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BTR-70 2S14 Zhalo

Nice work!! Joe

Wow, impressive work! A really cool and unusual subject. Well done - and thanks for sharing

Looking good! Dan

I have never seen this vehicle before. Nice work and its especially nice on something you don't see every day.

cool! Pinocchio "Puma"

Thanks guys, appreciate the comments. Now onto the T-55M5...

Nice! Might have to get that conversion kit. Recoil in that thing must have been fun. Under the right circumstances I can picture it flipping right over.

Not entirely sure...while not depicted well on the kit, the real deal had the massive recoil cylinders of the D-44 just above the main barrel under armor. Not sure how much recoil there was, especially with the "pepperpot" baffle...it was only a 85mm so it may have been safe to shoot even to the sides. However, I am sure doctrine was to engage either facing to the front or rear so as to represent as small a target as possible...these things were litterally tin cans with a big gun. That turret looks massive, but it was for the crew to be able to move, not for armor. Or, to better demonstrate, it was still amphibious so far as I know. Shoot and scoot NOT Stay and Play. Also, I am not sure how things may have changed in production...for example, there is no Coax or commander's MG...nothing. i know the Russians would not have liked to keep that aspect of the prototype.

Jacques, you are like the king of all ex-Soviet/Warsaw Pact/Russian models. You never cease to amaze me.

Thanks Rob, complement appreciated. I am glad to help spread the knowledge I am scraping up, ain't the Internet great?! Basically, I gather my info from people who are contacting me because of the SP Designs kits I help sell. Most of these people are ex-intell types who have access to non-sensitive photos or else declassified info. Or else, as a new twist, they are semi-pro photographers taking pictures of previously inaccessable places. Add in some deductive reasoning and some "brain storming" among ex-military types and anyone could amass the info I have. But again, glad to be of service. Of course, I could have just reiterated what we had for a "Platoon song at Basic Training..."I've got friends in low places!" Back on topic, I have been thinking of modifying one of these kits to reflect a 122mm artillery barrel specifically for direct fire support, utilizing K-5 ERA and hull panelling like on the T-72 Ramka (BMP-T). Might make for a fast, powerfull, usfull in urban environments, wheeled support vehicle similar to the Stryker FCS.