Eastern Bloc convoys are the heart of 1:43 military vehicle models: military versions of GAZ, ZIL and Ural lorries, command buses, wheeled armoured carriers and some genuinely odd amphibians. 1:43 has been the collectors' car size for decades, so military subjects slot straight onto a shelf of civilian saloons and hold their own on cab and chassis detail. Many of these vehicles were never tooled in 1:35 or 1:72 at all, which is precisely why collectors come looking here. Below: how to pick a subject and what to have ready for it.
1:43 has been the standard for car collecting for half a century, and military subjects have a settled place in it. The weight of the offering is Soviet and Russian wheeled equipment: cross-country lorries, command buses, box-bodied workshops, wheeled armoured carriers and amphibious vehicles. Rarity of subject is the real draw. If you want a complete Eastern Bloc supply column on one shelf, 1:43 is the only size that will give you one.
Begin with a machine you recognise; a cross-country lorry is a forgiving, straightforward build. More experienced modellers go for a wheeled carrier or an amphibian, with busy suspension and a long list of small fittings.
Military 1:43 stands at exactly the same size as civilian cars and trucks, so compare what is listed under civilian vehicle model kits. Plenty of collectors run both: the same chassis in olive drab and in works livery makes a striking pair.
A driver in an open door, or a soldier at the tailgate, tells the viewer how big the machine actually is. Choose from 1:43 figures, which match the size exactly.
Tracked subjects and every other size are listed in the military model kits overview.
