Strv103C
Ref :
Trumpeter #310
The Strv 103 or S tank is an uncommon vehicle within the modern armor world. It comes straight from the WW2 tank destroyers. In fact, its lack of turret makes it resemble the jagdpanzers and other jagdtigers. Unlike them, its main gun has no elevation or lateral aiming capability, the full aiming process is only done through the steering of the vehicle and the elevation of the chassis. This particular choice is issued from the defensive role the Swedish thought they would have facing a Warsaw Pact invasion. Nowadays, this tank is a museum piece and has been withdrawn from active duty.
The kit is issued by
Trumpeter which also produces the older B version. It is easily
built, the only difficulty comes from the alignment of the
lateral jerrycans. The missing vision blocks protections are easy
to represent and the various handles have been replaced by wire
ones. The mortar tubes are drilled to increase the realism.
Here comes the splinter 4-tone camo ordeal. It finally proved
less testing than expected thanks to the use of Tamiya masking
tape. This method is time-consuming as it needs a long drying
period between each color but the rendering is quite perfect.
Only a few paintbrush touching up is necessary.
For the photoetch fans, Eduard issues 2 sets to enable a super-detailing
after a titanic work (see the pics on the website http://www.eduard.com/).