ISU-122Heavy Self-Propelled Gun

Manufacturer:PST (Kit #005)

PST is oneof the newest manufacturers to enter the market, and their entryinto the small-scale armor scene is astounding. Their firstseries of kits include the IS and ISU line of vehicles, which allshare some common components, and my first kit of theirs is theISU-122. They have also released the ISU-122S (#006), whichincludes a larger gun barrel with muzzle brake. The two kits areidentical, except for their instructions and optional parts, soyou can make either vehicle from either kit if necessary.

Accordingto the vehicle dimensions included in the instructions, the kitscales out perfectly to 1/72nd. I have compared it to the 1/35thscale ISU-122 by DML, and the detail and dimensions are almostidentical, so assuming the DML kit is accurate ( usually a fair usumption), then this kit is highly accurate as well. Thedetail on the model is very good. It is better than mostcurrently marketed kits, surpassed only by Revell's latestreleases, and perhaps a few old ESCI kits. Some of the smallerdetails need replacing, however, such as the hand holds on thesuperstructure sides. I replaced the ones in my kit with bentbrass wire. PART makes a beautiful photoetched brass detail setfor this kit, which I passed on using this time around.

Thequality of molding is not as high as other companies', more alongthe lines of "limited-run" technology, but it iscertainly acceptable. The plastic is very soft, so care must betaken when cutting and sanding, so as not to inadvertantly takeoff too much. Many of the bogie wheels were molded poorly, asthough the two mold halves were not lined up correctly, and therims of some wheels were off-center. Luckily, the problem is notreal noticable on the completed model.

The two hatches on thesuperstructure roof are molded open, however, they were verythick, so if you want to pose them open, you'll have to thin themconsiderably. The loading hatch on the rear of the superstructureis molded open, but the hatch opening is blanked off from theinside, so that would need to be opened to have an open hatch.Unfortunately, no crew figures are included to put in thehatches.

The sparefuel cannisters and the smoke barrels on the rear hull have aunique construction, with separate end caps, so as to eliminatethe sanding from the ends, and making the finished barrels lookmuch cleaner. This method works very well, and I found that itwas much easier to cut off the alignment pins on the barrelhalves, and sand the mating surfaces completely smooth, for amuch better fit. An optional storage tube for a spare gun barrelis included to replace the two fuel cells on the right hull side,if you so choose. I hollowed out the two exhaust ports on theengine deck, because they are molded solid in the rear, wherethey should be open.

An AAmachinegun is included for the commander's hatch, but I left itoff my kit. Although fairly well detailed, it does not exhibitthe same high level of detail as the rest of the kit. There areattachment hooks for the tow cables on the rear hull, and the eyerings for the ends of the tow cables are included in plastic, butthe modeler is required to fabricate his own cables from thread,or some other appropriate material. Although this is additionalwork for the modeler to locate suitable material, the final cablewill likely look better than poorly molded plastic cables, as aretypical in these kits.

The tracksare link and length, hard plastic, and very well detailed. Theyare, however, a little difficult to work. Each one requiredsubstantial cleaning up, which is tedious enough at the largerscale, much less small scale. The teeth holes are too small forthe sprocket teeth (probably due to flash) so instead of takingthe time to open them all up some, which isn't even guaranteed towork, I clipped off the teeth from the sprocket wheel where thetrack links attach. It's not at all noticable on the completedmodel. Plenty of spare links are included, which allow you toreplicate the pronounced track sag typical of these vehicles.

The kitdecals were extremely thin, but bunched up a little bit when Iwas applying them, and it took me a long time to smooth them out.Be careful when placing yours to avoid this hassle. They are someof the best decals I have had the pleasure of using. After a coatof clear flat, the carrier film has completely disappeared, andthey look painted on. I painted the model Polly Scale SovietGreen (almost any green would work - there were no paintstandards), and I gave the tracks a heavy rust wash. The scanabove makes the tracks look far rustier then they actually are,but a fair amount of rust is accurate for these tanks. All inall, this kit did not go together quite as smoothly as someothers that I have built, but the finished product looksfantastic, due to the excellent detail molded onto it. I highlycommend PST for providing us with this long desired kit of a veryimportant vehicle.