Introduction:
Typhoon VDV K-4386 is a 4×4 mine-protected wheeled armoured vehicle designed and manufactured by Remdiesel, a subsidiary of Kamaz. The vehicle was produced as a plastic 1/35 scale kit by Meng and RPG Model. Both companies supply the kit with an early-style remote controlled weapon station (RCWS) module DUBM-30 Epoch. This particular module was seen on prototype vehicles at Russian Army military expos in 2016/2017. However, the Typhoon VDV was soon fitted with a new RCWS module designated as 32V01, and it seems this is the RCWS of choice for operational vehicles since 2017.
The 32V01 module features 30mm 2A42 automatic cannon and auxiliary 7.62 mm PKTM machine gun paired with the main gun. The entire module and its ammunition load is isolated from the troop compartment, which increases the safety of the crew and reduces gas pollution inside the hull.
Photos from: https://www.vitalykuzmin.net/
Review:
This review covers Corrected turret for Typhoon VDV vehicle - RCWS Module 32V01 (LRE 35357) from Live Resin, a set that provides a new-style RCWS for 1/35 scale Typhoon VDV vehicles.
The set is packed in a hard cardboard box. The box features CAD images of the module, specifying the set can be used with Meng (VS-014) and RPG Model (35019) kits.
Opening the box reveals a zip-lock bag full of resin pieces. The bag is additionally secured within the layer of bubble wrap, and I was happy to notice no pieces were damaged in the transport.
The pieces are impressively delivered in grey resin. There are no casting imperfections whatsoever, no seam lines or air-bubbles. I didn’t notice any resin warping in the long, thin pieces and the gun barrel is perfectly straight as well. The details look really good, sharp and well-defined.
The resin casting blocks are large, but with minimal contact points on the pieces. I used rotary tool for removing the blocks, followed by very precise Tamiya sharp pointed side cutters, Olfa modeling blade and some fine grit sandpaper. The process takes time and I would suggest patience when cleaning the pieces.
Assembly:
The set does not include printed instructions, but these are available on-line at: https://www.live-resin.com/instructions.html
The assembly is not as difficult as it may seem at first. I took some time to identify all the parts in the kit and check the reference photos before actually starting the build. Also, I studied the instructions carefully; these are concise and easy to follow.
Live Resin did a superb job designing this kit; the pieces feature protrusions or indentations which help to align the parts correctly. The parts fit really well and there is almost no need for putty work throughout the build. You can see a short photo summary of my build: I annotated the parts on the resin carrier blocks and I'm also showing photos of the assembly progress noting the position of each part.
I started the build by dry-fitting main turret pieces: the base, front armor, side walls, back plate and the roof. I wanted to make sure the entire turret assembly aligns well before actually opening the glue bottle. I fixed the front panels first:
followed by the gun elevation system. I did not glue part 9, instead it is held in place by surrounding pieces.
I wish I fixed the coaxial machine gun at this point. It was a bit difficult to attach it at the later stages of the build.
Side walls and back plate were fixed next, together with the turret roof.
The barrel with its cover and optoelectronic equipment block were built as subassemblies. Note the optical block cover can be built as open or closed.
The assembly was finished by fixing the coaxial machine gun barrel as well as smoke discharger arrays on both sides of the turret.
The completed remote controlled weapon station looks fantastic! Check out all the details… absolutely amazing craftsmanship from Live Resin.
Conclusion:
Turret for Typhoon VDV vehicle - RCWS Module 32V01 (LRE 35357) from Live Resin delivers a 1/35 scale set for building a new-style RCWS which is currently in use on Typhoon VDV vehicles. The resin pieces are well cast with loads of details all around. The assembly is not too complex, but it does take some patience to dry-fit and align the main turret pieces. Once finished, the RCWS provides a very realistic 1/35 scale replica of the32V01 module.
Finally, this set is a must for all those interested in building an operational Typhoon VDV, instead of the test vehicle displayed on several Russian Army shows.