The FV 4003 Centurion AVRE (Assault Vehicle Royal Engineers) is the Engineers version developed from 1955 to replace the WW2 Churchill AVRE.

The initial project was developed from the Centurion Mk5 gun tank then the most recent version. The first prototype was delivered in 1957. The trails began in 1962 and the Centurion AVRE entered into service in 1964.

The AVRE hull was longer than the gun tank one because an additional fuel tank was fitted at the back of the engine compartment. The 105 mm gun was replaced by the L9A1 165 mm demolition gun. At the front the AVRE was equipped with a blade along with a fascine cradle on the upper glacis.

From the 1980s, a version armed with the L7 105 mm gun entered service too. Based upon a Mk12 hull, it was fitted with a mine-plow or a blade according the versions.

The main armament was the 165 mm gun which fired high explosive shells up to 2400 m. It could elevate from - 10° to 20°. The 165 mm shell contained 14.5 kg of explosive. The secondary armament was made of a .30 cal coaxial MG and another .30 cal MG fitted to the commander's cupola.

The specialized equipment included a dozer blade capable of entrenching a tank in 7 minutes and a fascine cradle on the upper glacis.

The AVRE could also tow the following types of trailers : 7.5 tons trailer, Barmine Mechanical Minelayer loaded with 864 mines, Giant Viper demining system capable of breaching a 7.3 m wide and 183 m long path.

The crew was of 5 : a driver and an engineer in the hull, a commander, a gunner and a radio-operator/loader in the turret.

The Centurion AVRE has only been in service with the British army. It first saw action in Northern Ireland in 1972 during operation Motorman to breach barricades in Londonderry.
During operation Granby, British codename for Desert Shield/Storm, 12 Centurion AVRE were deployed. To improve their protection against antitank weapons ERA was fitted to the front half of the vehicles. In the end the AVRE didn't take part in the breaching of the Iraqi defenses. However during training accidents 3 vehicles were destroyed. In 1992 the Centurion AVRE were phased out.

The kit

It includes 12 beige plastic sprues, 1 lower hull, 6 metal springs, 1 bags of workable individual track links, 1 plate of photoetched parts, 2 decals sheets, 1 thread length and 1 24-page instructions booklet.

The cast is sharps with few ill-placed ejection pin marks. The level of detail is good however Amusing Hobby made some mistakes in particular because they reused sprues from previous Centurion kits. Some AVRE specific details have been wrongly represented. The fit is good except for the blade.

The instructions are cleat  with few mistakes. The model representing a up-armored vehicle in the Gulf during Granby in 1990-91 the decorations for a BATUS vehicle or one of the BAOR are fictional. Anyway there is no decal for them.

The  build

Beforehand you need to find the documentation to represent accurately 11 BA 46 which is proposed by Amusing Hobby. This vehicle which is preserved at Duxford museum features some differences from the factory AVRE. Thanks to Michael Orsbourn whom I warmly thank, they have all been identified and implemented.

The hull

Steps 1 to 6 dela with the running gear. The suspension is not workable despite the metal springs. The roadwheels are simplfied with a smooth rim while there should be 3 grooves. Consequently the build is easier. The idler wheels are the early type which is not correct for the Duxford vehicle. They have been replaced by the Accurate Armour reference. You need to thoroughly clean the cast line on the rubber tires. The idlers are not glued yet. Beforehand the both tracks are assembled. 102 links are necessary for one track. The links are clicked together. The roadwheels and the tracks are not installed yet. You first need to paint them prior to attaching the side skirts later on.

At step 8 the infantry telephone must be glued slightly more to the left to allow a tin power cable to be fitted at step 9.

At step 9 part I17 has not bottom plate. You need to make one from plastic card and add the missing details. It is the bottom of the additional fuel tank compartment.

At step 10 the tow hook bracket I13 must be modified. First the sides should make a trapeze. Then the bottom is partly blanked-off by a plate to which is fixed the formation light.

At step 11 the hatch J5 is modified to match the Duxford vehicle one. The episcope cover is removed and replaced by a 2.5 x 5 mm rectangle of 1 mm thick plastic card. 4 bolt heads are added to the corners as well as a cable running under the glacis add-on armor.

At step 12 parts A13 and I18 have solid molded handles which are replaced by brass wire. At the rear of I18 the bolts are removed then a panel line is scribed on the sides and the rear prior to gluing the bolts back.

At step 13 part I37 on the right hull side must not be glued according to the instructions. You have to glue it the same way as on the left hull side.

At step 14 the headlights guards are assembled. The horizontal rods are replaced by plastic rod to avoid the gap between the parts. The headlights are not glued yet.

At step 15 the handle on parts B29/B33 is removed and replaced with one made from styrene strip and glued horizontally. Lights D9 are fitted with their protection omitted by Amusing Hobby.

At step 17 you have to remove the cable latch support molded on parts B13/B19 because the cables are not fixed to the bins on the AVRE. The pickaxes are improved with a bit of styrene strip on top of them to represent the entire bracket. Light D9 is not glued according the instructions but onto the fender stiffener just left of C13. You alos have to make from plastic card the protection omitted by Amusing Hobby.

The skirts (steps 18 and 21) will only be added when the lower hull is painted.

At step 19 do not glue part C5 to the exhaust cover A25.

At stpe 20 light D9 is modified and glued like at step 17.

At step 22 the cables eyes are modified. The latches molded to parts C7 are sanded off. The thread length in the instructions is 11 cm however 10 cm are enough. A dry fit test is advised though.

The Duxford vehicle features a tent frame around the engine deck. It is made from styrene rod and strips. The long rod is bent in a U shape and inserted in hinges glued to the sides of the engine deck. A length of strip is added to the sides and one bolt is glued to each end. Finally the top angles are reinforced with a triangle of plastic card.

Steps 23 et 25 deal with the blade. It can be mobile with a bit of care during the assembly. Amusing Hobby have made a mistake on the lower push arms. The ones in the center are linked with a single long pin. So one of the lock is removed and a bit of 2 mm diameter rod is inserted between the arms. The extension at the top I21 can be attached raised or folded down.

The turret

The 5 part hull is glued at step 26.

At steps 27 and 28 the fire extinguishers are replaced by ones of the type used during Granby. As I had nothinh like in my spare parts box, I used sprue lengths and plastic card to make two of them. Before gluing the gun tube you need to make the canvas cover. Air drying modeling paste is applied to get the basic shape. Then 2-component Tamiya putty is applied in very thin layers. Before it is dry folds are carved.

At steps 28 and 29 the antennas bases F4 are modified to look like the Clansman ones used during Granby. To do so 4 fins are glued in a cross shape under part F4 then a plastic card disc is glued under the assembly.

At step 29 do not glue part I29 at the back of the turret. Instead it is part J34 (from step 30) which is glued at the location of the instructions. I29 must be moved forward up to the cupola. The .30 cal MG is assembled but not glued yet.

At step 31 the turret bustle basket is assembled. Beforehand it is advised to use part I12 to shape part Z2. Part Z4 is modified by shortening the upper part. The upper edge is aligned with the lower horizontal rod. It is only valid for the vehicles with the stowage bin attached to the basket. The bin is made from 0.25 and 0.4 mm plastic card and 0.3 mm styrene rod.

Steps 33 to 36 do not need any comment.

To give a more operational look to the vehicle the basket is filled with water cans and tarps made from scratch.

The decoration

As stated above only the tan decoration can be applied onto an up-armored AVRE. The base coat is XF-78 Wooden Deck Tan. Then a coat of Klir is sprayed before applying the decals which are fragile. Another coat of Klir seals the decals before a brown wash is applied all over the vehicle. A darker brown wash is applied to enhance the details.

The bottom of the blade is painted XF-56 Metallic Grey then graphite powder is used to enhance the metallic shine. Gulf War Sand pigments are applied to simulate sand and dried earth deposits. The lower parts are dusted with pigments too.

Conclusion

Amusing Hobby give an original model which is pleasant to build. The few mistakes are easy to fix. It is harder t ofind the documentation to depict a specific vehicle during Granby. To build a standard AVRE do not glue the ERA. However you should add the fascine cradle which is typical of the AVRE. Fortunately you don't need to scratch it as Accurate Armour have a reference in their range.

04/2022