Modelkraks 1/72 Russo-Balt S Armoured Car

The Russian Army was fairly early when it came to Armoured Cars, and already in the autumn of 1914 they started the work on several more or less improvised designs. One of these were the Russo-Balt Armoured Car. (The name - once again - came from the chassis manufacturer, the Automobile Firm of Russo-Balt, based in Riga, and producers of the very first Russian Car.) The basis for this armoured car were trucks made by that company that were given armoured plating and armament at the Izhorskiy plant in S:t Petersburg. 

There were a number of variants, and this kit portrays the the so called Russo-Balt S. (This designation was due to it using a special chassis: "S 24/40".) It was not an advanced design, in fact, it was one of the simplest Armoured Cars made during the Great War: an armoured shell put on the above mentioned truck chassis: no turrets, just four holes for MG:s, one on each side.  

This is how it looked like in real life:

Well, the kit by the reputable Polish firm of Modelkrak isn't that advanced either - and how could it be, really? You get one chassi, wheels, MG:s and... thats it. The moulding is sharp and crisp, the details fine, the rivets of appropriate scale and well-spaced. The wheels even have threading! 

You can't go wrong on this kit, really! It's fine! 

Perhaps if you use all the MG:s: in reality the Russo-Balt was equipped with three of them, not four - so the rest are destined for the spares box. It can be improved in some small manner: the holes on the wheel hubs could be bored through, the front grille can be given a small latch, there were handles on the bonnet, and towing hooks on the rear. 

If there is something to gripe about, it could be the very sparse instructions: just a sheet showing the finished model. But then again, you don't have to be a rocket engineer to put THIS kit together. So: if you want to have a quick and fun build one quiet evening, opt for this one!