In Box Comparative Review:
PSTs& AER's Soviet Zis 42 Halftrack & SP 37mm Model 1939 AAgun .
By Stephen Brezinski
The PST kit contains over50 styrene parts including extra parts for a steel-cab versionand tires for the Zis-5 truck. (Parts for the Zis-5 truck can beviewed in the PST D-1/Zis-42 Preview .) The sprue to convert the truckto a halftrack has over 80 parts, many of them the link &length track links and small wheels. The sprue for the 37-mmModel 1939 AA gun has 37 parts. I regret there is no spareammunition or figures included. The weapon had a weight of 2100kg, a maximum firing rate of 60 rpm with a muzzle velocity of 880m/s for a vertical range of 6500 meters.
Photo 1. The attractivebox art for PSTs version of this small-scale model. Thishalftrack is a variant of the Soviet Zis-5 3-ton truck of TheGreat Patriotic War, developed by the Soviets from the AmericanAutocar truck. My resources state that about 1700 halftrackversions were produced (I have seen another claim that over 5000were built) in order to give the 4 x 2 trucks better off-roadcapability, of which about 100 were converted to this SP AA gunversion). I understand that they were used around Stalingrad inthe winter of 1942-43 (I see a winter, 1942-43 diorama coming!).Note that this is the simplified "Urals" version of theZis-5 with the simplified fenders and wood cab. Apparently uniqueto this vehicle is the curved skid in the front below theradiator rather than a bumper, which common sense tells me helpedthe vehicle overcome obstacles like the rollers in the front ofUS M3 halftracks did.
Photo 2. This is theboxart for the AER plastic & resin version of the aboveall-plastic PST model, released in 1999. The cab, body and frameis the same AER Zis-5 truck as included in PSTs release,though the suspension, tracks, and 37 mm gun are in a crudelydone silvery resin. Those who enjoy a challenge can work this upinto a decent display. As these vehicles were employed in thesiege of Stalingrad, the snow or mud of a diorama maysuccessfully hide any problems with the tracks.
Photo 3. The boxart fromPSTs Zis-5 truck with towed Model 1939 Soviet AA gun [Kitnumber 72028]. I include this photo as it gives a good view ofthe 37-mm gun. The truck is of the earlier Zis-5 with the metalcab and rounded fenders. The Zis-42 kit above does not come withthe wheeled gun carriage included with this truck kit. Theexternal similarity of this AA gun to the 40mm Bofors is notcoincidental; the Swedish weapon was a direct influence accordingto Chamberlain & Gander who also state that the ammunition isderived from the US 37-mm AA ammunition.
Photo 4. This is a scanof the PST 37-mm gun sprue, in dark gray plastic. The partsimpress me as very well molded with good detail. If you wish toadd extra details, Aberdeen proving Grounds in Maryland, USA hasan example in good condition to see and photograph.
Photo 5. Scan of the PSTsprue for the halftrack suspension and tracks in medium grayplastic (click on thumbnail for larger image). The tracks are thelink & length kind, at the right side of the scan above. Thisis a considerable improvement over the resin suspension &tracks offered in the AER kit in Photo 6 below. Though I have notbuilt this Zis-42 halftrack version yet, I recall the Zis-5 truckthat I built years ago went together well. Problems were with thefit of the tires onto the wheel rims, and the plastic is softerthan that commonly used in Japan and Western Europe. The kitinstructions say to paint the tracks black with silver guideteeth though I am told that the tracks were all steel and soshould be painted as such.
Photo 6. Scan of the AERresin parts shows the silver-gray resin of the suspension, tracksand gun parts. The resin is similar to other AER resin models: asilver resin with a paper backing. It appears that this may needa lot of sanding to clean up. Freeing the thin gun barrel fromthe resin may be a problem. The tracks, once sanded to correctthinness, will be heated in hot water and bent to shape over thesprockets. Assembly of the suspension, after clean-up, looks tobe quicker and easier than the PST injection molded kit.Interestingly, the AER resin tracks have a more authentic trackpattern than the PST kit. Perhaps there were two or more trackpatterns produced?
The PST instructionsappear well written and with no obvious problems. The decal sheetis the same sheet that comes with the AER and PST Zis-6 and Zis-5truck kits and has enough markings for 4 or 5 different Soviettrucks. My last experience with these decals was that they arewell printed though a little stiff and need lots of settingsolution to lay down well. For those wishing more information onthis vehicle I recommend you go to the references listed below:
References:
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