Kit Review: SDV Model 1/87 scale Kit No. 87 060; D-350 Mazur Artillery Tractor Unit; 48 parts (46 in green styrene, 1 in olive drab styrene,
1 clear styrene); price CZ Kr 290 (approximately US$14.40) (Note: this kit is also marketed by Arsenal M in Euros with their own unique kit numbers, but is more expensive)Advantages: nicely done kit of this Warsaw Pact prime mover; nicely detailed for this scale
Disadvantages: relatively obscure outside of Polish or Czech military; no suitable gun for it to tow
Rating: Highly Recommended
Recommendation: for all HO scale Warsaw Pact fans
The Soviet Union kept very close watch on its Warsaw Pact allies during the 1950s, and problems such as the uprisings in Germany in
1953 and Hungary in 1956 showed that not all was well. But eventually the Soviets began to authorize production of combat vehicles and auxiliaries in Poland and Czechoslovakia, and one of the first items to enter production was the Polish Mazur M-300 prime mover for artillery.Designed to tow what was originally corps level artillery such as
122mm guns or 152mm howitzers, it used components of the T-54 tank with a downrated V-54 engine producing only 300 HP in its original version. This was later bumped up to 350 HP with the M-350 model and was the more widespread variant of the vehicle. Designed in 1956, the M-350 was produced by the Poles from1959 to 1962 and filled the same basic role as the AT-S did in the Soviet Army.SDV has a nice, clean little kit of this critter which looks the part. It comes on several sprues of two to 11 parts each, but does provide a great deal of details for its size. All of the wheels have separate outside sections to give depth to the running gear. The cab contains seats for eight and comes with a clear insert for all of the vehicle windows. Top bows are provided for the cargo body as is a towing assembly. However, no cargo is provided and with the exception of a few obscure white metal artillery pieces in this scale there is no suitable gun for it to tow.
A set of Warsaw Pact decals are provided, but no color or finishing directions are included. The one on the box art shows CSSR roundels and an overall olive drab paint job, which is pretty accurate.
Overall this is a different subject, and while perhaps too exotic for many modelers, captures its subject very well.
Thanks to Jan Podubecky for the review sample.
Models can be ordered direct from SDV at their e-store:
Cookie Sewell