Eastern Express are a Russian manufacturer, that have been around 1992, they are mostly known for reboxes of reboxes, although they do seem to be producing some 'new' stuff recently.
The ZiS-42 was a half-track based on the standard ZiS-5 truck. It could be fitted with ski-shoes on the front wheels to improve performance.
Scalemates doesn't help with the source of this model - it's obviously not modern moulds! This has been in my stash for a long time - an ebay purchase.............
Battered flimsy box, with rather cartoonish boxart - note the canvas top ( of which more later )
Sprue shots
The sprues are reasonably clean, some flash, but not on any parts. There are ejector pin marks, and the ingates are big, and in inconvenient places - a lot of clean up will be needed. The tyres are hard plastic, the tracks stiff vinyl. The decals are largely irrelevant - they don't really seem to belong!
Instructions - photocopied A4 plain paper - they look a little vague in places!
The canvas top seems to have been deleted from the model - the instructions show the assembly, but are over stamped with what I assume is 'not included'
Detail shots
Some nice detail - but spoiled by ejector pin marks.
This so much a last century model - it has thick sprues, large ingates & detail is heavy in places, but the general shapes are there, for those willing to put some time into it. Not for a beginner, purely for the clean up needed, and those vinyl tracks will probably cause problems, but I don't think you will be able to find any replacements. A bit of research should throw up some variants, although it is an obscure subject. If you want one, it's the only game in town!
Availability - not really!! Ebay & pre-owned sites are the only places these will be found ( there are 1/72 models around ). Due to it's scarcity, I suppose prices will be high, but I can't honestly see this as a collectable!
Dave
The ZiS-42 was a half-track based on the standard ZiS-5 truck. It could be fitted with ski-shoes on the front wheels to improve performance.
Scalemates doesn't help with the source of this model - it's obviously not modern moulds! This has been in my stash for a long time - an ebay purchase.............
Sprue shots
Instructions - photocopied A4 plain paper - they look a little vague in places!
The canvas top seems to have been deleted from the model - the instructions show the assembly, but are over stamped with what I assume is 'not included'
Detail shots
Some nice detail - but spoiled by ejector pin marks.
This so much a last century model - it has thick sprues, large ingates & detail is heavy in places, but the general shapes are there, for those willing to put some time into it. Not for a beginner, purely for the clean up needed, and those vinyl tracks will probably cause problems, but I don't think you will be able to find any replacements. A bit of research should throw up some variants, although it is an obscure subject. If you want one, it's the only game in town!
Availability - not really!! Ebay & pre-owned sites are the only places these will be found ( there are 1/72 models around ). Due to it's scarcity, I suppose prices will be high, but I can't honestly see this as a collectable!
Dave
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