Italeri's 1/72 ISU-122 (Fast Assembly Kit)
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The Kit
 The
'Fast Assembly' line of kits were developed by Italeri for wargame use,
namely the Alzo-Zero Wargame. Enclosed in the box you will find two part
sprues molded in olive drab styrene. This enables you to build two fully-assembled
models of one of Russia's World War II era self-propelled guns, the ISU-122.
Each ISU-122 consists of nine parts consisting of upper hull, lower hull,
gun mantlet, 122 mm gun barrel, external fuel tanks and one-piece track/suspension.
 This
kit sure would be a fast build at the expense of detail but that is what
this line was made for. Most wargamers are not looking for that much detail.
As a modeler, I would not be interested in this type of model kit as I
would want a higher level of detail. Actually, I am impressed with the
upper hull and mantlet detail. The mantlet has a 'cast' texture to it
that is better than other kits of the ISU-122 in 1/72 scale. The same
can be said of the upper hull. The four external fuel tanks  are
molded in pairs. The 122mm main gun isn't too bad for scale as the muzzle
brake vents are open but the end of the muzzle brake is not. As for the
track and suspension, it is what you would expect for a fast assembly
in that the road wheels, suspension and track are molded as one part.
Assembly and paint instructions are on the back of the box. Painting calls
for two colors, Russian armor green and gun metal metallic. It does not
say who's paint to use so it is up to you to pick one. I'm somewhat curious
that there are no decals for this ISU-122, not even basic markings such
as a red star. Perhaps for wargaming you are not concerned about them.
Conclusion
For wargaming, I would recommend this kit of two ISU-122s. It would
take less time to assemble than an actual model kit. They are also less
expensive than an actual kit. I am impressed with the level of detail
on some of the parts. It should be an enjoyable build for the weekend
game warrior and you will be pleased with the overall detail. I would
like to thank MRC for the
review kit
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