Bull Model's 1/72 Putilov 76.2mm m/02 Russian Field Gun
 

On the Real Thing

The Putilov 76.2mm m/02 Field Gun is an important gun, as it made up the mainstay of the Russian Imperial Army's artillery during the Great War, and was then used by all sides in the Civil War, and then by the Soviet Army well into WW2.

The design itself was pretty standard, but it had quite a long barrel (2.286 meters). It had a screw breech, and used two types of shells: HE and Shrapnel. The range of the 76.2mm Putilov was actually quite superior to any other field gun used by the other powers in WW1: it was capable of throwing a special grenade (7.45 kilo heavy) some 9.6 kilometers, while usual shrapnel shells could reach some 7.5 kilometers. (It was also accurate: the spread of the shots was small.) However, that range was rarely attained, as it could only be elevated some 16 degrees. Also, the gun itself was placed noticably low between the wheels. For sure, this gave the gun a low profle - the 4mm thick shield was also foldable - but it also made it harder to deploy than other Field Guns, as intervening terrain more easily masked its shot. In practical terms this - compared to the low degree of elevation - meant that it could rarely be used at ranges over 4 kilometers IF there were elevated terrain in the line of sight. 

The 76.2mm Putilov was primarily employed in the Artillery Brigades of the Russian Infantry Divisions, of which there was one attached to each Division. Every Artillery Brigade consisted of six batteries of eight guns, which means a total of 48 guns per division. The Independent Infantry Brigades each ha a Artillery Batallion attached, each mustering a total of 24 guns.   

For more info on this gun, including plans and detail shots of a surviving piece, click here!

The kit comes well packed in a small, illustrated paper box, with all the parts in two zip-lock bags. It is supplied with a good set of instructions - see to the left. Beside the Putilov 76.2mm gun, the kit also comes with a limber AND three crew members. Good value indeed!

The kit is moulded in a hard, dark grey resin. (The crew comes in light grey resin.) The moulding is very good, with only some very small amounts of mouding flash to be removed here and there. The details are sharp and nice: for instance both the lifting handles and the lifting lugs on the trail are hollow, and made in scale thickness.

Artillery kits in this scale are often pretty crude things, lacking such important (real-life) details as seats, brakes and dial sight. In this kit: EVERYTHING is present and correct, down to the correct hubs on the wheels. Very impressive and very rare. The accuracy is very good, down to the peculiar bent wheel axle of this gun, designed to give the barrel as low sit as possible.

In the kit there is also three crew figures, and they are VERY well done, very professionally sculpted by Tony Boustead, with separate arms and alternate heads (WW2 helmets, or Russian Civil War caps) well up to the standards to, say, Milicast or MIG. To get them is a very nice bonus indeed!

The fine master for the model has been made by Ian Armstrong.

You can get this kit from Blitzkrieg Models.
 

Verdict

This is the best kit we have of this very important WW1 gun! The accuracy is very high. Also, the kit has very high value, as you don't just get a very accurate Putilov field gun, but also a limber and three very nicely sculpted crew members. Can't recommend this one highly enough!