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ZIS-5v
Soviet 4 x 2 Truck


Soviet Union Roundel WWII

Soviet Army
1943

AER Moldova

This model added to kgwings.com on December 6, 2014

AER Moldova 1:72 scale ZIS-5V Truck
In 1931 the Soviets began developing a copy of the American Autocar Dispatch Model SA truck. Production began in October of 1933 at the Zavod Imeni Stalina (ZIS or "Plant of Stalin's Name") as model ZiS-5. The truck was an instant success and was a workhorse of the Soviet armed forces throughout WWII and well into the 1950's.
AER Moldova 1:72 scale ZIS-5V Truck
During WWII, raw material shortages forced construction of the ZIS-5 to be simplified. Flat bended fenders replaced the round stamped fenders, the cab was made largely from wood, front wheel brakes were omitted, the left headlight and bumpers were not installed. This simplified version was designated ZIS-5V.
AER Moldova 1:72 scale ZIS-5V Truck
In 1941 when the Germans invaded, the Soviet Union had 104,200 ZIS trucks at the ready. When production finally ended in 1955 over a million units had been produced.
AER Moldova 1:72 scale ZIS-5V Truck
Although the ZIS-5 main duty was to transport cargo, it was also used as a light artillery tractor and as a troop transporter carrying up to 25 seated soldiers. Many ZIS-5 were modified into refuellers, field workshops, ambulances, and gun platforms.
AER Moldova 1:72 scale ZIS-5V Truck
You can see that the bed and cab are molded with very nice details, just about on par with any of the best small scale kit manufcacturers.
AER Moldova 1:72 scale ZIS-5V Truck

I painted my kit with Tamiya NATO Green acrylic, then used AK interactive washes to represent various dust, shadows and weathering. I used pastel chalk to represent the rusted exhaust.

AER Moldova 1:72 scale ZIS-5V Truck

Parts are provided to build a model ZIS-5 or a ZIS-5V. Note that any of the sidewalls can be displayed down on a standard ZIS but only the rear panel should open on a "V".

AER Moldova 1:72 scale ZIS-5V Truck
I trimmed and sanded the fenders and running boards to a reasonable thickness, then trimmed away the rear area under the cab (not present on the ZIS-5V) and created the missing support bracket out of scrap styrene.
AER Moldova 1:72 scale ZIS-5V Truck
The front bumper was trimmed away and the front of the frame trimmed to correct shape with cross support added. I created a new headlight mounting bar out of scrap parts.
AER Moldova 1:72 scale ZIS-5V Truck
The details on the underside of the kit are not very good. Everything is highly simplified and toy-like. Luckily not much of the underside is visible when displayed in a normal setting so it doesn't detract from the kit much.
AER Moldova 1:72 scale ZIS-5V Truck
My cargo load is a single resin piece taken from Value Gear Details Allied Fuel Drums Set. It really helped the kit look more "busy".
AER Moldova 1:72 scale ZIS-5V Truck
The ZIS-5V kit shares many common parts with the PARM-1 kit I built earlier. Although some parts are simplified the overall look of the kit is very good and is a fair representation of the real vehicle. I'm very happy with this kit and would recommend it to any fan of WWII vehicles.



AER ZIS-5V Truck Model Kit 7202 1:72

AER Moldova
Kit:AER Moldova #7202
(also released as PST and Eastern Express)

1/72 scale
Scale: 1/72
Value:

Although this kit is out-of-production, it was produced in large numbers under several manufactures so it can be found for around $15.00 (US) at the time of posting which is very reasonable in today's rising cost of model kits.

The Kit:

The kit is comprised of: approximately 55 parts molded in a swirl of dark gray colors, a two-sided black-and-white instruction sheet, and a decal sheet. No transparent window parts were provided.

The instructions start with three paragraphs of vehicle history and technical specifications written in Russian and English. Four exploded view steps are provided with indications of how to build either a ZIS-5 or a ZIS-5V (parts are provided for either). Very basic painting instructions are provided and no indication is provided for decal location.

In general the molding is done well with very little flash to remove. Many parts have crisp details like the outer cab and the bed sidewalls and floor, while other parts have soft toy-ish details like the chassis and undercarriage parts. Some parts suffer from being much too thick for scale such as fenders, running boards, and chassis, which can be improved with some careful sanding.

Each wheel and tire is a separate part which do not fit together without careful sanding and widening of the tire opening. The rear wheel rims are way too thick, careful trimming and sanding improves their appearance greatly. The tire tread pattern is not completely accurate but still acceptable. The cab interior consists of a very basic steering wheel and column, a fair instrument panel and simple two-piece seat.

Doors are molded closed but could be cut open without much effort at all.

Overall a very quick and easy build, the tire-to-wheel fit being the only potential slowdown.

Decals: A decal sheet is provided with markings to represent 7 different vehicles. All markings are white, printed sharply, and fully opaque. They set well with no silvering.
After Market Parts Used: The cargo load is one single solid resin piece from Value Gear Details set 72DA1 "Allied Fuel Drums". The set was purchased on Ebay for $11.50 (US).
Customizing:

Clear acetate used for window glass. Headlight lens was made with 3 minute epoxy. Fenders were thinned and parts of the running boards removed to represent correct design. Bumper was removed and chassis parts thinned. Driveshaft was created from spare parts, exhaust was shortened and bent to fit properly. Rear wheel rims were thinned to look more accurate. Headlight mount was scratch built.
Recommendation:

Although some details are simplified and too thick for the scale, the overall look and feel of this kit are good. With a few modifications it represents the real vehicle very well. The kit is an easy build for a medium skill level builder. Recommended for any small scale truck enthusiast.

KGWings Ural 375D



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