During 1938, the Soviet design bureau began working on a heavy tank intended to replace the T-35. All the designs were of the multi-turreted type except for one, which it's designers named after Kliment Voroshilov, the defense commissar then in power. Known as the KV-1, this design was far more mobile than the other submissions. It was eventually field tested in the Finnish Winter War of 1940 and was accepted for mass production that summer.

The vehicle went into production in two forms: a self-propelled gun, known as the KV-2 and a standard tank, designated the KV-1A. The prototype tank had been armed with a short 7.62-mm gun but in 1941 a better and somewhat longer 7.62-mm gun was used instead. The first version of the tank had some transmission and clutch problems which made changing gear extremely difficult. Other than that the KV-1 was a solid design, which set the course of Soviet heavy tank production for many years.

The KV-1B had an additional 25-35 mm of armor added to the sides and front of the hull to provide extra protection. The protective capability of the tanks armor was further increased when the plated turret was replaced with a cast version that was slightly more rounded on the KV-1C. A cast turret not only increased protection for the crew but it also simplified and speeded up the production process. The KV-1C also had a better engine giving the vehicle 75 kW of additional power.

The KV-1S (S for skorostnoy, meaning fast) attempted to improve the power-to-weight ratio further buy removing all the applique armor and thus making the tank lighter. The final version, produced in 1943, used the newly produced turret of the IS-1 tank, which carried an 85-mm main gun.

Upon the German invasion of the USSR the Kirovskij factory building the KV-1 was moved to Cheljabinsk and was renamed Cheljabinskij Kirovskij zavod. Despite the monumental trek, the manufacturer still managed to build and field 933 tanks in the second half of 1941.

In action the KV-1 was used as a breakthrough tank due to it's heavy armor. Though it's theoretical top speed was 35 km/h this was rarely achieved. As a breakthrough tank this was not a handicap, since it was up to the faster T-34s to rush through the enemy lines once the KV-1s had broken the enemies defenses.

Pictured here is a 1:43 scale diecast replica of a Soviet KV-1 Model 1941 heavy tank. Now in stock!

Dimensions:
Length: 7-inches
Width: 3-inches

Release Date: July 2021