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BTR-152v
Armored Personnel Carrier

Flag of Syria

Syrian Army
1967

ICM

This model added to kgwings.com on March 28, 2012

BTR-152V by ICM
In 1955 the Soviet Union revealed a 6-wheeled armored personnel carrier built around the reliable Zil-157 truck chassis, known as the BTR-152V. BTR (БТР) is short for Bronetransporter (Бронетранспортер) which is literally "armored transporter.
BTR-152V by ICM
The BTR-152 was developed to provide infantry with cross-country mobility and protection from small arms fire and small shell fragments.
BTR-152V by ICM
In addition to the crew of two, the BTR-152 was designed to carry 18 armed infantry.
BTR-152V by ICM

The BTR's armor varies from 15 mm thick on the front to 9 mm thick on the sides, to only 4mm on the floor. Armament was usually a 7.62 mm SGMB light machine gun and three firing ports in each side allow infantry to fire from within the vehicle.

BTR-152V by ICM

Production of the BTR-152 was stopped in 1962 with approximately 15,000 examples built. In the early 1970s the Soviet Army began phasing it out as an APC, however it remained in service until 1993 in a variety of other roles including command vehicles, mobile radio stations and ambulances.

BTR-152V by ICM
The BTR-152V was exported to over 40 countries and can still be found in service today.
BTR-152V by ICM
This kit by ICM was previously released by manufacturers Omega-K and Mac with differences in decal sheets and instruction sheets.
BTR-152V by ICM
Details on the outside of the vehicle are generally very good, however details inside the crew compartment range from soft to nonexistent and beg for customization.
BTR-152V by ICM
With a little extra care, this kit builds into a nice looking APC.
BTR-152S by ICM
Here is my BTR before painting. You can see where I created weld seems using stretched sprue. The 7.62 mm SGMB machine gun provided in the kit is a bit soft on detail so I replaced it with an extra from my ACE BTR-60pa kit.
BTR-152S by ICM
I used strips of masking tape to make equipment straps, small gauge wire for hand rungs, handles and latches. The gunners seat was left over from some old ESCI kit. You may also notice where I attempted to thin down the sidewalls to be closer to scale thickness.
BTR-152S by ICM
Here is my BTR with a base coat of Model Master Medium Field Green FS34095, which in hindsight is probably a little too light.
BTR-152S by ICM
I added a few drops of white to the Medium Field Green and sprayed the centers of each panel to give it some depth (the opposite of pre-shading).
BTR-152S by ICM
Using Silly Putty as a mask, I sprayed Model Master RAF Middlestone ANA 615 for the sand camouflage.
BTR-152S by ICM
I applied a purple acrylic filter to balance out the camouflage colors, then weathered using pastel chalk. The provided Arabic numeral decals were too large and also disintegrated on contact with water so I had to hand paint mine. Although it's not the most detailed kit, it builds into a reasonably accurate replica of a classic Soviet designed APC and I'm very pleased to add it to my collection.



BTR-152S by ICM
ICM
Kit: ICM # 72531
(formerly released as Omega-K and Mac)

Scale: 1/72
Value:

This kit is usually priced around $14.00 US which is comparable to other kits in this category.

Assembly:

The kit consists of 67 plastic parts molded in green and black, one decal sheet and a four-page folded instruction sheet.

Detail is reasonably crisp on the outside, but ranges from soft to nonexistent on the inside and underside. Very little flash was on my kit.

Tire and wheel are molded as one piece with nicely detailed tire pressure regulation system. The tread pattern detail is soft but acceptable, note that the tread pattern is directional so pay attention to which tires you put on each side. The "back" or inside of each wheel is toy-like but hardly noticeable after assembly. A spare tire is provided but the center cap and pressure regulator need to be carefully trimmed and removed to represent an uninstalled spare wheel.

As with all of the ICM (Omega-K and Mac) BTR-152 and Zil-157 vehicles, special attention is required when assembling the undercarriage. Often the axles have to be repositioned in order for the tires to fit properly into the fender openings.

All doors and hatches are molded shut. No door or hatch detail is molded on the inside of the vehicle which is very noticeable on the rear doors. Customizing is required if you wish to correct this problem.

My kit came with metal axles although I believe newer releases may come with plastic which is easier to work with.

The headlight guards are very thick and benefit from careful sanding and thinning.

Overall this was a very easy and fast build with no major problems at all.

Decals:

Decals are provided for various Soviet and Middle Eastern Armies however my sheet was poorly printed and each decal disintegrated upon contact with water. I had to hand paint the arabic numerals on my kit.

Customizations:

Strands from 12 gauge speaker wire was used to fabricate handles and hand rungs. Stretched sprue was used to create weld seems. The kit provided 7.62mm machine gun was replaced with one from an ACE kit. A gunners seat from my spares box was added. Side walls and fenders were sanded and thinned to be closer to scale. Gun ports were drilled out from inside. Various straps were made using drafting tape. Styrene strips were used to make brush guard brackets, rear door framing, and other details. Center hub and tire pressure regulator was drilled out and removed from spare tire.

Recommendation:

Even though many details are soft, positioning the undercarriage is tricky, and my decal sheet was useless, I still managed to enjoy this kit. With a bit of scratch building it builds into a convincing BTR. Recommended for small scale cold war enthusiasts who like to add details.

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