Hobby Boss Ukrainian KrAZ-6446 Tractor with MAZ/ChMZAP-5247G Semi-Trailer AND Trumpeter T-62 Mod 1960 1:35

[Mike]

Ukrainian KrAZ-6446 Tractor with MAZ/ChMZAP-5247G Semi-Trailer AND Trumpeter T-62 Mod 1960

1:35 Hobby Boss

 

 

The KrAZ-6446 tractor unit is a modern go-anywhere all-terrain military transporter that is intended to pull a semi-trailer amongst other things.  It is built in the Ukraine by the AutoKraz company, and has 6 wheel drive and substantial ground clearance, which coupled with the YaMZ-238D turbo-diesel engine and gearbox lets it climb up to 60% gradients and pull 50 tonnes.  The ChMZAP-5427G trailer is an older twin axle transporter for oversized loads, and in military service it is used primarily to transport tanks, with adjustable track guides and eight tyres spreading the load.  The G variant is updated with a small well in the load area that is wider and longer than the original, able to carry more load, and is fitted with powered folding ramps at the rear.

 

 

The Kit

This is new tooling, but some of the parts have been seen before such as the trailer (from 2007), and one good thing that isn't made at all clear on the boxtop, in fact isn't mentioned at all other than in the pictures, is that there's a complete T-62 Mod 1960 kit in the box, complete with its own Trumpeter box, instructions etc. that I'll be reviewing separately so that this review doesn't become monolithic in proportion.  So, you get tractor, trailer AND a great big tank to finish off the trio and Hobby Boss have really slipped up with their packaging, so be aware.  If you're comparing prices between this kit and another manufacturer's kit, you're not comparing like for like.  There's a bloomin' great big tank inside the box too!  Ok, as long as I've made that clear, we'll move on.

 

Here is the review of the T-62 in its Trumpeter boxing.  Go away and read that if you like, then come back here and finish off this review.  Or the other way round.  Entirely up to you

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The box is split into three sections by a divider, with one apportioned to the aforementioned T-62 kit, and two to the tractor/trailer.  The box contains the T-62 kit in its own box, eighteen sprues and the load bed in sand coloured styrene, two of clear styrene, seven large and nine smaller tyres in black flexible plastic, three sheets of Photo-Etch (PE) brass, a length of brass wire, a sheet of die-cut masking material, decals for the instrument panel, instruction booklet and separate colour painting and decaling diagram.

 

With the T-62 out of the box there's a fair amount of room to spread out the sprues, which will come in handy.  The first item for assembly is the big diesel lump up front, which is depicted in serious detail with two pages devoted to its construction and plenty of colour call-outs using Gunze Sangyo paint codes and their names.  The radiator, gearbox and power-takeoff box are built up together and set aside for assembly within the ladder chassis, which needs its cross-braces and a few blocks removing first.  With both sides fitted, it begins to look like the basics of a vehicle, which is improved further by the addition of the front bumper/fender with PE steps, the fifth-wheel base and horse-shoe, the exhaust system and the front axle with steering gear, struts and hubs/brakes parts.  The power transfer box is built and installed under the takeoff box, with drive-shafts from the engine and to the rear axle, which sits on a single mighty set of leaf-springs and has a pivot on which the twin axles are then mounted with a substantial drive-shaft between them too.  Fuel tanks, stowage, steps and cylinders are added down the length of the chassis rail, and a pair of twin axle fenders are fitted on brackets at the rear, with light-clusters sat on the rear of each one.

 

 

 

The larger set of seven tyres are fitted to the four-part hubs of the main wheels, and the direction of the tread is important, so take care at this point.  They push fit onto the axles, and will probably need to be glued to prevent losing any in the future.

 

The cab is made up on the floor pan, with seats and driver controls applied, the front of the cab with window frames, dash board (with decal), pedals and steering wheel fixed to the front, then the front windows with wrap-around quarter-lights glued in from the outside, and masked up with the supplied masks.  The back, doors and roof enclose the cab, with windows and door cards fitted to the insides of the doors before they are glued in.  The roof has a number of small clear lights and a floodlight added, and then it is time to build up the bonnet/hood, beginning with the wheel arches that flank the engine compartment.  The hood, with power-bulge and air box are fabricated, but installed later once the windscreen wipers and large wing mirrors have been fitted, and the cab installed on the chassis.  The spare wheel is kept in a large frame that mounts transversely behind the cab, with the wheel to the right and a large box (possibly tools?) on the left, and that's the prime-mover done. 

 

Now comes the Goose-neck!  The two giant curved beams are set either side of a tapering deck that has two bracing struts across the centre to hold everything square once the tabs and slots are all mated together.  A pair of mudguard "ears" are fitted to the sites, and two triangular panels are installed at the inside bottom for additional rigidity.  Wind-down legs and various fittings are added, and then the load-bed is made up, with only three parts (top, brace and bottom) making up the main bed, but lots of ancillary parts draped around the sides, some of which are made up from folding PE into tapered boxes.  The rear fender and additional mudguards are glued to the back, and under the raised aft section of the deck the pairs of twin axles are mounted on large, triangular pivots, with the smaller wheels fitted to the two-part hubs with pins within them, allowing the wheels to rotate if you don't get glue on them.  The spare wheel is later fitted to the top of the gooseneck with a T-shaped clamp.  The inner guides on the bed are folded up from PE strips into a C-shape, with additional braces along their length.  More smaller braces are fitted along the hump over the wheels, and it may be a good idea to solder these in place for a little extra resilience to handling and brumming tanks on and off when no-one is looking.  If you don't have any solder paste already, it's quite useful for this sort of soldering.

 

The loads drive up onto the load bed via a pair of ramps shaped like an old woman's shoe, that are made of four layers held abreast by tubes and capped with a ribbed treadplate for the vehicle to gain traction.  The "soles" are blanked off with extra panels, with grab-handles, hinges and the manual handles that you can use to raise and lower them (glue permitting) finishing them off ready for gluing to the rear fender.  A pair of stop-brackets are bent up from PE for the load bed and attached to slots in the floor, after which it's just a case of joining the two main assemblies together, grabbing your T-62 and making tank noises while you load it up for transport.

 

Markings

Unless you count the decal for the instrument panel, there aren't any, and just one scheme is provided on the glossy painting guide.  It's green of course, but if you look around the web, there have been other schemes that are a bit more fun, and even some civilian schemes if you feel like a change.

 

 

Conclusion

Quite a good value package overall, with a tank thrown into the mix unexpectedly, and lots of detail.  If you have a thing about tank transporter, or just like to the look of this one, it'll build up to an impressive finished model with a little care.

 

Highly recommended.

 

Currently on sale with a deep 35% discount at Creative at time of writing!

 

Review sample courtesy of

[bootneck]

That must be a brute of a model Mike, as in big and rugged looking.   Sometimes I wish I did large scale vehicles when I see something as good as that   but I'm not going to change from the scales I build in.

 

Mike

[Mike]

1 hour ago, bootneck said:

That must be a brute of a model Mike, as in big and rugged looking.

So big and rugged that I fell over it on the way out of the workshop earlier, and almost did myself a mischief!

[Sgt.Squarehead]

Too puny to carry Objekt 279, sadly (as it's the only 1/35 tank I have).