Zvezda 1/35 Su-100 SPG

The SU-100 saw extensive service during the last year of the war. It was used en masse in Hungary in March 1945, when Soviet forces defeated the German Operation Frühlingserwachen offensive at Lake Balaton. By July 1945, 2,335 SU-100s had been built.

The vehicle remained in service with the Red Army well after the war; production continued in the Soviet Union until 1947 and into the 1950s in Czechoslovakia. It was withdrawn from Soviet service in 1957 but many vehicles were transferred to reserve stocks. Some exist to this day in the Russian Army holding facilities.

Many Warsaw Pact countries also used the SU-100, as did Soviet allies such as Egypt, Angola and Cuba. A few SU-100 were delivered to Yugoslavia after the war, under the designation M-44. The SU-100 saw service in the fighting that accompanied the 1956 Suez Crisis, in which the Egyptians used SU-100s against Israel's M4 Sherman tanks. The vehicle was also utilized in the 1967 Six-Day War and the 1973 Yom Kippur War. It was modified slightly to adapt it to the sandy conditions of the Middle East, thus creating the SU-100M variant. Exported SU-100s continued in service until the 1970s, and in some countries, even later. Yugoslavs used them during the civil war however due to lack of spare parts they were quickly retired, but performed satisfactory. The SU-100 remains in use by the Vietnam People's Army and the Korean People's Army Ground Force despite the age of the design.

SU-100s entered service with the People's Liberation Army (PLA) of China in 1955 after Soviet forces left Dalian. The armaments in Dalian were sold to China, including 99 SU-100s, 18 IS-2 heavy tanks, 16 T-54s and 224 T-34s, with which PLA formed its 1st Mechanised Division.

Zvezda kits have a reputation for providing nicely done and relatively un-complex kits. No 800 part wonders out of this one and many modelers prefer a smaller parts count with their kits. This one is molded in their usual green plastic, with a touch of flash and a sink area here and there. The kit comes unbagged and in Zvezda's lock top box where the flimsy box top is really just a cover. I like these boxes, though wish the parts were better contained within.

First thing I noticed is that it has four piece vinyl tracks. These do not have the detail one would have on separate track links or even link and length sets, but do make for a pretty speedy build. The kit has no interior detailing so one builds it with all the hatches and covers closed. There are no optional parts on this one and the gun assembly is basically just the barrel attached to a ball joint that fits inside the gun area on the hull.

There are plenty of external hatches and various bits and pieces to attach to the hull, so it is not like early Tamiya kits were much of this detail was molded on. If one has figures, one can mold some of the personnel hatches open to place figures in the kit.

Instructions are of the 3D variety and while a tad dark, are easy enough to see and figure what goes where. Color information is minimal and includes generic and Model Master references. Though only one tank is shown in the instructions (the same one as on the box), the decal sheet has markings for several. These vehicles were basically Soviet Armor Green with tactical numbers, so nothing really fancy.  

If your penchant is for Soviet armor or you just want something that will not take months to build, then this is a kit for you. Another plus is that it is not expensive so you will not have to sneak it past your wives!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SU-100

March 2012

My thanks to www.dragonmodelsusa.com for the preview kit. Get yours today at your local retailer or on-line store.

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