1:72 BM-13N (US6) Rocket Launcher Katjusha

BM-13N Rocket Launcher on the US6 Chassis 1:72 — a PST kit

An injection-molded plastic kit of the Soviet BM-13N rocket launcher on the chassis of the American Studebaker US6 truck, in 1:72 scale from PST. This is the form that became the standard and that most people associate with the name Katyusha. The model therefore brings a truck chassis together with a launcher body carrying the guide rails.

The real subject

The BM-13 salvo rocket launchers appeared at the start of the war and fired unguided 132 mm rockets from guide rails on a truck chassis. The first bodies were mounted on Soviet vehicles, but these were not fully equal to the demanding load. After American vehicles were delivered, the body was standardized on the Studebaker US6 chassis and the standardized BM-13N form came about. The strength of the weapon lay not in accuracy but in the concentrated salvo of a whole battery, which struck a large area within a few seconds. The crew could meanwhile move quickly elsewhere.

Building and painting tips

The guide rails of the body are the key element of the whole model, so dry-fit them and glue them on a flat surface to keep them in one plane. Paint the chassis and the cab before joining them to the body. Lay a filler primer under the olive shade, then finish the metal rails with a dark metallic tone and with sooting around the firing surfaces. Build the dust and the mud from the bottom upward. If the package contains the rockets, paint them separately and fit them last.

Who the model is for

• Collectors of Soviet rocket and truck equipment in 1:72
• Builders of Eastern Front dioramas
• Modelers who want a striking body on a truck chassis
• Moderately advanced builders, because of the small parts of the rails

The model is supplied unassembled and unpainted. Glue, paints and accessories are not included in the package, unless stated otherwise.