The best known original vehicles from Belarus are MAZ trucks and MTZ tractors, all made in Minsk, the capital of the country. Various 1/43rd scale diecast models of these vehicles were already made by Sowjet manufacturers in the 1970s and 1980s: Elecon produced a huge MAZ 7310 as a fire engine and military truck, a MAZ 503A tipper was released by the Electromechanical Plant in Kostroma, and MTZ tractors were modelled by Tantal and Companion. More recently, Agat and Incotex released 1/43rd scale MTZ tractors, too. There are also handbuilt models of MAZ trucks, including models by the Belorussian manufacturers Ansolda and Model 90, but also by ALF and Kimmeria from Ukraine. More recently, detailed 1/43rd scale Chinese-made models have been released by Nash Avtoprom, Aist and in partworks by De Agostini. In the 1970s and 1980s, the Mir toy factory in Minsk manufactured copies of Italian Mebetoys cars and big plastic toys, including a model of the Belarusian-made BelAZ 540A dump truck in about 1/50th scale. A diecast model of the Lada 2101 in 1/60th scale was also made in Minsk. Emergency versions of this model were marketed under the name of Belvar, a manufacturer of measuring instruments.
Belarus