1:35 Katiusha (italeri)

The Katyusha in 1:35 scale: brass photo-etch from Royal Model

The Italian brand Royal Model has prepared this metal set as an upgrade to a kit of the Soviet salvo rocket launcher at 1:35 size. Thin brass parts replace flat plastic imitations: the guide rails of the launcher, the brackets, the eyes, the steps and the small ironwork all gain a thickness matching real sheet metal. The modeler obtains the plastic base separately, and there is only metal in the package.

What made the Katyusha exceptional

Behind the nickname Katyusha stands the BM-13 family of rocket launchers, which the Red Army first deployed in the summer of 1941. An inclined frame with guide rails was mounted on the bed of a truck, and a whole salvo of unguided rockets left it in a matter of seconds. The aim was not the accuracy of an individual hit but an area effect and the psychological shock to the defenders; German soldiers nicknamed the weapon Stalin's organ. After firing, a battery drove off at once to escape counter-battery fire, and it was precisely that mobility that made an improvised weapon a permanent part of Soviet artillery until the end of the war.

How to work with photo-etch

Cut the parts out with a sharp scalpel on a hard surface, bend them in a bending tool or between two razor blades and join them with cyanoacrylate glue. Brass is degreased before painting and sprayed with a primer for metals, otherwise the paint flakes off. The launch frame will take heavy weathering: dust, mud and traces of exhaust gases after firing.

Who the set suits

• builders of Soviet equipment of the Second World War
• makers of dioramas of the Eastern Front
• modelers with experience of bending metal parts
• collectors who are bothered by coarse plastic plate

The package contains photo-etched parts. The kit, glue and paints are not included in it, unless stated otherwise.