The 2S3 is a 152 mm self-propelled howitzer which entered service in 1971. The first prototypes were built in 1968 based on the 2K11 Krug (SA-4 Ganef) chassis.

The 2S3 hull is steel-welded and organized with the engine compartment at the front right and the driver compartment to the left. At the rear is the combat compartment with the turret above. The main armament is the 152.4 mm 2A33 howitzer which is derived from the towed D-20 howitzer. It is fitted with a double-baffle muzzle brake and a bore evacuator. The howitzer can elevate from -4° to +60° and fully traverse. It can fire explosive rounds up to 18500 m. The 2S3 can stow 40 rounds (46 in the 2S3M) of the following types: explosive, illumination, antitank, laser guided explosive and smoke. The commander's cupola is armed with a PKT 7.62 mm MG for anti-air defense and self-defense.

The 2S3 is not amphibious but can ford rivers up to 1.5 m deep. The vehicle can fight in NBC environment.

The crew consists of 6 men: a driver, a gunner, a loader, a commander, and two ammunition bearers who feed rounds through the two hatches in the hull rear.

In 1975  the 2S3M improved version entered service.  It was equipped with the 2A33M howitzer capable of firing up to 20.5 km. The next versions 2S3M1 and 2S3M2 were fitted with improved communication and fire control systems.

The 2S3 saw action during the Afghanistan war in 1979-1989, the Iran-Irak war in 1980-1988, the Gulf war in 1991. Then it was used during the both Chechnya wars in 1994-1996 and 1999-2000 then in Southern Ossetia in 2008, in Lybia in 2011, in Syrie since 2011 and in Ukraine since 2014.

In 2022 the 2S3 is still in active duty with 17 countries.

The kit

Released by Trumpeter in 2014 under the denomination 'late' it is in fact the early version. It comprises 9 light grey plastic sprues, 2 hull halves, 1 upper turret, 30 workable individual links sprues, 1 plate of photoetched parts, 1 sheet of decals and 1 12-page instructions booklet. Except the turret upper shell, the F sprue and the decals sheet all the parts come from the 'early' 2S3 kit released in 2012.

The cast is crips, the level of detail is good. Some parts are extremely small and fragile. Several marks to position parts are absent which requires to be very careful when studying the instructions or to use reference pictures. The fit is usually good. The main flaw is the oversized width of the turret. The idler wheel is correct for an early type.

The instructions are clear and without mistakes. However the number of links to assemble per track is omitted. It should be 112.

The build

The hull

Steps 1 and 2 deal with the lower hull and do not need ant commentaries.

At step 3 you have to assemble the roadwheels, idlers and sprockets. The fit is good. Unlike what the instructions tell the suspension arms are not glued to the roadwheels yet.

At step 4 the suspension arms are glued to the hull. Unfortunately they are not all aligned. At least 2 arms per side need to be bent to have a straight alignment. The roadwheels and the idlers are not glued yet.

At step 5 the tracks are assembled but not fitted. They are workable. The fenders are glued before adding the accessories to them. Then unlike what the instructions tell, the upper hull is glued. That way it is easier to work during the following steps.

At step 6 the positioning mark for the headlight is missing on the hull. On the htach C4 there are marks for a handle A2 which not mentioned. It only appears at step 7.

At step 7 part PE-9 must be folded without any jig or template. To shape it you need a round tool and ensure it lies over part D7. Like in step 6 the mark on the hull to locate the headlight is missing. At the front of the glacis there are 2 handles (A2) not mentioned par Trumpeter.

At step 8 the gun travel lock can be mounted either in the travel or the firing position. It is not designed to be mobile. To glue the exhaust D8 to the hull side you need to increase by 0.5 mm the cut-out in the fender.

The turret

At step 9 the cupola and the MG are assembled. The episcopes are empty so you need to add a rectangle of plastic card to fill the gap. The inner face of the hatch is detailed. On the instructions Trumpeter have represented the handle A2 but omitted to number it. As there is not enough A2 parts this one is made from brass wire. The MG is not fitted to match the decoration I chose to depict.

At step 10 the gun mantlet is assembled and the recoil cylinders are fitted but not the gun itself yet. On the latter you need to thoroughly clean the seams especially on the muzzle brake.

At step 11 I assembled the hull shell before adding the various details. You have to enlarge the opening for the hatches F6. To have a perfect fit of the sight you need to bevel the front edges of part D9.

At step 12 the last  details are added which concludes the build.

The decoration

Trumpeter only propose a plain green decoration without a single marking whereas there is a decal sheet with generic numerals and Guard insignias. For this project I wanted to depict a worn-out vehicle as the one preserved at Saumur museum. Being parked outside with no protection against the weather the vehicle features a faded paint with a lot of rust spots and streaking. No markings are present.

To represent such a vehicle I applied a base coat of various shades of brown. Then I moistened the vehicle before sparkling some salt. When it was dry I sprayed the green base made of a mixture of Prince August Air 020 and XF-57 Buff. Then I randomly sprayed a lighter shade of green mainly on the upper surfaces. I waited a full day before removing the salt with a stiff brush. This created the chipping and the rusty spots.

The weathering was done with water pencils only. I used various shades of green, beige and brown to create rust and rain streaking. On the wheels hubs I applied black pigments which I sealed with some X-19 Smoke.

Conclusion

The kit builds easily. It has some accuracy issues. However the most annoying is the insufficient number of parts A2 and A13. Contrarily to the kit denomination it is an early 2S3 and as such it is not suitable to depict a vehicle during a recent conflict.

Click on a thumbnail to see the full sized picture

Index