Soviet - FAI Armored Car

The Soviet FAI Armoured Car was a small, lightly armoured reconnaissance vehicle introduced in 1933 and based on the chassis of the GAZ-A Ford-based passenger car. Designed as a compact and economical scout vehicle, it was fitted with riveted armour up to 6mm thick, providing only limited protection against small arms fire. The FAI was armed with a single 7.62mm DT machine gun mounted in a small rotating turret, giving it basic firepower suitable for policing, reconnaissance, and infantry support roles. Powered by a 4-cylinder petrol engine, it could reach speeds of around 80 km/h (50 mph) on roads, but like most interwar armoured cars, it struggled badly in off-road conditions. About 700 vehicles were produced, and they served with the Red Army during the Spanish Civil War, the Winter War (1939–40), and in the early stages of the German invasion in 1941. By then, the FAI was obsolete and highly vulnerable, but it played an important role in the Soviet Union’s early armoured car development and laid the groundwork for more capable designs like the BA-20.

Multi part resin model.

Printed by Imperator Models on License from Wargame 3D.