1:35 Russian URAL-375D

1:35 Russian URAL-375D – a Trumpeter kit

A plastic kit of the Soviet off-road truck Ural-375D in 1:35 scale from Trumpeter. It is an injection-molded kit of a classic military truck with drive to all three axles, a flatbed body and a tarpaulin.

The real subject

The Ural-375 is a heavy off-road truck from the Ural automobile works which became one of the most widespread military vehicles of the Eastern Bloc. The version marked with the letter D received a fixed all-metal cab instead of the earlier rendering with a canvas roof. The vehicle is powered by a gasoline eight-cylinder engine, has drive to all three axles and a tire inflation system, so it copes with deep mud, sand and snow. It served as a flatbed, a tractor, a chassis for all kinds of bodies and also as a carrier for a rocket launcher. The high fuel consumption of the gasoline engine was its main weakness and later led to the arrival of the diesel Ural-4320 series, which followed on directly from the 375. Even so, vehicles of the 375 series were used for decades and appeared in a number of conflicts.

Building and painting tips

Assemble the frame on a flat board so that the vehicle stands on all its wheels — on a truck a twisted frame shows at first glance. Paint the cab separately and glaze it only after painting, masking the glass with liquid mask. The tarpaulin benefits from a more matte shade and a fine roughening of the surface, so that it does not look like plastic. Soviet vehicles are painted in protective green; a muddy patina in the wheel wells, on the fenders and on the tires does more for an off-road truck than anything else.

Who the model is for

• for collectors of Soviet and Eastern European vehicles
• for modelers who build convoys and rear-area vehicles
• for an intermediate level of experience
• as a complement to a diorama with armored vehicles

The model is supplied unassembled and unpainted. Glue, paints and accessories are not included in the package, unless stated otherwise.