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Today I am starting a new model build — Trumpeter 01025 — 9P113 TEL w/9M21 Rocket of 9K52 Luna-M Short-range artillery.

From here on, unless stated otherwise or completely obvious, all abbreviations are written in Cyrillic in the original text.

If you remember, not long ago I started building the 2K6 Luna missile system, or FROG-5 according to the NATO designation.

For the moment I have put that project on hold — I hope you will soon find out why (this weekend) — but on the other hand, it was not in service for very long anyway.

And it was not in service for very long because it was replaced by the 9K52 Luna-M system, or FROG-7 according to the NATO designation.

9K52 consists of a missile — the original designation was 3R-11, then 9R11, until we finally arrive at the designation 9K21 for the same missile, capable of carrying a nuclear (AA-38 or AA-52), chemical, cluster, or high-explosive warhead.

Unlike the tracked launcher of the 2K6, based on the amphibious PT-76 tank, the 9K52 uses an 8×8 wheeled launcher based on the ZiL-135.

The first step of the build looked fairly difficult — lots of long but thin parts that bend like worms… As it turned out, however, assembling and fitting the parts together was easier than I expected. Hopefully the next steps will be the same!

Well — after 1 hour and 10 minutes of work on the model, the progress looks like this:

I still need to add another layer of glue to the joints, because the whole structure is rather delicate…

Otherwise — just as with the 2K6 Luna — I intend to document the entire process live, so to speak: