This is a Soviet IS-7 heavy tank, launched during the closing stages of World War II, and largely responsible for the fall of Berlin and the surrender of Germany – something that seems to get left out of Western history books.

Commissioned by Stalin to supersede the Soviet Union’s existing KV tanks, the IS was built quickly and finished poorly, but packed a mighty punch. The IS-7 was also mightily armoured, and could withstand an attack by both the German Panther and Tiger class tanks.

This brilliantly-engineered recreation of the IS-7 is the work of Tommy Styrvoky, and it’s one of the finest working Lego tanks that we’ve found to date. Underneath the smooth-plated exterior are six Power Functions motors that control everything from the drive, transmission and steering, to the turret rotation and gun elevation, and Tommy’s tank also includes a beautifully replicated working V12 piston engine and fully independently-sprung tracks too.

A comprehensive gallery of images are available via Tommy’s photostream, and you can see what the IS-7 can do courtesy of the video below.

YouTube Video