Bolt Action Soviet Winter 1:56 KV-1/2

I'm making a tentative start on a new project here, a winter-themed WW2 Soviet force. I picked up the big Bolt Action box set from Meeplemart (they had offered it for an unbelievable deal - less in CAD than the MSRP in USD!) and it included a 1:56 KV tank that can be assembled as either (or both!) a KV-1 and KV-2. 

First I'll show the big chap, the KV-2. Equipped with a 152mm howitzer, the KV-2 was designed as a bunker buster par excellence. Plus it just looks insane with that top-heavy extra-tall turret. So cool.

Of course the heavily-armoured KV hull was identical on both the -1 and -2. In the early part of the war in the East, the Germans' tank guns and AT guns had real problems with the Russischer Koloss; there's a famous story about a KV holding up an entire kampfgruppe of 6. Panzerdivision at Raseiniai. 

I used the Sonic Sledgehammer technique to paint the tank - basecoat with Castellan Green, panel highlights with Deathworld Forest, then sponge with Corax White.

Mr. Sledgehammer recommends as a next step that you sponge on some of the basecoat - but using straight Castellan Green sponged on, is too light - probably because it's going on over a white basecoat rather than black. But I just darkened the Castellan with some craft black and it worked OK.

Before that though, I applied the decals. The Soviets often painted tactical markings and slogans over top of the whitewash so that's what I did on the KV-1. With the KV-2, the yellow didn't show much contrast over the whitewash, so I put those decals on top of the green, then sponged the Corax around it.

I also applied some sponge Corax on the tracks and running gear, like it had been driving through snow. I didn't use Sonic's baking soda mix to apply snow to the model though.

I'm OK with how the model turned out. Lots of base colour showing through the whitewash and I like the effect.

Sadly all of the Bolt Action models are in 1:56 scale rather than my preferred 1:48, and especially with larger vehicles the difference is quite pronounced. At left is a Hobby Boss 1:48 KV-1 I painted for my Finns, and at right is the 1:56 KV-1 I just painted. But I guess as long as I don't put a 1:48 KV next to it on the wargames table it should be OK. But it'll be kinda weird for the 1:48 T-34 I'll be building next to be a bigger model than this one. So it goes.