Lebanon 1982, 1/87th &1/100th scale Syrian SA-2 Guideline (cont.)

These SA-2 Guidelines were made out of the usual materials: The rockets itself are aircraft missile plastic parts "frankensteined" from different kits and evergreen tubing and the bulky green part is made out of three 3 milimeters soft styrene sheets glued and sandwiched together and then carved with X-Acto.

 The full SA-2 Guideline battery with the Fan-Song radar.

The SA-3 Goa battery with the SNR-125 Low-Blow radar.

Lebanon 1982, 1/87th &1/100th scale Syrian SA-2 and SA-3 AA Missile systems

The main missile AA systems used by the Syrians in the Bekaa valley were the SA-2 Guideline and the SA-3 Goa attacked by the Israeli aviation in Operation Mole Cricket 19. The problem of using models of these things , as usual in 1/87th scale in particular, is availability  and price.

As my collection mixes 1/87th with 1/100th scale, scratchbuilding models to these scales is nice as can can always say the model turned out in "1/90 th scale" or in "1/88th scale", who knows.

The model above and in the next two pictures is the Low Blow radar attached to the SA-3 batteries.

The wheels are metal Irregular Miniatures from their Useful Range Artillery. The central control box is a piece of styrofoam (don´t forget to protect it with a thick coat of PVA glue before spray, or you will get a really small box...). The ladders and such are metal. 

The Radars themselves are Made-in-China toys and most of the details are the trustable Evergreen plastic tubing, sheet and rod along with other styrenes.

 This is the way how I produce quick reference for scratchbuilding: Google + attach images to word page + print =  that´s it.

 Try to capure images from the best angles and particularly B/W  and almost-to-scale images. Many times you can even use a ruler for measurements if the pic turned out in the wanted scale.

 The SA-3 themselves: several parts of 1/72nd aircraft missiles until you are satisfyed; Evergreen and other styrenes for other parts and you are done with it.

Same recipe for the Sa-2 radar, the SNR-125 Fan-Song. Much more complicated than the previous radar, this one has more parts in styrene. Superglue and Hotglue bonds everything in its place. The figure, a kneeled Skytrex 15mm already glued, gives you the size of the thing.

Next: SA-2 Guideline.

Lebanon 1982, 1/100th scale Syrian Mil-Mi -24 Hind helicopters

These ones weren´t really in Lebanon in 82 but they already belonged to the Syrian military. It were the Aerospatialle Gazelles who bore the brunt of all the helicopter fight on the Syrian side and with considerable sucess. The Hind crews were still training with their new machines. Based on recent footage available on the Web the camouflage is still the same after many years of Hind service in Syrian hands.

JMM: they already have some air support....

 This one is the 1/100th metal and plastic (die cast) Italeri Hind released with a magazine many years ago. Only now I looked at it with attention and repainted it in Syrian colours.

 
A few milimeters larger is the plastic Hind of Revell. I chose to paint the windshields because there are just too many kits of airplanes and AFVs in resin and metal in which we have to paint the glass parts that I feel this is the best thing to do. Of course it´s a pitty to spoil all the interior detail and the possibility of placing some crewmen, but it´s one of two options.

Rapid Fire! Italian Desert, 1/72nd scale Sahariana

Just two recent Altaya Saharianas repainted and based, with extra crew, guns  and stowage.

 The one on the right also had its Breda 20mm gun replaced by a soft plastic 47mm gun from Waterloo 1815 Folgore Division box given to me by JMM. Thanks friend.

 The figures are mainly russian and american hard plastic bodies with different heads some helmeted and other with caps slightly carved to look like italians.

28mm AOE Waterloo 1815 11th Cuirassiers

After looking for some different Cuirassiers Regiments I found that there were some that didn´t sported the breastplate. That was the case of the 11th regiment. The Perry box has all its excellent models with cuirasses but the Perry dragoon´s are good for these conversions.

These figures represent the 11th Cuirassiers of Guiton´s bgde , III Reserve Cavalry Corps. So my III corps will be added with this regiment and one of the previous regiment (red collar) will pass to Milhaud IV Reserve Cavalry Corps and will represent Travers bgde.

 The main conversions to change dragoons into un-cuirassed cuirassiers is to place cuirassiers heads and place a Greenstuff rolled blanket on the torso. Also some Greenstuff epaulettes on everybody shoulders and that´s it (or just use Elite dragoons straight from the box).

In this way the repetitive task of building all Cuirassiers brigades in Waterloo gets a little more enthusiastic.

Lebanon 1982, 1/87th &1/100th scale Syrian T-62

My dear friend JMM, the artillery was not the last post for the Syrian of 82, but this one will be: the T-62, which by this date was the most important tank in their arsenal, at least numerically, and the mainstay of the 1st armoured division.

First some of the T-62 , left the T-62A (without MMG), transformed from the excelent Petner Panzers plastic kits from the USA in 1/87th scale and right, the T-62M, . This brand I think no longer exists, and I only know two kits made by them: the T-72 (same mould as the one once made by Roco...) and the T-62. I remember building the T-62 plastic kits (18 of them) and feeling glad on how all pieces glued so well, making me think these were the best kits ever. Besides the tracks were one piece, and some 15 years ago were some of the first to be seen (ahhhh... the Airfix Bren Carrier is some 40+ years old, right...?).

 The Petner Panzers T-62 fleet, is this case the 76th brigade of the 1st armoured division.

 A different camouflage, without the grey colour.

The Salvat 1/87th scale T-62. Each I find turns into a command vehicle with a little Syrian flag added.

 The Skytrex 1/100th scale T-62. This is the beginning of the  91st brigade for the 1st armoured division.

The full T-62 armada.

Lebanon 1982, 1/87th &1/100th scale Syrian towed artillery

130mm M46 guns and crew by QRF and a few Peter Pig (1/100th scale).

152mm M37 guns by Irregular Miniatures (from its Really Useful Range). Crew are Peter Pig and QRF.

Lebanon 1982, 1/87th &1/100th scale Syrian T-55

The T-55 was still in good use by the Syrians in the 1982 Lebanon campaign, but was already beeing replaced by the T-62. Nevertheless was still used by the 58th mechanized bgde of the 1st armoured division, the tank battalions of the 85th infantry bgde and of the 62nd independent bgde.

The first is a pair of 1/87th scale Salvat collectibles repainted for some of the T-55 of the 85th Inf. bgde seen in Beirut.

 These ones are CMSC 1/87th scale and sport several camouflages, including the 1973 scheme of brick red/sand/ and green outlined in black.

 This pair is Roco 1/87th scale. In the previous and following picture you can see the many details added to these old kits: figure; drum barrels; MMG; antennae; search light and stowage.

And now for the 1/100th models. These two are  Skytrex and really nice.

These four are Eko and had the same amount of added details as the ones from Roco in 1/87th scale.

The full group: the 10 of the top rows are for the large battalion (5 companies) of the 58th mechanized bgde; the 6 of the bottom row is for any of the other tank battalions (3 companies).

Lebanon 1982, 1/100th scale Syrian Infantry

 And now the Syrian infantry - hope you like it JMM. The main brand is Irregular Miniatures as they are large 15mm and so close to 1/87th scale. Besides they are cheap, well done and arrive pretty fast as this is Irregular M. trade mark.

  The picture shows the 1 to 15 Syrian regular company, as for RF! The figures are Irregular Miniatures. As you can see the Irregular M. figures (1/100th scale) go quite well with the CMSC (1/87th scale) BMP-1, as they are large castings. The Peter Pig ones are slender and true 15mm figures and don´t look so well with 1/87th scale vehicles. But when we mix the figures in the same stands or side by side, the difference is barely noticed.

The support weapons are Irregular Miniatures and Peter Pig: 12,7 MMG; 120mm mortar; Recoiless Rifle; Command Stand; SA-7 Grail and Degtyarev sharpshooter.

 The Commando company; mixed Irregular Miniatures and Peter Pig.

The Commando Support company which includes the AT-4 Spigot (Peter Pig).

 The 3 Commando battalions.

The 5 regular infantry battalions.

Lebanon 1982, 1/87th &1/100th scale Syrian APC and Soft Skins

 The Syrians use many different soft skins, even civilian, and APC.  These are Skytrex (1/100th scale) BTR-60´s painted for the 85th bgde that stood in Beirut during the Israeli siege.

This camouflage is based on a photo of the 85th bgde leaving Beirut under the eyes of an Israeli high ranking officer. The photo is B/W but it seems something like this:

The command version.

Different BTR-60 camouflage schemes, along BRDM-2 (all Skytrex 15mm) and Land Rover Van (Roco 1/87th scale).

The paint scheme on most of the Syrian AFV´s: base russian green; camouflage light grey and sand. There are small patches of brick red as they seem to show on pictures whether from previous paint jobs (1973 schemes for instance) or even rust. Some light green also appears from time to time and I used it on the BMP-1´s.

 
The Land Rover 109.

The BMP-1 were used by both the 3rd armoured division and the 85th bgde. Thse models are CMSC 1/87th scale.

Soft Skins: the two on top are cheap Made-in-china trucks and the one below is the Peter Pig model of the  Ural 4.5 truck.

The crew is a mixture of Irregular Miniatures; Skytrex and Peter Pig 15mm figures.

Unimogs by Roco 1/87th scale.

Unimogs by Peter Pig (1/100th scale). The one to the left carries a 23 mm ZU gun.

These are Diecast Unimogs in 1/82nd scale, a bit bigger than they should but cheap and passable. Two of them had no canvas cover so the canvas of two Roco Opel Blitz were adapted to this Unimogs.

BTR-152 and a UAZ-469, all from Peter Pig.

Infantry is closing in, JMM...