Boyevaya Mashina Pekhoty 1 (Ob'yekt 765 )

H.L.B.S, 1/48th B.M.P-1 Model - Review

The BMP-1 is a fully armored Amphibious Infantry Fighting Vehicle (AIFV). Its low-silhouetted hull has a sharp, sloping front with a conspicuously ridged surface.

A centrally located, extremely flat, truncated cone turret mounts a 73-mm smoothbore gun and a 7.62-mm coaxial machine-gun. A launching rail for an AT-3 SAGGER antitank guided missile attaches above the gun. The 290-hp, water-cooled, 6-cylinder diesel engine is in the right front of the hull. The driver's hatch is at the left front, directly in front of the commander's hatch, which mounts an IR searchlight. The gunner's hatch is on the left side of the low turret roof. On the rear are four large hatches in the roof of the troop compartment; there are two large exit doors in the rear.

There are four firing ports in each side of the troop compartment and one in the left rear door. A combination of effective antitank firepower, high mobility, and adequate protection makes the BMP a formidable improvement over the earlier BTR-series of armored personnel carriers. It's 73-mm main gun fires a rocket-assisted, fin-stabilized HEAT projectile with an effective range of 800 to 1000 meters.

It also has an automatic loader. For longer range antitank capability, the BMP-1 carries the AT-3 SAGGER ATGM, effective to 3000 meters. The BMP is amphibious, propelled through the water by its tracks. It has the range and speed necessary to keep up with the fast-moving tanks it normally follows in offensive formations.

The BMP has a three-man crew. This includes the vehicle commander, who becomes the squad leader when the eight infantry passengers it can carry, dismount through the rear exit doors. Vision blocks and firing ports in the sides and rear of the troop compartment allow the infantrymen to fire assault rifles (AKM or AK-47) and light machine-guns (PKM or RPK-74) from inside the vehicle on the move. The troops also carry the RPG-7V or RPG-16 antitank grenade launcher, which can be fired by a passenger standing in a rear hatch. 

The Review

Cast in sand coloured resin, and white metal, the kit consists of, The main body, two track section and a turret, plus smaller details in the shape of four headlights/searchlights, gun barrel, and an AT-3 Sagger AT missile launcher.

All the kit pieces are well cast, with a very minimum of air bubbles in the resin, and these are limited to the lower hull, and well out of sight.

Its a big old bugger of a model, 140mm long, 66mm wide and 40mm high, and will look quite impressive when its slapped on the gaming table.

Its a simple kit to build, a little bit of clean up was required to just remove a few areas of excess resin. With just 10 bits to glue together, even the most cack-handed gamer can assemble this model, but be warned, the lights are fiddly litle devils, and the the fat-fingered blunderers amongst you, may find them a little tricky to glue in place :-)

Detail wise, well its all there, enough to keep most gamers happy, and once painted, its sure to be a fairly accurate representation of the actual vehicle.

The model costs £25.00, ok its not cheap, but it is what you can expect to pay, for something in this scale, and as its going to be mainly used for skirmish level, you won't be buying 10 of them to equip your motor rifles battalion :-)

get it here

www.hlbs.co.uk

Now, as you may have already guessed, I am not what you could call "An Average Wargamer"

To me, this model is a challenge, and I'm pleased to say, theres lots for me to do!!

Have a look at these

and then go peruse the collection of pictures on here

http://www.primeportal.net/apc/robert_de_craecker/bmp-1_east_german/index.php?Page=1

yep, I shall be adding more detail, and opening up at least one of the model's hatches, in fact I am ordering another two vehicles to work on, as I am building up a platoon force for my own reworking of "Chain of Command" 

I love a challenge, and this kit gives me a chance to "improve" on the basic model, I shall endeavour to post progress pics as I go along, just so you can see what I am up to.