German Democratic Republic (Deutsche Demokratische Republik)
East Germany
1990
This model added to kgwings.com on August 26, 2013
In 1961 the Ural Automobile Plant began producing "automobile Ural-375" an all-metal 4.5 ton 6 x 6 truck powered by a 180 horsepower (130 kW) ZIL gasoline engine.
The Ural-375 had a tall order to fill as the replacement for the proven ZIL-157, it proved to be well suited for the task earning the State Quality Mark from the Commission of the USSR in 1973.
The Ural-375D variant became the standard Soviet truck and remained in production up until 1983. It was used in a variety of roles including cargo/transport, command post, fuel truck, tractor-trailer, and was the first truck to be used as a platform for the BM-21 "Grad" rocket launcher system.
This ZV Models kit is very well engineered with crisp details and excellent fit overall. I had no problems at all with the assembly and very little cleanup was required.
The plastic tires are molded as inside/outside halves with separate wheel hubs. A hub without tire pressure system is provided for the spare so no corrections are required.
I was concerned that my kit's fuel tank sat at a tail-down angle but photos of the actual vehicle suggest this is may be accurate.
I used acrylic floor wax and diluted brown paint to simulate fuel spills along the tank.
I used AK Interactive AK 074 Rainmarks for NATO Tanks to create the dust streaking effect overall. This is my second time to use the product and I'm starting to get a better feel for it.
Pastel chalk was used to weather the tires and fixed with mineral spirits. Note the license number is not likely correct for a DDR vehicle however it's all I had available.
I was very pleased with how the weathering turned out on this project although I hope to push the envelope and try more extreme techniques in the future.
The East German Gelboliv green is difficult to capture. It appears much grayer than typical Soviet greens.
I decided on a mix of Tamiya Field Grey and Dark Green/JGSDF. I'm not sure it's exact but it appears to be in the ballpark of correct.
I'm very pleased with this kit and how it turned out. I look forward to building the Cargo Version and Command Truck version.
Kit: ZV Models #72003
Scale: 1/72
Value:
This kit is out of production under the ZV Models label, however it is readily available from ICM for as low as $12.00 (US) which is a very fair price for a kit of this quality.
The Kit:
The kit is comprised of approximately 94 parts molded in white, 14 parts molded in black and 7 clear parts, 1 decal sheet and a four-page black and white instruction sheet with 6-step exploded views and painting instructions for four vehicles. No history or written instruction is provided.
All parts are flash free and very crisply molded with fine details. Very small parts such as mirrors, lights and railing are especially well done. Fit is excellent overall. Transparent parts are a bit too thick and distort the view of the interior, a coating of acrylic floor wax helps somewhat.
Assembly starts with plastic molded tires and wheel hubs. The tread pattern detail is not perfect but adequate, the wheel hubs are well done correctly representing both the mounted tires and the spare. Adequate cab interior is provided although there is plenty of room for super detailing. The frame and undercarriage are very well done with all major systems represented. The fuel tank went together well with only a bit of filler required along the storage boxes on the side.
Cab doors and engine hood are molded in the closed position and no other optional position parts are provided.
The instruction sheet exploded diagrams are well illustrated but fairly complex so careful study is required to locate all of the parts.
Images of the instruction sheet and part sprues can be found on the Henk of Holland web site: henk.fox3000.com/ZV.htm
Decals:
The decal sheet includes markings for half a dozen Warsaw Pact armies although instructions are only provided for 1 vehicle each of Soviet Guard, Soviet West Army Group, Soviet Army in Afghanistan and East German Army.
Although my decal sheet appeared to be well-printed it proved to be unusable as the decals broke into small pieces when exposed to water. I used spare decals from an ICM sheet (which was nearly identical to the ZV sheet).
After Market Parts Used: None
Customizations:
I created windshield wipers and headlight guards using stretched sprue. Spare parts were used to create the front bumper fog lights. Plastic craft "jewels" were used to create lights.
Recommendation:
This is an excellent kit. It's reasonably accurate and easy to assemble. Highly recommended for any small scale truck enthusiast.
Special Thanks:
This kit was a gift from fellow Texan Tony Morgan (noted expert Helicopter modeler). THANKS Tony!
