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Soviet S-51 Self-Propelled Gun 1:35


Mike

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Soviet S-51 Self-Propelled Gun
1:35 Trumpeter


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Using a chassis from the successful KV-1, the S-51 mated a huge 203mm B4 howitzer, resulting in a leviathan weighing over 55 tonnes that caused problems for the transmission. The recoil of the gun was also so fierce that the crew had to dismount during firing to avoid being thrown off and injured. It was such a mismatch that it was never accepted into service, with only one prototype built.

The Kit
Trumpeter have taken the opportunity to kit this virtual "бумага танк" as it utilises the unaltered hull of a KV-1, to which they have mated the new superstructure and the sprues of the B4 howitzer that was released in 2012. I'm sure it was probably more complicated than that, but that's what it looks like to this reviewer. It's not a bad thing though, as who would have created a full new tooling of such a niche vehicle otherwise?

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Opening up the box reveals 13 sprues in pale grey styrene plus a hull tub in a protective card annex within the box, two track sprues in mid-brown styrene, a tiny clear sprue, a fret of Photo-Etch (PE) brass, two lengths of different diameter cord, and a decal sheet about the size of a stamp. The instruction booklet printed in black and white in portrait A4, with stapled pages – I dislike the ones that just keep folding out, and the painting and decaling guide is a separate glossy sheet.

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Construction starts with the lower hull as you might expect, which has a pair of side skins that seem to have been tooled to prevent having to slide-mould the details on the sides. To this is added the curved rear plate with towing shackles, with similar ones added to the moulded in lower glacis plate at the front. Various return roller axles and bump stops are added along the sides, and the upper deck is installed, all on the first page of the instructions! The deck has a large depression toward the front where the crew stand to serve the weapon, all of which is moulded in one part. The suspension arms are mounted in the moulded in recesses, and six sets of paired road wheels are added to each side, with three paired return rollers each. The drive sprockets are made up of four parts each and fit to the rear, and the two-part idler wheels install to the front.

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The tracks are link and length, with long runs moulded together for the top and bottom sections. The top run has a pleasing sag over the three return rollers, while the bottom run is flat, as you'd expect. There are short straight runs of four links for the diagonal parts of the tracks at each end, and individual links to go around the drive sprocket and idler. Detail is good here, and the individual links around the ends will give a more accurate representation.

A pair of large deep sponsons sit over the tracks, performing the task of being fenders, and adding extra standing area for the crew, due to the tops being level with the majority of the deck. The supports for the gun are then built up using the styrene equivalent of massive beams for the gun to recoil over, a set of handrails surrounding the "pit", and a loading area made from tubular material that overhangs the rear of the tank. More handrails are added on the outer edges of the fender/sponsons, and the towing cables are made up using styrene eyes and the thicker cord supplied in the kit. Now for the fun part – the gun! The barrel is split vertically, with the complete muzzle end captive on the starboard part, to which you can add a rolled PE sleeve inside if you're feeling brave/competent. It has fine rifling detail etched in, and once glued and painted will make the barrel look much more realistic to the close observer. There is a metal barrel available from RB Models, which you can find here under the code 35B52. The rear of the barrel is keyed to fit into the outer sleeve, and this is then festooned with recuperator tubes and the toothed elevation mechanism. The three part breech is added to the rear, and a two-part breech block fits into the end, after which the trunnion mounts are then constructed with all the elevation and sighting equipment scabbed on. The rest of the elevation mechanism sits on a U-shaped platform under the breech, and here the finer cord is used to simulate two drums of cable at the front of the base. The trunnions are added to the base at the same time as the barrel, and with careful gluing the barrel can be left able to elevate. At this point the gun is added to the front of the chassis, and a pair of splinter shields are attached to the front of the sponsons, finishing the build.


Markings
This is going to be quick! Russian Green, and two Soviet patriotic emblems are included in the kit, as this was a one-off creation.

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Conclusion
A nicely moulded kit of a highly unusual, and apparently rubbish self-propelled howitzer. It looks impressive, and would look even better with a crew going through the firing process, with plenty of scope for whiffery.

Recommended.



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Don't be put off by the incorrect picture


Review sample courtesy of
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