Clearwater Models: OBJECT 703, ИС-3M, IS-3M HEAVY TANK (Trumpeter)

Object 703, ИС-3M, IS-3 (Ио́сиф Ста́лин Iosef Stalin-3) heavy tank was the product of a competition between the Kirovskiy Factory No. 100 in Tankograd in Chelyabinsk (Кировский Завод No. 100), and the Chelyabinsk Tractor Factory (ЧТЗ Челябинский тракторный завод) in late 1944. The final version incorporated design aspects from both teams. The first three production tanks (project name Kirovets-1) were delivered in May 1945 and sent immediately to Berlin, but arrived after the Nazi scum had been defeated. The tanks took part in the Berlin victory parade and the Moscow victory parade.

Some 2311 were built from 1945 through 1947, with most serving in the Soviet Army. The upgrade to produce the IS-3M was begun in 1948, and resulted in a better tank but a weight gain up to 49 tonnes. A tiny number were passed to Eastern European allies for tests and acclimation, yet never served in any of those armies. Several were used in the 1956 Soviet invasion of Hungary, and were roasted in the streets of Budapest by the population. More than a hundred went to ill-trained Egyptian armoured units, and from there on to Israel due to their better wartime skills. The type continued in active service for decades until being sent into long-term storage depots in the mid-1980s. The last known use was in 2014 when a pedestal display tank was refurbished and briefly used by Russian-supported seperatists in Ukraine.

The model has been done as a tank of the 71st Guards Heavy Tank Regiment of the 2nd Guards Tank Army posted in the western USSR on the Polish border in 1960.

This is the Trumpeter 1:35 scale model (#00316) from 2002. The vinyl rubber-band tracks have great detail, but were too long, so I cut out one link on each side and used an office stapler to re-attach the loop. This worked perfectly, and the staples are painted black and hidden under the dust skirt. I added ten metal handles on the turret as the plastic ones do not fit to the holes. Also, I added glass to the headlights, and added metal protectors over the headlights. The machine gun has the sighting plate drilled out, and two holes drilled through the sides of the muzzle brake.

Paint is Tamiya XF-26 Deep Green, with an overspray of mixed X-8 Lemon Yellow and deep green with thinner; then an overspray of yellow and white with mostly thinner. This was my first attempt at spraying thinned yellow onto a paint job, and I was happy with the results. Decals sit on a layer of Future Floor Wax and used a bit of Solvaset to settle into the moulding of the cast turret so the crest and hull numbers take on a true painted look. The whole thing is matted down using a few coats of Vallejo clear matte. Dust and dirt are rubbed on Vallejo powders. I like tanks with track skirts as those hide my building errors.

Object 703, ИС-3M IS-3M (Ио́сиф Ста́лин Iosef Stalin-3M) heavy tank

Wednesday 30 December 2020

OBJECT 703, ИС-3M, IS-3M HEAVY TANK (Trumpeter)