ZZ Model 1/87 ZIS-151 Kit First Look

By Michael Benolkin

First Look

The ZiS-151 was a five-ton 6x6 utility truck designed after World War II to replace the lend-lease Studebaker US6 and the Soviet-produced ZiS-6 trucks. The ZiS-151 derives its designation from Zavod imeni Stalina (Factory in the name of Stalin) which is abbreviated ZiS. In 1957, the factory was renamed Zavod imeni Likhacheva (Factory in the name of Likhachev) and the truck became the ZiL-151.

The ZiL-151 would remain in production for nearly 20 years and not only served as a utility truck, it also was adapted as the prime mover for the BM-13 Katyusha rocket launcher as well as the BTR-152 armored personnel carrier.

Here is a nice little kit of the ZiL-151/ZiS-151 utility truck in HO (1/87) scale. This is a nice bit engineering that will build up into a nice addition to your HO layout or your small scale battlefield. The kit is molded in various colors that some modelers will find will negate the need for painting.

The cab is molded in dark green, the truck bed in a darker green, the canvas bed cover in khaki, and the front fenders also in khaki. Okay, you'll want to paint this. The chassis and drive train are molded in black, as are the supply of wheels. A small fret of photo-etch provides the radiator grille and the headlight brush guards.

Assembly is very straightforward and you'll have the model built and ready for paint in very short order.

A very small set of decals are provided for the door emblems for a Soviet Army and an East German Army example (with both wearing the same Russian green paint scheme.

This is a nice little kit that will look great on your shelf or resupplying your HO-scale Soviet tank battalion.

My sincere thanks to HobbyTerra for this review sample!