KV-2-107 - The Upgunned Giant
Trumpeter 1/72
- asteikko:
- 1:72
- Status:
- ideat
The 107mm ZiS-6 (formerly F-42) was in development at Plant No.172 as early as 1940 preceeding any specific requirements for tanks with this armament. Development accelerated when the "new" KVs (KV-3, KV-4, KV-5) were being planned to counter illusive heavy tank projects believed to be undertaken and/or completed in Germany or having been captured in France. In fact the gun was finished and a lot of barrels ordered and completed before any of the new vehicles reached prototype status. Thus a KV-2 was used to test the weapon on a vehicle, as the big turret was recognised early on as one of the best current options for mountingthe large 107mm artillery.
While in real life the one modified KV-2 stayed the only conversion of this type and Grabin´s proposal to save the completed guns by mounting them on the big-turret KV (even in a proposed mount with a coaxial 45mm) went nowhere, the whole situation is a neat basis for a simple "What-If" where one can suppose either KV-2 production extended slightly, or serial conversions undertaken to get the new powerful gun into combat. My take will be the latter case and I´ll build a vehicle fitted with some extra hull armour as well.
The kit used will be Trumpeter´s 1/72 KV-2-107 with an OKB barrel, some PE and 3D-printed workable tracks.