BA-3 Soviet Armored Car

Plastic model kit of a Soviet BA-3 armored car

• Scale 1:35
• 1 marking option
• Unbuilt, unpainted
• Paint and glue not included

The Soviet BA-3 armored car was developed in the early 1930s as a heavily armed wheeled vehicle based on a truck chassis (Ford-Timken or GAZ-AAA). It was unusually well-armed with a 45 mm cannon and two machine guns—comparable to light tanks of its time—and had a crew of four. Its armor was relatively thin at up to approximately 15 mm, but offered protection against infantry fire.

Its strengths lay in its good road mobility and high firepower, while its off-road capability remained limited despite the addition of auxiliary tracks for the rear wheels. Fewer than 200 vehicles were built between 1933 and 1935. The BA-3 saw action in the Spanish Civil War, the Winter War against Finland, and the early stages of World War II. Overall, it was an important step in the development of Soviet wheeled armored vehicles, but was quickly superseded by improved models such as the BA-6 and BA-10.