In another addition to Team Trotsky, I’ve finally managed to get some mobility into the force, with the addition of an S-Model BRDM-2, supplied by The Hobby Den. This is a delightful little model, of the “Quick build” variety, and even better, each box contains two, for about twelve quid! The level of detail on these kits is excellent, and the box even includes a fret of photo-etched brass parts in addition to a decent decal sheet, providing options for Russian (including Guards, Naval Infantry and a somewhat generic red star with a hammer and sickle within- which I’ll probably use on a KGB BTR-70, since I have no idea what they’re actually intended for…) Czech, Polish and Romanian vehicles.
I ended up leaving off the bulk of the etched brass parts, using only the towing hooks; the rear view mirror and headlight brush guards I wrote off as two fragile for gaming purposes, I tried to attach the small guard above the commanders hatch, but this too proved to be too fragile, and so was replaced with a piece of bent sprue, likewise I substituted the grab handles on the engine deck and hull sides with strips of stretched sprue, to give an impression of the detail, rather than leave these quite obvious details off completely.
Given the fact that this is a “Quick build” (and thus much vaunted by wargamers) kit, I would’ve liked to see the inclusion of alternative plastic parts for these footery brass bits; for although they would have undoubtedly been clunkier, they would have been more robust and easier to attach, and in a gamin piece this would’ve been a good trade off. Likewise, I would happily have seen the PE parts deleted in preference for some better consideration of some of the moulding gates in some of the plastic parts- things like the machine guns and entrenching tool have really quite thick gates feeding into their very slender and delicate barrels and hafts. I ended up mangling the spade and replacing the co-ax MG with more stretched sprue.
The kit was finished off with some minimal stowage from Kingfisher and BW, and sat on an MDF base from Warbases.
Painting and decals followed, and while in reality, the Guards insignia would’ve
been painted out if action was imminent, the S-Model decal omits the white
infill, and looks quite “low-vis”, so I decided to keep it on, to break up what
would otherwise have been an ugly green blob. A nylon brush bristle provided
the radio aerial, and it was topped off with my signature Disney-fied
groundwork….
This will soon be joined by the AT version, as
well as some assorted APCs, and the whole horde will be, more or less, mobile come the new year!
On that note, it only remains for me wish you all a Merry Christmas, and thanks you for your interest in the blog over the last year, hoping this finds you well, and all the very best for 2015!
Cheers,
Iain
