1/100 KVS

I originally created this model for a historical fiction closely based on WWII.   What follows is my original description, placing it in the context of a fantasy world that I started work on but have since abandoned.

The KVS is my new-and-improved version of Soviet object 225 (the KV-5). KVS stands for "Krepostovyj Voennyj Samochod," which means "Fortified Fighting Vehicle," as this vehicle qualifies as a super-heavy tank and cannot be produced in nearly the numbers that heavy tanks can be. The differences between the KV-5 and KVS are quite subtle; I suggest ordering one of each to see what I mean. The most obvious are the weapons: KV-5 is armed with either a 107-mm or 122-mm main gun; KVS is armed with either a 125-mm cannon or 180-mm howitzer, both of which are included in this print. In addition, some vehicles had a sniper's turret mounted atop the main turret, and the tank acted as a mobile sniper's nest. For this reason, I have included two machine gun turrets and one sniper turret, distinguishable by the additional viewport and longer barrel. KVS tanks were typically customised by their crews, which were elite among tank and artillery crews alike. The KVS was even chosen as the command vehicle for Rhunnish High Command's secret tank battalion, the Black Storm Division. Unlike KV-5, KVS has evenly-spaced road wheels, as the weight of the tank is more evenly distributed, and therefore the ground pressure is much lower, even though both tanks weigh 100 tonnes. The KVS also has a pointed prow, a feature seen on modern tanks that first appeared on the IS-3, the Rhunnish version of which is designated TSS-20. In short, KVS is my effort to take a real-world experiment that never left the drawing board into a formidable fighting force in my fantasy world.