YaG 6

Name	Soviet W.W. II 5 ton. Truck YaG-6
Producer	Legato Armour, Czech Republic
Packing	Cardboard box with a photograph as box-art
Type of kit	Resin kit
Quality	There being less than 40 pieces, the assembly is relatively simple and straightforward, and it starts from the three-seater cabin with bonnet. Some perplexities arise from the chassis (very close to the chassis of the AER Zis-5, as if the producer had taken a short-cut) and from the wheels, that do not match any of my sources, but it may be a problem of sources as well. My advice is to refer closely to the M-Hobby scale plans of the vehicle and to pictures of the real YaG.
Instruction sheet	Yes, also indications are given for the colour scheme (usual Russian overall green or winter white-washed) and even for the positioning of the decal (identification number).
Decals	Yes, the plus of the kit is small decal sheet that is included because resin kits producers usually ignore this item.
General Impression & Note	The YaG-6 was a Russian 4x2 heavy truck produced between 1936 and 1942 at the Yaroslavl plant (YaG means Yaroslavskiy Gruzovik, i.e. truck). It does not show up frequently in wartime pictures, probably overwhelmed by the thousands of Gaz and Zis lighter trucks operating along the front and in the rearguard. All in all, it was a sturdy and slow workhorse of the Red Army. Maximum speed was 40 km/h, while maximum payload was 5000 kilograms.. It also served as a base for other versions, such as the bus and the gasoline tanker. In my view this Legato kit is a first attempt to cover a lesser-known subject, the Russian heavy trucks of the Great Patriotic War. We could also expect the heavier Yag-10 (3-axles) to appear in this range. Many thanks to Andrei Cheremiskin, Ilian Filipov and Andrei Bogomolov for the references and invaluable advice they gave me about both the kit and the real vehicle.