Russian Armoured Cars 1930-2000
John Prigent
RUSSIAN ARMORED CARS 1930-2000, by James Kinnear, published by Darlington
Productions, Inc., ISBN 1-892848-05-8, 336 pages, over 560 photos and
drawings plus some 1/35 plans, US$48.95.
Wow! If you're frustrated by peering at small or fuzzy photos in earlier books
when trying to check details, or just overall accuracy, for a Soviet/Russian
armoured car model this is the book for you! Jim Kinnear is resident in Moscow
and has obviously been putting his spare time to very good use. Here he gives
us the complete story of Soviet armoured car development from 1930 to date, with a
brief chapter 1 setting the scene by covering the WWI and 1920s Soviet use of
armoured cars. Next come the goodies!
Chapter 2 on the light cars up to 1945 covers the D-8, D-12, FAI, FAI-M,
GAZ-TK, BA-20, BA-20M, LB-23, BA-21, LB-62, LB-NATI, BA-64 and BA-64B. 86
pages, packed full of information and BIG photographs - most are reproduced
to half-page size so you can really see what's in the image. Go back and have
another look at that list - have you even heard of half of them? Jim Kinnear
has not settled for just the ones we all know about and can find kits of, he's
included the prototypes and projects too as well as ones which did go into service
but aren't well-known.
Chapter 3 takes 60 pages to cover the medium and heavy cars, also up to
1945, in the same style and again with excellent BIG photos. Here are the
BA-27, BA-27M, D-13, BA-1, BA-3, BA-5, BA-6, BA-6M, BA-9, BA-10, BA-10M, BA-11 and
BA-11D. More you don't know? Get this book to find out about them!
Then there's chapter 4, with 24 pages covering all the specialised wheeled
armour up to 1945. Not just halftracks and armoured ambulances but that weird
wheeled SPG the KSP-76 is here too, as well as the BAD amphibious armoured
cars.
The last chapter is 5, of course, and has 130 pages on the BTR-40, the BRDMs 1 and 2
- all of them including the anti-tank and anti-aircraft ones - and more recent
developments from the GAZ factory which haven't found customers yet. Like
chapters 2 to 4, lots of information and BIG photographs. Finally there are
tables of data for the several chapters and a real bonus, in the form of lists of
vehicles in museums - one list by type, the other by location so if you have the
chance to travel to see them you know where to look.
This really is a book you shouldn't miss if you want to model Soviet armoured cars. The photographs include period shots of prototypes, cars on parade and exercise, and wartime service too, as well as of the few preserved vehicles. Very highly recommended!
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