IS-2 (BattleFront)

Manufacturer: BattleFront Miniatures

Product Code: SBX???

Date of Article: 12 Jan 2009

Description

The IS-2 is a late war heavy tank introduced by the Soviet as a breakthrough tank. Its role was not engagement of enemy tanks like that of the T-34/ 85s; it is more to lead attacks into fortified positions and against enemy armour. The thick armour on the IS-2 reduced the Panther‘s advantage, but not overwhelmingly so.

In general, there’s really nothing much too difficult about the IS-2 miniature. This miniature is large, easy to handle, and cleanly cast; the tracks had some flash but due to the large sizes of the component was easily cleaned. The barrel turned out to be the most annoying because of its length; it can bend easily, and storage will be a problem.

Turret Rear MG

This is a fiddly piece that should be glued ASAP. Do note that there is a tab representing the gun sight and should not be filed away; I accidentally did this for one tank. The tab also makes painting a tad bit difficult, so you need to slow down to ensure coverage.

Cupola

The cupola of the IS-2 is a nice, large piece with a good socket. Given that the FoW rules allow for an optional 0.5 cal AA MG, it actually is worth the effort to magnetize this cupola. The size makes it possible to easily swap the cupola, unlike the T-34/76.

Also, the boxed set does not come with unattended AA MG. It has a cupola with no MG, a cupola with a manned MG, but no cupola with unmanned MG. If you want unmanned MGs, it’s not possible to do so with the boxed set unless you resort to snipping and sanding.