Official thread.

Gallery is here
http://gallery.kitmaker.net/showgallery.php/cat/23624

I'm in.
This is what I'm going to build:

Leopard 1A5NO2.

Erik

thanks Mark, i'll by offline until the 2nd Jan.. ~
Happy 2009

I am building one of these big cats:



This (for those who don't know) is a Swedish Strv.122 Main Battle tank. it is the Swedish upgraded Leopard 2A5.

I have managed to get my mits on the HKCW conversion. Should get it next week some time. I am using the AFV club working Leo 2 track, Dragon 3020 for crew, HH/10 from Hornet.

Good luck with your Leo 1A5NO2!

/Josh

When did this get approved, let alone proposed? I must have been sleeping or something.

I'd sure like to participate on this one. Good thing this is a longer campaign, better chances I can actually finish something.

One question about the campaign rules, if I may.
It says "Any modern vehicle", and timeframe "After 1945 to present day". So it's: post-ww2 vehicles in use in the countries listed: okay
(and therefore --> Finnish Panzer IV ausf.J from mid-fifties: not okay?)

Hi Eetu,
Nice to have you on board!!
It was proposed sometime ago, glad you can come !

The answer to your question is yes!
I didn't know the Finns had used some Panzer IV J's, where can I find some pics of those ? so far I found some PT-76 and T-54/55 , do you have some pics of those tanks ? (I have a panzer IV J in stash looking at me right now...

I hope you don't mind if I answer instead of Eetu:
Ps. 221-12
Ps. 221-6
Ps.221-3

Thanks Tuomas !!
Were they used during the war with the Finnish cross markings and then adapted ? Is it painted Olive Drab or Panzer Grey ?

30 ausf J were bought, but only 15 delivered. They didn't see any action, altought they participated in war of Lapland. They were plain dunkelgelb, and zimmerit was scratched off at the place of markings, grey color was painted on that area and finnish tank swastikas painted over that. The barrel was however painted (left?) gray. They were painted green after war (maybe early '50s?)

Tuomas

That Panzer IVs okay? Great! I'll keep that in mind.

Well, no need to add much more to that, Tuomas got the basic facts there.
In addition to those mentioned, Finnish Panzer IVs were fitted with additional gear after the war.

JS-models has a resin upgrade set to make a post-war tank. Included in the set are:
- equipment box
- fire extinguisher box
- infantry phone box
- rear light
- hull front plate with modified MG opening + new MG mount (DT machine gun barrel not included)

From those galleries posted, PS. 221-3 features the modified MG opening, minus the mounting ball. The other two have the hole blanked off.

IIRC, JS-models is on a some kind of a hiatus or something, so getting a hold of the update set might be tricky. I bought mine from T:mi Kuivalainen, but I think I got the last one (product's not listed anymore).
Combat Models seems to have the set (# JS018) listed. Their site is unfortunately only in Finnish, but you could emailing them (info(at)combatmodels.net).

I think the best source for markings would be Echelon's recent T-72 sheet (you can make just about any possible registry markings from that one).

Hope this helps.

I've been inside that tank, thru the escape hatch in the hull floor. :-)

I signed up for the campaign but have not made up my mind of what to build.
It will probably be a modified AFV Club Centurion or a Trumpeter S-tank.

/Thord

Mine will be a kit bash "Hobby Boss / Tamiya" Strv 122.

Probably 'Beelzebub' from 2nd Platoon, Nottbottens Regemente.

I notice from pictures I've seen of this machine in Winter Camo, that the wheels seem to be white washed as well.

Does this sound right to those in the know ? Thord ?

I thought only the vertical light green surfaces, lower front right turret, and barrel were painted in winter camo.

I've already built the lower hull

Cheers

Paul

Hi Paul.

The images I've seen of winter camoed 122s have not had the wheels painted.
They are however often filled with packed snow so they appear white.
The normal drill is to paint the light green fields, except the roof and engine deck and, in some cases, the rear end.

/Thord

Thanks Thord !

That explains it

Cheers

Paul

I have finally started .

Erik

Hi guys

After a trip to the local hobby store I finally decided on the Strv103B for this campaign. I almost went for a Danish Centurion instead, but after all the Strv103B is a much more unique tank.

I am considering to make this tank in winter camo or with lots of foliage/camo nets. I have found a few pictures with camo nets and foliage, but no winter camo for the S tank. I have seen pictures of the Strv103B in the snow without any white paint indicating no white paint was used during Winter. Could this really be true? I would be very surprised that the Swedes did not paint them partially white in winter like with the Leopards.
Can anybody help with pictures of the Strv103B in white Winter camo?

Otherwise I will go for a Strv103B with foliage and camo netting. There I have found a couple of pictures.

Hi,
I found couple of pictures of strv 103 in winter (atleast it says so). They might not be the same version, but it gives you some vision.

Great references Tuomas and Jesper, thanks.

During peacetime and times of relative calm the nordic forces aren't that keen on changing the camo two times a year. Probably a question of money. I my self drove around the whole winter with my summer camo.

If something had happend though it would go straight to the paint shop.

What were you driving Lars ? can we see some pics ?

Well don't have any pictures my self that are on file, was in the service back in -94/-95 not many digital cameras then

Found however some on the net. I was only a wagon "commander" (only 3 persons on the wagon) on one of these small things. A BV206 all terrain vehicle, cant see anybody bothering to make a kit out of that ;

Very nice Lars !
Maybe Hobby Boss or Trumpeter might come up with some of these.


How fast did it go ? Any heater inside (It was freezing out there... -20º maybe)?

Dude, we who live here at the artic circle, don't count -20ºC as freezing yet
I got birthday on wednesday and Hobby Boss Strv 122 coming as a present already

Well John the army had a selfimpossed speed limit on them of 30 km/h, it could however be pushed to 55 km/h on the road. IF you do that, take a tip from me, don't do it while you are driving in front of the captain of the motor pool (in a civilian car).....I got my hide skinned for that... It was a blast in the terrain and since we had a fairly warm winter, only -20 a couple of times on average it was around +/- -10, there where tons of snow to plow through!

The vehicle it self is quit warm. In the first compartement you have the engine betwen the two front seats so you got vents goint directly from the motorroom that can heat the cabin. The second compartement (where we spent most our time monitoring the radiotraffic) you got a Webasto unit that draws fuel from the diesel tanks and heats the cabin. If you cranked it up it was just like sitting at home.

PS: I just got to apologize for going off topic here, as almost all of my few posts does. The problem is that I can't stay on topic since I at the moment can't build anything. I just don't have anywhere to do it. Darn women, kids, dogs and rats for taking up so much space, and my self for occuping the kitchen table with work stuff. Just got to get moving on buying that house. I did my last build when I was 15 (around 25 in total, getting decent quality at the end) and have been admiring the work on aromorama the last year and really want to get back in to it.

Its a big frustrating, I popped buy a modellers store today (haven't been in one for years since I can't build right now) and when that paint smell hit me I almost went in to withdrawls..I want to build! Its a good thing I did though because I saw a poster about a local event the 22nd/23rd of February which they claim is the biggest in Scandinavia. Got to go there, maybe even get some pictures to show here. This is from last year IPMS 2008