The S-75 Volkhov missile is much more well known around the world by its NATO designation, SA-2 Guideline.

The Guideline first made a name for itself by downing the U-2 flown by Gary Powers on 1 May 1960. First fielded in 1957, the SA-2 went on to see combat in the skies over Cuba, Vietnam, and (perhaps most notably) in the middle east wars of 1967 and 1973. Produced by the tens of thousands in both the USSR and China, the SA-2 may still be around in some third world nations even today.

Gran is a new name in the injection molded plastic kit arena. For a first effort, their 1/72 SA-2 is very commendable. This kit shares nothing whatsoever with the ancient Airfix kit, being a totally new tool. In 1/72 the SA-2 is relatively small - the missile itself is about 15cm (6") long.

The kit is molded in pale grey styrene, and overall the detail is quite nice. The missile is molded in left and right halves, with two of the four sets of fins molded in to the missile body halves, the balance being separate. The first-second stage interface is somewhat simplified, and does not have the see-through effect of the actual missile, but in 1/72 I think this is forgivable.

The launcher platform comes on the second sprue, and is quite well detailed also. There are not a lot of parts, but again, in 1/72 scale I think the kit will capture the look of the original very nicely. You are instructed to fabricate the hand hold rails on top of the launcher with wire, and precise instructions are provided as to where to drill holes for them.

Instructions are very well drawn and appear as clear as one could wish for for such a simple kit. The English translation of the historical information is a bit rough, and is interspersed with Cyrillic characters for proper names, etc, making it a bit tough to read. One small photo is provided of the base of the launcher platform.

No decals are provided (nor needed in this scale, really). You get four side view drawings showing color schemes for a Soviet PVO example, an Egyptian example from 1973, a Vietnamese example from 1970, and a Yugoslavian (Serbian?) example from 1999.

Overall an outstanding effort from Gran. I greatly look forward to their forthcoming kits of other important Soviet SAMs. The SA-3 Goa and SA-5 Gammon have been announced.

Recommended.

Review copy courtesy of my wallet and Guy Holroyd at Linden Hill Imports  http://www.lindenhillimports.com.
 

Text and Images Copyright © 2004 by Jennings Heilig
Page Created 09 June, 2004
Last updated 08 June, 2004

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