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  1. WWII Red Army Rocket Artillery (DS3512) 1:35 ICM via Hannants During WWII, Ford UK built a great many vehicles for the British war effort, as well as some 34,000 Merlin engines for Spitfires, Lancasters and Hurricanes. Made by Ford UK under the Fordson brand, the WOT 8 was the last of a long line of vehicles using similar nomenclature in service of the British Army. Introduced in 1941 there were approximately 2,500 built, with a number of those sent to Russia as Lend/Lease vehicles, of which a number were converted to carry BM-13-16 Katyusha rockets on an angled rack that extended partially over the cab and is bolted firmly to the chassis. They carried 16 RS-132 rockets in an over-and-under configuration on each of the eight rails, which made an uncanny howling roar as they were unleashed from the rails. Its large fuel tank gave it a healthy range and a reasonable top speed thanks to the Ford V8 engine that put out 85hp, which wasn’t terrible for the day. The WOT.6 was a 4x4 light truck (3 ton capacity) with a short cab that housed a 3.6L V8 engine pumping out a fairly paltry 85hp that could get it to 75mph eventually. The engine's location under the cab gave the load bed plenty of space on the chassis rail, and also gave the truck a sit-up-and-beg look. The heat from the radiator had to be redirected by a fairing to prevent it being ingested by open windows, thereby cooking and possibly even poisoning the crew if it wasn't in the best of health. Over 30,000 were built in a number of configurations, and they were in service from 1942 to the end of the war, with those in good enough shape carrying on into the early 60s. A great many WOT.6 and WOT.8 wagons were sent to the Soviet Union under the Lend/Lease programme during WWII, and were used in all manner of operations from simple transports to the WOT.8 carrying a Katyusha rocket launcher that was loaded with up to 16 RS-132 rockets. The rockets accelerated off their rails up to almost 800mph and had a flight radius of under 5 miles with a lack of precision that ensured that although you knew something was going to be blown up in a given area, it was anyone’s guess who or what would fall victim to its detonation. They were however incredibly useful for terrifying the enemy, gaining the nickname Stalin’s Organ (no sniggering at the back!) due to the haunting screech as the rockets left their rails. The Kit This is a multi-kit reboxing of existing kits, most of which we’ve seen already, so rather than send you off on a link-following rampage, we’ll gather them all together in the one place, and add in reviews of few parts we’ve not done before. Inside the box are the following kits: 35591 BM-13-16 Katyusha on WOT.8 Chassis 35507 WOT.6 WWII British Truck 35795 RS-132 Ammunition Boxes (reduced sprue-count) 35648 Soviet BM-13-16 Crew (1943-5) 35643 RKKA Drivers (1943-5) There are no decals included in the kits due to Soviet vehicles seldom having much in the way of markings, and their instruction booklets have been gathered in a card folder to keep them together. Let’s crack on. BM-13-16 on WOT 8 Chassis (35591) This is a recent tooling from ICM as part of their expanding WOT line. Inside the bag are eight sprues in grey styrene, five black wheels in flexible plastic, a clear sprue, and a small fret of Photo Etch (PE) brass. I don’t know about you, but I’m an admirer of rocket launchers and such like. Construction begins with the chassis ladder and the front sub-frame with cross-members and leaf spring suspension, plus a full V8 block made up from a good number of parts. The exhaust has a silencer near the rear and exits the underside at the rear of the aft suspension springs to which the rear axle and differential are fitted, then joined to the central transfer box by a driveshaft with the front axle having a similar reversed layout plus steering box. The drum brakes are hidden behind the wheels, which are made up from the flexible “rubber” part that is sandwiched between the inner and outer hub, plus extra detail parts on both sides, eventually slotting onto a long axle front and rear. The underside is mostly complete, and attention turns to the body beginning with the engine compartment between the two curved front wings. Radiator, air filter and fan are added along with a hand-crank for manual starting, then the radiator hosing is installed so that the side plates that isolate the power plant from the crew cab interior can be added. In the right foot well the driver’s controls are added, with a handbrake further to the rear, and a central instrument panel sits almost on top of the engine. The crew seats sit atop boxes and have separate cushions for back and base, after which the cab can be boxed in, adding detail parts and glazing panels as you go. The sloping cab is trimmed with a dash panel and steering wheel, then separate doors with handles and more glazing are put in place either open, closed or anywhere in between at your whim, then closed in with the rear cab and finally the curved-sided roof. The PE radiator grilles have to be bent to match the contours of the sloped front, and these are later joined by a rain “porch” that prevents ingress of water in the winter, and probably helps divert engine heat from the open cab windows in the summer. The spare wheel and the substantial fuel tank are built next, and positioned behind the cab. This is made from a large floor, detailed sides, front and tailgate, with stowage boxes between the front and rear angled mudguards, which have braces holding them at the correct angle to the floor. On the original kit the truck bed would now be made up (and the parts for it are still in this boxing), for this boxing though the rocket launching rails and their elevating apparatus are constructed. The eight rails are built up from three parts each and are then threaded together on three cross members. The modeller will need to line up the spacing of these and luckily ICM provide a jig for this. After the rails are sorted then the fairly complex raising gear is put together, this can be in either the raised or lowered position. 16 rockets can then be added to the rails (8 on the upper side, and 8 on the lower). The base for the launching system is then built up and attached to the back of the truck before the launch rails can then be added on. Two rear ground stabilisers are then added to the chassis. To finish off the vehicle lights are added and on the cab there are shutters to protect the cab when the rockets were being fired. Model WOT.6 WWII British Truck (35507) Inside the outer clear foil bag are seven sprues in medium grey styrene, a clear sprue in its own bag, four flexible black plastic tyres and a sheet of Photo-Etch (PE) parts, each in their own bags. The instruction booklet completes the package, and is printed on glossy white paper in colour, with black and red used for the diagrams throughout, and the unused decal options printed in colour at the rear. The construction phase begins with the chassis, which is made up from two main rails, with sub-rails and spacers holding things together, and front suspension moulded into the outer rails. With the chassis completed by adding the rear end, attention turns to the engine, which is a complete rendering, and made up from a good number of parts for detail, including the block, pulleys, transmission and a short drive-shaft that threads through the holes in the cross-members. The two long exhaust pipes with mufflers go under the chassis on each side, and the rear suspension is fitted, which is a substantial set of leaf-springs, then the axles and drive shafts are attached to the suspension and transfer box. Brake drums, fuel tanks, steering arms and struts are all installed before the wheels are built-up around the rubbery black tyres, which have tread details moulded-in, and are finished off by the addition of the hubs, which attach from both sides, and are then detailed with additional parts before they are slotted onto the axles. The undercarriage is almost done, and it's time for the upper surfaces, beginning with the engine bay, which has the front wheel-arches moulded in, and is then detailed with lights, front rail, radiator and some additional ancillaries to keep the engine running. You even get a pair of lower hoses for the radiator to mate it to the engine, and two more longer ones diving diagonally down into the topside of the engine from the top of the rad. There's going to be a bit of painting needed, as the engine can be seen from the underside, even though access is limited. The bay sides are planted, and are joined by internal covers and instrumentation on top, which have a few decals to detail them up. Some of the driver's controls are added on the right side (the correct side) of the engine, and a pair of seats are built up and added to the square bases installed earlier, then the front of the cab is detailed with clear parts and window actuators, before the sides are attached to the edges and lowered onto the chassis, then joined by the simple dash board and steering wheel on its spindly column. The doors are separate parts and have clear windows, handles and window winders added, then joined to the sides in either the open or closed position or any variation of the two. The cab is a bit draughty at the moment, until the rear panel and the roof are added, the latter having a pop-up cover on the co-driver's side, with a couple of PE grilles then added to the front radiator frames after being bent to shape. Now for the truck bed, beginning with the sides, which have two stiffeners added, then are covered with bumpers along the top and bottom edge of the outside face. The bed floor fits into a groove into the bottom, and is kept square by the addition of the front and rear sides. Under the bed are a number of stowage boxes and racks for additional fuel or water cans, which are happily also included, then they are joined by the two parts per wheel that form the wheel arch that are braced on the outside with two small struts. Then it's the fun part! Adding the bed to the chassis, which is kept in the correct place by two ridges under the bed that mate with grooves in the chassis rail. At the front, two light-hoods are fitted above the lights, and the prominent pedestrian unfriendly hood that deflects the rain and hopefully redirects the engine heat from being sucked back into the open front windows on a hot day. The cab is detailed with additional lights, horn, wing mirrors, grab-handles and even some pioneer tools, then the windscreen wipers. Moving backwards, the four c-shaped hoops that support the canvas tilt are applied to the outside of the bed sides, reaching roughly half-way down the sides to obtain a strong join in both 1:1 and 1:35. The final act is to add seven rods along the length of the roof section of the tilt frame, which will need some careful alignment to ensure all the hoops are vertical and correctly spaced. Now you can paint it, but you've probably got a lot of that done already in truth. RS-132 Rockets This half-set is a recent tool that is made to stack in the back of a resupply wagon like the WOT.6 above, or spread liberally around the scene. Inside the re-sealable clear bag are two sprues of grey styrene. Both sprues are identical, and from the box you can build two additional ammo crates, each holding four rockets apiece. Ignore the x4 in the middle of the photo above and imagine a nice white x2 instead The Crew Figures (35648) All four figures within the bag are on one sprue with a separate instruction booklet and product code. They are moulded in ICM’s by now familiar lifelike style, with lots of detail, realistic poses, sculpting, and including a number of weapons to sling over their shoulders. Three of the figures are shown loading rockets onto the back of the rails, while the fourth can either be their commander watching over the process, or with the tweak of his arm, he can be propping up the next rocket for loading with one of his hands, as can be seen in the picture below. RKKA Drivers (35643) This small bag contains two sprues in grey with a set of figure parts on each one. They are different in pose as well as head-coverings, but both are in the seated position with their arms outstretched to hold the steering wheel. Honk! Honk! One figure is wearing standard WWII era uniform with a parade cap at an angle on his head, while the other is wearing a winter-weather insulated smock with medal and a traditional Soviet-style fur cap with fold-down ear flaps tied over the top. Both wear calf-length “Cossack” boots. Conclusion All of the kits in this set are excellent modern toolings in their own right, and how they’ve fitted them all into one reasonably small box is quite surprising. The price is also very attractive, and if you can see yourself using all the models in the set, they’re a bargain even at list price. They should rocket off the shelves Available in the UK from importers H G Hannants Ltd. Review sample courtesy of
  2. BM-13-16 on G7107 Chassis with Soviet Crew (35596) 1:35 ICM via Hannants Ltd The Chevrolet G506 truck formed the basis of a range of 4x4 load-carrying vehicles that were capable of carrying up to 1.5 tonnes of cargo or equipment. They were initially made under the 4100 code, then moved to the 7100 range, and usually had a standard enclosed cab, with a 3.9L straight-6 engine under the bonnet, and a four-speed “crash” (non-syncromesh) gearbox putting down a little over 80hp through all four wheels. It rapidly became the Allies’ standard light truck, and served in substantial quantities with the Allies in the West, the Soviets in the East, and the forces fighting Japan in the Far East. There were a lot of variants, some in US Army service, others in USAAF service, with almost 50,000 of two specific types, the G7107 and G7117 sent over to the Soviets under the Lend/Lease program. The Soviets modified a number of the chassis and cab units to carry Katyusha rockets on a stripped-down flatbed. The rockets were a huge worry for the Nazis as they were forced to withdraw from their former conquests, and although their accuracy wasn’t renowned, they put the wind up anyone in the general target area, who couldn’t tell whether the rockets would fall on them or someone 100m away. Their distinctive howling roar was another psychological weapon, giving the Germans an indication that there were a torrent of lethal rockets heading for them. The stripped-down chassis of this particular installation gave the vehicle a rather lashed-together, Mad Max look. The Kit This is a reboxing with additional parts of a brand-new tooling from ICM, and is the latest kit of a range that is inbound to your favourite model shop very soon. It’s an ICM kit, and a full interior kit too, with engine cab and load area all included along with some very nice moulding and detail, particularly in the chunky tyres and the four crew figures. It arrives in one of ICM’s medium-sized top-opening boxes with the usual captive inner flap, and inside are ten sprues in grey styrene, a clear sprue, tiny decal sheet and glossy instruction booklet with colour (well, mostly green) profiles on the rear pages. Construction begins with the new ladder chassis, which has leaf-springs fore and aft, cross-braces and rear towing eye fitted to create the structure, then has the rear bumper irons, fuel tank, transfer casing and front axle installed, before the engine is built up based on the straight six-cylinder block, with carburettor, dynamo and transmission added, plus the pulleys and fan at the front, and a short drive-shaft at the rear that links to the transfer box in the middle of the chassis. The rear axle is made up and fitted with another drive-shaft, while the front axle gets the steering arm installed, which keeps the twin ball-jointed hubs pointing in the same direction, providing you’ve not been over-enthusiastic with the glue. The exhaust and its manifold slip into the underside of the chassis from below, and the battery box attaches to the outside of the ladder chassis next to a pair of tread-plated steps, then from the left of the engine, the air box and intake are attached to finish it off. The crew cab is next, beginning with the dashboard that inserts in the front bulkhead along with an overhead panel, then is joined with the cab floor and decked out with a pair of levers, gear stick and hand-brake on the floor, three foot-pedals and the steering wheel on a long column that slides through a hole in the diagonal floor section in front of the pedals. The driver and co-driver share a bench seat that is made up from back, cushion and a C-shaped spacer surrounding the bottom that fits into the rear of the cab and has the back wall with small ovalised window, then the roof is fitted, after which the doors are made up with handles, winders and glazing, fitting within the frame in the open or closed position. On the front of the firewall a vent is glued to the scuttle panel, and two reservoirs are attached, then the cab is mated to the chassis along with a couple of additional engine ancillaries and linkages to the front axle. The radiator is laminated from core, surround and tin-work, with a bezel fitted to the front and the assembly is then applied to the front of the engine, attaching to the chassis and input/outlet hoses that are already there. The cowling sides and front fenders are installed to permit the front grille to be attached, plus the bonnet and a large front bumper iron that runs full width, and is quite literally a girder. Behind the cab a spare tyre is placed on a bracket near the exhaust, and It’s time for the wheels to be made up, with singles at the front, each made from two halves each, and twin wheels at the rear axle, put together with two two-part wheels each, and two hub parts added to the finished pair. Each wheel slips over its respective axle, and is secured in place by a central cap. The windscreen is glued in place and door handles with external hinges are attached to the exterior, with more work done later in the build. On the original kit the truck bed would now be made up (and some of the parts for it are left on the sprues), for this boxing though the rocket launching rails and their elevating apparatus are constructed. The eight rails are built up from three parts each and are then threaded together on three cross members. The modeller will need to line up the spacing of these, and luckily ICM provide a jig for this so you can fix their positions with a little glue. After the rails are sorted the fairly complex support gear is put together, this can be in either the raised or lowered position by exchanging short supports for longer parts. 16 rockets can then be added to the rails (8 on the upper side, and 8 on the lower). The base for the launching system is then built up from three large parts that includes a small degree of rotation capability for fine-tuning the aiming of this blunderbuss of a weapon. It is attached to the back of the truck with a choice of two styles of rear fenders before the ancillary parts and launch rails can then be added on. Various parts are added behind the cab, including power take-off for the rotation mechanism, and a central boss is fixed to the support plate along with more brackets and hinges for the launch frame, then two ground stabilisers are then added to the chassis rear. The launch rails and their frame are put in position on the rear of the chassis, and an optional set of armour panels are made up and fixed over the crew cab to protect them from heat damage during launch. The frame is fixed in place with a rod and clamps, then to finish off the vehicle lights are added behind the protective frames, with a rear-view mirror on a long stalk. Manual adjustment controls are glued to the left side of the vehicle before you can relax and reach for the Russian Green paint. Figures (35648) All four figures are on one sprue with a separate instruction booklet and product code. They are moulded in ICM’s by now familiar lifelike style, with lots of detail, realistic poses and sculpting, and including a number of weapons to sling over their shoulders. Three of the figures are shown loading rockets onto the back of the rails, while the fourth can either be their commander watching over the process, or with the tweak of his arm, he can be propping up the next rocket for loading with one of his hands, as can be seen in the picture below. Markings There are two decal options on the small sheet, which differ only by a pair of stencils on the doors. From the box you can build one of the following: 84th Red Banner Novozybkovsky Guards Mortar Regiment, November 1943 Unknown Guards Mortar Regiment, 1943 The decals are printed by ICM’s usual partners, and are crisp and clear, with no registration to speak about other than on the instrument dials, which are nicely done. Conclusion A cool-looking lend/lease home-grown lash-up Katyusha with a full compliment of noisy and dangerous rockets. Super detail and a choice of green, green or green for the paint job. Highly recommended. Available in the UK from importers H G Hannants Ltd. Review sample courtesy of
  3. BM-13-16 on G7107 Base (35595) 1:35 ICM via Hannants The Chevrolet G506 truck formed the basis of a range of 4x4 load-carrying vehicles that were capable of carrying up to 1.5 tonnes of cargo or equipment. They were initially made under the 4100 code, then moved to the 7100 range, and usually had a standard enclosed cab, with a 3.9L straight-6 engine under the bonnet, and a four-speed “crash” (non-syncromesh) gearbox putting down a little over 80hp through all four wheels. It rapidly became the Allies’ standard light truck, and served in substantial quantities with the Allies in the West, the Soviets in the East, and the forces fighting Japan in the Far East. There were a lot of variants, some in US Army service, others in USAAF service, with almost 50,000 of two specific types, the G7107 and G7117 sent over to the Soviets under the Lend/Lease program. The Soviets modified a number of the chassis and cab units to carry Katyusha rockets on a stripped-down flatbed. The rockets were a huge worry for the Nazis as they were forced to withdraw from their former conquests, and although their accuracy wasn’t renowned, they put the wind up anyone in the general target area, who couldn’t tell whether the rockets would fall on them or someone 100m away. Their distinctive howling roar was another psychological weapon, giving the Germans an indication that there were a torrent of lethal rockets heading for them. The stripped-down chassis of this particular installation gave the vehicle a rather lashed-together, Mad Max look. The Kit This is a reboxing with additional parts of a brand-new tooling from ICM, and is the latest kit of a range that is inbound to your favourite model shop very soon. It’s an ICM kit, and a full interior kit too, with engine cab and load area all included along with some very nice moulding and detail, particularly in the chunky tyres. It arrives in one of ICM’s medium-sized top-opening boxes with the usual captive inner flap, and inside are ten sprues in grey styrene, a clear sprue, tiny decal sheet and glossy instruction booklet with colour (well, mostly green) profiles on the rear pages. Construction begins with the new ladder chassis, which has leaf-springs fore and aft, cross-braces and rear towing eye fitted to create the structure, then has the rear bumper irons, fuel tank, transfer casing and front axle installed, before the engine is built up based on the straight six-cylinder block, with carburettor, dynamo and transmission added, plus the pulleys and fan at the front, and a short drive-shaft at the rear that links to the transfer box in the middle of the chassis. The rear axle is made up and fitted with another drive-shaft, while the front axle gets the steering arm installed, which keeps the twin ball-jointed hubs pointing in the same direction, providing you’ve not been over-enthusiastic with the glue. The exhaust and its manifold slip into the underside of the chassis from below, and the battery box attaches to the outside of the ladder chassis next to a pair of tread-plated steps, then from the left of the engine, the air box and intake are attached to finish it off. The crew cab is next, beginning with the dashboard that inserts in the front bulkhead along with an overhead panel, then is joined with the cab floor and decked out with a pair of levers, gear stick and hand-brake on the floor, three foot pedals and the steering wheel on a long column that slides through a hole in the diagonal floor section in front of the pedals. The driver and co-driver share a bench seat that is made up from back, cushion and a C-shaped spacer surrounding the bottom that fits into the rear of the cab and has the back wall with small ovalised window, then the roof is fitted, after which the doors are made up with handles, winders and glazing, fitting within the frame in the open or closed position. On the front of the firewall a vent is glued to the scuttle panel, and two reservoirs are attached, then the cab is mated to the chassis along with a couple of additional engine ancillaries and linkages to the front axle. The radiator is laminated from core, surround and tin-work, with a bezel fitted to the front and the assembly is then applied to the front of the engine, attaching to the chassis and input/outlet hoses that are already there. The cowling sides and front fenders are installed to permit the front grille to be attached, plus the bonnet and a large front bumper iron that runs full width, and is quite literally a girder. Behind the cab a spare tyre is placed on a bracket near the exhaust, and It’s time for the wheels to be made up, with singles at the front, each made from two halves each, and twin wheels at the rear axle, put together with two two-part wheels each, and two hub parts added to the finished pair. Each wheel slips over its respective axle, and is secured in place by a central cap. The windscreen is glued in place and door handles with external hinges are attached to the exterior, with more work done later in the build. On the original kit the truck bed would now be made up (and some of the parts for it are left on the sprues), for this boxing though the rocket launching rails and their elevating apparatus are constructed. The eight rails are built up from three parts each and are then threaded together on three cross members. The modeller will need to line up the spacing of these, and luckily ICM provide a jig for this so you can fix their positions with a little glue. After the rails are sorted the fairly complex support gear is put together, this can be in either the raised or lowered position by exchanging short supports for longer parts. 16 rockets can then be added to the rails (8 on the upper side, and 8 on the lower). The base for the launching system is then built up from three large parts that includes a small degree of rotation capability for fine-tuning the aiming of this blunderbuss of a weapon. It is attached to the back of the truck with a choice of two styles of rear fenders before the ancillary parts and launch rails can then be added on. Various parts are added behind the cab, including power take-off for the rotation mechanism, and a central boss is fixed to the support plate along with more brackets and hinges for the launch frame, then two ground stabilisers are then added to the chassis rear. The launch rails and their frame are put in position on the rear of the chassis, and an optional set of armour panels are made up and fixed over the crew cab to protect them from heat damage during launch. The frame is fixed in place with a rod and clamps, then to finish off the vehicle lights are added behind the protective frames, with a rear-view mirror on a long stalk. Manual adjustment controls are glued to the left side of the vehicle before you can relax and reach for the Russian Green paint. Markings There are two decal options on the small sheet, which differ only by a pair of stencils on the doors. From the box you can build one of the following: 84th Red Banner Novozybkovsky Guards Mortar Regiment, November 1943 Unknown Guards Mortar Regiment, 1943 The decals are printed by ICM’s usual partners, and are crisp and clear, with no registration to speak about other than on the instrument dials, which are nicely done. Conclusion A cool-looking lend/lease home-grown lash-up Katyusha with a full compliment of noisy and dangerous rockets. Super detail and a choice of green, green or green for the paint job. Highly recommended. Available in the UK from importers H G Hannants Ltd. Review sample courtesy of
  4. RS-132 Ammunition Boxes (35795) 1:35 ICM via Hannants The Katyusha rocket launcher was loaded with a load of RS-132 rockets, which had their origins in the early 30s from a project to create a type of smokeless rocket of a standard type and diameter. The 132 was approximately 85cm long with a diameter of just over 13cm, and fins that projected 30cm from the body. It could carry just under a kilo of explosive of one of two types. The RS was high explosive fragmentation with a destructive range of 10m, while the RBS was armour piercing, although with minimal accuracy when aimed at specific targets, the latter wouldn’t have been much use unless unleashed en masse. They accelerated up to almost 800mph and had a launch radius of under 5 miles with the lack of precision that ensured that although you knew something was going to be blown up in a given area, it was anyone’s guess who or what would fall victim to its detonation. The Kit This set from ICM is a new tool that is made to supplement and resupply a Katyusha wagon like the one we reviewed here. It arrives in one of ICM’s small top-opening boxes with a captive inner lid, and inside are four sprues of grey styrene in a resealable clear foil bag. All four sprues are identical, and from the box you can build four ammo crates, each holding four rockets apiece. Construction begins with the base and lid, each of which has two strengthening planks fixed to the outside, with a planked texture engraved in the surface. The sides of the box have the same planked surface with corner protectors, and each end has a cross-brace for lugging them around. The rockets are in two parts, and slot into three supports with semi-circular cut-outs to cradle the body. Another set close over them to hold things in place, and the lid finishes off the assembly, which is where I began scratching my head. The instructions show the lid having two hinges on the back that lock into grooves in the corresponding side. Those hinges aren’t present on the parts, but you can fix that easily enough with some 1mm rod cut to length. How do I know? I possess eyes and couldn’t resist building one up for funsies. I’ve not glued the rockets in yet as they need painting, but you can see them in their slots in the picture below. Conclusion There’s plenty of scope for weathering in this set, and with four boxes you can either put them in the back of a truck for carriage, stacked ready for use, or open on the ground. The perfect complement to a Katyusha wagon. Highly recommended. Available in the UK from importers H G Hannants Ltd. Review sample courtesy of
  5. WWII Soviet BM-13-16 MLRS Vehicle Crew (35648) 1:35 ICM via Hannants Made by Ford UK under the Fordson brand, the WOT 8 was the last of a long line of vehicles using similar nomenclature in service of the British Army. Introduced in 1941 there were approximately 2,500 built, with a number of those sent to Russia as Lend/Lease vehicles, of which a number were converted to carry BM-13-16 Katyusha rockets on an angled rack that extended partially over the cab and is bolted firmly to the chassis. They carried 16 RS-132 rockets in an over-and-under configuration on each of the eight rails, which made a uncanny howling roar as they were unleashed from the rails. Its large fuel tank gave it a healthy range and a reasonable top speed thanks to the Ford V8 engine that put out 85hp, which wasn’t terrible for the day. The Kit This is set of figures for the kit we looked at here, though I am sure they can be used with other kits as well. The set arrives in a standard ICM box with their captive inner lid and a nice rendition of the crew on it. All four figures are on one sprue with a separate instruction booklet and product code. They are moulded in ICM’s by now familiar lifelike style, with lots of detail, realistic poses and sculpting, and including a number of weapons to sling over their shoulders. Three of the figures are shown loading rockets onto the back of the rails, while the fourth can either be their commander watching over the process, or with the tweak of his arm, he can be propping up the next rocket for loading with one of his hands, as can be seen in the picture below. Conclusion Another first-rate figure set from ICM. Recommended. Available in the UK from importers H G Hannants Ltd. Review sample courtesy of
  6. BM-13-16 on WOT 8 Chassis w/Soviet Crew (35592) 1:35 ICM via Hannants Made by Ford UK under the Fordson brand, the WOT 8 was the last of a long line of vehicles using similar nomenclature in service of the British Army. Introduced in 1941 there were approximately 2,500 built, with a number of those sent to Russia as Lend/Lease vehicles, of which a number were converted to carry BM-13-16 Katyusha rockets on an angled rack that extended partially over the cab and is bolted firmly to the chassis. They carried 16 RS-132 rockets in an over-and-under configuration on each of the eight rails, which made a uncanny howling roar as they were unleashed from the rails. Its large fuel tank gave it a healthy range and a reasonable top speed thanks to the Ford V8 engine that put out 85hp, which wasn’t terrible for the day. The Kit This is rebox of a new tool from ICM as part of their WOT line, based upon the initial WOT8 we reviewed here. The kit arrives in a standard ICM box with their captive inner lid and a nice rendition of the vehicle and crew on the top. Inside are thirteen sprues in grey styrene, five tyres in flexible black plastic, a clear sprue, a small fret of Photo Etch (PE) brass and glossy colour instruction booklet. More than a few of the parts aren’t used in this variant, and those parts are overprinted in pink to assist you in ignoring them. Detail is excellent throughout as we’ve come to expect from ICM, and the extra figures are the icing on the cake that gives the model a human scale once complete, and will come in handy if you plan on including it in a diorama. Construction begins with the amended chassis ladder and the front sub-frame with cross-members and leaf spring suspension, plus a full V8 block made up from a good number of parts. The exhaust has a silencer near the rear and exits the underside at the rear of the aft suspension springs, to which the rear axle and differential are fitted, then joined to the central transfer box by a driveshaft with the front axle having a similar reversed layout plus steering box. The drum brakes are hidden behind the wheels, which are made up from the flexible “rubber” tyre that is sandwiched between the inner and outer hub, plus extra detail parts on both sides, eventually slotting onto a long axle front and rear. The underside is mostly complete, and attention turns to the body beginning with the engine compartment between the two curved front wings. Radiator, air filter and fan are added along with a hand-crank for manual starting, then the radiator hosing is installed so that the side plates that isolate the power plant from the crew cab interior can be added. In the right foot well the driver’s controls are added, with a handbrake further to the rear, and a central instrument panel sits almost on top of the engine. The crew seats sit atop boxes and have separate cushions for back and base, after which the cab can be boxed in, adding detail parts and glazing panels as you go. The sloping cab is trimmed with a dash panel and steering wheel, then separate doors with handles and more glazing are put in place either open, closed or anywhere in between at your whim, then closed in with the rear cab and finally the curved-sided roof. The PE radiator grilles have to be bent to match the contours of the sloped front, and should be attached with Super Glue (CA). The spare wheel and the substantial fuel tank are built next, and positioned behind the cab on their brackets. On the original kit the truck bed would now be made up (and the parts for it are still in this boxing), but for this boxing the rocket launching rails and their elevating apparatus are constructed. The eight rails are built up from three parts each to create an I-beam, it has stoppers and end plates added, then they are all threaded together on three tubular cross members. The modeller will need set the spacing of these using the provided jig, gluing them in place whilst being careful not to glue the jig in place too. The complex frame with elevation mechanism is assembled, which can be in either the raised or lowered position by swapping out the long or short elevation jack before joining the two assemblies and adding clips over the bare cross-braces. The full complement of 16 rockets are then added to the rails after adding the additional fins in the aforementioned over/under configuration. The amended flatbed for the launching system is then built up onto the curved rear mudguards and attached to the back of the truck along with a few small additions to the chassis, such as supports for the completed rocket assembly, which itself is held in place by the addition of brackets and washers around the framework. Two rear ground stabilisers are fitted to the rear of the chassis along with lights, shutters over the cab, heat/fume deflector over the radiator, windscreen wipers, rear view mirrors and extended elevation adjustment winders on the port side are all added, with folded shutters to protect the cab windows from the blast and heat when the rockets were being fired. Figures (35648) All four figures are on one sprue with a separate instruction booklet and product code. They are moulded in ICM’s by now familiar lifelike style, with lots of detail, realistic poses and sculpting, and including a number of weapons to sling over their shoulders. Three of the figures are shown loading rockets onto the back of the rails, while the fourth can either be their commander watching over the process, or with the tweak of his arm, he can be propping up the next rocket for loading with one of his hands, as can be seen in the picture below. Markings There are no markings in this boxing, as they weren’t technically frontline units due to the trajectory of the rockets necessitating distance between them and their targets. Unless the users daubed patriotic slogans on the sides, identification clearly wasn’t a priority. You can guess that the scheme is Soviet Green, with the rockets in steel. Conclusion Another first-rate variant from ICM of a previously overlooked British truck that was fairly common both during WWII and after. The inclusion of a Russian Katyusha conversion increases the interest to those of us that like their models to go BANG!, and for me the figures complete the package. Highly recommended. Available in the UK from importers H G Hannants Ltd. Review sample courtesy of
  7. BM-13-16 on WOT 8 Chassis(35591) 1:35 ICM via Hannants Made by Ford UK under the Fordson brand, the WOT 8 was the last of a long line of vehicles using similar nomenclature in service of the British Army. Introduced in 1941 there were approximately 2,500 built, with a number of those sent to Russia as Lend/Lease vehicles of which a few were converted to carry Katyusha rockets. In British service they were used as a prime mover for artillery, particularly in North Africa and Italy. Its large fuel tank gave it a healthy range and a reasonable top speed thanks to the Ford V8 engine that put out 85hp, which wasn’t terrible for the day. The Kit This is a new tool from ICM as part of their WOT line, the WOT8 we reviewed here. The kit arrives in a standard ICM box with their captive inner lid and a nice rendition of the vehicle on the top. Inside are eight sprues in grey styrene, five black wheels in flexible plastic, a clear sprue, a small fret of Photo Etch (PE) brass and a tiny decal sheet that is found inside the glossy colour instruction booklet. A few of the parts aren’t used in this variant, but ICM have already indicated they’re going to do a Katyusha fitted variant this year, so we’ve got that to look forward to too. I don’t know about you, but I’m an admirer of rocket launchers and such like. Construction begins with the chassis ladder and the front sub-frame with cross-members and leaf spring suspension, plus a full V8 block made up from a good number of parts. The exhaust has a silencer near the rear and exits the underside at the rear of the aft suspension springs to which the rear axle and differential are fitted, then joined to the central transfer box by a driveshaft with the front axle having a similar reversed layout plus steering box. The drum brakes are hidden behind the wheels, which are made up from the flexible “rubber” part that is sandwiched between the inner and outer hub, plus extra detail parts on both sides, eventually slotting onto a long axle front and rear. The underside is mostly complete, and attention turns to the body beginning with the engine compartment between the two curved front wings. Radiator, air filter and fan are added along with a hand-crank for manual starting, then the radiator hosing is installed so that the side plates that isolate the power plant from the crew cab interior can be added. In the right foot well the driver’s controls are added, with a handbrake further to the rear, and a central instrument panel sits almost on top of the engine. The crew seats sit atop boxes and have separate cushions for back and base, after which the cab can be boxed in, adding detail parts and glazing panels as you go. The sloping cab is trimmed with a dash panel and steering wheel, then separate doors with handles and more glazing are put in place either open, closed or anywhere in between at your whim, then closed in with the rear cab and finally the curved-sided roof. The PE radiator grilles have to be bent to match the contours of the sloped front, and these are later joined by a rain “porch” that prevents ingress of water in the winter, and probably helps divert engine heat from the open cab windows in the summer. The spare wheel and the substantial fuel tank are built next, and positioned behind the cab. This is made from a large floor, detailed sides, front and tailgate, with stowage boxes between the front and rear angled mudguards, which have braces holding them at the correct angle to the floor. On the original kit the truck bed would now be made up (and the parts for it are still in this boxing), for this boxing though the rocket launching rails and their elevating apparatus are constructed. The eight rails are built up fr, three parts each and are then threaded together on three cross members. The modeller will need to line up the spacing of these and luckily ICM provide a jig for this. After the rails are sorted then the fairly complex raising gear is put together, this can be in either the raised or lowered position. 16 rockets can then be added to the rails (8 on the upper side, and 8 on the lower). The base for the launching system is then built up and attached to the back of the truck before the launch rails can then be added on. Two rear ground stabilisers are then added to the chassis. To finish off the vehicle lights are added and on the cab there are shutters to protect the cab when the rockets were being fired. Markings There are two no markings in this boxing Conclusion Another first-rate kit from ICM of an often overlooked British truck that was fairly common both during WWII and after. The inclusion of the a Russian Katyusha conversion extends the product line for ICM and gives us another great looking Russian/UK Hybrid vehicle. Highly recommended . Available in the UK from importers H G Hannants Ltd. Review sample courtesy of
  8. Hi all, Just starting work on my first 1/35 scale model, a relatively old kit for a BM-13 Katyusha by Alan, it'll also be my first kit painted with an airbrush so that's quite exciting too. I was just wondering, does anyone have any good pictures of the engine? I'm not having much luck in my own searches and thought I'd try on here instead. Thanks, Corbin.
  9. BM-13 "Katyusha" Soviet truck-mounted 132 mm multiple rocket launcher. Pictures taken at National Museum of the History of Ukraine in the Second World War, Kiev by Dave Haskell.
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