Maquette 1/35 ASU-57 Self-propelled
Gun Tank
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Overview
 The
Russians learned from World War II in order to have successful airborne
operations there must be adequate light armored vehicles to support ground
troops. This led them to develop the open-top self-propelled ASU-57 in
the early 1950s. It allowed for both defensive and offensive support.
Weighing only 3300 kg was attributed to its 4mm-6mm armor plate. Its lightweight
allowed it to be transported by glider, helicopter or transport plane.
The high-powered 57mm antitank gun could fire up to 10 rounds a minute
with a skilled 3-man crew. This main gun fired armor piercing and fragmentation
rounds. The ASU-57's 50-horse power engine was capable of speeds up to
45 km/h for a range of 250 km.
 The Kit
This kit is rebox of the AER/Moldova kit but now is part of Maquett's
Red Army Collection series. A color photo of an ASU-57 in an olive drab
paint-scheme covers the box. It makes a good marking and painting reference.
Inside the box is a two-page six-step instruction sheet in Russian and
English. There is a parts diagram for locating a part on the sprues. Kit
instructions have a symbol legend for filing, gluing, cutting, etc. that
might guide you through assembly. Diagrams are hand-drawn but good enough
to reference from.
 The kit comes in one sealed bag with five part
sprues. The sprues are molded in a soft gray styrene. This kit also includes
a decal sheet. My sample kit had very little flash but some sink marks
were visible namely on the one-piece 57mm gun barrel. Be careful removing
the flash as to not destroy small parts.
The ASU-57's hull is made up of six pieces. The drive sprockets and
road wheels are somewhat plain but are true to the photo reference on
the box. Individual one-piece track links are nicely detailed for 1/35th
scale but are very small. Track link surface is pronounced but true to
scale. Dry brushing will bring out the detail. Major assembly involves
the vehicle interior. As small as this air-borne tank is it has a nicely
detailed interior including instrumentation and individual rounds.
 The
decals printed by ProDecals are thin. These white decals represent vehicle
numbers for one vehicle. I would suggest you look through your parts box
from some stowage parts (e.g., shovel, pry bar, etc.) that would replace
or improve the ASU-57's look. MV lenses would be nice for the headlights.
Conclusion
This small ASU-57 kit's overall detail is very good (i.e., interior).
As for its accuracy, I could not find any good reference to verify major
details. I leave that opinion to you. My sample kit had some flash and
sink marks on two sprues but this could be the result of inadequate injection
of the mold itself. From a visual inspection, I give this kit thumbs up
for subject detail but a thumbs down on injection quality. With some improvement
by the builder this kit would make a nice addition to a light armored
vehicle collection. Due to the amount of sink marks and the tiny individual
track links I would suggest this kit to an experienced modeler. I would
like to thank Squadron
Mail Order for the review kit.
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