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BMP-3 Turret
1/35 #MP RC305
Review by Terry Ashley

Skif
This replacement turret is designed for the Skif BMP-3 kit (No.204) and consists of six cleanly cast parts in light cream resin with additional metal parts for the 100mm and 30mm barrels plus the System 902A/B “Tucha” smoke grenade pots and two delicate antenna mounting pots.

The quality of the casting is excellent with no blemishes and very fine details included on the parts such as fine weld seams and surface wiring plus other small details on the turret as well as nice canvas rendering on the mantlet cover. The single piece solid turret has separate Commander’s cupola, gun mantlet with additional co-ax MG barrel plus the two side add on armour plates.

Unassembled Resin parts
Modelpoint

The aluminium 100mm and brass 30mm barrel are cleanly machined and fit into the resin mantlet snugly but ensure you line them up correctly with each other and you will also need to add the two braces at the end of the 30mm barrel as these are not included. The Skif kit laser range finder is still used but you will have to shorten the frames on Skif part 57-C to fit the new mantlet.
Each of the metal parts are also available as separate update sets if that is all you want to add to your BMP-3 kit?

Metal parts included in turret set also available separately
#3514 2A70 100mm barrel, 2A72 30mm barrel
Modelpoint
#3544 Systems 902A/B "Tucha" #3545
Radio Antenna pot
Modelpoint Modelpoint

With the single piece turret including most of the details assembly is fairly straightforward but some care and patience will be needed when attaching the side armour plates as there is a slight twist and one end tries to unseat the other until the cyanoacrylate cures completely.

The brass smoke grenade pots fit to their mountings on the side armour plates after you drill out the small locating holes in the mounts while the antenna pots already have locating holes included in the turret side mountings.

No instructions are included but the location of the parts is fairly straightforward and you can use the Skif kit instructions as a guide. If you want some additional reference then two articles by Steven Zaloga in Military Modelling Magazine Vol.28 No.19 and Vol.29 No.1 have a detailed build of the Skif kit and excellent reference pics of the real thing.

Assembled Turret
Modelpoint

Conclusion:
This is an excellent replacement turret with very fine details with the inclusion of the metal parts to add to the detail and will certainly enhance the Skif kit.

Highly recommended.

Thanks to Dmitriy from Model Point US for the review sample.



Page Created 22 May 2004

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