Trumpeter 1/35 scale Russian Heavy Tank IS-3M

Kit: No. 00316
Scale: 1/35

Manufacturer: Trumpeter, distributed by Stevens International, P.O. Box 126, Magnolia, NJ 08049, 856-435-1555, www.stevenshobby.com
Price: $19.95
Comments: Injection-molded, 243 parts (20 vinyl), decals
Pros: Good detail, good representation of a combat Stalin tank, good decals
Cons: Some fit problems, turret bayonet won't engage hull ring, vinyl tracks too stiff to sag properly

This is the first 1/35 scale injection-molded kit of the IS-3M Stalin tank. It represents the most familiar version of this vehicle, marked by the hull stowage doors and sand shields. The neatly molded olive-green parts show minimal flash, and surface detail is very good. It bears a close resemblance to the Tamiya early IS-3. Trumpeter's tracks are single-piece vinyl units. Exterior details include a complete set of fuel tanks, smoke canisters, and a 12.7mm antiaircraft machine gun. The only interior details are the turret-hatch periscopes.

Polly caps allow the wheels to be installed after painting. The suspension arms have a lot of vertical play, even though there are locking pins on the chassis. I found this out the hard way after attaching all the arms and then checking their vertical alignment with a ruler. I was able to reset them and found the placement guide from the Tamiya IS-3 useful for fixing the problem.

The upper hull has four main components: the top/front, back, and two side plates. The side plates lack positive attachment points and are a bit short in length. After I glued them in place, I had to fill gaps at the rear joints to the hull top. If I were to build another kit, I would install hull-top supports to improve the attachment of the side plates. I left off the sand shields until the tracks had been added.

The turret has a nice representation of the cast surface. An odd interlocking tab on the bottom component needed to be filled and sanded to blend with the top turret part. The mantlet's armored cover fits sloppily because of the poor fit of its hinge.

When I placed the turret on the hull, I could not get the turret locking tabs to engage the hull ring. The tabs aren't set low enough to clear the thickness of the plastic. I had to cut off the tabs and simply drop the turret in loose. I trimmed 2mm from the turret ventilator rain guard (part No. C12) because it was a bit too long.

After both the turret and hull were assembled, I painted them, along with the separate wheels and sand shields.

The vinyl tracks were too long. I removed one link from each and adjusted the interlocking tab accordingly. If the tracks had been more flexible, the extra length would have been useful in portraying the normal sag found on Stalin tracks. Super glue would not adhere, so I followed the instructions and melted the attachment pins with a heated screwdriver.

The sand shields were a finicky fit and didn't line up well with the rear mud flaps. I used gap-filling super glue with an accelerator to close the joints.

Headlight lenses were provided but they were molded in olive green plastic. I used Micro Kristal Kleer to form the lenses. I painted my Stalin with Gunze Sangyo Aqueous Hobby Colors, but the instructions give color numbers only for Gunze's "Mr. Color" enamels, not easily found in the United States.

Trumpeter provides decals for one Soviet and one Egyptian tank; I chose the Egyptian version. The large eagle insignia went down well over a clear gloss coat.

My primary reference was Military Ordnance Special Number 20 IS-3 Stalin Heavy Tank. The finished model measures to scale, but the sand shields appear too deep compared to photos.

It took just 15 hours to build my Trumpeter IS-3M. Once the fit problems are overcome, this is a kit that builders with average skills can handle and enjoy. I liked the final result and am glad to have another postwar Soviet tank in my collection.

Jim Zeske