This is a 1/35 scale Trumpeter model of a Soviet B-4 M1931 203mm howitzer. It was nicknamed "Stalin's sledgehammer" by German soldiers as it slammed through Berlin in the final days of the Great Patriotic War. Nearly 900 were built, and it was considered a very important weapon controlled directly by the Stavka in Moscow. The heavy gun served with the Soviet Army, and (strangely) with the Cuban military.
This is a great kit and it makes up very nicely. It has a metal barrel and individual link metal tacks (the only time I have bought expensive after-market stuff). It is painted with water-based Russian Green paint. The two shells in the cradle have graffiti on then saying Berlin and Adolf Hitler. The kit and additional bits all came mail order. I won an award for this model.
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| B-4 M1931 203mm howitzer |
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| B-4 M1931 203mm howitzer |
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| B-4 M1931 203mm howitzer |
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| B-4 M1931 203mm howitzer |
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| B-4 M1931 203mm howitzer |
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| B-4 M1931 203mm howitzer |
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| Mr. Modeller on a B-4 at Petrograd's Artillery Museum. |
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| In a Moscow winter... |
