Format

NEW VANGUARD, #12
7.25 X 9.75 Inches
48 Pages
44 Black and white photo’s/illustrations
10 color plates
Publish date-10 March 2006
Written by Steven J. Zaloga
Illustrated by Jim Laurier and Lee Ray

Introduction

Remarkably, this is the first illustrated manual of this subject matter, a weapon that was used (and abused) during the Gulf War and also it’s copies being used in the recent Middle Eastern conflicts. This book highlights the SCUD missile, it’s variants, and launch systems, all wrapped up into one easy to use reference manual.
With history dating back to German technology (the SCUD is often described as the modern day V-2 Missile) gathered by the Soviets at the end of WWII from Germany’s v-2 rocket specialists, through testing, development, and trial and error, eventually what we now know as the SCUD was born. The SCUD itself is long out of production, but several countries including North Korea, Pakistan, and China have attempted to copy the missile for their own use. Russia itself has tried twice to replace the SCUD, almost half a century later, with the now Iskander Missile.

Content Overview

This book is not divided up into chapters, per se, but rather into sections, with each section from one to a few pages long covering separate and pertinent subjects related to the SCUD.

Section 1-Introduction
Section 2-R 11: The SCUD A
Section 3-The SCUD Name
Section 4-The SCUD at Sea
Section 5-R 17-The SCUD B
Section 6-SCUD Improvement
Section 7-SCUD Warheads
Section 8-SCUD B: The Secret Variants
Section 9-SCUD Warheads
Section 10-Launching the SCUD
Section 11-Warsaw Pact SCUDS
Section 12-SCUD Proliferation
Section 13-The SCUD at War: Egypt
Section 14-The SCUD at War: Iraq
Section 15-The SCUD at War: Other Conflicts
Section 16-The Scud at War: Afghanistan
Section 17-SCUD Proliferation: North Korea
Section 18-SCUD Replacements
Further Reading
Color Plate Commentary
Index

Each section listed above is packed with interesting, accurate, and highly useful and valuable information, for the military enthusiast, as well as the modeler. In addition, modeler’s will greatly benefit from the discussions of the SCUD variants and the missile launch systems used, both mobile and stationary.
Clear, detailed photography, although all black and white style, shows the reader the various missile types and variants, internal workings of the SCUD, and many mobile transport/launch units throughout. Various useful reference charts are scattered throughout the informational text, aiding in teaching the reader the point at hand.

The color plates in the volume are superbly done, and demonstrate the SCUD Missiles and it’s successor’s, from 1959 to 1999, and nine different mobile launch units, (including Submarine) in rich, full digital color (quite beneficial to the modeler, these will be!). There is also a two page center color plate, in a descriptive numbered style fashion, of the 9K72 Operational-Tactical Missile System (SS-1C SCUD B), 1975, with detailed specifications included.

Author & Illustrators

This manual was written by Steven J. Zaloga, a well known author in the military circuits who has written and published many books and articles dealing with modern military technology, many for Osprey Publishing,
Illustrated by two very talented artists, Jim Laurier of New Hampshire, and Lee Ray, from Australia, these two men combine their skills and talent into producing the fine color artwork of the manual.

Conclusion

Weighing in at only 48 pages total in length, you’re not going to get comprehensive coverage on any one of the topics covered in these pages, but otherwise, you will have pertinent, important reference information for each, respectively. This reference material could be used for the student, military enthusiast, and the modeler alike. Easy to follow, informative text, clear photography, and superb color plates combine to make a great little reference volume concerning a subject that’s covered quite sparsely until now. Recommended from this modeler’s (and military enthusiast’s) point of view.

A Few suggested model kits

DML #3520 1/35 Scale MAZ 543 TEL 8x8 Truck w/SSIC SCUD B Missile & Launcher
Jadar Models, Amo series, 1/72 scale 9K72 Elbros M/SCUD B
ARI Models, 1/48 scale SCUD Missile BRD SS
Roco Minitanks, 1/87 scale East German Armored Missile Launcher SCUD A



Many thanks to Sheeba Madan of Osprey for the review sample