Generic Iraqi force: ZIL-157 with ZU-23-2 Anti Air gun

This ZIL-157 truck is another of Britannia's great wargaming resin models. It's a bit crude if used as delivered so I was trying to convert it a little and add some details. It comes as a kind of resupply truck with a huge cargo compartment and in one of the pictures above you can see what I was going to cut off the model. Plans have been to add a 1/72 scale kit of a ZU-23-2 AA gun (from ACE) to the back. I had seen pictures that this has been done on various occasions and those little ZU-23-2 guns have been added to a lot of different vehicles like the GAZ 66 for example. I didn't see any reason why it should not also have occured being strapped to the back of a Russian-made ZIL truck.

So I cut off those walls of the cargo area and constructed a false floor from 1mm plastic sheet to place the AA gun on top. Doing so will allow me to remove the gun and use the ZIL as a supply truck at any time. I get two models out of one-superb!

I was using the mirrors of an older Revell kit to add some detail to the truck, as well as 0,8mm brass wire to add some handrails and steps. Above mentioned plastic sheet also was put into place to act as fog lights, tail lights and liscence plates for the ZIL.

The ACE kit of the ZU-23-2 was a bit of work though. It requires some advanced skills in modelling and a lot of sanding to remove flash. But although it takes some time to finish it in a decent quality its well worth the effort.

The picture in which I already have placed the whole model on a base and sanded the latter and finally also added the black primer should give you an idea of how its going to look like once I paint it.