In Box Review of DML Dragon 1/35th Scale Soviet JS-2 Stalin II Tank
Kit no. 6012
By Ray Mehlberger
MSRP: $49.99 at Sprue Bros.
By Ray Mehlberger
MSRP: $49.99 at Sprue Bros.
HISTORY:
The IS Tank was a series of heavy tanks developed as a successor to the KV-series by the Soviet Union during World War II. The heavy tank was designed with thick armor to counter German 88 mm guns and carried a main gun capable of defeating Tiger and Panther tanks. It was mainly a breakthrough tank, firing a heavy high-explosive shell that was useful against entrenchments and bunkers.
The IS-2 went into service in April 1944 and was used as a spearhead by the Red Army in the final stage of the Battle of Berlin. The IS acronym is the anglicized initialism of Joseph Stalin (Ио́сиф Ста́лин, Iosif Stalin).
SPECIFICATIONS:
Type: Heavy tank
Place of origin: Soviet Union
Used by: Soviet Union, China, Cuba, Czechoslovakia, North Korea, Egypt, Poland
Wars: world War II, Korean War,Hungarian Revolution of 1956, Six Day War, Prague Suprising, War in Donbass
Designer: Zhozef Kotin & Nikolay Dukhov
Versions designed: 1943 (IS-2), 1944 (IS-3), 1944–45 (IS-4)
Manufacturer: Kirov Factory, UZTM
Years produced: 1943–44 (IS-1), 1943–45 (IS-2), 1945–47 (IS-3), 1945–46 (IS-4)
No. built: 130 (IS-1), 3,854 (IS-2), 2,311 (IS-3), 250 (IS-4)
Specifications (IS-2 Model 1944)
Weight: 46 tonnes (51 short tons; 45 long tons)
Length: 9.90 m (32 ft 6 in)
Width: 3.09 m (10 ft 2 in)
Height: 2.73 m (8 ft 11 in)
Crew: 4
Armor: IS-2 Model 1944:
Hull front: 100 mm at 60° angle
Lower glacis: 100 mm at 30° angle
Turret front: 100 mm (rounded)
Mantlet: 155 mm (rounded)
Hull side: 90–130 mm at 9-25°
Turret side: 90 mm at 20° angle.
Main armament: D25-T 122 mm gun (28 rounds)
Secondary armament: 1×DShK, 3×DT (2,079 rounds)
Engine: 12-cyl. diesel model V-2, 600 hp (450 kW)
Power/weight: 13 hp/tonne
Suspension: torsion bar
Fuel capacity: 820 l (180 imp gal; 220 US gal)
Operational range: 240 km (150 mi)
Speed: 37 km/h (23 mph)
The IS Tank was a series of heavy tanks developed as a successor to the KV-series by the Soviet Union during World War II. The heavy tank was designed with thick armor to counter German 88 mm guns and carried a main gun capable of defeating Tiger and Panther tanks. It was mainly a breakthrough tank, firing a heavy high-explosive shell that was useful against entrenchments and bunkers.
The IS-2 went into service in April 1944 and was used as a spearhead by the Red Army in the final stage of the Battle of Berlin. The IS acronym is the anglicized initialism of Joseph Stalin (Ио́сиф Ста́лин, Iosif Stalin).
SPECIFICATIONS:
Type: Heavy tank
Place of origin: Soviet Union
Used by: Soviet Union, China, Cuba, Czechoslovakia, North Korea, Egypt, Poland
Wars: world War II, Korean War,Hungarian Revolution of 1956, Six Day War, Prague Suprising, War in Donbass
Designer: Zhozef Kotin & Nikolay Dukhov
Versions designed: 1943 (IS-2), 1944 (IS-3), 1944–45 (IS-4)
Manufacturer: Kirov Factory, UZTM
Years produced: 1943–44 (IS-1), 1943–45 (IS-2), 1945–47 (IS-3), 1945–46 (IS-4)
No. built: 130 (IS-1), 3,854 (IS-2), 2,311 (IS-3), 250 (IS-4)
Specifications (IS-2 Model 1944)
Weight: 46 tonnes (51 short tons; 45 long tons)
Length: 9.90 m (32 ft 6 in)
Width: 3.09 m (10 ft 2 in)
Height: 2.73 m (8 ft 11 in)
Crew: 4
Armor: IS-2 Model 1944:
Hull front: 100 mm at 60° angle
Lower glacis: 100 mm at 30° angle
Turret front: 100 mm (rounded)
Mantlet: 155 mm (rounded)
Hull side: 90–130 mm at 9-25°
Turret side: 90 mm at 20° angle.
Main armament: D25-T 122 mm gun (28 rounds)
Secondary armament: 1×DShK, 3×DT (2,079 rounds)
Engine: 12-cyl. diesel model V-2, 600 hp (450 kW)
Power/weight: 13 hp/tonne
Suspension: torsion bar
Fuel capacity: 820 l (180 imp gal; 220 US gal)
Operational range: 240 km (150 mi)
Speed: 37 km/h (23 mph)
THE KIT:
DML Dragon is a prolific model company based in Honk Kong, China. They make all manner of model subjects in the popular scales.
This kit comes in a shrink-wrapped tray and lid type box. The box is blousy with a letter "L" void around the parts.
The box art shows two JS-2's moving down a street in a Polish city past large municipal buildings and a crowd of civilians and soldiers viewing them from the sidewalk. There is a captured German tank behind the viewing crowd.
Both JS-2's are in overall dark-green. The one in the foreground has 6 white letter "X's" on the side of the main gun barrel (kill marks ??). It has a white turret number 051 followed by a red diamond with a white eagle on it.
The crewmen in both tanks are looking out of the top turret hatches and one is waving to the crowd.
The second JS-2 has the red diamond with white eagle on it on its turret sides also.
These 2 tanks are with the Polish People's Army, Eastern Front, 1944.
One side panel of the box has one paragraph histories of the JS-2 in 6 languages, including English. Each is labeled with a color illustration of the flag of the country that speaks those languages.
This is followed by Marco Polo Import INC.s street address in City of Industry, California, who were the U.S. importer of DML Dragon kits at one time. Included is their FAX number, the copyright date of 1993 and MADE IN HONG KONG.
The other side panel has 3 color walk-around shots of the kit made up in a Soviet scheme in all green with a white 32 on the sides of the turret, followed again by Marco Polo's address and the copyright date and MADE IN HONG KONG.
DML Dragon is a prolific model company based in Honk Kong, China. They make all manner of model subjects in the popular scales.
This kit comes in a shrink-wrapped tray and lid type box. The box is blousy with a letter "L" void around the parts.
The box art shows two JS-2's moving down a street in a Polish city past large municipal buildings and a crowd of civilians and soldiers viewing them from the sidewalk. There is a captured German tank behind the viewing crowd.
Both JS-2's are in overall dark-green. The one in the foreground has 6 white letter "X's" on the side of the main gun barrel (kill marks ??). It has a white turret number 051 followed by a red diamond with a white eagle on it.
The crewmen in both tanks are looking out of the top turret hatches and one is waving to the crowd.
The second JS-2 has the red diamond with white eagle on it on its turret sides also.
These 2 tanks are with the Polish People's Army, Eastern Front, 1944.
One side panel of the box has one paragraph histories of the JS-2 in 6 languages, including English. Each is labeled with a color illustration of the flag of the country that speaks those languages.
This is followed by Marco Polo Import INC.s street address in City of Industry, California, who were the U.S. importer of DML Dragon kits at one time. Included is their FAX number, the copyright date of 1993 and MADE IN HONG KONG.
The other side panel has 3 color walk-around shots of the kit made up in a Soviet scheme in all green with a white 32 on the sides of the turret, followed again by Marco Polo's address and the copyright date and MADE IN HONG KONG.
WHAT'S IN THE KIT:
This kit contains 4 light-grey trees, a loose light grey hull tub, 2 dark charcoal-grey trees, the decal sheet in 6 sealed cello bags. Two instruction sheets.
The first instruction sheet consists of a single sheet that is accordion-folded into 8 pages in 8 1/2" x 12" page format.
Page 1 begins with a black and white repeat of the box art over the history of the JS-2 in 6 languages, including English.
Page 2 begins with "ATTENTION" about the kit, followed by international assembly symbol explanations and a listing of Gunze Sangyo and Italeri paints in the 6 languages.
The bottom of the page has a black and white photo of the model made up in the Soviet scheme of all green with a white 32 on the turret sides, followed by the first assembly step.
Pages 3 to 6 give a grand total of 10 assembly steps.
Page 7 is the marking and painting illustrations.
There is a 4 view of the box art scheme (already described above) and an all green Soviet scheme with a white 33 on the turret sides. Eastern Front 1944.
Page 8 has the parts trees illustrations down the left side of it. The right side has decal application instructions in 6 languages, including English.
The second instruction sheet is printed on both sides. It has illustrations of details of the JS-2 on one side and the development history of the JS heavy tank family on the reverse.
Light-grey letter A tree holds: the hull top, rear hull tub wall, engine air intake grill, gun barrel support yoke, saw, shovel, pry bar etc. (18 parts)
This kit contains 4 light-grey trees, a loose light grey hull tub, 2 dark charcoal-grey trees, the decal sheet in 6 sealed cello bags. Two instruction sheets.
The first instruction sheet consists of a single sheet that is accordion-folded into 8 pages in 8 1/2" x 12" page format.
Page 1 begins with a black and white repeat of the box art over the history of the JS-2 in 6 languages, including English.
Page 2 begins with "ATTENTION" about the kit, followed by international assembly symbol explanations and a listing of Gunze Sangyo and Italeri paints in the 6 languages.
The bottom of the page has a black and white photo of the model made up in the Soviet scheme of all green with a white 32 on the turret sides, followed by the first assembly step.
Pages 3 to 6 give a grand total of 10 assembly steps.
Page 7 is the marking and painting illustrations.
There is a 4 view of the box art scheme (already described above) and an all green Soviet scheme with a white 33 on the turret sides. Eastern Front 1944.
Page 8 has the parts trees illustrations down the left side of it. The right side has decal application instructions in 6 languages, including English.
The second instruction sheet is printed on both sides. It has illustrations of details of the JS-2 on one side and the development history of the JS heavy tank family on the reverse.
Light-grey letter A tree holds: the hull top, rear hull tub wall, engine air intake grill, gun barrel support yoke, saw, shovel, pry bar etc. (18 parts)
There are 2 identical light-grey letter B trees. Each hold: drive sprockets, road wheels, return rollers, external fuel tanks, bogies, grab handles etc. (106 parts each)
Light-grey letter C tree holds turret parts (4 parts)
Light-grey letter D tree holds: main gun barrel halves, cupola and its split doors etc. (17 parts)
There are 2 identical dark charcoal-grey letter E trees. They hold the individual type track links (91 parts each)
The one piece lower hull is loose in the box.
The kit decals.
There are no crew figures or clear parts in the kit.
It is nicely detailed externally, but there are no detail parts for inside it.
Recommended
I bought my kit at my local hobby shop years ago.
It is nicely detailed externally, but there are no detail parts for inside it.
Recommended
I bought my kit at my local hobby shop years ago.