. Did you use a track jig, or did you just sling the tracks together over the rollers to get the sag?

Hopefully you test fit the tracks before gluing. I had an issue that required the use of 1 less link to fit correctly. Good luck.

Great kit, I've got the captured German KV-2 as well as all three of Trumpeter's other KV-2's sitting in my closet.

I believe the molded tracks come with the sag molded right into them. It's a very proper kit.

Now I've got to get my hands on a KV-1

All Trumpeter KV´s have upper straight of tracks, the one which goes over rollers from rear to front, molded together as a one piece including sag.

That's great, looks like I should be picking up more of these kits

Jeremy: the top run of tracks is molded as one piece with the sag built in...rather nicely done by Trumpeter. No jig was used,
I assembled them on the tank first but left it unglued in two places on the top and bottom. They come apart so I can take then on or off the tank as needed. The fit of the tracks is so tight they actually snap together and hold rather well.

Jessy: You are right, I used one less track than the instructions called for.

Brandon: That's awesome, can't wait to start getting into these kits mate!

Did some painting today, Model Master Russian armor green (Acril) and am quite impressed with the results. I shot it straight from the bottle only adding a little dish soap to help break up the surface tension. I have heard mixed reviews on using Model Master Acril in the airbrush, but I just became a fan!
Pictures will be forthcoming. While my previous photos have worked out alright taking them straight off the workbench, with paint added they just look downright awful. I need to make some sort of photo box on the cheap with better lighting and background. Any suggestions?

O.k. looking at the photography forum I got this great, cheap, easy method of building a photobooth from Matan Ram : https://armorama.kitmaker.net/forums/161922&page=1]
It worked great, I just need to get some better lighting to help the pics turn out better....more to come.

Brandon - Great idea. I'm going to give that a shot, but with a single piece of white poster paper along the back edge to eliminate the seam. Something else that works in a pinch is a the top of a white washer or dryer ... just make sure to keep the dials and laundry detergent out of the picture.

Bill, the bottom part of these Trumpeter KV kit boxes work great as they are white inside. A good size as well. I do like the washer/dryer idea though is that what you have been using in your build log?

Yup. My wife says it would be nice if I actually did some laundry while I'm in the general area.

Finally, some picture updates!! My new photo booth works great (see link below.) The paint is Model Master Russian armor green (Acryl.) The tracks are painted Tamiya NATO black as a base coat to show through future coats of paint/weathering as shadows in the recesses.





There are still some small details to paint, and decals come next. Instead of using the kit provided (cool propaganda slogans painted on the turret) I plan on making this one a little more subdued. I will just use some white ID numbers on the back of the turret I looted from A Tamiya T-34/76 in my stash.
And to anyone looking for a SUPER cheap photobooth again here is a link on how: https://armorama.kitmaker.net/forums/161922&page=1 and again thanks to Matan for the idea.

Brandon, I just found this build and have really enjoyed seeing your work, and reading all the comments. I do have a comment on the trumpeter KV kits (not a knock on your build or skills) when it comes to the link and length tracks. I've fiddled with them until I gave up. No matter what I did the tracks extend too far past the #1 and #6 road wheels before making the straight line for the sprocket and idler. It is really obvious in the last picture you posted of the right side of your KV that there is a track link and a half or two links flat on the ground before they head up to the sprocket. On mine I finally gave up and bought Model Kasten tracks. Has anyone cracked the code on how to make the link and lengths fit better? Nice build and I'm looking forward to seeing how you complete the painting and weathering.

Hi Brandon,

the KV looks great! nice clean build & paint job. great base for weathering on the tracks. looking forward to the next steps. i have this kit in my small stash, it was highly recomended by my nephew. great job & good luck on the rest.

Gary