Trumpeter's 1/35 Soviet B-4 M1931 203mm Howitzer
By Kent Kirkpatrick
The M1931 (B-4) is a rather old weapon developed in 1931 and adopted for service in 1934. It may be found in the heavy artillery brigade at front level. The B-4M was replaced by the 203-mm self-propelled gun Ml975, which is mounted on a tracked chassis. The 203-mm howitzer M1931 (B-4) has a relatively short tube, only 25 calibers long. It fires bag-type, variable-charge, separate-loading ammunition. Early models were mounted on a full-track (but not self-propelled) carriage in firing position and for short moves. For longer moves, the tube was removed and transported on a separate four-wheeled tube transporter. The B-4 used a box trail and was towed by the AT-T tracked artillery tractor. The M1931 fires a 98.8-kg HE round to a maximum range of 18,025 meters. The M1931 has a very limited traverse of 8 degrees and a slow rate of fire of 0.5 rd/min (some reports indicate 1 rd/min). The Kit
There is a twelve-page fully-illustrated instruction booklet, painting/marking color plate, ten sprues of light grey styrene, one sprue of photo-etch (PE), two parts of black vinyl, string and one sheet of decals. Initial review of the styrene sprues show crisp detail most notably the scale rivets and wood grain surfaces. There is no visible flash or sink marks. Injection pins marks appear to be on the inside (hidden side) of parts. The individual track links are nicely done even though they are basic in design. The main gun barrel is in two halves while the accompanying shells are molded as one part. Vinyl rims for the towing carriage are simple but well molded with no flash. The seven PE parts include tread plate and barrel rifling which should enhance the level of detail. The two white decals are thin but basic with only a slogan in Russian whose translation is undocumented.
Upon reviewing the instruction sheet, assembly is well documented and illustrated with a parts location diagram. It appears to be quite an assembly project for this kit. Construction begins with the assembly and detailing of the gun support chassis. Be careful sanding or trimming any parts so you don't this the fine scale rivets on the leading edges. Next you assemble the trailing carriage and wheels with not complications here. The five-piece 203mm gun barrel is assembled. I wouldn't imaging there being much of a seam to fill on this but an after-market barrel maybe an option if there is one available. Once the main gun is assembled you will add further details including the trunnion, breech, elevating gear and miscellaneous. The main gun side supports are assembled with sighting and elevating detail. Again, try to avoid removing any rivet detail during assembly. Next you will mate the side supports with the main gun assembly. As a suggestion, you may want to pre-paint parts ahead of time. Otherwise, when assembly is done on this kit you may have a hard time covering up any light grey surfaces you won't get to. Next up is the tracked under-carriage of this non self-propelled gun platform. Assembly of the separate links with the heavy suspension system doesn't look like it offers any complications. If you have built a bulldozer kit this is what it would be like rather than a tank. The main gun assembly, with supports, are now mated to the gun chassis with some more external detailing involving shell trays, crew platform and seating assembly. Finally, you will mate the gun platform to the tracked suspension with the trailing carriage. Now you are done and ready for paint!
The only things I imagine missing in this kit are the shell transporter and some propellant bags.
Using the painting/marking sheet and box art should be helpful when finishing your B-4 Howitzer. The paint color references are for Mr. Hobby for the most part calling for Russian green as the main color. With the exterior detailing (i.e., rivets) this model should be dry-brushed to enhance its display value.
Conclusion
This is truly a unique model of a pre-World War II Soviet weapons system and Trumpeter did a fine job of recreating it in 1/35 scale. I hope they do this in 1/72 scale like some of their other kits. I highly recommend this offering which would make a welcomed addition to your scale artillery collection. I would like to thank Stevens International for the review kit.
References
https://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/russia/b-4.htm