Since I have been plodding along with my Mk11 Chieftain…I have been thinking about some other UK armour, namely the above … Trumpeters AS90.
Now I have seen some going for between £19 and up to £26…
To me it looks very cheap, for a lot of kit … But sometimes being cheap is for a reason … It’s a bad one !! !
Is this the case with this AS90? Is it similar quality as their Cr2’s ??
Has anyone built one…would love to know any thoughts on it …I know the barrel is to long, but that’s an easy fix ??
If you are planning for a generic build of an AS-90 the kit is pretty decent for the money you pay. With some attention to detail and a bit of detailing it looks the part.
There is an option for the barrel length
For a Gulf War vehicle you will need some extra details.
An aftermarket barrel will make the build easier, the Eduard set provides some nice details and the kit tracks are usable. Bronco released a set of tracks that are workable but I do not know if you will be able to find it.
Way back in the day someone on this forum claimed that Trumpeter copied the Accurate - Armour kit, and that is a patently false statement True, they are dimensionally almost idential, nut why wouldn’t they be? They’re of the same subject. Many of the details that are finer on the A-A kit are simply because most resin kits are inherently better. Plus the A-A had a detailed inner rear hatch and two ammo stowage bundles. If you’d never built the A-A kit you probably think, ‘Damn, Trumpeter did a nice job on this kit.’ Which they did. Most of the things that need fixing need fixing on most styrene kits. Buy with condidence.
As originally deployed it used the short barrel.
The long “Braveheart” barrel was only on the BAE demonstrator.
I dont know if the current UK/NATO or Ukraine deployed AS90’s have it.
I have the Trumpeter kit & its OK.
I also have the Accurate Armour update which refines some of the details, including the sagged concertina bellows on the base of the barrel & turret bins
AA are in the process of winding down so may be difficult to get.
The kit is not too bad and with a bit of work builds up well …when I did mine I took the decision to update it to bowman standards and scratch built a full interior from driver Stn to rear compartment…
Had you ever posted that here before? Nicely done!
Thanks guys … those comments were very very helpful … and Terry @barny - that wagon looks stunning mate … any “drop short” would be proud to that on their desk !!
Drivers view ports need moving back towards the hatch and the gun cradle needs a little work to correct. If you can find the RB Model barrel for it its a great improvement due to the sag in the sleeve.
Thanks Darren, I knew there were a few flaws, so a bit of research will be needed… Just in the process of ordering the Trumpy kit, (£22.95) and the 2 Eduard sets for it … I will try and work with the barrel … unless its a mare.
The barrel is decent, it will not give you much trouble. If you can source smoke launcher replacements go for it, they are possible the worst detailed parts of the kit.
In case you are wandering about the Black Dog stowage set it has a couple of nice pieces but the majority is something that anyone can build. The best pieces are the hull canvas accessories. The turret stuff is a bit excessive, especially that big lump of stowage for the roof basket.
I did see someone cut the sleeve away add some heat to create the droop in the middle and then put it all back together again.
Ive seen the black dog set but I think its over priced for yo get and how much it would add to the kit - and like you said, you can probably make most of it yourself if needed.
I read somewhere that the front part of the barrel is about 2 cm to long ? I will need to look into that if its correct.
The kit barrel is about 13 mm longer (measuring from the bore evacuator to the muzzle, not with the extra part for the longer barrel) than the aftermarket barrel I used (I do not recall the manufacturer). I have seen people cut the kit barrel so I guess you need to do some digging.
Turret build OOB primed.
Thanks Darren & Nikos … much appreciated chaps.
The walkaround above is great. It would be even better if you put it as a separate post in the Reference By Subject forum so others can find it when needed.
Well, trigger has been pulled on these …
Should be here in a few days… kit was £21 and everything was £42. Decent price I think and by what I have seen, I will be using a large chunk of the PE on this.
I have used the bronco tracks, good but take a long time to assemble (used a full bottle of port), and used the friul on another incarnation of an AS90 support vehicle.
And that is how scratch building is done!
