Bug Su-76M SPG

charliec

Active Member
Model: Bug Su-76M Self-propelled gun
Publisher: Bug for Ever
Availability: Free download at http://model.icegroup.ru/main_ru.phtml?page=v60
Scale: 1:24
Format: PDF file
Designer: Kukiza Andrey
Model History: As far as I can tell from the text this model was originally published in "Young designer" magazine 5/1985 and was updated for this release.

The Su-76M was a redesign of the T-70 chassis to accomodate a 76mm gun in an open topped fighting compartment. Although not particularly successful in the anti-tank (panzerjaeger) role it was a highly effective infantry support weapon. There's a memoir about operating the Su-76 at www.iremember.ru. Some 13,000 were build and remained in service until the 1950s with the Red Army and into the 1980s in third world armies.

The 9-page PDF file contains:
1 page of vehicle history in English
2 pages of instruction text (English) and diagrams - I didn't think the diagrams were as good as the T-70.
1 pages of frame and wire part patternss
5 pages parts - including a template for a cloth cover for the fighting compartment.

The reworked design is finely done - lines are very fine and there's no sign of the bitmap jagginess T-70 in the T-70. The colour looks o.k. for a Red Army vehicle but there's no weathering. Again the circle parts don't have centres marked which is an irritant. There's more detail in this model compared to the T-70 - the Su-76's didn't have much storage space so tools were stored on the hull top - these are all modelled.

The hull frame is similar to the T-70 except it has extensions for the fighting compartment. There is no attempt to model the internals of the fighting compartment. The gun is modelled as the barrel and recoil assembly cover only with no attempt to model the elevation gear.

The suspension is similar to the T-70, except the Su-76 had another pair of roadwheels. Oddly the construction diagrams show the stagger between the sets of roadwheels caused by the positioning of the torsion bars but this is not on the model. Again the swing arms are just wrong.

The tracks are modelled both as two bands with individual and tiny guide plates. The design doesn't call for cutting out the drive slots in the track so teeth are left off the drive wheels - this can be easily remedied though - identical with the T-70 model.

There was a photo build of this model on the old cardmodels.net site - the builder reinforced the hull sides (smart move) and got as far the suspension if I remember correctly. The build appeared to stop there - it would be interesting to know what happened.

Like the Bug T-70 the Su-76 looks promising but suffers from the same structural problems as the T-70. If the model is taken in context as a 1980s design then it probably is adequate but falls short of the standards achieved by the Polish designers in the last few years. Like the T-70 if the problems with the design could be resolved it would make a nice addition to the collection - there aren't any other model Su-76s around (as far as I'm aware).

Instructions: B+ (well executed diagrams)
Paper quality: n/a
Level of detail: B+ (if you don't want an interior) C otherwise - a modelled gun would be nice.
Printing quality: n/a
Artwork: B (no weathering)
Value for money: Better value as free download.
Skill level: Beginner to Intermediate
 

charliec

Active Member
I've updated the Bug Su-76M review to show the recently found download link for this model.

Regards,

Charlie
 
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