Overview
The Voroshilovets tractor won a competition for development and went into production in 1939. It was used in a wide variety of settings throughout WWII, pulling everything from tanks to heavy artillery.
The Kit
This offering by Trumpeter is an interesting development for them -- an unarmed vehicle. With 383 parts (no, I didn't count them), it includes a high level of detail, however a bunch of that count is the individual track links. Each assembly comes in a separate bag; there are 11 sealed inner bags together. Most of the parts are crisply molded in sand colored styrene with no flash or sink marks that I could find. The remainder of the parts are the track links and the clear parts molded in earth colored styrene and well, clear respectively.
Although the track links are interlocking, they are non-operating. It seems to me, as well molded as they are, that it would have been simple for Trumpeter to mold bumps on one side and dimples on the other to make them "snappable" and operating. The way it is will take some care in gluing. The instructions are are very clear for that assembly, illustrating how many links are in each side and which way they go since they are handed.
As for the vehicle itself, it's very well detailed with a fully molded hull rather than a box that requires assembly. I like that since it eliminates any seams and do forth. There are four bags of bogies -- one bag for each assembly. They look great, but are also non-operating. Unlike the tracks, which would be a massive undertaking, these wheels could be easily pinned to be made operable. The cab is also molded in one piece. Although skipped in the instruction sheet, they include both a bench seat and individual seat for the cab. There are also bench seats for the bed that are made to represent wood. The grain in both the bed and benches is a little heavy handed; the thorough modeler would be served well to sand it off and paint it on using a dry brush technique. The calash (canvas cover for the bed) has ribs molded on the underside. I didn't expect that and it's a nice touch.
There are marking options for only two vehicles; with a little research, there are many others that could be applied. I don't know, but it seems that it would have been put into civilian use after the war. I could imagine a snowplow rigged in it, which would be a fun modification.
Conclusion
In summary, it looks like a fine kit of an unusual subject. For the armor modeler who enjoys building artillery pieces, this opens all sorts of diorama opportunities. With some accessories cannibalized from another kit (not included here) the bed could be filled with all sorts of stuff. The retail price nearing $60 doesn't seem that much considering all the goodies that the kit comes with. Our thanks to Stevens International for the review sample.