1:35 Soviet MT-LB 6MA

A tracked tractor that will carry almost anything

The MT-LB was created as an amphibious tracked carrier for towing guns and moving troops through terrain where wheeled vehicles get stuck. Wide tracks spread the weight so that the vehicle can cross a swamp or deep snow, and its light aluminum hull lets it swim under its own power. It is exactly this combination of low ground pressure and buoyancy that turned the machine into a universal chassis carrying dozens of derived versions, from an ambulance to a launcher vehicle for anti-aircraft missiles.

The 6MA configuration represents a later modernization. A small turret taken over from the family of wheeled personnel carriers was added to the roof of the fighting compartment, armed with a heavy machine gun and a coaxial weapon. That gave the crew the ability to fire under the protection of armor, which the original version with its open position did not offer.

The kit in 1:35 scale

The set consists of injection-molded plastic sprues. It comes disassembled and without any paint at all, so have glue, sanding supplies and paints ready. The running gear with its many road wheels and track links takes up a substantial part of the build and rewards careful alignment.

The model suits dioramas with muddy or snowy terrain, where the subject comes into its own. The basic variant without the turret exists in the same scale as well, so a pair can be built showing the difference between the original machine and the modernization.

The low silhouette gives the finished model an unusual ratio of length to height, so it will not get lost among other armored vehicles on the shelf.