T is for Two - Rolling Russian Rockets

We have actually seen one of these before but it's worth a second visit to compare it to one of my favourite pieces of Soviet-era Russian die-cast, and having now got a brand for the one making a return, it makes sense.

Seen before, this is the same company that made the tank transporter, the little forward-control truck with tin-plate tilt and the airborne ZSU self-propelled gun, now believed to be the Tula Cartridge Plant, and all from a series known as 'Military Equipment', which included a handful of solid-cast figures. Vehicle is one of the early FROG (Free Rocket, Over Ground) launchers, tactical battlefield nuclear-missiles akin to the US Honest John or French Pluton.

But Era, in Sevastopol made this; I'm not sure but I think the NATO reporting name for this might have been Guild? It's two SAM-I's (think Hawk!) mounted on the same chassis as the previous beast (old T54/55 hulls), and is a most odd arrangement, with the vehicle manufactured to contemporary Corgi, Dinky or Matchbox 'Super King' standards with continuous rubber-band tracks, revolving wheels on through-axles etc . . .

. . . while the weapon platform is a really rather crude stamping, with no attempt at modelling the travelling/launching cradles/mechanism and with two even cruder aluminium castings for the rockets.

But I love it; it is an incredibly tangible toy, you really want to handle it. While there is no elevation, there is something really satisfying about the way the two rockets follow each-other round! The rockets also make a good handle to push the thing across the floor, it's hard to explain, but if you've got one, you'll probably know what I mean?

Comparing the two, you can see how the Cartridge Plant's is made the same way they made their bullets and shells, Heavy-castings riveted together with a set of carpet wheels, while Era's is a more complicated piece, but they still go together well, as they may have in real life -  it being 31-years since my last Soviet-studies courses - I can't remember, but a FROG batterys (or regiments) would have needed some high-altitude air-defence, tagging-along?

The FROGs were replaced by SCUD, and  Guild was replaced by Guideline? All-in-all; a long time ago now!

The Era mark on the base, in Tula they didn't mark the Military Equipment vehicles; only the packaging! Both are around the 1:48/50th scales of the similar Western toys, think Corgi's Gepard Spaag or Dinky's Leopard I MBT.