Development began on the 9A52-2 Smerch (a Russian word meaning tornado or whirlwind) in the early 1980s, and the vehicle entered service in 1987. The M version includes major updates to the original vehicle’s fire control system, allowing it to fire individual missiles or salvos of some or all of its missiles as needed. The base vehicle is the MAZ543M 8x8 chassis with two steerable front axles. Besides service in Russia, the Smerch has been sold to several other countries and is considered by many experts to be one of the best MLRSs (Multiple Launch Rocket Systems) currently in service.
Hobby Boss has just released the 1/72 scale 9A52-2 Smerch-M multiple launch rocket system (MLRS). The kit features a one-piece main frame, and the front cabin and control cabin are also molded mainly in one piece. All of the parts show excellent detail. The kit includes adhesive masks for all the clear parts. The instruction booklet has clear and easy-to-follow assembly diagrams. A separate full-color painting and markings sheet features six different vehicles of unnamed units.
With a one-piece molded frame, assembling the chassis goes along quite quickly. I left off the wheels and tires until all the painting and weathering were done. Next, I turned my attention to the interiors of the front cab and rear control cabin. These are well detailed for 1/72 scale, but unfortunately, not much can be seen through the small windows.
When painting, rather than using the provided masks, I masked all the window openings on the inside with Tamiya tape and fit the floors in place, but not glued. The back deck only requires a few parts added to it. I was a little disappointed that neither the tool bins on the back deck nor the fuel tanks had bottoms. However, this is easy to correct by gluing a piece of thin sheet styrene to them.
Adding the missile tubes to the rack is a bit tricky. They twist in, and you’ll need to start them correctly so the large fitting on their front is properly aligned once in place. The instructions also give the correct order to install them so those fittings don't interfere with adding the next tube. Although I built the rear platform, I did not attach it or Part C19 until I finished most of the painting.
The decals went on well using Microscale Micro Set and Micro Sol solutions. I did manage to fold under part of the ‘7’ on the side of the cab. Fortunately, I was able to repair it using a piece from another decal on the sheet.
After removing the floors from the cab and control cabin, I installed the clear parts and then glued the floors back in place.
I spent about 19 hours building my HobbyBoss 1/72 scale 9A52-2 Smerch-M multiple launch rocket system (MLRS). I could have cut a few hours off this time if I had chosen a single-color paint scheme. The finished model matched perfectly with the data I found online at the
Army Recognition. While I wouldn't recommend this kit to a beginner modeler, I think most modelers with a few years of experience working with small parts could tackle the kit without problems.