A Russian student has created a replica Soviet tank from 20 tonnes of snow.

Alexander Zhuikov, 20, spent a month making the full-size model in his grandmother's garden in Kamen-na-Obi, a town in Altai Krai, Russia.

The model Zhuikov created is two metres tall, six metres long and about four metres wide, the Siberian Times reports.

The tank is a replica of the artillery vehicle SU-122-54. The SU-122, on which the tank is based, was used during WWII on the Eastern Front. According to World of Tanks, SU-122-54 entered service in 1954 and mass production was launched in 1955, with 100 vehicles manufactured.

Inside the replica tank is solid snow, but the exterior is a copy of the SU-122-54 down to the smallest detail, including the antenna and the cannon gun.

"Inside there is nothing but snow," Zhuikov told the website. "To make such a vehicle, I took drawings from the Internet, then I painted the snow model with emulsion paint. I had to make a huge shield from the sun so it doesn't melt."

He made the tank for a competition run by World of Tanks. As well as snow, he used scrap materials to put the finishing touches to the tank.

In total, it took him a month to complete. He stopped the tank from melting by covering it with latex paint that shielded it from the sun.

It is expected to win first prize at the competition.