Zebrano 72039 BRDM-1 Soviet Armored Reconnaissance Car

The first prototypes of the BRDM-1 armored reconnaissance car were made in 1956. Serial production began in 1957 and continued until 1966. It ended with the production of approximately 10,000 vehicles. The BRDM-1 was powered by a single 90 HP carburettor engine. The basic armament of the vehicle is: a machine gun Szk. cal. 12.7 mm or KPWT cal .: 14.5 mm. and the PKT machine gun cal .: 7.62 mm.

The BRDM-1 armored reconnaissance car was developed as a successor to the BTR-40. The main modification consisted in increasing the ability to overcome water obstacles, which led to the design of the hull of the vehicle with better buoyancy and the addition of wheels - hidden inside the vehicle - to facilitate the crossing of ditches. Initially, the armor of the upper combat compartment was not used, but it was quickly changed. At the beginning of the 1960s, special versions of the BRDM-1 appeared, equipped with PKK (Guided Anti-Tank Missiles) of the 3M6 Bumblebee, 3M11 Falanga and 9M14 Malutka types. The BRDM-1 vehicle was widely used by the Soviet Army, and was also exported to the Warsaw Pact countries, Africa and the Middle East region (eg Algeria or Egypt).