Hello!

Maybe some of yoou remember me, had a hard time going through (personal issues).

I have two questions on the JS- 3:
There are two 1/35 kits at the moment on the market, the Tamiya and the Trumpeter JS-3.

Which one is the better one regarding details and accuracy?
The price is not a desicion for me.

The second question is on individual track links for the JS-3. IIRC, Modelkasten and ATM made a set for the JS- 3. Which one is a better choice, also not regarding the price.

Friul is not a choice for me, just in case they also made a set.

Final question: Anybody out there who has the link of ATM? I seems I deleted it for some reason...


TIA,

Violetrock

Well I'm not an expert in post war Soviet armor but from what I have read the Trumpeter kit is the more common version with the stowage boxes on the side and Tamiyas is a very early version and was not produced in any great numbers . As for the tracks if friuls are not an option ..I'd go with Modelkasten ...but I really don't know the other company ,so I would stick to what I know...Have fun with the kit !!

Rick

I believe Zvezda??? also has an IS-3 out.

This reasonably priced kit is a pretty easy build and has beautiful turret casting marks. However the tracks are pretty bad as far as holding paint, and are the segmented band type, plus the opening between the top and bottom hull parts needs to be filled with sheet plastic. Once completed and painted, it looks pretty good.

Good luck on whatever you choose.

Steve

Steve, I think you are thinking of the JS-II that Italeri has out...

The Tamiya kit has crisper detail, but again, it is meant to represent a very early JS-III, like the Berlin Parade/fighting Japanese type WWII version. The JS-IIIM by Trumpeter is the far more common tank, but the details in the kit are a bit softer and the tracks are not as nice. Tracks aside, both are resonable kits with only the price being the main factor...up to you...

I have both and I have finished the Tamiya version. Pretty crisp detail and the building is straightforward. I have yet to get to the Trumpeter version. Looking forward to the challenge. I will be getting the Modelkasten tracks for that one.

enjoy the build.

My trumpeter JS-3 is nearly done. My only comments would be:
* Holes are oversize - expect some putty action
* Turret surface casting detail is a bit heavy-handed
* The things connecting the fuel tanks to the deck should be mounted at an angle, and not straight like the instructions show.
* I've replaced the tracks with friul. They fit perfectly over the kit sprocket, but the skirts hide most of the sag on the top, so maybe the kit tracks could be used.
* I've replaced the barrel with a Jordi one. The muzzle brake with JR was a joke, though, so I cut it off of the kit barrel and glued it to the JR barrel.

All in all, it's been a really smooth build.

Oh, you may also want to check out PMMS, I believe they did a full comparison between the two kits.

Mika

Haven't seen the Tamiya JS-3 but the Trumpeter kit has gotten mostly positive reviews. FSM did a full review on it, though, and they complained of some fit problems....