Hell again all ... I've been pondering the AFV Club 1973 Shot Kal - mainly because I have built two Australian Centurions and this tank has a completely different look with its louvred engine deck for the US diesel engine.

Another reason I am considering one is that you get a complete Meteor engine deck, hull boxes and guards, and I need some of the bits for an Auusie Cent I butchered some parts on test fitting some resin upgrade parts.

Anyway, it got me thinking ... there were some Meteor engined Shot Kals in 1973 with what I think were Mk7 hulls with larger internal fuel tanks.

The rear end of the Diesel Shot Kals looks the same as these Meteor engined ones, and I was wondering if one could be built from the box using the Meteor engine deck and the corresponding guards (note the Meteor ehausts in the following picture, but what look like an identical hull rear to the diesel Shot Kal)?



Anyway, it could be a way to make a different "Cent" that AFV Club never thought of!

Good ideas all the way around, however, the hull extension supplied in the kit will not yield the same result as the Mk 7. The Mk 7 hull extension became the norm for later Marks that were not upgrades of the original Mk III and Mk 5 hulls. It is angled differenty. (outward at the top) Here's an in progress shot:

The hull extension supplied in the kit replicates the IDF upgrade. Originally it was just an extended fuel tank. After the introduction of the diesel engine it was retained to accomodate the larger transmission. You can use the extension and the old Meteor deck. You would simply have to remove the access plate detail on the extension, as they were to access the transmission.
You can also use the early IDF Sh'ot (35159) and add the extension like this:

Note that they retain the same inward angle at the top as the original rear armor plate.

To do the one in your photo, you'd need to fab up the extension shown in my first photo, but then you would need to modify the engine deck, as Mk 7's all had longitudinal louvers (unlike the ones added to the Mk 5 upgrades) not just the flat plate access covers.

This is the look I was going for with the two Mk 5's in the lower photo:

And this is my first try at it with an old Tamiya kit well over a decade ago. I didn't know enough not to use the old two handled Jerry can back then!

Either way you go, you're right, you'll be doing a version AFV Club have not done yet.

Very interesting ... Australia only progressed to the 5/1s, so I was not aware of the louvred Mk7 deck.

So the back end of the AFV ClubShot Kal is not the same as a Meteor engined version?

The way the AFV Club kit is designed in modular components, it should not be hard for the company to produce a "Meteor Shot Kal", but I don't think I'd like to tackle those rear louvres ... damn! How dare I think I'd stumbled upon a way to produce a different variant out of the box!

Unfortunately, there are so many great Cent variants that can be made from AFV's stock kits, I don't think I'll give myself the grief (yes, I tried to accurise those 'orrible Tamiya Cents in the '90s too!).

I reckon I'll do the Diesel Shot Kal (perhaps with an upgraded Lionmarc Mk3 turret for something different) and salvage the guards/hull boxes/exhausts for the butchered Aussie guinea pig hull.

Mick,
hope I didn't ramble on too much and confuse you. You CAN use the hull extension in the kit. You'll just get the version in my photo (Mk III or 5 with extended fuel tank) as opposed to your photo, which was a factory built Mk 7 hull. If you use the extension with the Meteor egine deck for a Mk 5, just fill in those access covers on the bottom, and leave off the two PE plates. Add some cooling louvers and Viola! -you'll have what's pictured on the bottom.
After seeing your Aussie builds, I'd really like to see what you'll do with IDF Cents.

Mmmmm ... so you want me to become obsessed with building Israeli Cents as well?

I'll need to check out the details - I've seen what looks like a Mk3 turret laying next to a 1973 Meteor Shot Kal, so there was obviously all sorts of weird and wonderful arrnagements.

Thanks for the guidance - and no doubt I will need some more!

And that would be bad how?

I've got thirteen of the AFV Club Cents in my stash, not to mention several of the the Tamiya 1/25 scale kits. They kind of grow on you. Not all will be IDF though, but a mojority will be.

Just a small point, but I'm pretty sure that if it is a "Shot Kal" then it has the AVDS diesel engine pack. The earlier Cents, even with some upgrades and even the 105s were still referred to as "Shot". At least I'm pretty sure they were...

After one project trying to put the Tamiya 1/35th Cent right and still falling well short of the mark, I now have seven of these AFV Cents on the shelf and I can get a basic hull, turret and running gear together in a weekend and a basic paint job with decals on in a week.

They are dimensionally accurate, all hatches open and there are plenty of options in the one box (as previously discussed with the Shot Kal).

I plan to do more Aussie Cents, but will probably build a Shot Kal next just for something different in a colour other than Lustreless Olive Drab.

I will be picking your brains down the track re the Meteor Shot Kal ...