IS-6 HD Model Changes and Clarification

MrConway: As there were some concerns regarding the changes to the IS-6 model with the HD upgrade, headquarters have provided us with this clarification. You can find all the model changes, and explanations of how they will affect the vehicle's performance, below.   We will be watching this thread closely for your feedback, please keep it constructive!   Dimensions Let’s start by comparing the dimensions in the frontal view.   Previous model:   New model:     Pros and cons regarding changes: (+ improved; = has not changed; +/- partially improved, partially worsened, with the overall balance as the result; - worsened):   + Complaints that "cupolas have become bigger" are groundless and false. The cupolas have in fact become smaller. + Complaints that "turret roof has become bigger" are groundless and false. The area of the roof has become about 1.5 times smaller. = Complaints that "lower glacis plate has become bigger" are groundless and false. The size of the lower glacis plate only changed insignificantly (it has become a little bit smaller). = Complaints that "the tank has become bigger" are groundless and false. The vehicle height was reduced a bit. At the same time, the clearance has increased by a small margin. Hull height has remained about the same, while turret height has decreased. + The driver’s hatch has become a little bigger. + The gap between the track and the fender has been decreased a bit. +/- Tracks have become noticeably bigger and now comprise external elements of the suspension. In this case, it is hard to say whether it’s an improvement or a nerf—it can be either, depending on the situation.     Armor Protection The values displayed in the images DO NOT factor in normalization. It should be understood that these values are given for comparison purpose only (previous/new model). They cannot be used as a basis for conclusions on whether a particular gun would penetrate a certain area of the vehicle’s armor.   Previous model:   New model:     Pros and cons regarding armor protection: (+ improved; = has not changed; +/- partially improved, partially worsened, with the overall balance as the result; - worsened):   + Armor thickness of the top section of the upper glacis plate has increased a bit. + Armor thickness of the driver’s hatch has increased significantly. + Armor thickness of frontal curving sections of the turret has slightly increased. + Thickness of the armor strip at the top section of the upper glacis plate has increased. + Armor thickness of the lower glacis plate has increased a bit. + The part of the fender that was visible in the frontal view (marked with arrows) was due to a faulty model and could be penetrated due to over match. It was removed. = Armor protection of the cupolas has not changed. = Turret inclination has improved, but it will have no effect due to over match. +/- The armor strip between the lower glacis plate and the upper glacis plate has become wider, but armor thickness of the stripe has decreased. - Armor protection of the bottom most section of the lower glacis plate has decreased. Previously the glacis plate was "broken" in sections, now it has the same slope angle, and, consequently, the same effective armor thickness across the whole plate.   An important aspect that deserves a separate mention:   Armor protection behind the gun mantlet in the previous model:   Armor protection behind the gun mantlet in the new model:     As you can see, the size of the embrasure behind the gun mantlet has decreased more than twofold! Therefore, the area where the gun mantlet overlaps the turret armor has increased significantly, with a resulting armor thickness of 300 mm or more in these sections.   Turret armor protection is displayed in the next images, with areas of effective armor less than 220 mm highlighted—these areas can be viewed as weak spots compared to the rest of the turret’s armor.   Previous model:   New model:     The armor protection pattern is displayed this way due to the complex structure of the surface. This variant will be easier to understand, since we are only interested in weak spots. You can see that the previous model had one large weak spot to the left of the gun. The new model has two such areas— to the left and to the right of the gun, but each of them is slightly smaller than the weak spot in the previous model. Moreover, the new model does not have a weak spot in the gunner’s sight. In general, the turret armor protection remained roughly the same: The addition of a weak spot to the right of the gun is fully balanced by a smaller embrasure for the gun and reduced roof and cupola areas.   Side Armor   Previous model:   New model:     Summary on side armor: + Main side armor plate has become a bit thicker (142 mm instead of 138 mm). + A stripe of reinforced armor has been added (screen of 56 mm + side armor of 136 mm). + The prominent part of the fender, which could be penetrated with over match, was removed. - Effective armor thickness of the side frontal plate has decreased a bit, which is balanced by the fact that the effective armor thickness of this area in the frontal view has increased slightly.