Trumpeter has released many KV’s in its Russian model series. All the models are superb, have crisp details everywhere, no flash, very few ejector pin-marks, and contain alternate parts that are easy to assembly. This Chinese brand has improved their models a lot!
The kits come with two track choices, full length vinyl tracks, or high quality pre-formed sections of plastic link and length tracks.
The only aftermarket upgrades which really improve these kits greatly are a turned metal barrel and photo-etched engine grilles. Manufacturers like Aber have sets that fit the Trumpeter KV kits perfectly.
The only gap in products for these models is the very few decals in some kits. It is surprising that the “Russian KV Big Turret” kit comes with only three decal options when only from 4 to 6 vehicles were manufactured as the others were prototypes of the KV2 series.

Trumpeter model versions are:
• KV-1 (1941 Model) Small Turret Tank. This is the initial KV mass production variant; it was manufactured in 1940 with the L-11 gun and in 1941 with the F-32 gun. Both turret mantlets are included in the kit so you can make the initial version by modifying the turret since it varied due to the factory where it was manufactured.
• KV-1 Ekranami. This is the add-on armor 1941 version. The kit is the same as above, but with the addition of the armor, new reinforced road wheels, and without the L-11 gun (The Ekranami version never used it). It is possible to make different Ekranami versions using different armor plates.
• KV-1 (1942 Model) Simplified Turret Tank. This is the 1942 welded turret version with ZIS-5 gun, with a mantlet identifiable by the small maintenance hatch. The kit comes with a late hull (flat rear engine deck), new solid road wheels, and several alternative pieces: flat engine hatch (late model) or rounded one (early), etc. As an additional choice, the kit includes a full mantlet and gun to make the flamethrower version (KV-8).
• KV-1 (1942 Model) Heavy Cast Turret Tank. This is the 1942 cast turret version with early hull (rounded rear engine deck), new solid road wheels, alternate periscopes, etc.
• KV-2 Tank. This is the production version of the KV-2. The same model as KV-1 (1941 Model) Small Turret Tank, but with the KV-2 turret. The only error in the model is the 3mm short gun barrel, so it is convenient to replace it with a turned metal one.
• KV Big Turret. At first the generic KV designation was used for the whole KV family, instead of the later used KV-1 and KV-2 designations. The KV series armed with the 152mm gun were known as “KV Big Turret” before the official designation of KV-2 was applied. This kit comes with a new very early prototype turret (of which only 4 to 6 turrets were manufactured), different early road wheels, and modified rear upper panel. The kit gun has the same mistake as the production KV-2 variant. Attention, the barrel is different compared to the KV-2 production model.

Trumpeter has just announced three more new KV kits and they are supposed to have the same high quality: KV-1 (1942 Model) Lightweight Cast Tank; German Pz.Kpfm KV-1 756(r) Tank, and the German Pz.754(r) Tank. It is also possible to release more soviet KV variants such as the early reinforced welded turret with F-32 gun and the other Beupanzers variants: Pz.Kpfw. 753(r) and Pz.Kpfw. 755(r).

Conclusion: this is an exceptional series of model kits with a very high level of detail in a large number of versions, even examples of captured vehicles. Maybe the kits are not mixed media like recent DML kits, with turned metal barrels, photo-etched parts, individual link tracks, and extra figures, but these kits are very cheap and can be assembled and painted very quickly without many headaches.