The 2S9 Nona-S is a self-propelled 120 mm mortar. It was originally developed for the airborne troops on the basis of the BTR-D. The naval infantry was issued a modified version. It entered service in 1981. It is assessed that approximately 1000 vehicles have been built.

Its armament is a breech loaded 120 mm mortar. It can be used as a mortar or a gun. It can fire explosive, incendiary, smoke and armor piercing rounds. Its maximum range with standard rounds is 8800 m and 12800 m with rocket assisted rounds. The ammo load is 25 rounds (40 for the naval infantry version)

Its aluminum hull makes it fully amphibious and protects the crew against small arms fire and shell splinters. The 2S9 is protected against NBC agents and is equipped with a fire suppression system. Its hydropneumatic suspension allows to adjust the ground from 110 to 450 mm. It can be transported by plane and airdropped.

The crew of 4 is composed of a commander and a driver located in the hull and a gunner and a loader in the turret.

The 2S9 has been deployed to Afghanistan and Chechnya where its maneuverability and its gun were highly appreciated. It still is service in Russian and in several countries of the former USSR.

The kit

Manufactured by Alanger, this model comes in a cardboard box comprising 4 light grey plastic sprues plus 14 additional ones for the track links. There is also two hull halves, a sheet of decals for one set of marking and a A3 size assembly sheet.

The level of detail is poor and Alanger omitted namy details whereas they are clearly present on the boxart. So there are a lot of things to modify to get an accurate depiction. The molding requires no comment.

The instructions are divided into 17 steps. They are clear. Unfortunately for many parts, there is no locating marks on the hull or the turret.

The build

The hull

The assembly starts by straightening the upper hull which is warped. Then the molded grilles at the rear of the hull are cut. Their sides are sanded before gluing over some Aber mesh and finally putting them back in place. Prior to adding all the missing details, all the missing weld seams are represented with Evergreen strips.
The panel A25 has two protruding hatches which should be flush with the hull. The perimeter is engraved then the hatches are sanded away. The hinges and the locking system are made from plastic card and rod.
Many bolt heads are added and all molded the tie-downs are removed and replaced by some metal wire. On the engine deck, there is a kind of travel lock. It is detailed with some metal wire and Evergreen strip.

At the front, the vision blocks are not correct, so they are all modified and detailed with Evergreen strips. The rotating one is wrong. Its front face should have a rectangular protection which is done with some plastic card.
The strips molded behind the trim vane are removed and replaced by Evergreen strips and some Plastruct bolts. The holes for the convoy lights are filled. Alanger placed them too aft.

At this stage, the lower hull starts being detailed. The fins at the back are added as well as other details. The waterjets are detailed too.

The both hull halves are assembled and the detailing resumes on the upper part. On the right side, the air intake D18 is too high. Its base is sanded, moreover tow bolt heads and one tie-down are added. The headlights are glued and their power line added as well as the one of the horn. The headlights protections, which Alanger omitted, are added from shaped plastic card. The latches of all the tools are sanded and redone from an aluminum sheet and some resin wing nuts.

At the rear, the air intake (step 9) is hollowed and a small grille is added to the inner face. Its protection A6 is modified. It must have 4 legs which are made from plastic rod. The parts M31 are hollowed. To finish, the bins are detailed. You need to add the hinges of the lids as well as the bin fixation system to the vehicle.

The hull assembly is ended by adding the suspension arms. The roadwheels as well as the sprockets and the idlers are added only after the lower hull is painted. The Sector35 tracks are very easy to assemble. On the contrary, you need to enlarge the gap between the both sprocket halves so the guide horns can adapt. It is advised to do the same for the idlers.

The turret

It is very simplified too. So you need to add some details. Like the hull, the weld seams omitted by Alanger are added.
Then, the visor on the left side of the front plate, which is depicted by a solid part, is modified. You have to hollow its center then depict the glass, its support and the wiper. On the right of the gun, you need to add a kind of oval hatch.

On the roof, the panoramic sight opening system is detailed with some plastic rod. The sight on the right side is detailed and gets its protection omitted by Alanger. The little air intake in front of it is redone hollow.

Many details are added too to the gunner and loader hatches. The molded tie-downs on the turret bustle are replaced by metal wire. The vision blocks are enhanced with a bit of plastic strip on their top.
The grab handles on the sides are replaced by some metal rod. Finally the travel lock and the traverse limiters are added at the base of the turret.

The decoration

Alanger only issue one set of markings for a vehicle painted in the three-tone camouflage. The decals being yellowish, I decided to use decals from my spare box.

Beforehand, the vehicle has been painted XF-67 NATO Green. A coat of gloss varnish was sprayed then being inspired by some photos on the Internet, I applied the numerals on the sides and the back of the vehicle. The weathering started with an ochre oli filter. Then oil dots were added. A wash for green vehicles has been applied in the recesses to highlight the details. Finally a light veil of XF-60 has been sprayed over the vehicle while insisting on the bottom of the hull and the sides.

Conclusion

This model is very basic and requires a lot of work to get a decent representation. But it currently is the only on the market.

12/2017