AA-70 Airfield Rescue and Firefigthing Truck
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The MAZ-543-based AA-70 (7310) firefighting truck is an emergency response vehicle designed for service at airports and large industrial facilities. It is a further modification from the earlier AA-60 model, incorporating the addition of another 2t powder-foam tank in addition to a 9500L water tank and foaming agent. This allows the vehicle to effectively extinguish fuel fires by spreading the foam trough nozzles on the bumper. AA-70 also included a 180HP auxiliary engine for driving the pumps.
The 8x8 MAZ-543 stems from a requirement for a strategic misile carrier and has since proven to be a versatile vehicle for extreme heavy duty tasks. The chassis wa redesignated as MAZ 7310 in the 70s and the upgraded MAZ-7313 introduced for the firefigthing vehicles in the 80s.
The kit by A&A Models is an example of a short run-type kit with some nice details, but also some flash and two warped sprues. Doors and hatches remain closed and there are some rather fine parts for the grab handles and water monitor.
Assembly included some guesswork for the specific alignment of some parts and I neede to deviate from the instructions a bit to a) ensured that the fit is straight, as there are no real mounting points and b) I can leave some components seperate for painting. However, I managed to assemble the basic structure of the chassis and the superstructure in one evening session.
