This always happens to me! When I get a Leopard 2A4 kit plus an extratech PE set, with the intensions of building it as a Finnish vehicle, Dragon comes up with a new kit with finnish decals and all the modern goodies.

Nothing wrong with the Revell kit, but I've heard that the gun barrel on the A4 model (number 03103) is inaccurate, it's made according to a prototype, which had a 105mm cannon, while the production models have 120mm cannons. Of course I could get the A6 kit to donor an accurate cannon, but with same the price I could buy the new dragon kit.

The only fault with the A4 kit barrel is that it's too thin beyond the thermal shroud (the bulged part in the middle). Thickening it is out of question, same with making a completely new barrel. But could the front section be scratch-built without too much trouble? Cutting off the barrel beyond the thermal shroud correctly would be difficult though, not to talk about gluing on the new scratch-built section, straight.

But what about aftermarket? Are there any replacement barrels available for this kit?

Anybody have any info?

You could buy an aluminum barrel and solve your problem outright. Here in the states they are relitivly cheap. Don't know if they make them for brail scale however.

That's actually a ridiculous notion that the A4 prototype's barrel is based off a version with a 105mm since all earlier Leopard 2 tanks already had the 120mm. Why step backwards?

Here is a review of the Leopard 2 kits (less the new Dragon 2A5 and 2A4): http://www.ontheway.us/articles/leopard2.htm

Rob,

Ten of 17 prototypes of Leopard 2 (not A4, but initial prototypes) had 105 mm smoothbore guns. I believe that this is what Eetu meant. But part in Revell kit desn't not look like that 105 mm gun at all - it is just highly inaccurate rendition of Rheinmetall 120mm gun...

Pawel