S-300V 9A83 | SA-12 Gladiator

Thomas CONAN
Following.

Gluefinger
Hi Victor,
since no reviews of the kit are available at this time: what is your impression of the general quality?
It looks like the launching tubes are one-piece affairs - correct?
BTW, good idea to add that pen (and the vehicle) in the pictures for size comparison!
Thanks in advance, and Happy Holidays,
Ralf a/k/a Gluefinger

Victor den Bak
Hello Ralf,

Possibly I'm a bit biased since I really like the SA-12 system. I already have a full set in 1:285 scale out of a 3D printer.

I like the quality of the kit. Comparable with many recent Trumpeter kits. Although the box is nearly as large as the 4K51 Rubezh, parts count is a lot lower due to the many large parts.

I have dry fitted various parts throughout the build and they fit very well. I also like that many tubes are slide molded. No only all 4 missiles and launch cannisters, but also parts of the hydraulic system on various sprues. With many large sprue gates on the launch cannisters making them perfectly smooth will be quite a job.

I've read comments that the cab interior would probably be a guess by Trumpeter and be mostly incorrect. A Youtube video showing an Egyptian 9A83M being construced indicates that the interior seems quite correct. Interior will be quite difficult to see, but you can model the doors open if you want to.

It is possible to build the 9A83 on the move or in the launch position. I'm not sure if it is possible to make it convertible and still display well. There are no rubbers in the hydraulics. Probably the radar tower will fall down and the launch tubes may not stay exactly vertical. But I must construct more to be sure.

Launch tubes can be modeled open or closed. Four missiles are included, and can be modeled with the small fins folded (in tube) or extended (in flight).

I don't really like the tracks. Each link consists of two parts, but details seems low compared to other brands (Meng, Takom, etc). Fortunately you won't see much of them 🙂

Overall, I highly recommend the kit. Quality is good and it just looks awesome!

Regards, Victor

Gluefinger
Hi Victor, a big "Thank You!" for what's become a full-scale review of the kit. Trumpeter will have to thank _you_ for another one going over the counter soon 😉.
I will be following your build; Good Luck with it - and the other 46 kits you have listed under "Started" 😉.
Regards, Ralf.