SU-100, the last self-propelled gun produced at the UZTM plant

Self-propelled guns SU-100 went to the front in November 1944 from the UZTM plant and their production continued after the war. The SU-100 model offered by Zvezda is most suitable for the assembly of a post-war period vehicle. I will try the assembly of the SU-100 model from Zvezda, which is closest to the production period of the end of December 1944 - January 1945.

Model SU-100 from Zvezda in 1:35 scale. Major improvements.

Imitation of the joint between the beam and the frontal armor plate

As a result of an increase in the thickness of the upper frontal armor of the vehicle to 75 mm, a step was formed when the VLD was connected to the cast beam. This situation remained on the SU-100 until the end of the war.

SU-100. Early type of VLD and NLD welding with a front cast beam

Zvezda offers a post-war version of the joint of the front beam and the upper armor plate of the SU-100. This point will definitely need to be finalized.

Model SU-100 from Zvezda. Change the shape of the joint between the cast beam and the upper VLD on the model

The shape of the front mudguards SU-100

"Zvezda" gives the late form of mud flaps, which began to be installed on the car after war time... The shape of the shields of the war period on the SU-100 was semicircular and coincided with the shields installed on the T-34 tanks.

The shields are definitely for replacement. I will do it out of tin. It will also be necessary to make "hatches" on the side walls, which were needed to install the track tensioning mechanism.

Model SU-100 from Zvezda, post-war front mudguard.

Loader's vertical flap

The vertical loader hatch door on the SU-100 hull was retained until March 1945. The flap was removed during the modernization of the hull parts in order to reduce the formation of cracks in the armor during the manufacture of parts.

Vertical door of the loader's hatch on the SU-100

The model SU-100 from Zvezda does not have it, I will do it. In general, nothing complicated. Well, the hinges will take a little tinkering. Plus, do not forget to simulate the gougeons on the hatch sash.

SU-100 Zvezda model. Space for a vertical hatch.

Modification of the panorama hatch and the upper door of the loader hatch on the SU-100 model

The upper flap of the loader's hatch - the hinges have 6 hinges, on the right hinge there is a hatch lock in the open state.

On the SU-100 model from Zvezda, it is necessary to remake the shape of the hinges and simulate the hatch lock.

Model SU-100 from Zvezda. Loader hatch

At the doors of the panorama hatch, it is necessary to make clamps, which were welded to the hinges, as well as imitation of wire torsion bars.

Model SU-100. Details of the panorama hatch on the model

Driver's hatch, marked with the letter "R."

The self-propelled hatch cover became thicker compared to the SU-85, since the thickness of the frontal armor increased, and in order to avoid confusion during assembly, the hatch cover of the SU-100 driver was marked with the letter "R." most likely meant "equal strength". The letter disappeared from the hatch in March 1945.

Unfortunately, there is no letter on the resin from the "Spare parts kit", as well as on the hatch parts for the SU-100 model from "Zvezda", and you will have to make it yourself from the sprue. Most likely you will have to tinker with gluing it to the resin part.

Connection of the side and rear armor plates of the SU-100 conning tower

Until 1945, the connection of these parts was made "in a thorn", which, during welding, led to the frequent occurrence of cracks on the hardened armor plates. Since January 1945, this connection has been made "end-to-end".

An early type of joint of the side and rear walls of the casemate in the “thorn-groove” SU-100 Belgorod

Late type of butt joint of the side and rear walls of the cabin SU-100 Belgorod

It will be quite simple to simulate a butt joint on the SU-100 model from Zvezda. To do this, plastic will need to build up the protrusions of the side walls of the cabin and simulate the welded seams.

Imitation of the joint of the side and rear armored plates of the wheelhouse model SU-100 Zvezda

Triangular kerchiefs between the conning tower and the SU-100 engine compartment.

The kerchiefs remained in the design of the machine until May 1945. They were removed in order to simplify the design and reduce the likelihood of cracks when welding body parts.

Zvezda does not have them, I will make them from plastic with imitation welds.

Model SU-100. Triangular kerchiefs behind the wheelhouse

Replacing the bolts on the aft armor plate

I will replace the bolts on the aft armor-plate, they are some kind of "smudged" in the set. I will use hardware from "MasterClub", (article: MC435036, turnkey bolt head, diameter: 0.9mm)

Handrails on the sponson of the commander's cupola, the starboard side of the wheelhouse and near the armor-caps of the fans

The handrail on the sponson of the commander's cupola appeared in January 45, while the straight handrail on the starboard side became slightly shorter. Another handrail was located next to the armor-caps of the fans, closer to the starboard side of the vehicle. All handrails will, as usual, be made of suitable wire. Found it on the net, I will use it.

Handrail next to the armor-caps of the SU-100 fans

The hatch for access to the adjustment unit of the right track on the SU-100 self-propelled gun

On the lower frontal sheet of the self-propelled guns there was a hatch for access to the tension control unit of the right caterpillar of the machine. In plastic, he is not represented in any way. Its presence will give additional detail to the model, most likely I will imitate it.

Wafer tracks manufactured by UZTM

Cast wafer tracks produced by UZTM were used. The horror that comes with the kit will be replaced by the excellent price / quality ratios from MSD.

Roller type

Solid rubber tires of rollers, instead of the previous perforated ones, were used from April 1944.

Everything is in order with the bandages, but the presence of a nut on the roller axle does not correspond to reality.

Rollers in the SU-100 set from Zvezda

It is not possible to somehow fix this with small forces. Purchase option set of rollers from "Kit SPTA", article: 35024, or give it up and leave it as it is.

Length of towing ropes SU-100

Unlike the T-34, the SU-100 used towing cables extended to 5 meters (from March 1945 - 6.5 meters). In the set, they are given in plastic with a scale length of 3.5m. I will use the cable purchased on the occasion from Microdesign. In "M-hobby" it is given detailed description laying cables on the machine.

Fuel tank mountings on the SU-100

Since January 1945, a late unified type of fastening of fuel tanks with steel bands to the platforms in the upper and lower parts of the lodgements was used. It will be necessary to understand in more detail with the construction. I have not yet decided whether the model will have tanks (travel version) or not (combat version). Tanks on the SU-100 were used only as fuel cans and had no connection to the vehicle's fuel system.

Drawings for the construction of the SU-100 model

Before starting work, I prepared the assembled drawings of the SU-100 produced in 1944-45 at a scale of 1:35.

Drawings are ready for printing on A4 sheets. Taken from the magazine "M-Hobby" and more conveniently arranged for printing on separate sheets, which is convenient when building a model.

Other improvements

In the construction I will use a metal barrel, headlights from Elf, resin parts from "Kit SPTA", MTO grilles from photo-etched "Microdesign". More details about add-ons can be found. An imitation of welded seams will be made, where it is necessary, and in the course of construction there will certainly be something that can be modified.

In this article I tried to describe all the essential points that need to be done in order to get the car as close as possible to the January 1945 release time.

Paper model PT-ACS SU-100- Soviet self-propelled artillery installation (ACS) during the Second World War, a class of tank destroyers.

Materials and tools:

1. scissors, paper knife, drawing ruler;
2. tweezers;
3. brushes for glue and paint;
4. watercolors (or pencils), toothpicks;
5. transparent acrylic glue ("Moment", etc.);
6. for printing the model matte photo paper with a density of 170-180 g / m2; for small parts - 70-80 g / m2.

1. before assembling the part, read the drawings and instructions. Locate each part and imagine assembling it;
2. make holes in the details before cutting the part itself;
3. cut only the part (s) you need right now. Place unfused parts in a box, and unused sheets in a closed folder (as an option). When throwing out trash after work, carefully inspect the paper scraps;
4. for a better bend of the part, it is necessary to draw under the ruler along the fold line, lightly pressing, with the blunt side of a knife or a toothpick so as not to damage the surface of the paper. It is better to do this from the wrong side of the part;
5. keep your fingers clean and be sure to use wipes to wipe your hands, because your hands can get dirty during work;
6. wrap cylindrical parts before gluing on a round object of a suitable diameter, this will give them a shape;
7. before gluing, it is necessary to paint over the ends of the part. White trim lines spoil general form models. Use watercolors or gouache paints to paint the ends. Once you've found the color you want, apply them in a thin layer, then let the paint dry. It is better to forget about felt-tip pens;
8. take your time with gluing. First, cut out the part, paint over it from the end, wait for the paint to dry, assemble the part. Attach it to where it should be to make sure everything is done correctly. And only then glue. Don't forget to let the glue dry.

A bit of history

Soviet tank destroyer SU-100

SU-100 - Soviet self-propelled artillery unit (ACS) during the Second World War, a class of tank destroyers, average in weight. It was created on the basis of the T-34-85 medium tank by the Uralmashzavod design bureau in late 1943 - early 1944 as a further development of the SU-85 ACS due to the latter's insufficient capabilities in the fight against German heavy tanks. Serial production of the SU-100 was launched at Uralmashzavod in August 1944 and continued until early 1948. In addition, in 1951-1956, its production was carried out under a Soviet license in Czechoslovakia. In total, 4976 SPGs of this type were produced in the USSR and Czechoslovakia.

First combat use The SU-100 took place in January 1945, and later the SU-100 was used in a number of operations during the Great Patriotic War and the Soviet-Japanese War, but in general, their combat use was limited. After the war, the SU-100 was repeatedly modernized and remained in service with the Soviet army for several decades. SU-100s were also supplied to the allies of the USSR and participated in a number of post-war local conflicts, including the most active in the course of the Arab-Israeli wars. By the end of the 20th century, the SU-100 was withdrawn from service in most of the countries that used it, but, nevertheless, in some of them, as of 2007, it is still in service.

Uralmash engineers L. I. Gorlitsky, A. L. Kizima, S. I. Samoilov; the engineers of plant number 9 A. N. Bulanov, V. N. Sidorenko and mechanical engineer P. F. Samoilov for the creation of the ACS in 1946 were awarded the title of laureate of the Stalin Prize of the first degree.

Prerequisites for creation

The first self-propelled gun of the class of tank destroyers launched into mass production in the USSR was the SU-85. It was created on the basis of the T-34 medium tank and the SU-122 assault gun and went into production in the summer of 1943. The 85-mm D-5S cannon allowed the SU-85 to effectively deal with enemy medium tanks at distances of more than a kilometer, and at shorter distances and penetrate the frontal armor of heavy tanks. At the same time, already the first months of using the SU-85 showed that the power of its gun was insufficient to effectively combat enemy heavy tanks, such as the Panther and Tiger, which, having an advantage in firepower and protection, as well as effective aiming systems, imposed a battle from long distances.

On August 29, 1943, a GKO order was issued on the prompt creation of more effective anti-tank weapons. In fulfillment of the order in September - October at Uralmashzavod, among a number of other self-propelled guns based on the T-34, a preliminary design was made for the installation of a 122-mm D-25 cannon in a modified SU-85 hull. Further development of the project showed that such an alteration would increase the mass of the ACS by 2.5 tons, as well as a decrease in ammunition and rate of fire. In general, the study of the options presented showed that the installation of a 122-mm cannon or a 152-mm D-15 howitzer on an ACS of the SU-85 type would cause an overload of the chassis and a decrease in the vehicle's mobility, so it was decided to leave these weapons for arming heavy tanks and self-propelled guns. On the other hand, interest was aroused by the project of an enlarged cabin with enhanced armor applied on the SU-D-15.

An alternative direction, on which hopes were pinned at that time, was the development of long-barreled 85-mm guns with a higher initial projectile velocity - "high power" in the terminology of that time. But although a number of such guns were manufactured and tested, including self-propelled guns, work in this direction ended in failure - new guns in firing showed completely unsatisfactory survivability, there were frequent cases of barrel rupture. In addition, the results of the shelling of captured German tanks revealed the low effectiveness of high-speed, but light 85-mm shells against the high-hardness armor installed at rational angles of inclination, compared to heavy shells of larger calibers. Finally, the studies showed that the armament from the 85-mm cannon did not fully use all the capabilities of the ACS on the T-34 chassis.

Prototyping

Calculations carried out in early November 1943 by MVTU, Uralmashzavod and the NKV Technical Directorate showed that the most rational was the transition to a 100-107-mm caliber. Since the production of 107-mm guns, such as the M-60 cannon, was discontinued back in 1941, it was decided to create a new tank and self-propelled guns based on the ballistics of the B-34 100-mm naval cannon, about which the corresponding order was issued by the NKV on November 11. The development of the ACS project with it was carried out in the design bureau of the Uralmashzavod on the initiative of the chief designer L.I. Gorlitsky. N.V. Kurin was appointed the chief engineer of the project. Preliminary design ACS was transferred to NKTP and UCSA on December 5, 1943. As a result of its consideration, the State Defense Committee on December 27 adopted Resolution No. 4851 on arming the heavy IS tank and medium self-propelled guns with a 100-mm gun, which obliged the TsAKB to develop a draft of the corresponding weapon for installation in the SU-85. NKTP, by order No. 765 of December 28, ordered Uralmashplant:

By January 15, 1944 - complete design work on ACS based on T-34, armed with a 100-mm cannon designed by TsAKB;

By February 20 - to make a prototype of the ACS and carry out its factory tests with a cannon, which was to have been delivered by Plant No. 92 by January 25;

However, after studying the drawings sent by TsAKB for the S-34 gun developed by them, which was originally intended for arming the IS-2 heavy tank, Uralmashzavod came to the conclusion that, due to the too large dimensions of the gun in width, placing it in the SU-85 hull would require too serious alterations to the design of the ACS, which included an increase in the width of the hull, a change in its shape and the transition to a torsion bar suspension. TsAKB insisted on such an option, not agreeing to make changes to the design of its gun, but according to Uralmashzavod's calculations, reworking the ACS would lead to an increase in its mass by 3.5-3.8 tons compared to the SU-85 and postponing the readiness time by at least at least for three months, which categorically did not suit the customer. As a result, as before in a similar situation that arose during the design of the SU-85, Uralmashzavod contacted plant No. 9, as a result of joint work with the designers of which a 100-mm D-10S cannon was created, suitable for installation in the SU-85 hull without making significant changes to the latter and at the same time having a lower mass than the C-34. In this regard, in January 1944, the Self-Propelled Artillery Directorate put forward specified requirements for the ACS project, which by that time had received the designation SU-100, which provided for armament with a D-10S cannon, an increase in the thickness of the frontal armor to 75 mm, and the use of new Mk.IV viewing devices. (MK-IV) and the commander's cupola, while maintaining the mass of the ACS within 31 tons.

However, for the B-34 cannon, the ammunition of which was supposed to be used, there were only high-explosive and remote fragmentation shells, and, as it turned out by that time, the end of the development of an armor-piercing projectile for it was expected no earlier than the second half of 1944. The inevitable delay in the readiness of the ACS allowed the head of the TsAKB V. Grabin to insist on the creation of a self-propelled unit with an S-34 cannon. As a result of the ensuing negotiations, the NKTP issued an order on April 30 to manufacture a prototype with this gun by May 8, designated SU-100-2, and conduct comparative tests with the SU-100. At the same time, the NKV and GAU still considered the introduction of deep changes to the SU-85 hull unacceptable and allowed the plant to make minimal alterations of the gun so that it could be installed in the existing ACS hull, even with a number of defects. At the same time, the introduction of all the changes into the design of the S-34 necessary for its effective installation in the SU-85 would make it almost identical to the D-10S specially designed for this purpose.

Meanwhile, the prototype with the D-10S gun, designated "Object 138", was manufactured by Uralmashzavod together with plant number 50 in February 1944 and successfully passed factory tests, which consisted of 30 rounds and 150 km of run. After that, on March 3, the prototype was sent for state tests at ANIOP, during which the vehicle traveled 864 km and fired 1,040 shots. Eventually state commission recognized it as suitable for adoption after the introduction of some modifications into the design, and on April 14 Uralmashplant was ordered to start immediate preparations for the serial production of the new ACS.

The prototype SU-100-2 was manufactured by Plant No. 9 in April - May 1944 using a gun removed from an experimental IS-5 tank. In parallel with this, the second prototype of the SU-100 was completed, built taking into account the improvements recommended by the commission. On June 24-28, he passed state tests at ANIOP. According to the results of the tests, during which the self-propelled guns passed 250 km and fired 923 rounds, the state commission recommended it for adoption, noting that the SU-100 ensures the defeat of the Panther and Tiger tanks from a distance of 1500 m, regardless of the point of impact , but only penetrates the side armor of the self-propelled gun "Ferdinand", although from a distance of up to 2000 m. 100 and is not recommended for adoption. The SU-100 was adopted by the Red Army by order of the State Defense Committee # 6131 dated July 3, 1944.

Mass production

While preparations for the production of the SU-100 were unfolding at Uralmashzavod, at the suggestion of L.I. 85. In addition to the gun model, the SU-85M differed from the SU-100 only by the similar SU-85. swivel mechanism, travel mount and gun mantlet, sight and ammo rack for 60 85-mm rounds. The SU-85M made it possible earlier to introduce improvements to the SU-100 - more powerful frontal booking and better observation devices - in mass production, but the main reason for the appearance of this previously unplanned ACS was the non-combat capability of the 100-mm gun at that time, the release of B-412B armor-piercing shells to which was mastered only in November 1944. The first SU-85M was manufactured in July 1944, and in August it completely replaced the SU-85 on the assembly lines of Uralmashzavod. The production of the SU-85M continued until November of the same year, for three months - in parallel with the SU-100, which was incapable of combat at that time due to the lack of armor-piercing shells; a total of 315 SPGs of this type were produced.

Serial production of the SU-100 itself began at Uralmashzavod in September 1944. The first vehicles produced were identical to the second prototype, and later, in the course of mass production, the design of the ACS was mainly technological changes... So, the beam connecting the frontal armor plates was eliminated, and the connection of the front wheel arch liners with the frontal plate was switched to the “quarter” method, and with the rear plate of the armored deckhouse - from “spike” to “butt”. In addition, the connection of the felling with the hull was strengthened, and a number of critical welds were transferred to welding with austenitic electrodes.

The data on the volumes and timing of the SU-100 production vary somewhat. So, it is reliably known that the production of the SU-100 at the Uralmashzavod was carried out at least until March 1946, at a rate of about 200 vehicles per month in wartime. In total, 3037 cars were produced during this period. Omsk plant No. 174 produced 198 SU-100s in 1947, and 6 more at the beginning of 1948, producing a total of 204 vehicles. Western sources, based on reports from US intelligence, provide data on the release of the SU-100 in the USSR from 1948 to 1956 at a rate of about 1000 SPGs per year, but Soviet data does not confirm this, and, as Baryatinsky notes, could be a consequence of the adoption by intelligence the modernization of the SU-100 carried out at that time for the release of new machines. The production of the SU-100 in the post-war period was also resumed in Czechoslovakia, where in 1951-1956 another 1420 SPGs of this type were released under license.

Further development

Despite the negative results of preliminary study of the possibility of creating an average ACS with a 122-mm cannon, work in this direction was continued. One of the reasons for this was the delay in the development of an armor-piercing projectile for the D-10S, the production of which was not expected until the fall of 1944, while all the necessary ammunition for the 122-mm D-25 cannon had been produced since the 1930s. In May 1944, Uralmashzavod developed a project for the SU-122P ACS, prototype which was manufactured by September of the same year. It differed from the serial SU-100 only in the installation of the 122-mm D-25S cannon with 26 rounds to it. According to the results of prototype tests, the SU-122P was recognized as suitable for adoption, but it was never put into mass production. The reasons for this were not indicated, but as M. Baryatinsky points out, this could be a consequence of the fact that the few advantages of the SU-122P as a tank destroyer were outweighed by its shortcomings: although the 122-mm gun, compared to the 100-mm, had a slightly higher actual armor penetration German armored vehicles, and also featured a more powerful high-explosive fragmentation projectile, the self-propelled guns with it differed in less ammunition and a significantly reduced rate of fire, and the increased barrel departure created even greater problems compared to the SU-100; in addition, there were fears that the recoil of the 122-mm cannon might be too strong for the T-34-85 chassis. On this, in connection with the practical exhaustion of the capabilities of the ACS based on the T-34 with a front-mounted fighting compartment, the development of this line, coming from the SU-122, stopped. IN further work for medium self-propelled guns, the newly designed base chassis was used, and the attention of the designers shifted to the layout with the aft arrangement of the fighting compartment.

Paper model of a Soviet heavy tank of the Great Period Patriotic War- IS-2. The abbreviation in the name of the vehicle "IS" means "Joseph Stalin", and is the official one in the serial models of Soviet heavy tanks produced in the period 1943-1953. Index 2 denotes the second tank of this model. During the Great Patriotic War, the IS-2 also used the name IS-122, the designation 122 is the caliber of the main armament. The IS-2 is the most powerful and heavily armored Soviet tank of serial production during the Second World War, one of the strongest in the world in its time. Tanks of this model played an important role in the battles of the period 1944-1945. After the victory in World War II, the IS-2 was in service with the Soviet armies until 1995, and tanks of this family were exported to a number of countries and took part in post-war armed conflicts.
Heavy tank of the Second World War - IS-2 / Czolg ciezki IS-2 (MON)
Scan of the magazine "MON"
Publisher: "MON"
Scale - 1:25
File format / size: jpg / 15.5 MB
Scan sheets: 4
Format: A4

Paper model of the Soviet tank of the Second World War T-35. Developed in 1931-1932, the T-35 was the first heavy tank of mass production in the USSR. ...
The T-35 is a five-turret heavy tank, built according to the classic layout, with cannon and machine-gun armament, as well as bulletproof armor.
The vehicle is designed to support infantry and reinforce rifle formations when breaking through the most fortified enemy positions. The T-35 is the only five-turret tank in the world to be mass-produced.
T-35s took part in the beginning of World War II. All vehicles were part of the 34th Armored Division of the Kiev OVO, but were quickly lost due to technical malfunctions. Only seven T-35 tanks were lost in the fighting.
Scan of the magazine
Sheet format - A3
File format / size: jpg / 20 MB
Sheets total / with patterns: 18/13

Paper model of the Soviet self-propelled artillery unit (ACS) SU-100, vehicle class is defined as "tank destroyer". The model was created in late 1943 - early 1944 on the basis of the T-34-85 design bureau "Uralmashzavod", the first battle of the SU-100 took place in January 1945.
After that, the tank was modernized several times, and remained in service with the USSR for a long time. The SU-100 was also supplied to the Allies and participated in a number of post-war conflicts, and most actively in the Arab-Israeli wars.
By the end of the 20th century, the SU-100 tank was withdrawn from service, but in some countries as of 2007. still remained in military units.
Paper model of the SU-100 tank destroyer
Scan of the magazine
Publisher: "Young Modeler-Constructor"
Scale: 1/35
File format / size: jpg / 12 MB
Scan sheets / total: 5/8