1:100 2S35 "KOALITSIYA-SV"

Soviet light tank MS-1 from Zvezda, 1:100 scale

A model in the small 1:100 scale, which Zvezda has long devoted to tabletop war games and to quick building. The subject is the MS-1, also designated T-18, that is the very first tank mass-produced in the Soviet Union. The small format means a manageable number of parts and a result that fits in the palm of your hand, yet still captures the typical silhouette of the vehicle.

The real subject

The MS-1 came about at the end of the 1920s and its shapes clearly betray the inspiration of the French Renault FT: a short hull, a towing tail at the rear for crossing trenches and a rotating turret with a gun supplemented by a machine gun. On it Soviet industry mastered the mass production of a tracked combat vehicle for the first time and built just under a thousand pieces. The type went into action at the end of the 1920s in the Far East, and some of the surviving vehicles appeared in the 1940s as dug-in firing points.

Advice on building and weathering

In a scale this small it is cleanliness that decides: level the sprue gates straight away and fill the gaps on the hull, otherwise they will stand out under the paint. Finish the running gear first and fit the turret only afterwards. Lighten the base green finish on the horizontal surfaces, let a dark wash run into the rivets and suggest deposits around the tracks with a fine dust pigment.

Who the model is for

• players of tabletop battles in a small scale
• anyone interested in interwar tracked vehicles
• modelers who want a finished model in one evening
• collectors building a series of Soviet vehicles

In the package the vehicle is unassembled and unpainted. Obtain paints and glue according to your own way of working.