Perhaps someone who wargames with "20mm" (1/72, 1/76, HO) plastic armor and figures for WWII will be pleased to learn about two 1/72nd scale construction kits that are available for the ZIS-5 Russian truck. I discovered these kits in last year's (1997) Squadron Mail Order catalog. The kits are still available, and they are currently advertised on page 38 of this year's catalog as products of "AER from Russia". The two kits are for two versions of the vehicle: the original pre-war and early war ZIS-5; and the ZIS-5V (V = variant), a subsequent version which reflects the austere modifications in construction brought about by the non-availability of certain materials during the war. The current price is listed as $8.97 for either kit.

I have built two of the ZIS-5 (early) version, and I have kits for the war-time "variant" (ZIS5V), which I intend to construct in the near future. For those who may be interested in making this model truck, I offer herein some comments and construction hints that may be helpful.

First of all, do NOT be afraid to get the model for fear of encountering difficult or incomprehensible instructions. The instructions are excellent; being, in design, quite independent of verbal explanations - a good thing too, judging from the English presentation of the truck's history; for example, "ZIS-5 was began produce in October 1993." and I just LOVE Russian syntax used for constructing sentences in English: "...then these lorries start to buy Afghanistan, Iraq, Spain, China . and so forth! But, all of this aside, as I stated, the instructions are excellent! Step-by-step sequential construction is clearly and straight forwardly presented by cleverly-designed and numbered graphic codes and line drawings. Even alternative constructions are clearly explicable by the pictographic explanations; for example, one can easily conclude that, if desired, the vehicle's front axle (part number 9) can be made from a section of paper clip rather than the plastic part provided. The same suggestion is made for the rear axle, part number 11. 1 followed both of these suggestions, for it was obvious, for my purposes, that the model would be then much stronger and less liable to breakage when handling it on a wargames table. As usual, in building models, I strayed a little from the kit's plans, and made another substitute part. I used a section of a jumbo paper clip for the main drive shaft, rather than the plastic part, number 2. Again, this was to improve the model's ruggedness for use in gaming.

Apart from the foregoing minor construction changes, I followed the instructions implicitly, even to finishing the two models with the recommended Humbrol paints. I have unequivocally rated the instructions as "Excellent." Even so, I advise any builder to be very methodical and meticulous in following these instructions. Moreover, I must caution any builder to exercise particular care in assembling the parts for the front of the vehicle, specifically with regards to part number 16, which is the radiator. Do NOT install it inverted! Unfortunately, it will fit very well that way! And note also that the radiator cap is a very small separate part, number 7!

The kits suggest three different color schemes:

1) Basic overall Russian Green (Humbrol 114 matt).
2) A winter camouflage: White (Humbrol 34 matt) in a disruptive pattern over the basic Russian Green.
3) A summer camouflage: Dark Earth (Humbrol 29 matt) in a disruptive pattern over the basic Russian Green.

My two built models are finished in scheme number 1. I'm always satisfied with Humbrol paint finishes; but, of course, many others would be just as acceptable. Two coats of Testor's Dull Cote were sprayed on my models as a protective surface.

Generally, it is interesting to note the increasing availability of plastic military models coming out of Eastern Europe. Interestingly, the specific models appearing are filling gaps in the previously extant array of available equipment; for example, T34 Russian tanks in 1/72nd scale. I am planning to acquire and test-build more of these new arrivals.