Zis-2 Anti-tank Gun

Manufacturer: Skif (Kit #207)

This is one of two artillery pieces produced by Skif in 1/72nd scale, and it is a fantastic entry into the small scale scene. The quality of the moldings and the overall level of detail are top-notch.

It is a very simple kit as you can see from the parts layout, but some of the pieces are very small. The tires have been cast in vinyl (rubber?) and I wonder why. Was better detail possible that way? I hope there are no adhesion problems with paint to the soft material. My single complaint about this kit is the lack of crew figures. I think it was a major mistake for Skif to not include the figures, as there is no source of 1/72nd scale Soviet gun crew figures of which I am aware.

I have seen discussions on the message boards about the scale accuracy of this kit, and there seems to be disagreement. Some people feel that it is properly 1/72nd scale, but slightly more people feel it is not. Some think it is larger, but others feel it is smaller than 1/72nd. The problem I have seen is that people are coming to these conclusions by comparing this kit with other kits of the same gun in different scales. It would be best if someone could find accurate measurements of the gun to use as a reference. Until then, I do not know if this kit is accurate to 1/72nd. But it sure is a nice model, regardless of its scale.

Postscript: I recently received an email from John Elwen, who has this to say:

"According to http://www.battlefield.ru/guns/atg_4.html the barrel length of the Zis 2 is 72.9 calibers. This works out to

57mm * 72.9 = 4155.3mm

4155.3mm / 72 = 57.7mm

I measured the kit barrel and it comes in between 57.5 and 58mm which makes it 1/72. I haven't got any dimensions for the rest of the gun."