Trumpeter

SA-2 Guideline Missile
on Transport trailer
1/35 Kit No. 00204

HQ-2 Missile
on Transport trailer
1/35 Kit No. 00205

Reviews by Terry Ashley

The Vehicle: (The SA-2 and ZIL-157 Truck)
The SA-2 missile which became operational in 1959 is the most widely used air defence missile in the world. The Western NATO code name is SA-2 “Guideline” (SA meaning surface-to-air) but in the former USSR was called the V-75 Dvina.
The SA-2 has a maximum range of 31 miles, a maximum operating altitude of 82,000 ft, and speed of Mach 3 and usually carries a high explosive warhead of 430 lbs.

The SA-2 is a two stage missile measuring 10.6m long, the booster stage is 0.65m in diameter and the missile itself is 0.5m diameter with a large solid propellant jettisonable tandem booster stage fitted with four large clipped delta stabilising fins. The missile has four clipped delta-shaped wings with a second set of small fixed fins at the nose and a third set of slightly larger moving control fins at the tail.

The guidance system consists of automatic radio command signals transmitted to the missile from the ground “Fan Song” radar unit which detects and tracks the target.

The SA-2 and later variants were used by the former USSR and at least 29 other countries and has seen extensive use in combat with an estimated 13,000 being fired. This was of the missile types shipped to Cuba in 1961 that brought on the Cuban missile crisis.

The missile and its trailer were usually hauled by a ZIL-157 cross-country truck but it should be noted that the missile was not fired from the trailer, only transported to a fixed firing platform site.

The SA-2 gained most notoriety from its use in Vietnam and in the Yom Kippur War of 1973 and of course the 1960 shooting down of the Powers U2.

The Kits:
The two kits from Trumpeter are of the SA-2 and ZIL-157 Truck (Kit #00204) as used by the former USSR and many of the export countries and is the version used in the Middle Eastern wars. The second is of the HQ-2 (Kit #00205) which is Chinese produced version of the SA-2 and ZIL-157 which has minor differences in the truck design and is the version commonly used in Vietnam.

As the two kits are basically the same apart from some minor differences to reflect the two versions I will review these together with comments on the different parts. Most of the different parts are included on sprue C for each kit.

The kits are basically three kits in one all joined together to form the final assembly, these are the ZIL-157 Truck, the missile trailer and the SA-2 missile itself.

The kits each contain 549 pieces in olive plastic (light grey for the missile parts) and a further 11 in clear plastic, a photo etched sheet with 20 parts, two lengths of copper wire, two sections of spring tube, a length of twine for the winch cable, 10 vinyl tyres, the decal sheet and a 24 page instruction sheet.

The quality of the mouldings is again excellent with crisp well defined details on the parts with pin ejector marks kept to a minimum. There are some pin marks of course on parts with detail on both sides such as the cab doors but overall the parts are good and you will only need to remove the small mould seam line from some of the parts and there is some minor flash on a few of the smaller parts that will need removing but nothing excessive.

The kits contain some very small and finely moulded parts which add to the final appearance of the kits but care will be needed when removing these from the sprues and during assembly. Most sprues are in their own plastic bag within the box and Trumpeter has included extra padding on the sprues with the finer parts for added protection and on my kits there was not one part broken or dislodged from the sprues despite being sent through the mail.
It would as is normal be advisable to give the parts a quick bath in warm detergent water to remove any traces of release agent before commencing assembly.

The ZIL-157 Tractor:
This is a superb rendition of the ZIL-157 and would look right at home on its own.
The main chassis is in multiple parts with cross members added between the two longitudinal chassis frames, the design of the cross members should ensure the chassis is all square when assembled but make sure this is aligned correctly as it will affect the rest of the assembly.
There is a complete engine with no less than 36 parts with all the major engine accessories included and the only thing needed would be the addition of some plumbing to finish off what is a very busy and well detailed assembly.

The front winch assembly has another 15 parts to again build into an impressive little assembly. The radiator is made up of 5 parts and the faces with the grills are completely free of pin marks or other blemished and there is also the large top hose connecting to the engine block.

The suspension is also made of many small individual parts for a very detailed assembly; the front steering is fully workable with a ball and socket arrangement to allow movement without compromising the details.
The front leaf springs have good definition without any blemishes on the sides and also have separate large ‘U’ bolts holding them to the axles to add to the excellent detail definition.

The rear suspension unit is equally well detailed as are the central transfer case and multiple drive shafts and diff assemblies. There are also separate parts for the shock absorbers, steering rods, exhaust pipe (which will need drilling out of course) and the pressure regulator tanks for fitting to the chassis frame. The fuel tank assembly has a further 9 parts and again reflects the detail included in the kits.
On the upper rear chassis is the fifth wheel which is different on each kit with the appropriate part included in each kit.

On the upper body are the two side fenders with boarding steps that have tread pattern included. These are different on each kit with the typical Russian raised rib strengtheners in the SA-2 kit (00204) and the wider flatter type in the HQ-2 kit (00205) and separate fender supports for the undersides. The two headlights (also supplied different on each kit) have separate clear lenses and the headlight guards come with the grills included in plastic but you also get etched grills to use for a better appearance if you wish?

The rear wheels are very well detailed with each wheel made up of 9 parts, these are the two main rim halves with the small securing ring trapped between them, the centre hub and separate tyre pressure regulator on the outer rim and separate brake drum and arrestor cylinder on the inner hub. The bolt head detail on the outer rims is excellent as is the detail on the brake drums and arrestor cylinders.
The tread pattern on the vinyl tyres is also well done with the pattern well defined and also includes details on the sidewalls including data embossing.
The front wheel rims also have separate centre hubs and tyre pressure regulator while the two spare wheels just have the two part rims which also have nice bolt head details included.

The main cab is moulded in one piece with nice contours and also includes the engine hood frames; the engine hood itself is in two separate pieces and each half can be further cut in two to show open or as with the trucks used in the Middle East with the bottom section removed for better engine cooling.
The cab also has separate doors with separate door handles and interior detail, but there are some pin ejector marks here that will require some effort to remove, the clear windscreen glass can also be shown open or closed as required and have separate wiper blades.
The engine hood and large front radiator grill are also different of each kit and again the appropriate alternate parts are included on sprue C. The radiator on each kit includes the manufacturer’s logo on the upper front and the side of the hood doors in the HQ-2 kit has embossed Chinese writing included, did someone say attention to detail?

On the cab interior there is a full width dash board (different style on each kit) with engraved details but no dial details and there is the three separate foot pedals, five separate gear levers and the seat cushions while the floor has ribbing detail included for quite a busy interior.

The SA-2 Missile:
This is a simple yet well detailed assembly with fine engraved panel lines and bolt head details and commendably thin leading and trailing edges in the fins plus other small detail parts such as aileron linkages on the large fins and details on the rear of the booster. Construction is straightforward and shouldn’t present any problems, Trumpeter’s experience with aircraft models has come in handy here

Missile Trailer:
If the truck was well detailed then the trailer is even more so, the main chassis has separate cross members between the full length side beams as with the truck chassis with many small parts added to the sides as well as the intricate side walkways.
The large fuel tank on the front of the trailer has smaller details added as well as plumbing from the wire included in the kit. One excellent feature here is with the spring tube included; this is used for the large fuel lines from the tank to the trailer attachment point. The thick copper wire provided is inserted through the spring tube allowing this to be bent to shape and gives the excellent ribbed effect on the fuel lines, a very nice addition. This all makes for a busy and detailed fuel tank assembly and there are many other smaller parts added around the trailer including the majority of the etched parts provided.
You are also provided with a retractable trolley for when the trailer is not mounted on the truck.

The missile loading rail box is made up of four individual sides with very nice details included and again many smaller parts added as well as the larger front missile support and lower mount pedestal.

The inclusion of the lower wheel trolley allows you to display the trailer and missile separate from the tractor or to attach the trailer to the tractor in the transport mode, just the thing for diorama choices.

Decals and Painting guides:
The painting guide in each kit is provided as a large full colour sheet with five view illustrations showing the colours for the tractor and missile. The SA-2 (kit 00204) provides two marking options, one for an Egyptian SA-2 in a Sand and Green cam scheme with an assortment of Arabic lettering for your choice of markings. The second is a North Vietnamese vehicle in overall Russian Green with a large emblem on the cab doors, the missile in both is finished in light grey and there is a large selection of stencilling for the missile.
The HQ-2 (kit 00205) has markings for one vehicle from the Chinese PLA in overall Dark Green as well stencilling for the missile.

Kit SA-2 (00204) Painting Guides
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The Instructions:
The 24 page instruction booklet has very clear construction drawings which will make assembling the kit as easy as it can be.
To tell the full story I have included scans of the full instruction sheet from kit 00204.

Instruction sheet pages.
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Use the Back | Next buttons to move between the sheet pages.

Conclusion:
This is another superb truck kit from Trumpeter with details everywhere, the intricacy of the assemblies with the many fine parts will require additional assembly time but the end result will more than offset this.
The details included in the ZIL-157 Truck would make this a great kit on its own but the inclusion of the missile and trailer lift it to a new level, excellent stuff indeed.
The diorama possibilities with this kit in conjunction with the separate launcher (kit 00206) are endless with options from Vietnam to the Middle East.

The Sprues:

Kit 00204, 00205 Common Sprues
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