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M-Model 1/35 Soviet D-8 Armored Car MSRP: $9.95

By Ray Mehlberger

HISTORY:

By the end of the 1920s it had become clear that a mobile armored machine, with machine gun, was needed for the Red Army. It was mainly needed for reconnaissance, communications, and crew protection. At the time these machines were capable of being built on the base of a standard commericial automobile with a single driving axle. The choice was made of the chassis of an automobile that was planned to be manufactured with licensed Ford drawings at the Nizhniy Novgorod Motor Works. This passenger car was characterized by small weight, simplicity, and a high cross-country ability. This ability was privided by wheels of a rather large diameter (730 mm).

The new car was designated D-8, and had been designed and built under the supervision of N.I. Dyrenkova. He tried to make the machine light and small, less noticable in combat, and to provide reliable armored protection for the crew. Dyrenkov refused to use a traditional turret and put the armament inside the heavyset body.

Armament consisted of the DT machine gun, of 7.62 mm, and 2,079 rounds were carried aboard for it. This included 756 rounds that were armor-piercing ones. The machine gun was placed in the right front plate, near the driver, and a second "reserve" machine gun was also carried. An additional weapon placement was made for the second machine gun, in the stern, at the suggestion of K.E. Voroshilov. There were also several openings in the armored plate, in the sides, for the D-9 crew to do nearly all-around firing if needed.

The armored car's body was made up of heat treated, flat armored plates of different shapes...that were welded between each other. This helped protect the crew, and the engine, from conventional cartridges and dirt. The armored hood, with tip-up lateral folding doors, had the cooling doors in the front. Through the front doors, air was transfered to cool the radiator. During battle, when these doors were closed, the air went through an inclined gutter protecting the front axle and crank case.

The D-8 was modernized later. A rotary turret, with a DT machine gun in a ball mounting, was installed. In 1932, the new FAI armored car, on the base of the D-8 model (and on the same chassis), was built. Even later it was changed to the chassis of the similar GAZ-A.

TECH DATA:

Weight: 1.58 tons 
Armament: 2 x 7.62mm DT machine guns 
Crew: 2 
Armor Plate: front and sides= 7mm. Stern= 6mm. Roof= 3mm.
Engine: 40hp 
Maximum Speed: 85km per hour.
Range: 225km on good roads. 180km cross country.
Base: 2629mm

What's in the box?:

The kit comes packaged in a lid & tray type box. This box is small. Only 8 1/4" x 4 1/2" x 2" in size. Inside, the parts trees only take up about 3/4ths of the boxes length. So, this will make up into a small vehicle. The box art shows a photo of the kit made up. It is the only help given for applying any of the decal options.

Parts are all molded, on four trees, in chalk white styrene. The entire kit's contents are in one cello bag.

A single instruction sheet, printed on both sides, and a small decal sheet complete the contents of the kit.

The instruction sheet is all in Russian language ONLY. One side of it gives the history of the vehicle and a painting guide. However, as already mentioned, no help or drawing is given for placement of the decals. You get some Russian stars, and Finnish blue swastikas and some numerals.

The other side of the instruction sheet gives an exploded drawing for assembly of the kit. My kit came with the instruction sheet having part of the drawing cut off, when it was trimmed wrong. There is also parts tree drawings on this side of the sheet. These drawings will have to be constantly refered to when assembling the kit, as the parts trees are not numbered.

The parts are a little heavy handed in places. I think that the door and hatch handles are way too beefy looking, and better replaced with some fine wire. There are sink marks to attend to also. Detail is not as crisp as it could be at times either. I also could not find any part in the kit that would be the machine gun. Strange! So something will have to be fabricated for that.

The first tree of parts holds two sides of the vehicle's body, the grill armor, the engine access side doors, the roof hatch, and the front armored vision plate. (8 parts)

The second tree holds the fenders, head lights, door and hatch handles (which I mentioned are too thick), MG mounts. (17 parts).

The third tree holds the vehicle's frame, inner wheel discs, oil pan (the ONLY part of an engine provided), front bumper, tie rods, and other suspension parts. (13 parts).

The final tree holds six tires (two are mounted, one each side, as spares). One of these tires has nasty sinks in the rubber tire area...but thankfully it is on the inside and likely will be out of view after assembly, the rear bumper, tiny wheel hub covers, frame cross member, drive shaft/rear axle combination piece. (14 parts).

No clear parts are given, for the headlight lenses. Some MV brand ones, here, would do wonders.

Conclusion

I think this kit will make up nicely with care and a little extra work on detail. I have been unable to find out if this vehicle soldiered on, into WWII, with the Soviet Army or not. Anybody know for sure??

I wish that a decent part, representing the DV machine gun/guns would have been included. Also, most pictures I've seen show the actual vehicle having wire spoked wheels, like a bicycle....and not the way M-Models has done the wheels in the kit. These have spokes like a Conastoga wagon wheel. Accurate? Don't know!

I recommend this kit to those modelers who's bag is Soviet armor. It looks like an easy build.

I got this kit, in trade, with a Australian net friend. He, in turn, got it from NKR there.