BMD-1 & BMD-1P (USSR)

Entering service from 1969 with the Soviet Army's airborne divisions, the BMD-1 is an airborne amphibious infantry fighting vehicle. Conceived to be secured on pallet and parachute-dropped from cargo planes, the BMD-1 is lighter and smaller than is mechanised units equivalent the BMP-1. The crew consist of a driver, a gunner, a commander and a bow machine gunner, the latter two normally dismounting with the three soldiers seated behind the turret. Very agile but cramped and poorly armoured, the BMD-1, like the BMP-1, is armed with a 73mm gun and an AT-3 Sagger missile launcher on the gun mantled. It also have a 7.62 coaxial machine gun and two more in each corner of the bow. Starting from 1977 a modernised version, the BMD-1P, replaced the AT-3 Sagger missile launcher by a new pintle-mounted launcher for AT-4 or AT-5 antitank missiles.

The kits are from ACE, the BMD-1P being a self-made conversion. As always with ACE, the kits are quite a challenge to build but very satisfactory at the end. (made 2014)