Introduction:
7.62x39mm is probably the most ubiquitous assault rifle cartridge in the world. Developed in 1943, the cartridge came into widespread use with the advent of the AK-47 assault rifle. In its base form the 7.62mm ammunition left the factory in wooden crates to be unpacked at the front. A single wooden crate has capacity of 880 rounds fitted into 2 spam cans of 440 rounds.
These wooden crates were originally designed to store Mosin-Nagant 7.62x54 ammo and are in use for7.62mm calibre cartridges ever since, throughout WWII and modern era.
Review:
This review covers Modern Russian Ammo Crates Type I for 7.62mm Ammo (for AK-47 Kalashnikov) (E-035) from Eureka XXL, depicting the ubiquitous 7.62mm ammo wooden crate in 1/35 scale. Please note the company also has a second set of slightly different wooden crates in their catalogue listed as Modern Russian Ammo Crates Type II for 7.62mm Ammo (E-036).
The set is packed in a small cardboard box of a really smart design: an opening on the front allows the modeler to see pieces of the set without actually opening the box.
The box contains a zip-lock bag with 8 pieces cast in grey resin.
The resin looks good, with no casting imperfections, no air bubbles or seam lines. The cleanup should be fairly easy with three casting stubs to remove on each crate and some thin flash residue between the crate and its handles. A sharp blade and some fine grit sandpaper should do the trick nicely.
The details are sharp and very nicely defined. I particularly like the subtle wood grain on the crates… I feel the effect is not overdone and it would certainly be of help during the painting process.
The real ammo crate is a simple wooden container, with metal latch and hinges, and the dimensions of approximately 19 x 14 x 6 in (48,5 x 35,5 x 15,25 cm). Considering the long history of the weapons served by the 7.62mm cartridge, these ammo boxes were found in many theatres of operations including WW1, WW2, Korea, Vietnam and all the modern-day conflicts.
Comparing the Eureka 1/35 scale rendition to the real wooden 7.62mm boxes reveals an excellent match, with all the details present and accounted for, well delivered in scale. With dimensions of 14 x 10 x 4,5 mm, the size of the 1/35 scale crates is spot on.
The only thing missing in this set are the decals. All the reference photos I found show the crates labelled with markings for calibre, quantity, lot series, lot number and manufacturing date. These cryptic designations are not easy to understand, but are present on every single box. A set of decals would really come in handy to bring the crates to the next level of realism, however, it is up to modelers to add the markings themselves. I’ll definitely be making my own decals using photos and this site (link) as a reference.
Conclusion:
Modern Russian Ammo Crates Type I for 7.62mm Ammo (for AK-47 Kalashnikov) (E-035) from Eureka XXL delivers 8 resin 7.62mm ammo crates in 1/35 scale. The resin cast is really good and the details perfectly reproduced. Sized well, these ammo crates are a miniature copy of the real thing.
Altogether, I’m very happy with this Eureka XXL offering, but I would be even happier if a small decal sheet was included in the set.