:: KG Wings - Omega-K 1:72 scale Zil 157K ::

Zil-157K
2.5 ton 6x6 Truck

Flag of Syria

Syrian Army
Norhern Lebanon, 2005

Omega-K

This model added to kgwings.com on January 06, 2010

The ZIL-157 is a general purpose 2.5 ton truck featuring 6-wheel drive, oversized wheels and tires and a centralized air pressure system to control inflation.

The Soviet Union began production of the Zil-157 in 1958. The design was influenced by the American GMC CCKW and Studebaker US6 trucks received during the Lend Lease program 1942.

It was produced in large numbers at the Likhachev Motor Car Plant in Russia from 1958 to 1961, the improved K model from 1961 to 1964, and a final KD model in production until 1972. Because of it's simple rugged design it is still in use with some Middle East armies today.

This is the Omega-K boxing of the Zil, but the same kit has been packaged by Mac, ICM and Trumpeter with different decal and instruction sheets.

Decals were provided for Soviet Russia, Poland, East Germany, Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia, Bulgaria, etc. but I decided instead to do this Syrian scheme of Desert Sand splotches over Russian Green.

I started with a standard Russian green and painted the sand spots freehand which is obviously how the Syrians did it.

I hand-painted the Syrian markings on the doors and bumpers. I've found that Arabic characters are much easier to paint than Roman characters due to their free flowing style.

I decided the bed needed something to spice it up so I constructed my own roof framing.

The rusty barrels and sacks are spares from various kits. The wooden "palette" was provided in the kit, meant to go on the cab roof.

I trimmed and thinned the provided mud flaps to make them more realistic. The tire tread pattern is not perfect, but acceptable.

I didn't like the headlight guards included in the kit so I made my own. The transparent parts are reasonably clear but a bit thick so you can see some distortion.

Overall I'm very happy with how this kit turned out, it was fairly easy to build and looks just like the real deal.

This gives a better idea how small it is and wow... I don't have paint under my fingernails for a change. Amazing.

Here is the basic kit with my few modifications. I used small gauge wire to create the headlamp guards and used strip styrene and bits from my spare parts box to create the framing for the bed.

Soviet Zil trucks would normally have arch-top canvas framing but I had the available parts to do it this way. Field modifications are common in the Middle East so I'm not worrying about it.

Kit: Omega K #72007

Scale: 1/72

Value:

The ICM boxing of this kit can be found in numerous places online for under $10.00 (US) which is a bargain. I actually got mine during Open House at Squadron Mail Order for only $5.00.

Decals:

Decals provided for Russia, Romania, Czechoslovakia, Poland, East Germany and Hungary. My sheet is in close register.

Assembly:

Kit includes six sprues of plastic, one sprue of clear parts, 3 brass axles, decal and instruction sheets.

Assembly is straightforward although there are no locating pins on the cab or bed so I had to do a lot of test fitting before attaching to the chassis.

The tire tread patterns are directional so make sure you put the righties on the right side and the lefties on the left.

The provided brass axles are a touch long and made the wheels stick out too far so I sanded the ends until they fit better.

The driveshaft and transfer case assembly is a bit tricky. Once that is done the rest of the kit goes together fairly easy.

After Market Parts Used: None

Customizations:

I used small gauge wire to build headlight guards. I sanded and thinned the front fenders and mudflaps to make them more to scale thickness. I used metallic sequins and clear epoxy on the headlight lenses.

Recommendation:

This is a fairly easy build for any modeler. I think any fan of small scale trucks will thoroughly enjoy.

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