Definitely not airworthy – and yet built as a model: a ZiL 131 double!

To be honest: lorries, whether used for civilian or military purposes, are not my area of interest and hold little fascination for me. This immediately leads to the next confession: I don't know much about the subject either! So of course you're right to wonder what I'm trying to achieve with these two ZiL 131 variants!

To the originals: the ZiL 131
The answer to this question has to do with the special trucks you can see here, because these are not just any vehicles!
Alongside the Ural lorries, the ZiL 131 series are among the best-known and most widely used trucks in the former Eastern Bloc countries (yes, a clueless person is speaking wisely after a little reading  ) In numerous superstructure versions and modifications, they formed and still form an omnipresent standard vehicle for countless tasks in both the civilian and military sectors. Whether as a simple means of transport, as a fire engine, for disaster control, or as a military command vehicle, towing vehicle for missile systems or as a tanker in various configurations, to name but a few: the ZiL 131 was omnipresent.

With all this, high production figures are to be expected, but the incredible number of 998,429 vehicles officially assembled at ZiL remains simply enormous! The production period is also impressive: production ran from 1967 to 1990 in the Moscow ZiL plant complex (Russian: Sawodni imeni Lichatschowa, "Lichatschowa Works"), but in some cases production continued for years in the territories of the former Eastern Bloc or its successor states, so the actual production figures are considerably higher. With a length of around 7 metres, a top speed of 88 km/h and a maximum payload of 3500 kg (off-road) or 5000 kg, the ZiL 131 must have been a highly versatile, reliable and easy-to-maintain vehicle. .

What I've said so far would have interested me, but it still wouldn't have made me invest time and energy in building two models. The reason why I did so after all is the design of the vehicles shown here. Both support the operation of civil and military aircraft - whereby the two were always closely linked in the former Soviet Union - and therefore belong in the scenario of an airfield or in the environment of aircraft. The lorry in military green is classified as a "command vehicle", while the ZiL 131 in yellow with the APA 50M superstructure reveals a very specific use: it was used to supply aircraft systems on the ground with electrical power and to support engine start-ups, for example, but the superstructure was also used for maintenance and repair of the on-board electrical system.

The two models are therefore not presented as individual pieces, but are only of interest in their use as requisites in the photographic staging of completed aeroplane models. During construction, I therefore focussed primarily on achieving good craftsmanship and a harmonious overall appearance; however, knowledgeable friends of vehicle construction may well come across a few possible corrections or improvements.

I am aware of one of them: I suspect that the trucks are too "pointy" and high on their tyres. At least the APA-50M seems too high to me. Strange, actually, because I gave this particular model an extra set of resin tyres for a better look, and the tyres on both models were also flattened - but obviously not enough.

About the kit and the building process
After the last double build of Eastern Bloc lorries in this scale made me look into real abysses in terms of moulding, I lifted the covers of the two kits from ICM with a certain amount of trepidation - fortunately without any reason, as was to become apparent very quickly! I was very impressed by the precise casting and the attention to detail of the moulds from the very first inspection, and the building process itself confirmed and even extended this good first impression through all phases. The only complaint is the possibly excessive tread depth of the tyres - but that's for the experts in this beautiful corner of the modelling universe to judge, and of course I don't count myself among them after this short thematic excursion!

22 additional images. Click to enlarge.