Happy New Year to all

Retrospective 2023. It was a very good modelling year for me with 22 models made... a record 😁 Happy New Year to everyone and may 2024 fulfill all your modellers dreams.

 

Z (34) Tor-M1 (Russia)

Originally developed by the Soviet Union, the Tor (Nato SA-15 "Gauntlet") is an all-weather, low to medium altitude, short range surf-face-to-air missile system. The Tor use the 9A330 combat vehicle, which carries a crew of four (one driver, three operators) as an autonomous Transporter, Launcher and Radar unit. Introduced in 1991, the Tor-M1 is equipped with the new 9M331 improved missile and had the ability to engage two targets simultaneously with a minimum range go 1.5 km and a minimum height of 10 metres. The eight missiles are stored vertically in two groups of four. Cold launched, they are propelled out of the vehicle before the solid fuel rocket motor fires and the thrust vectoring system turns them toward their target.

The 3D printed kit is from Best Resins and is very nicely done. I opened the two auxiliary generator exhaust on both sides of the hull and played with the furnished missile in photoshop. I really like the look of these vehicles.

Z (33) BM-27 Uragan (Russia)

In service with the Soviet Army from the late 1970s, the BM-27 Uragan is a self-propelled 220mm multiple rocket launcher which is intensively used by the Russian army in Ukraine. The BM-27 can launch its 16 220mm rockets from tubes mounted on the rear of a ZIL-135 8x8 chassis in 20 seconds at a maximum range of 35 kilometers. Its 6 man crew can emplace or displace the system in three minutes. Once the rockets have been fired, the 9T452, another ZIL-135 based vehicle with additional rockets and a crane, can assist in reloading, a procedure taking around 20 minutes.

The kit from Trumpeter is like the illustration of the box: disappointing ! Indeed this is a model made to the economy by choosing all possible shortcuts to reduce cots. The result are errors, aberrations and a large lack of details. A lot of work is therefore necessary to bring it to an acceptable level of correspondence with the original, particularly at the level of the rockets launchers whose two ends will be pierced (a posteriori, I think it would have been better to fully replace the tubes... 😬) and detailed and the entire wiring installed. Even if not perfect, I'm finally satisfied with the result. I think I will make a little diorama for it... to be continued.