Hi all,
I just started the Trumpeter ASLAV Phase 3 kit. I know it is not fully accurate for a deployed vehicle but this is not a big issue so far.
The rubber tires have a nasty mold line which is virutally impossible to get rid of. As I have in the stash a Legend set for the ASLAV but with the early narrow tires, I wondered if thoses tires could be suitable for the kit. Would this combination need extra work on the kit to backdate it?

If the combination is impossible, which set of replacement resin wheels should I get?
TIA
Olivier

Salut Olivier

What about Panzer Art "Road Wheels for Australian ASLAV-25 (Australian Light Armoured Vehicle)" RE35-179



H.P.

What is not right for a deployed vehicle ?

HP,
just look at the tires, they show the exact same mold line as the Trumpeter tires. I guess this set is just a copy (probably improved concerning the rim) of the plastic kit wheels.

Alex,
from what Arms Corps Model site stated, the kit allows to build a ASLAV as used in Australia and deployed in Timor but not in Irak or Afghanistan. A number of details just don't match the "operational" vehicles.

Olivier

While working at Russell Offices Canberra in the early 90s one of the first of the phase two ASLAVs was put on display, this vehicle did have the wider tyres. If memory serves me correctly the trail vehicles the early phase one vehicles had the narrow wheels.

Try these from hobby fan, look good to me:
https://www.ebay.com/p/Hobby-Fan-1-35-Scale-Lav-25-Series-8x8-Tire-later-Type-Resin-Kit-HF804/844805337?iid=142021180564&_trkparms=aid%3D222007%26algo%3DSIM.MBE%26ao%3D2%26asc%3D44040%26meid%3Db02e2bbf94be40dfb25dc11aadb265c8%26pid%3D100623%26rk%3D2%26rkt%3D2%26sd%3D141772022252%26itm%3D142021180564&_trksid=p2047675.c100623.m-1

review:
https://www.perthmilitarymodelling.com/reviews/vehicles/hobbyfan/hf804.htm

or

http://realmodel.cz/index.php?page=shop.product_details&flypage=garden_flypage.tpl&product_id=340&category_id=19&keyword=wheels&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=79

Another option (which I did and will be doing again when I get around to the to it the Arms Corp Phase Three) is to use coarse wet and dry sand paper (dry) worked well for me and has on subsequent tyres.

One of the big things with the Trumpeter ASLAV is the engine deck and needed to pull the kit off my shelf and found that I also have the Legends ASLAV update set LF 1200 in the box, compared this with the arms corps set and given that Jason has gone the way of the dodo is in my opinion the best on the market (may be the only one but…) at the moment. For the wheels I got a set of Mouse House outer hubs (before they stopped production) and will be using the kit rubber, clean up as per above.

You might also consider Voyager Model Modern Australian ASLAV-25 turret weapon set VBS0161

Also, be aware, do not follow the paint guide on the instructions they are totally wrong.

Good reference model pictures here but the first one follows the Trumpeter plan the rest are pretty good:
http://www.mheaust.com.au/Aust/gallery/aslav/ASLAV.htm


The other thing to keep in mind is the colours particularly the green:
Sovereign hobbies make it but cannot vouch for accuracy.
https://www.sovereignhobbies.co.uk/products/aroz01-olive-drab-modern-australian

or you get some from mouse house and I can vouch that they are really accurate when painted onto a nearly new painted Land Rover 110.

The tan FS 30219, from model masters in enamel a good match 1742 but I add about 20% model masters 1735 wood.

The black ant NATO black should do, or
Mouse house do the lot $12 AUD (about €7.50)
http://www.mheaust.com.au/MHE/Paint/MAP1.htm

Hope this helps

And you even get a free 1/35 scale kangaroo with the Legend set



H.P.

Thank you for the input David, particularly concerning the painting scheme.
I had the Legend set with the roo but sold it as someone at Armorama told it was not better than the kit offering.

Are ASLAV large wheels the same as US LAV ones? If so I would have more wheels options. I started cleaning the seam with steel wool but the result is not convincing so far.

Olivier

G’Day Oliver and those remotely or otherwise interested,

The green we use is very particular and since Humbrol stopped French Artillery Green (excellent match) I have not (other than mouse house) found anything that comes close, some people use FS34102 but I find this to be much too green, or Humbrol 155 and equivalents which are slightly to brown. I got a 500ml tin of the real stuff while serving but I find this too be dark for modelling especially for vehicles that have been in service for a while. So, I stick to Mouse House.

Something I found interesting, I was talking to John Myszka from mouse house 2 weeks ago (and to side track for a moment his M113AS4 kit is a must get, superb) and the ASLAV-25 came up in the conversation. As he has been told the Trumpeter kit is based on one of his first 20 resin kits and that the engine deck on his kit was an wrong and when he compares his master to the kit they matched. He was able to get pictures & measurements from the real thing and subsequently corrected the engine deck.

However, I have the kit on my desk as I type and going through each item comparing the kit item with the Legends set and the following is what I think is the better part:
Engine deck Legends;
Rear right hull bin (replaces partsD51, 52, & 72 this style of bin was phased out quite early in the operational life of the vehicle (not used at all in Timor) and replaced with a bin (added in Afghanistan) with big red roo on it seen in the link https://www.armyrecognition.com/images/stories/oceania/australia/wheeled_vehicle/aslav_gun_25/pictures/Aslav-25_25mm_cannon_wheeled_8x8_armoured_infantry_fighting_vehicle_Australian_Army_013.jpg), absent on kit but this is a must do either resin or scrath therefore Legends;
Commander’s and gunner’s hatch (step 13) Legends;
Commander’s and gunner’s optics (step 13) slightly to Legends;
Exhaust (step Legends;
Driver’s hatch Trumpeter;
Air filters (D66 replacements step 9) Legends;
Smoke launcher mounts ether;
Speedometer (D25, 61 & 67 step 9 Legends;
Mag 58 (step 12) Trumpeter;
Ariel mounts (step 13) slightly to Legends; and
Ariels (step 13) Legends.
Also, legends have etched tiedowns which for some reason are not included in Legends instructions but PE parts 43 replaces the shocking representation on the kit, this is the raised section on the upper hull above the rear side vision blocks and lower section of the upper hull
In my opinion the Legends update has improvements over the Trumpeter kit.

Bushmaster 25mm cannon; Voyager.

Are ASLAV large wheels the same as US LAV ones? Short answer no, the only other country to use the same wide wheels as Au is Canada.

Trumpeter’s outer hub is to deep when compared to the real thing and the pictures in the Perth Military Modelling hobby Fan link added earlier in thread appear correct, but, just to show the real thing (the pictures aren’t opening for me but scroll down to bottom row of pics):
http://www.primeportal.net/apc/peter_battle/aslav/index.php?Page=1
or try this one
https://www.armyrecognition.com/images/stories/oceania/australia/wheeled_vehicle/aslav-r/ASLAV-F_8x8_wheeled_armoured_recovery_vehicle_with_winch_Australian_army_640_001.jpg

Steel wool is going to get you nowhere fast, sandpaper, course wet and dry used for sanding paint off cars or sanding metal is what you need but keep it dry. What I do is construct the wheel and tyre and holding the wheel, index finger over the tyre and thumb and third finger holding the hub I just rub the wheel along the wet and dry rotating wheel as I go to get an even wear in the tyre until I’m happy with the result.

Turret side and rear bins or bar armour is dependent on what place and period you are going to build. A non-operational vehicle in Australia is unlikely to have bar armour as are vehicles deployed early to Afghanistan. Bar armour (hull and turret) was added around 2004-05 but didn’t stay on the hull for long.

Security Detachment (Sec Det) the picture below is said to have been taken in 2007 at the rear left of the photo is an ASLAV-25 without bar armour
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f2/SEC_Det_X_ASLAVs.jpg

lots of good pics
https://www.google.com.au/search?q=aslav+photos+australian+war+memorial&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjH1Lbj3ofaAhXIu7wKHV7VDQIQsAQINg
or from the War Memorial collection:
Iraq
https://www.awm.gov.au/advanced-search?query=aslav%20iraq&collection=true&facet_type=Photograph&ppp=100&page=1

Afghanistan
https://www.awm.gov.au/advanced-search?query=aslav+afghanistan&collection=true&facet_type=Photograph

Another to the side if anyone is interested I have made colour mixes for Aust Disruptive Pattern Camouflage Uniform (DPCU) and DPCU mixes for packs and bags etc. using my uniforms and packs as comparisons
Uniform
Base
Gunze 27 tan50%
Gunze 50 lime green 30%
Gunze 31 white green 20%
Lt Green
Gunze 58 interior green 90%
Tamiya XF 3 yellow 10%
Orange Brown
Gunze 346 rough sand 7ml
Tamiya XF 59 desert yellow 1ml
Tamiya XF XF 3 yellow ½ml
Dk Green
Tamiya XF 11 J.N. green100%
Dk Brown
Tamiya XF 57 buff 40%
Tamiya XF 59 desert yellow 20%
Gunze 84 mahogany 40%
If too dark
Tamiya XF 57 buff 50%
Tamiya XF 59 desert yellow 25%
Gunze 84 mahogany 25%
Packs etc.
Base
Gunze 27 tan40%
Gunze 50 lime green 40%
Gunze 31 white green 20%
Lt Green
Gunze 58 interior green 80%
Tamiya XF 3 yellow 20%
Orange Brown
Gunze 346 rough sand 7ml
Tamiya XF 59 desert yellow 1ml
Tamiya XF XF 3 yellow ½ml
Tamiya XF 64 red brown 1ml
Dk Brown
Tamiya XF 64 red brown 100%

again, good luck and I hope I haven’t bored you all.

I don't feel bored at all David!
Thank you for these inputs.

By the way, as Prime Portal walkarounds are not working, would you knwo other sources for close-up pictures?

TIA
Olivier

In the meantime, you can find some here :

http://www.grubbyfingersshop.com/walkaround_galleries/aslav_walkaround_18381_30mm_turret_avalon_2011/aslav_walkaround_18381_30mm_turret_avalon_2011.html

http://aussiemodeller.com.au/pages/History/Vehicle/ASLAV_Kerr.html

H.P.

Also these ones for consideration:



You will notice that the PanzerArt ones have the extra set of bolts around the hub, that started with LAV-SLEP (Canadian Coyotes have these now as well) but from the images, it appears ASLAV's in the above images only have the one row of studs.

Jim

Just to expand/clarify my post,
LAV-25 SLEP hub:



ASLAV (And later Canadian AVGP series) hub:



Jim

Thank you HP and Jim.

Jim, I noticed the extra bolts on the Panzerart rim. The issue I see with the Real Model offering is that the rim looks too shallow (if this makes senses) just like in the Trumpeter wheels. However the sagging looks interesting.

Olivier

H.P.
I just have a look at both walkarounds you posted the links of. My conclusion is the Trumpeter kit needs too much work to get an accurate rendition and consequently is not worth spending too much money in AM stuff.
Considering the ASLAV parts are not as nice as the original LAV ones included in the box, I really don't understand how Trumpeter could have issued such a poor kit 3 or 4 years later.
I'm really disappointed but won't give up though. I'll simply go the lazy out of the box way.

Olivier