Thank you iggie. I've had a very nice birthday with all the family round.
And I've debagged the SAM-6 for a good look. According to the box it has 292 parts, so lets see how things break down.
First up, in separate bags, are a small etched fret and some plastic tube, springs and wire cable (copper for some reason) plus a small decal sheet. Markings are provided for USSR, with 2 different insignias, Czechoslovakia, Poland and East Germany.
Upper and lower hull parts are very crisply moulded with excellent detail. It's a shame that the underside won't be visible.
Sprue A contains the missiles, road wheels and suspension arms. There are 3 of these sprues.
Sprue B contains mostly parts for the missile carrier with a couple of wheels and hull bits thrown in. There are 2 sprue B's.
Sprue C is the largest in the kit. Just one of these containing mainly parts to attach to the hull.
Sprue D contains the main parts for the missile carrier.
Two sprue E's form the link and length tracks. I rather like link and length as they are far superior to rubber band tracks but less hassle than individual links.
The painting guide is nice and colourful but only has three-views of an all green machine so if you want to build a camouflaged machine you're going to need your own reference sources. Colour callouts are Gunze paints and should be taken with a pinch of salt.
Instruction sheet is standard Trumpeter fayre. Nothing complicated although I think I've spotted an error in parts numbering just from an initial glance. A deeper study will reveal whether or not I'm correct.
The parts in the box look really nice; well moulded, no flash, sink marks or misalignment. Ejector pin marks all seem to be placed in out-of-sight areas. Hopefully it'll build as good as it looks. The suggested build sequence, as usual with armour kits, is pretty illogical in that it requires the builder to fit the roadwheels and tracks first. There appears to be a logical parts breakdown though and I'm pretty sure I can see a route through this one.
Hopefully, I'll get to make a start before the weekend.
More updates soon