The TOS-1 heavy flamethrower system is intended for direct fire support of advancing infantry and main battle tanks and moves in their combat orders. It is designed to engage military personnel, fortifications, and light armored vehicles. The heavy flamethrower system is generally similar to multiple-launch rocket systems, however fires different types of rockets and has a shorter firing range. The TOS-1 was developed in the early 1980s and was successfully used by the Soviet Army in Afghanistan and later by the Russian forces in Chechnya. It is nicknamed the ‘Buratino’. It seems that the original TOS-1 heavy flamethrower system was used only for trials and evaluation, however, it was not accepted for service with the Russian Army.
Here is a new kid on the block. This is the Russian TOS-1 Heavy Flame Thrower System in 1/72 scale (kit #UA72008). The kit has a nice upper hull and the molded-on detail is very sharp. The lower hull is a die-cast part and to be honest, I was quite impressed to see such a nice detail molded on this media at this scale. My observation is based on the many model kits I’ve seen and built from Tamiya’s 1/48 series which feature on most of its kits a die-cast lower hull.
The TOS-1 Flame thrower model kit features nicely molded one-piece ‘DS’ tracks. Yes, I said ‘DS’ and do come in a flat protective tray which will keep them well protected during transport. The kit is molded in light gray styrene plastic and has a very nice set of decals for several variants of the TOS-1 Flame Thrower.
The retail price for the 1/72 TOS-1 from ModelCollect is around $19.99 (USD)
Wargamers and 1/72 model kit builders: You might definitely want to take a look at these new offerings.
My sincere thanks to Rick Apple from William Tell International, Inc. in Minneapolis, MN. They are the official distributors of ModelCollect models in the USA.
Also, my appreciation to the nice folks at ModelCollect in China for the review samples.
