1:48 RPG-7

RPG-7 in 1:48 scale

This is an accessory set for detailing models, figures and dioramas, not a kit on its own. It contains a miniature of the Soviet RPG-7 hand-held antitank grenade launcher in 1:48 scale. It is used as a weapon for figures, as gear stowed on a vehicle, or as a small detail in a scene.

The real subject

The RPG-7 is a reloadable hand-held grenade launcher with a 40 mm launch tube into which an over-caliber grenade is inserted from the front. It entered service at the beginning of the 1960s, spread to dozens of countries and is still in use today. Its recognizable marks are the widened tube with two grips, the wooden heat shields and the characteristic shape of the grenade projecting from the muzzle — and it is that last one which makes the model recognizable at first glance. The weapon appears both with infantry and as gear carried on vehicles.

Building and painting tips

Separate the thin tube and the tip of the grenade with a scalpel on a cutting mat, never with nippers. Sand the gates, wash the part in lukewarm soapy water and let it dry. The material of small accessories varies: glue resin with cyanoacrylate glue and injection-molded plastic with cement for polystyrene. When painting, it pays to set the metal parts in a dark matte color apart from the wooden shields in a lighter brown shade — the contrast of the two materials is the main thing that sells this weapon on a model. A dark wash and a light highlighting of the edges follow.

Who the set is for

• Builders of modern vehicles and infantry in 1:48 scale
• Makers of dioramas who need believable weapons for their figures
• Modelers adding loads and gear to vehicles
• Collectors of small accessories in a single scale

This is an accessory set for modelers, not a toy. Glue, paints and the base model are not included in the package, unless stated otherwise.