FineScale Modeler – October 2019

http://www.FineScale.com 59

F

ollowing up its 1/72 scale U.S.

M1070 heavy equipment transport,

Takom released another great

small-scale tank transporter, the

Russian MAZ-537G with ChMZAP-

5247G trailer. Produced between 1959 and

1990, this combination has moved every-

thing, including tanks, rockets, and tractors,

and served in Chernobyl, Iran, and

Afghanistan among other locations. Given

so many options for modeling and painting

this kit should be a welcome fit in many

collections.

Construction began with the main trac-

tor frame and transmission. Small parts

were tight and crisp; Takom continues to

impress me with this kind of molding, find-

ing the perfect balance between a lower

parts count and separate details. The frame

and cab built quickly and without issue. I

liked that Takom molds each door and

window as a single unit, keeping the doors

and windows scale thin.

I wish the kit included even a little

engine detail. Although it’s mostly invisible,

the engine compartment is empty.

The trailer builds just as smoothly as the

truck itself with the major sections of the

frame and bed being large slide-molded

parts. The kit provides the option to pose

the trailer’s support legs stowed or lowered

and the ramps can be left movable. The

trailer looks great when finished and it’s

just begging for a T-55 or bulldozer to haul.

I painted the truck and trailer with

Tamiya acrylics. At some point, I scratched

the windshield and, rather than polishing

the blemish out, I added to it to make it

look more like a rock chip or bullet hole to

hide my mistake.

I spent a little less than 30 hours build-

ing and painting Takom’s Russian tank

hauler and it would make an ideal weekend

project for any modeler. Or it could easily

be taken to the next level with a little more

work, such as replacing the solid grab han-

dles with thin wire, opening hatches, or

adding an engine. I really enjoyed building

this kit and see myself building another in

the future.

• Chris Cortez

Kit: No. 4821 Scale: 1/48

Mfr.: Zvezda, zvezda.org.ru Price: $59.99

Comments: Injection-molded, 293 parts,

decals Pros: Terrific engineering, accu-

racy, and detail; plenty of options; pilots

included Cons: I’m not sure it’s really a

negative, but you need to follow the

instructions to the letter

Kit: No. 5004 Scale: 1/72

Mfr.: Takom, takom-world.com

Price: $42.50 Comments: Injection-

molded, 234 parts (16 PE, 18 vinyl),

decals Pros: Great fits; scale thin doors

and small parts; well-engineered for ease

of assembly Cons: No engine; driver’s

detail simplified

leading-edge and trailing-edge flaps can be
posed either neutral or deflected. The trail-
ing-edge flaps feature foolproof mounts and
molded eyelid flaps. There are even chocks
supplied for an airfield diorama.
Five markings choices are provided,
including Russian, Algerian, Belarusian,
and Burmese aircraft. The decals are
extremely thin and grip the surface of the
model quickly. Flood the surface with water
so you can move the markings into their
final positions. The thin decals conformed
to surface detail easily and did not silver.
So now that I have built both the Kitty
Hawk and Zvezda 1/48 scale Yak-130s,
how do they compare? Zvezda is the clear
choice presenting a well-thought-out kit
with clever design and engineering that is
easy to build. It was obviously created by
people who really knew the subject and
how to present it in scale. I hope Zvezda
continues to expand its 1/48 scale aircraft
range as this kit really is a delight to build,
is accurate, and reasonably priced. Well
done Zvezda!

• Matthew Walker

Takom Russian army

tank transporter