Karl Hoy reviews Trumepter's BRDM-2 (Early).



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If you have comments or questions please post them here.

Thanks!

Thanks for the review, I believe this kit is a representation of the Polish command version, as aside from the standard R-123, it has an R-130 (part F19) and an R-323 receiver and R-871 ground to air set on part F27. The switchboard on part F27 is a bit of a mystery but could be based on the unit that is on the Soviet UAZ-469 command variant (http://greenradio.de/e_r1125.htm).
To complete the interior, I would add the psu's for the R-123 and R-130.

Nice review! I have just received it also in order to make a review fot my site. I miss only one thing, which features are making this kit "early"? At first glance, I would say the different access/cooling? hatches at the back, and the rear "plate" is openable on both sides.

The wheel is quite nice, of course the texts are missing, but with another hub, this can be used for BTR-80 of Zvezda as well!

Thanks for sharing!

Adam

And one more: welding lines are TOTALLY OMITTED on this kit!!!

It is a pity, since the BTR-60PB uses the same turret and it has welding lines on the kit.

Interesting: BTR-60PB and BRDM-2 Early have exactly the same parts on/in the turret, except for a little change in favour of the BRDM: the vision hole right next to the main gun is separate: clear plastic+PE viper blade, the BTR has it all in plastic, moulded on. And the BRDM PE says "2010" so this feature could have been included in the latter BTR. I guess that BRDM is an earlier mould, this is the reason for the lack of the welding lines on the turret.

Cheers

Mike- I'm glad you liked the review- cheers! You could be right about that radio being a version of the one in the UAZ you posted. The kit part also somewhat resembles a Soviet portable radio station- it looks about the right size. Its a strange one!

Adam- thanks a lot mate! As far as I know you are spot-on about the rear vents- they were changed three times I believe- the Early rear deck appeared as it does in the kit with the four vents at the very back and the angled engine hatches in front. Then the forward hatches were squared off and given vents on the top (this is visible in the Concord book 'Soviet Wheeled Armored Vehicles' on an East German BRDM-2U) and then what I reckon is now the most common rear layout which is the four vents at the rear and then six oval vents/intakes in three rows. I think these are the main changes made to the BRDM-2's but since it was used by so many countries there could be a good few other modifications made to the rear decks by the end users.

Thanks to Scott Millican we now know Trumpeter are planning to release a BRDM-2UM Command Vehicle- LINK.

Nice review.. thank you, Karl.

Where can I find some clear interior shots? I realize it's not very visible, but I thought maybe I could spruce up the interior with some wiring and stuff like that.

Hisham

Hi Hisham, glad you liked the review mate!

There's some good interior shots over on Dishmodels:

http://dishmodels.ru/wshow.htm?p=894

The Concord book Soviet Wheeled Armored Vehicles by Steve Zaloga also has some good clear BRDM-2 interior shots.

Hope this helps a bit !

Hi!

Dishmodel has even more walkarounds:

Walkarounds

cheers,
Jurjen

Thanks for the links, guys!

Hisham

Hisham, here you can find lots of BRDM-2 references

http://www.brdm2.estranky.cz/fotoalbum/brdm-2-obrneny-transporter/


As usual, you've written a professional and really exhaustive review Karl. That isn't a flattery mate, I really think that few other people in the site can write such an accurate product article
Anyway, it looks a great kit indeed! I've already seen the box on the shelves of my local hobby shop but I was thinking to wait for BMP-1 and T-64 issues before buying it. After looking at the sprue pics, I'm about to change my mind.
The interior reproduction represents a great improvement for Trumpeter, I really hope that they do the same on their future releases. Trumpeter has been getting better. In term of qality, this kit looks very close to a DML one.
Regarding the vinyl wheels, I'd say that I don't usually like them, but I think that is maybe the only method to reproduce the tyre threads in a correct way. Anyway,looking at the pic,the wheels seem quite good and flawless.

(...and now I'm almost sure that someone will say that actually this kit sucks! )

Cheers and thanks a lot

Hey Mauro, this might help some. I’ve built mine up pretty quick just to get a feel of it and do a simple build. So far it seem like a simple shake and bake kit. Just a bit of filler is needed in a few areas, but overall great kit. As far as the interior goes, nice they included it in the kit, but a real shame none if any can be seen.

Thanks a lot Christopher. It's nice to ear that is a "shake & bake" kit!

Regarding the interiors, well I know, considering the vehicle shape, in the end they will be hard to see.
Anyway, I think that you can chose to assemble them or not (of course if the hatches are closed that won't make sense at all), but having lots of interior details allows to depict the model in many different ways. Think for exemple to a wrecked exemplar...or maybe to a vehicle depicted while its turret it's being removed by a crane for some maintenance jobs...
It would have been great if they had done the same job on their T-62 and ASU-85 kits

Let them see your model finished!

Cheers and many thanks again

Glad to share it with everyone since it's a new kit ant many built up yet. I still yet to build the suspension to see how it goes together, but that also looks pretty straight foward build.

I do have to say it would of been better if trumpeter released a late version first. Far more options for builds out there especially when dealing with current and past conflicts. I just haven't found too many photos of the early version out there. Even with most of the fighting in the middle east and north africa over the past 40 or so years, I've mostly seen the later style engine deck. But hey, it's still nice to have an all new tolling of the BRDM-2. Hopefully they will release a BRDM-1, another need russian wheeled vehicle.

Cheers

In my opinion that's a marketing strategy. They always start releasing the less interesting versions, then they produce the most requested ones.
They have done the T-62 1962 before the more diffused (and interesting) 1972 one, they have released the BTR-60P APC before the PB version and they are about to release the T-64 1972 before the 1974 version.
They always seem to follow a chronological order...actually I think they hope that modellers who can't wait, eventually will buy all the kit versions

Regarding the interior parts, maybe they're suitable to other vehicles like the radio's etc?

Jurjen

Mauro- you're too kind mate, your comments mean a lot to me, cheers!

Chris- its real nice to see the build so far along and to hear that it is a good fit. I hear what your saying about the late version- I need a late version for something I have planned so I wouldn't have minded one myself but I think Trumpeter are doing what Mauro says- i.e. taking each release chronologically- the BTR-60 being the prime example of this. I doubt we'll have to wait too long until we see a Late BRDM-2. I'm also quite surprised they didn't go for the BRDM-1 first, I thought they would have but it might possibly be in the works too.

Jurjen- I think I'm going to keep that mystery radio set separate when I get round to building mine, as you said I think it could be useful to perhaps keep it back for use in another vehicle. Now we just have to find out what it is!!

Mauro - true I can see trumpy releasing them in order. Even though it’s kind of strange when you look at that their su-152, they released the late version first. Only reason why I wanted the late version first is due to the Russian figures in the market. It’s hard to find soviet figures from the 60’ and 70’s with out modifying or scratch building. All the ones I have are from master club, ant, and tank which covers 90’- to current. I would be very long stretch to think that early version even served in astan. Were as their t-62 mod 62 is still in service to this very day. I still plan to build mine with some FSB soldiers just for fun.

Karl- as far as the radios go, you could always use them for command versions of the BTR-60. Both the p and pb command would be a great home for the well detailed radio and would easily been seen more.

I have the 60PB in the stash, its not a bad idea to put the radio in that- cheers !

Here are the ones you could easily make with the btr-60pb

BTR-60PB converted into a command vehicle equipped with two side-mounted angled telescopic masts

. BTR-60PBK (K stands for komandnyj - "command") (1975) - Company commander version, based on the specialized chassis GAZ-4907. This version is equipped with three radio sets: two R-123 and one R-148 as well as three whip antennas and an antenna mast on the left upper hull. Late-production models have a modified turret and additional Pin Stick antenna.

BTR-60R-145BM "Chaika" - Turret-less command vehicle, based on the GAZ-4907 chassis and fitted with a collapsible AZI frame antenna, the AMU 10 m high telescopic mast, the AB-1-P/30 generator, five radio sets: one R-123MT, one R-130, two R-111 and one R-012M as well as the TA-57 field telephone. It is also known under the designation BTR-60PU.
BTR-60R-145BM-1 - Modernized model.[15]
BTR-60R-149BM - Command vehicle based on BTR-60R-145BM-1

BTR-60 R-145BM - BTR-60PB converted into a turret-less communications vehicle and equipped with five radio sets: two R-111 or R-171, one R-123 or R-173, one R-130M, and one R-012M

BTR-60PU-12 (9S482) (punkt upravleniya) (1972) - BTR-60PB converted into an air defense command vehicle used by units equipped with ZSU-23-4, SA-9 or SA-13 units. Turret was removed and the vehicle was fitted with the AMU telescope mast on the right-hand side of the front hull roof and the AB1-P/30 1 kW generator on top of the blanking plate. The vehicle is equipped with the 1G13 gyroscope, the KP-4 navigation apparatus and the ASPD-12 computer. Often the PU-12 is connected to a radar and the radar image is directly visible on the vehicle's IT-45 monitor. BTR-60PU-12M can process up to 12 targets.

BTR-60PU-12M (9S482M) - Modernized model developed in the 1980s for units equipped with more modern SAM systems. This model is equipped with the more modern ASPD-U computer instead of the ASPD-12 and with the S 23-1 data processing unit connected to the MP-21, MP-22, Strela-10M, Osa-AK etc. BTR-60PU-12M can process up to 99 targets instead of only 12

Just to name a few.

Cheers

Those are some interesting variants there Chris- the turretless ones would certainly make an interesting sight. Thanks for the list.

This afternoon I went to my HLS and asked for the kit price. Unfortunately is more expensive than I thought (42€ about 52$).
I might buy it on the net, but considering that at the moment I'm more interested in T-64 and BMP-1 releases, I think I'll wait for the later version

Yes, they're hard to find And I really don't know why...

Regarding theyr products, I'm waiting for a T-72. And I'd like if they re-tooled their old T-54 and T-55

Wow, that's expensive. I paid about 22€!

Wow...here in Hungary it is aprox. 25 EUR (7500 HUF). Interesting. It is from a German distributor in Europe. Wait for a lower price

Cheers