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Rob Pollock
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SU-152 (KV-14) SPG Sep.1943 Production

January 19, 2014 · in Armor · · 10 · 3.3K

This is the recent kit of the formidable Russian self-propelled assault gun.

Its name derived from the fact that It mounted a 152 mm gun-howitzer on the chassis of a KV-1S heavy tank. Because of its adopted role as an impromptu heavy tank destroyer, capable of knocking out the heaviest German armoured vehicles—Tiger and Panther tanks, and Elefant tank destroyers—it was nicknamed Zveroboy, which roughly translates as 'Beast Killer'.

With armour kits, my tendency is to create a vignette sympathetic to the subject. In this case, I worked against type, in that I modelled it as damaged and abandoned rather than in an overtly aggressive posture. The tread is partly blown away, with a shellhole beneath the rear of the unit. I've left the escape hatch open, and the engine covers have had heat applied to distort them a little to replicate a compression blast. The Russian battle flag is from Reality in Scale.

To note, after I photographed it, I noticed that I'd left the periscope in clear plastic; I've since painted the surround to leave just the 'glass' face in view.

Reader reactions:
7  Awesome

6 additional images. Click to enlarge.


10 responses

  1. Nicely done dio...battle damage and weathering are excellent.

  2. beautiful burn out

  3. That dio really tells a story. Excellent work.

  4. Rob,
    This really hits the mark. Great little diorama which says all it has to say. Excellent damage and weathering and I love the leaves.

  5. Wow stunning dio there Rob, really well done Sir

  6. Great job! Everything is very realistic!

  7. Nice! It looks as if you had "scooped" the whole scene out of history with a giant shovel...

  8. Rob, I love Russian armor, and you have done an amazing job with this diorama. Makes you feel like you are there. Thanks for posting!

  9. Very convincing and well thought out, Rob.

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