The 9P157-2 is a Russian antitank system based on a BMP-3 chassis and utilizing the 9M123 missile (NATO denomination :AT-15 Springer) The development started in 1996 and the system entered service with the Russian army in 2005.

The vehicle features a foldable dual firing rail, an autoloader with 15 missiles and a foldable guidance radar. On the right vehicle side there is a reloading system facilitating the loading of the 54 kg missiles.

The standard missile is the 9M123 which is equipped with a tandem HEAT warhead. It flies at supersonic speed as far as 6 km. The missile can be guided either by laser or by radar which enables the vehicle to simultaneously engage two different targets. However each guidance system can only be used with a specific type of missile. A version with a thermobaric charge also is available.

The missile is used by the 9P157-2 and also by the Mi-28 and probably by the Ka-52 when it enters service.

The number of produced units is not exactly known. 50 vehicles are in service with the Russian army, 14 have been issued to Libya and an unknown number to Azerbaijan.

The kit

Released in 2019, it includes 830 parts dispatched on 11 beige plastic sprues of which 4 are newly tooled, 1 newly tooled clear sprue, 1 newly tooled upper hull, 1 lower hull, 2 sprues of guide teeth, 1 bag of non workable individual track links, 1 plate of PE parts, 1 sheet of decals and 1 instructions booklet with an additional color plate for the painting instructions.

The level of detail is good and even very good concerning the launching system. A partial interior is issued however its interest is low concerning the rear compartment as only the access tunnel is provided. As often many PE parts are tiny and may be replaced by styrene. The instructions are correct and without mistakes.

Trumpeter proposes to represent the launcher, the radar and the main sight either in the firing mode or the travel one. The external loading arm also can be represented in the working mode (with a missile loaded) or in the travel one. Many combinations are possible. In fact the radar is not systematically used in the firing mode. Trumpeter certainly did not access to an actual vehicle to detail the launcher and radar compartments. For the latter it is not a big deal. However for the launcher, due to a lack of information, Trumpeter imagined a kind of canvas cover to hide the interior. This part being fantasy it is better not to use it.

For the decoration Trumpeter gives the usual green camouflage used during parades and seen on the vehicles in action and a two tone green and sand camouflage seen in exhibitions and corresponding to the vehicles issued to Libya.

The build

It begins with the lower hull and the running gear. During the installation of the suspension arms you need to take care of the alignment both in the vertical and the horizontal planes.

At step 2 the roadwheels are not glued yet and only the inner parts of the idlers and sprockets are glued. This allows to put the tracks in place and let them properly set.

Steps 3 and 4 deal with the interior. Only the parts which help stiffen the hull are used.

At step 5 the mudguards H8 and H9 are not glued to facilitate the installation of the tracks to come.

At step 7 you need to glue the guide teeth to each of the 170 track links. 85 are required per track. When they are assembled they are put around the running gear while the glue has perfectly set. Then they are painted XF-84 Dark Iron. The lower hull is painted XF-67 NATO Green and some roadwheels, the idlers and the sprockets are painted XF-78  Wooden Deck Tan. When the whole assembly is dry the running gear is definitely glued.

At step 9 only the vision blocks are glued. Beforehand their inner faces are painted black.

At step 10 you have to glue the hull halves together. Then there are numerous details to glue on. The PE parts PE-A3 are very small and hard to glue. It is easier to replace them with styrene strip cut at the desired dimensions and then shaped.

At step 11 again it is better to replace parts PE-A3. The headlights protections are quite fragile as long as they are not glued on the hull sides. The rearview mirrors are not glued yet to avoid breaking. The radar hatch stops F5 are fragile too. Once the basic camouflage is applied on to the hull, I glued the hatch to the stops to prevent any issue.

At step 12 there are many very thin parts you need to handle with care (G2, G34 and F21). The unditching log G24 at the back of the vehicle is totally smooth. It gets some texture with sandpaper.

At step 13 you have to assemble the missiles. Trumpeter gives 4 of them. 2 are needed for the launcher and1 more for the loading arm. The latter may be represented in the working position or the travel one.

At step 14 the launcher is assembled. The missiles cradle can remain mobile. The parts are very finely molded.

At step 15 the radar build comes with no issue. It can remain mobile in elevation and in azimuth too with a bit of extra work.

At step 16 the main sight protection may be assembled in the firing position or the travel one. For the firing position it is advised not to glue parts H23-F1-F6 yet but to first glue part G37 to the hull. That way the mobile flap H23 can be properly positioned.

Steps 17 and 18 show the last parts to glue depending on the final result (travel or firing mode). For the firing position it is better not to use the canvas cover G38 which is invisible on the pictures and videos available on the internet.

The decoration

Trumpeter proposes the green camouflage with the Saint-Georges stripes and a green and sand camouflage applied for the exhibitions. For the latter I used the following base colors: XF-67 NATO Green and XF-78 Wooden Deck Tan. They have been freehand airbrushed. The missiles containers have been painted with a mix of XF-62 Olive Drab (50%), XF-3 Flat Yellow (25%) and XF-60 Dark Yellow (25%). Then a dark brown wash was applied all over the vehicle to enhance the details. A pinwash was applied around the details and a drybrush was used over the green areas.

Conclusion

Trumpeter released an original model rarely seen in actual life like in a model form. Unfortunately the lack of information about the launcher and autoloader compartment does not enable to get a proper representation of this area. Despite of it, it would be a pity to depict the vehicle without the launcher in the firing mode.

07/2023