9A310M1 BUK-M1

Panda Models, 1/35 scale

Reviewed by Zack Sex

The Panda Hobbies BUK-M1 kit was originally released in 2018, but for a long time it was difficult to obtain. Now that it has become more readily available, we felt it was worth taking another look.

Panda Hobbies’ earlier Tunguska SPAAG kits, with their very small parts and minimal instructions, put many modellers off the brand. However, the BUK-M1 represents a modern, mobile SAM system that is likely to appeal to builders interested in contemporary conflicts and modern armour, and may encourage some to give Panda Hobbies another chance.

The BUK SAM series originated during the Soviet era as a response to U.S. cruise missiles, rockets, and drones. The BUK-M1 later became infamous as the weapon system used by Russian forces to shoot down Malaysian Airlines Flight MH17 over eastern Ukraine on 14 July 2014, killing all 298 passengers and crew. The system had already seen combat earlier, having been used by Georgian forces during the Abkhazia War of 1992–93 to shoot down Russian Su-25s and a Tu-22 bomber.

More recently, Ukrainian forces have employed their BUK-M1 systems in an attempt to counter Russia’s mass missile attacks on cities and critical infrastructure, while Russian forces have used more modern BUK variants to intercept a wide range of Ukrainian missiles and drones.

Two Chinese manufacturers have tackled this modern tracked SAM system, each taking a different approach. As one might expect from Panda Hobbies, the BUK-M1 kit comes with a large number of parts and a generous selection of spares. Two types of road wheels are provided: the standard pressed-dish type and a T-55–style wheel, which is actually derived from the 2S3 self-propelled gun. Sharp-eyed modellers will note that the review sample was built with a mix of both types, as seen on some Ukrainian vehicles.

Panda also supplies two types of missiles: the 9M37 used on the BUK-M1 and the later missiles associated with the BUK-M2, giving the modeller additional flexibility.

Overall, the kit went together well, but there are several issues worth noting. First are the individual plastic tracks. While they look accurate and are designed to be workable, the connecting pins are too short. In practice, it proved safer to glue the links together and insert the pins at a later stage.

Another omission is the electrical cabling at the rear of the launcher. These cables are included in Meng’s BUK-M1 kit but are completely absent here. While they can be replaced using fine wire, their absence is irritating.
A further minor issue is the lack of a positive mounting point for the missiles on the launcher’s upper rails. This leaves the modeller to align the 9M37 missiles purely by eye, which is less than ideal.

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That said, these shortcomings should not put you off. For those on a budget, the Panda Hobbies BUK-M1 and BUK-M2 kits offer plenty of potential. With a little extra work, they can be built into convincing representations of Russian, Ukrainian, or Syrian BUK systems.

Highly Recommended

Zack Sex

Purchased by the reviewer