Vision Models
BA-64B Armoured Car
Vision Models 1:35 Kit #VM-35002

Review by Terry Ashley

Vision Models
Introduction:
The initial BA-64 was based on the GAZ-64 Light Utility Truck with the addition of an open top armoured hull that featured sloped armour similar to the German Sd.Kfz.221/222 series with a single pintle-mounted 7.62mm DT machine gun and a two man crew.

Due to the narrow wheel track and height of the armoured hull, the BA-64 was rather unstable and tended to overturn quite easily while turning if the driver was not carefull.

An improved version introduced in 1943 was the BA-64B based on the wider tracked GAZ-67 Light Utility Truck which cured the stability issues and also had a small armoured turret added for the DT machine gun.

Production of the BA-64B continued till 1946 with many being used by other Soviet bloc countries well after WWII.

The Kit:
Following their first release of the 75mm Pack Howitzer M1 (kit #VM-35001) in May last year, Vision Models are about to release this kit of the Russian BA-64B Armoured Car that consists of just 69 parts in olive drab plastic plus a decal sheet and small instruction sheet.

The standard of moulding is well done overall but there are a few pin marks in places hard to see after assembly plus some fine flash about the place to deal with as well as the usual moulding seams. The level of detail on the parts is also well done with clean crisp details in most instances although the numerous very small and delicate parts will need care in removing from the sprues and during cleanup and assembly.

There is a separate chassis and suspension parts for nicely defined details with the wheels having nicely detailed rims with the single piece tyres featuring nice tread pattern. The hull is split top and bottom halves with the fit being perfect without any trimming or filling required.

The hull has nice surface details included weld seams and the gear box that extends into the vehicle interior along with the driver's seat, gear levers on the gear box and instrument panel but no foot pedals while at the same time there is scope to add additional weld seams if required.

Some of the detail on the other hand is fairly basic such as the hull and turret interiors which are noticeably devoid of detail although much of the hull interior is hidden after assembly unless you leave the hull side doors open. The turret is more open and some extra detailing will help in these areas.

Dimensionally the kit matches all but perfectly with the 1:35 plans in the Tank Power #303 BA-64 book with any discrepancies being well within accepted tolerances. This includes the wheels, wheelbase (length and width), hull and turret height and width as well as smaller detail such as the fenders, driver’s vision port and DT Machine Gun.

Chassis/Suspension:
The lower chassis is a single part moulded perfectly square without any warping making for a good platform for the rest of the kit. Added to the chassis is the two part gearbox with gear lever and hand brake plus the four suspension spring units.

The front and rear diff/axle assemblies are also single parts each with just the front steering rod added and these fit easily to the assembled suspension on the chassis. The front wheels are not designed to steer being fixed in the neutral position but it wouldn’t take much work if you wanted to angle these for a bit of animation? There were no fit issues here other than the cleanup of the usual mould seam lines on the parts.

Wheels:
There are five wheels in the kit (4 main and 1 spare) with each having the rim/hub and separate tyre moulded as single parts each. The detail on the wheel rims is very well done with good contours, open lightening holes and even includes the air valve on the rim. There are some pin marks on the inside brake drums but there are fairly well hidden after assembly.

The tyres have nice military style tread pattern but no side wall embossing and there is a quite large rim of flash around the inner rim edge that will need removing and you should note the tyres fit to the rims only one way, so take care when fitting.

It should be noted that there are at least five different tread patterns shown in period photos in the Tank Power BA-64 book which gives plenty of scope for aftermarket wheels.

The fit of the tyres to the rims is probably the only real area of concern with the kit and a bit of work is needed for a good fit. As mentioned the tyres only fit one way and there is a small raised lip around the outer edge of the rim that fits into a corresponding recess inside the tyre.

Unfortunately when fitting the two parts together the rim lip sits too high off the tyre sidewall and should be almost flush, more so for 1:35 scale. This requires the raised ridge around the rim to be thinned by a bit over half and the recess in the tyre bevelled smooth.

You must take care when thinning the ridge around the rim not to take off too much plastic and actually go through the rim wall, but if you work carefully with a sharp #11 blade just removing a small amount at a time there shouldn’t be any problems.

Also after removing the ridge plastic leaving the inner edge slightly slanted with help prevent going through the rim wall, this is compensated for by bevelling the inner tyre recess as mentioned above.

When fitting the modified parts together the rim/tyre join sits almost flush as it should but make sure the fit is even around the rim before final gluing.

Wheel mods as per the text for a better fit of the rim/tyre
Vision Models
Vision Models

Another alternate method would be to deepen the recess inside the tyre lip but this could be more work that the method above, it’s up to the individual.

Lower Hull:
The lower hull tub is a fairly simply moulding with openings for the side doors; the first thing to do is add 8 small bolts heads to the hull sides. These bolts are included on the sprue B runner and have to be carefully cut off using a sharp blade.

There are four bolts on the left side behind the door opening with a plan view in the instructions showing the bolt spacing. Take note that the instructions say to add these bolts on both sides of the hull but should only be on the left side, there aren’t enough bolts heads supplied to put on both sides in any case.

The other bolt heads go at the front of the hull on both sides and it’s fairly easy to add these using a small dab of plastic cement.

On the inside there is the front radiator grill and central driver’s seat with rear support as well as the rear turret pedestal mounting, there is no other detail supplied while the actual vehicle has ammo racks and other equipment mounted around the walls. As most of this can’t be seen after assembly it’s probably not a big deal but there is scope to add this if you wish.

Fitting the lower hull to the chassis is very straightforward with a very good and precise fit and once glued you add the inside steering column and wheel. There is a problem here as the driver is located centrally but fitting the steering column as indicated will have the wheel almost out the left hull door. I altered the angle of the column to align the wheel with the seat but again this is hidden unless you leave the side doors open?

On the outside is the three part exhaust pipe on the right side and you may want to drill out the end of the pipe for a better appearance.

Upper Hull:
This again is a single moulding with cut-outs for the turret ring, pistol ports and driver’s visor. As mentioned above the weld seams are nicely rendered but only on the vertical hull plate joins. Most the horizontal joins also have weld seams which can be added using whatever method you prefer?

Added under the engine plate is the rudimentary driver’s instrument panel with just a few raised dials but again this can’t really be seen after assembly with the upper and lower hulls then glued together before adding the rest of the parts.

The join between the two hull halves is very good and there shouldn’t be any need for filler providing you are careful aligning the joins. While the join is good there should actually be a small overhang of the upper hull over the lower hull which basically corresponds to the thickness of the upper side armour, similar to that on the German Sd.Kfz.251 Ausf.C hull.

The separate driver’s visor port can be positioned open or closed  and has another separate visor added to the inside while the two hull side pistol ports are also separate parts. Unfortunately the port bullet splash guard is moulded with the port cover so can only be glued closed.

All the other items added to the hull such as the engine top grab handle and intake cover, the rear wheel mounting and the tools with moulded on tool brackets all fit without any problems. The two side doors have their hinges moulded in the closed position so if you want to show the doors open a little bit of work is required to cut and reposition the hinges.

The fenders are attached to the hull sides and the fit is exceptionally good not requiring any trimming or filler with the headlight and siren added to the front left fender and taillight to the rear fender, again without any problems.

Turret:
The small turret eight sided turret has a separate lower turret ring and central mounting post with gunner’s seat, the central mounting post fits into the pedestal mount inside the lower hull when you fit the turret to the hull.

The turret is the correct size with fine weld seams on the panel joins but other than that rather plain as far as details go, the side vision slots are not opened up and the large inner visor blocks are not included. Nor is the aerial mounting or ammo racks carried on the inner turret walls which leaves scope for adding the detail yourself or wait for the inevitable aftermarket update sets.

The only other addition to the turret is the single 7.62mm DT machine gun and round ammo drum. The detail on the MG is quite well done but can use a bit of enhancement, especially with the folding stock that is moulded solid but should be two thin arms that attach to the stock, much like the German MP40. The top sight ring and muzzle can also be drilled out for a better appearance.

Instructions:
These are the conventional exploded view drawings as seen in most kits these days with clear well laid out sections and due to the relatively small number of parts there is nothing really complicated about the assembly.

Decals:
The decal sheet has markings in while for 7 vehicles finished in Russian Green, the decal sheet is not shown as the white markings on a white backing sheet don't show that well when scanned, to say the least.
All profile images courtesy Wydawnictwo Militaria BA-64 book
  • Unidentified armoured unit,
    Ukraine, winter 1943-1944
    Vision Models
  • 13th Guards Mechanised Brigade 4th Guards Mechanised Corps, Ukraine, August 1944
    Vision Models
  • Unidentified armoured unit,
    Ukraine, 1944
    Vision Models
  • Unidentified armoured unit from Ukraine front,
    Germany, April 1945
    Vision Models
  • Czechoslovakia armoured unit, 1st Independent Armoured Brigade, Prague, May 1945
    Vision Models
  • Unidentified armoured unit from Ukraine front,
    Germany, April 1945
    Vision Models
  • 1st Guards Mechanised Corps from Ukraine front,
    Vienna, Austria, April 1945
    Vision Models
Conclusion:
This is an excellent kit of the small BA-64B Armoured Car that is dimensional accurate based on info available along with clean crisp details. There are a couple of areas requiring attention, the sit of the wheel hubs to the tyres being the most obvious. The small hull overhand is another along with additional interior equipment for the hull and turret.

Overall assembly was trouble free with good fit of the parts and should be a welcome release for Allied modellers.

Highly recommended

Overall view of assembled model
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The Sprues:

Click on thumbnails for larger view
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Detail Images
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References:
BA-64
Tank Power Vol.LXX
Wydawnictwo Militaria No.303
ISBN: 9788372193032
Book
GAZ-67 Tchapayev in detail
Russian WWII Light Truck and BA-64 Light Armoured Car
Wings & Wheels Publications.
Special Museum Line No.16
ISBN 80-86416-06-2
Wings & Wheels

Thanks to Vision Models for the review kit.


Page created February 24, 2010