Introduction

This set was released in August 2012 as a replacement set for the Dragon (#9108) JS-1/JS-1 fenders. It is interesting to note that Voyager neglected to mention on the cardboard holder that the set also can be used for Dragon 6012, 6018, 6052, 6804.

Brief History IS-1/IS-2

The Iosif Stalin tank (or IS tank, also known as the Joseph Stalin tank), was a heavy tank developed by the Soviet Union during World War II and first used in the Kursk area in September 1943. The tanks in the series are also sometimes called JS tanks. The heavy tank was designed with thick armour to counter the German 88 mm guns, and carried a main gun that was capable of defeating the German Tiger and Panther tanks. It was mainly a breakthrough tank, firing a heavy high-explosive shell that was useful against entrenchments and bunkers. The IS-2 was put into service in April 1944, and was used as a spearhead in the Battle of Berlin by the Red Army in the final stage of the war (from Wikipedia).

Contents

The set is packaged in a plastic zip bag stapled to a cardboard holder. The photo etched sheets are not protected by self-adhesive plastic.
• A4 format instructions
• 1 photo-etched sheet
• 1 plastic rod (5.1 cm)

the set

Fenders:
The fenders are pretty large (19.1 cm), wide at the front (2,1 cm) but small on the sides (0, 7 cm). Due to this length they are prone to bend when cut from the PE sheet, so be careful handling them. The most delicate parts are D2/D3 and D24/25. These parts will be tricky to bend as they are very long, but also very small. So take your time and handle them with care.

It is interesting to note that Voyager included 124 bolts (part D1), while the instructions show you only need 14 bolts to complete step C. The remaining bolts can be very useful for other projects and superdetailing. Overall, the assembly of the fenders is pretty straightforward.

Brackets:
Each fender consists of 5 support brackets; 3 small ones at the back (single piece) and two larger ones at the front (3-part pieces). Part D12 has some very fine weldseams. I wonder why Voyager added these because Soviet vehicles are famous for their rough weldings? Nevertheless the brackets are easy to assemble. I recommend using solder instead of superglue to attach the brackets to the fender. This is because the fenders ‘hang’ upon the brackets, so a stronger bond is preferred.

Conclusion

This set is very straightforward, but that doesn’t mean it is easy to assemble. The fenders are very delicate and assembly must be done with care. With this in mind it is a decent and affordable set to replace the oversized Dragon kit fenders.

For a review of the basic upgrade set for this kit look Here.