Karl AKA Stroget is an active curator at HobbyDB of many of the 1/43 model car brands. He has been adding model cars to the DB since 2014; some of his favorites are Alfa Romeo and obsolete Tekno from Denmark!
NOTE: Photographs by the Author(s) unless otherwise stated.
In Part IV, we discussed prototype trucks; now we move on to the regular production, or standard, trucks.
For the AGD workshop, the theme of standard Soviet trucks was never given priority. However, since the end of the 1980s many smaller model car workshops in the ex-USSR countries (Russia, Ukraine, Belarus) began to produce a huge number of models of trucks and lorries which had never been produced by the mainline diecast factories.
Despite this, AGD introduced the range of the models of the most iconic post-war Soviet trucks that most interested the craftsmen at AGD. All these models were built from the 1990s to the the beginning of the 2000s. Only 2- 3 copies of each truck model were made, so these miniatures are very rare.
AGD used the same construction methods as for their previous models. All were white metal, had nice rubber tyres, and elements such as the windscreen, rear mirror and door knobs were made as separate pieces. First, the Kaliningrad artisans made models of the main post war truck from the ZIS plant, the ZIS-150, as well as some with modifications. AGD made three variants:
The series production of the actual ZIS-150 began in 1948. Its construction was inspired by the International Harvester K series trucks which the USA was sending to the USSR by Land Lease. The first post-war lorry of the Moscow plant replaced the famous ZIS-5. It had a modified 5.5 liter engine with 90 hp, pneumatic brakes and could carry 4 tons of cargo. The first series of ZIS-150 were equipped with a cabin, consisting of steel and wooden parts, because there was a lack of steel in the country after the WW2.
Only a few years later the metal restrictions had reduced, and the trucks got full steel cabins. Unfortunately, when the engineers were creating the ZIS-150, they had to also work on the project of luxury car ZIS-110 for the government. It was a very hard task to work on 2 projects at the same time, so they made some poorer decisions for the ZIS-150. For instance, the main problem with their design was that the long driveshaft was too dangerous in maximum speed. There were other disadvantages, so the designers were working to solve those problems as well.
In 1955 they changed the driveshaft construction, and in 1957 the new modified version named ZIL-164 was introduced. In 1956 Stalin’s name was no longer in favor so the Moscow plant changed its name from ZIS to ZIL in honor of its former director, Ivan Lichachev. The modified version recie3ved an updated front suspension, more powerful 97 h.p. engine, and a heater in the cabin, which made the driver’s work more comfortable.
The 1961 version, ZIL-164A, received some updated components of but was replaced by the famous ZIL-130 in 1964. About 777,000 units of the ZIS- 150 and 331,000 units of the ZIL- 164 were produced.
After making models of the ZIS/ZIL road trucks, AGD turned to the off-road ZIS-151 and ZIL-157. The creation of the 6×6 ZIS- 151 was inspired by the American Studebaker US 6 and GMC CCKW trucks. In 1946, the Moscow plant built 2 prototypes called the ZIS- 151-1, equipped with a single axle and ZIS-151-2 with a double axle. The Ministry of Defence insisted on the latter version.
So, in 1948 the production of a 3 axle 6×6 truck ZIS- 151 began. It received the same cabin as the ZIS-150 series while the front and wings had its own design. It was a rather reliable car, but too heavy. The engine had a lack of power and the double rear axle gave no chance to cross over very rough surfaces. That’s why the plant had to return to building the 151-1 and to modify its 6×6 lorry. The modified version of the ZIS- 151, the ZIL- 157 was introduced in 1958.
The engine was upgraded to 109 hp and a single rear axle increased its capability across rough surfaces. Also, the car was equipped with an innovative system which helped in different road conditions. The driver could regulate the tyre pressure from the cabin. So it was possible to use different tyre pressures for different type of surface. A manometer on the dashboard informed the driver what tyre pressure was recommended for different road conditions.
The ZIL- 157 became a legendary truck in Soviet history. It was very reliable and many drivers really appreciated it. Finally, production in Moscow was finished in 1982 but was continued in Novouralsk at a secret plant. The last trucks were built in 1994; production lasted so long that about 797,000 were produced.
After making ZIS/ZIL truck models, AGD then turned to another plant, GAZ. Their Kaliningrad artisans modeled the most iconic post-war Soviet lorry, the GAZ-51, and its 4×4 version GAZ-63. GAZ-51 might have been the most iconic lorry in the USSR. It was the successor to the 1.5 ton truck GAZ-AA, which was a licensed copy of the Ford AA.
The first prototypes of the GAZ-51 and the 4×4 version GAZ-63 were equipped with the Studebaker US 6 cabin. Then the designers created their own variant while keeping the American influence. The first series GAZ-51 were produced in 1946. They used a steel-wood cabin and a 70 hp engine. Based on 1930’s Dodge D 5, their load capacity was 2.5 tons.
The truck was modified continuously during its mass production. In the early 50’s, it got a full steel cabin and later was equipped with a larger cargo platform. The GAZ-51 became the most mass produced lorry in the USSR. From 1946 to 1975 about 3.5 million were produced. That’s why it was the most popular truck in the country and used as a base for many trucks for different purposes.
The 4×4 GAZ-63 was produced from 1947 to 1968, with about 474,000 unit built.
AGD modeled both the GAZ-51 and GAZ-63 trucks in 2 versions of each model, equipped with the early steel-wood cab and the full steel variant.
After making the ZIS/ZIL and GAZ trucks, AGD got a special order from one collector to create a KRAZ-255B scale copy. This is a heavy army truck, equipped with a diesel engine. It had been produced in Kremenchug, Ukraine, from 1967 till 1994.
AGD made only one model of this truck. Models of basic trucks were an auxiliary direction for AGD. By the еnd of 1990s, the workshop began concentrating on models of special and fire fighting vehicles. Special tracked vehicles are discussed in the next part.
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