It's great to have a variant that was not covered before. Until now, it was only possible to built that particular variant by cross-kitting Trumpeter kits 00357 and 00358. That said, judging from the pictures, there are some details that seem to be incorrect. As far as I can see, it should represent a Model 1941 with the up-armored welded turret, manufactured in November/December 1941. On this type of turret, the rear-facing episcope covers should touch the rear edge of the turret roof plate, which doesn't seem to be the case. So they replicated the error of the Trumpeter kits. The stowage bins on the number 9 and 10 positions are correct. The covers on the drive sprocket covers carry 16 bolts each, but they were reduced to 12 in August and then to 8 in October. The wheels are the cast two-part type, mounted on the early type suspension arms with 6 bolts per cover, though they were gradually replaced by all-steel road wheels beginning in October, and were almost universally fitted in December. The return rollers are the all-steel type, which would be more fitting to the latter road wheel type. For the earlier two-part wheels, rubber-rimmed return rollers would be more appropriate, but I don't know if that's a hard-and-fast rule. The cross-cut saw on the number 5 position should definitely be omitted, though. That was hidden away long before. The tube on the number 6 position, containing the gun cleaning rods, is correctly missing. That was removed after the cross-cut saw, BTW. The hatches match interior detail, as did the Trumpeter ones. The turret hatch was the only one that could not be opened from the outside, so the central socket should be filled with putty. Also a mistake carried over from the Trumpeter kits (only correct on the KV-2). What's definitely improved, compared to the Trumpeter kits, is the structure of the rolled plates on the turret sides, and the cast steel structure on the gun mantlet and trunnions.

Neil Stokes? Your thoughts?

Is the beloved engine hatch molded shut thus frustrating the ranks of the after marker guys???

Hello! Of course, this is not "KV-1 early release of the 41st year." This, most of all, is similar to the KV-1 of the ChKZ issue from November to December of the 41st year. Those, not the earliest, but just the latest. I already wrote on the Missing-Lynx Minuses: - wrong suspension arms - flat bolts instead of the conical bolt heads on the roof of the engine compartment. - poorly made periscope hood on the roof of the turret Pros: - modification not previously recreated by the manufacturer - very likely the correct asymmetric turret (previously not recreated by anyone) According to the report, dated December 1, 1941, only on the 20th of November of the 41st the factory switched to casting rollers without internal depreciation. These tanks came to the front in the 42st year. At least in the photographs - in tank units or wrecked, tanks with such rollers appear already in the spring of the 42nd. it's not the case Here is the turret of the tank, the issue of ChKZ on December 41st.

With the retro art work I at first thought that this was a nostalgia re-release from the evil days of mechanized toys. That its a new kit came as a nice surprise that I'll have to look further into. Some day.