Strv 103 should be compared with the existing opposition when it was fielded.
Traversing time using the tracks is very close to the turret traversing of turreted
tanks of that time. A famous Tiger tank commander turned his tank and used turret traverse for fine aiming since this was faster than cranking the turret around. Also makes sure the best armour is towards the enemy.
The holes for the bar armour are normally plugged and more or less invisible except on close inspection.
Probably the equivalent to the 11,000 Yen shown on the site.
(Boy, the Yen sure has fallen. HS is selling this for ~9,000 Yen, which is only $56. For a long time the Yen was pretty much equal to a penny.)
KL
Välkommen Ingvar!
Note that the bar armor was kept absolutly secret, not even the crew trained on the Strv 103 new about it. I have a couple of friends who are trained on the tank. The bar armor was declasified only after the Strv 103C was decomissioned so the front fence bar armor is kind of science fiction for anyone who wants to depict a Strv 103C during exercises in Sweden. Museum objects or a what-if scenario may of course use this bar armor.
Tack 
Museum tank (I think this might be the one I was given a ride in, squashed in on the radio operators seat, the other plastic modeller was riding in the commanders seat and the officer driving sat on the gunners seat)
Another museum tank
You’re thinking of BL35184F? It would be anachronistic, as he’s wearing body armor, etc., that came into service after the 103C was decommissioned.
The holes for the bar armour where plugged with massive plastic plugs from the factory. One of my friends did notice the small outline of these holes and did wonder what they was for….
The bar armour kit contained a dowel (and a sledge hammer?) so that you could remove the plastic plugs before fitting the bar armour.
Definitely one of the coolest tanks ever built. Mixed feelings about all the fiddly bits in that box but it looks much better than the Trumpeter offering and comes with hard plastic tracks. Dunno. Not a good model for me but will think about it.
I almost feared that. Nevertheless I get the kit anyway and throw my Trumpeter kit in the bin.
Well, it’s not so much the opposition but what you can do and a Tiger is a bad example. The Sherman had a powered traverse rate of 4 RPM which was something like three or four times faster than the Tiger’s. Pivoting would be limited when the vehicle was emplaced in the hull down dugouts the tank was designed to dig with the blade under the bow and snuggle into with the adjustable suspension. .
Sweden prioritized protection and survivability in the design and the S-103 seems to have fit quite well to its purpose. I kinda look at it as similar to the IDF’s Merkava. Unusual designs created for use in an limited environment.
I was just looking at my aborted Trumpeter rework just this weekend. I prefer the 103B - or even the A; “Sweden’s Incredible S Tank!” from US magazine articles - but I am interested in this one.
KL
Well, don’t be in too much of a hurry Hermann; this is what a modelling friend of mine did with the Trumpeter kit (it was trialed by the Brits back in the 70s):
I must admit that the design was revolutionary and more specific to Swedish terrains. Growing up, I’ve always liked the abnormal “futuristic” look of the S tank. So glad to see a more accurate replica of it.
Me too.
I was lucky enough to read a review about the Trumpeter kit before I got around to buying it so I did not buy it.
Fire on the move: Yes, but No. Firing on the move was an inaccurate “art” before stabilistion systems and those were not a factor 60 - 65 years ago. To be able to hit something all tanks had to stop and aim.
Evasive targets: Target doing 25 m/s (55 mph) at 500 metres distance means that the target moves 2.86 degrees per second, let’s say 3 degrees per second.
If the target was running circles (unrealistic) around the Strv 103 the target would need 120 seconds for a full circle. Tracking this target requires a traversing speed of a whopping 0.5 RPM.
The Strv 103 turns a lot faster than that …
A traverse speed of 4 RPM = 360 degrees in 15 seconds or 90 degrees in 3.75 seconds.
The Strv 103 turns 90 degrees in less than 3 seconds.
If we’re posting old Strv 103 models we made, here’s mine:
It’s the Accurate Armour kit, that I built in 2003 (the first photo is from 21 January that year), with a barrel someone turned from brass for me because the casting quality was typical of AA’s round parts — that is, OK on top but obviously stepped underneath 
The bar armour array is scratchbuilt from brass rod and plastic strips with holes made with a punch-and-die set. It’s a little uneven, but that’s due to the difficulty of drilling parallel holes by hand. I painted the camouflage with a brush after drawing pencil lines on the tank using a ruler to make sure they were straight.
I always wondered, Is this tank gun can traverse a little? Like Stug or hetzer etc.
No, not at all — it’s completely fixed in the hull, so that the autoloader is relatively simple, too.
No, it is fixed. It has an autoloader, so no gun traverse.
