MiniAutoHobby: UAZ 469 and UAZ Hunter

Tuesday 15 September 2009
By mid-60es, the new management of the plant completed development of first original [U]AZ cars. The GAZ-69 offroad vehicle was replaced by UAZ-469. UAZ-469 was very similar in design to the original Jeep - a sturdy, but not-so-comfortable car that was able to drive in virtually any terrain and was easy to fix. The Uaz-469 reached legendary status for its reliability and off-road ability. The car didn't enter the personal use market until late 80s and was reserved for police forces and paramilitary (its commercially-available analog was produced by LuAZ, which was too close to border to be associated with the military). In 1966, UAZ rolled out its pickup-truck/minibus UAZ-452, which received a warm welcome by the farmers due to its convenience and offroad capability. Although this automobile was mostly reserved for police and army use, it has seen much more civilian use than most other UAZ cars. The Uaz-469 and its modifications has gained legendary status all over the world for its off-road ability, reliability and simplicity. Due to the vehicles reliability and capabilities it is to this day loved and used by off-road enthusiasts all over the world and is a welcome alternative to the US Jeep, British Land Rover and Japanese Land Cruisers due to its lower costs and similar characteristics. After the collapse of Soviet Union, UAZ has started feeling the heat. On one hand, people were willing to buy its cars due to its high reputation; on the other hand, most preferred used imported offroad cars due to the lack of reliability of UAZ cars made in the 90s. UAZ produced a slightly modified version of its original UAZ-469 car, UAZ Hunter, but the sales were still lacking.
469 replica is made by IXO/IST and comes from Polish cars collection by DeAgostini. Looks really nice. The other one is a model - toy by Tin's Toys.