International Scale Modeller

So, I was a in a bit of a dilemma when I remembered I had this stashed away. I prefer to do British armour as a rule and normally engineer equipment. So why I actually got this model is beyond me. Here it is and it will be built OOTB as much as possible. The paint job will represent a UK based vehicle either from the D&M school at the RAC Centre, Bovington or from the School of Artillery at Warminster. Some basic info on the vehicle gleaned from the old favourite Wikipedia:

The AS-90 was first deployed by the British Army in 1993. 179 AS-90s were acquired to re-equip six of the eight self-propelled field artillery regiments (each 24 guns) in the 1 (BR) Corps, replacing the 105 mm FV433 Abbot SPG and older M109 155 mm Self Propelled Gun. It remains in UK service and will equip three field regiments supporting armoured infantry brigades for the foreseeable future.

• Crew: 5, on board when moving (driver plus 4 gun detachment), full gun detachment 10 including driver, 4 detachment members in the turret.
• Length: 9.07 m
• Width: 3.3 m
• Height: 3.0 m
• Armour: 17 mm (maximum, steel)
• Weight: 45 to
• Calibre: 155 mm
• Range: 24.9 km (39 cal), 30 km (52 cal) standard charges
• Rate of fire: 3 rounds in 10 seconds (burst), 6 rounds per minute for 3 minutes (intense), 2 rounds per minute for 60 minutes (sustained)
• Secondary armament: 7.62 mm L7 GPMG
• Ammunition carried: 48 projectiles and charges (31 turret and 17 hull), 1000 MG rounds
• Main Engine: Cummins VTA903T 660 bhp 90 degree, v8, 4 stroke, liquid cooled, turbo diesel,
• Max Speed: 55 km/h (Road)
• Range: 370 km or 231 mi (Road)
• Ground clearance: 0.41 m; Gradient: 60°; Vertical obstacle: 0.75 m; Trench crossing: 110 inches; Fording depth: 1.5 m

The kit comes in a partitioned box which contains:

1x Instruction booklet
1x Decal sheet
5x bags of sprue\ large assemblies

Should be good mate. I built the 1/35 Trumpy AS90, older kit but no major issues.

And plus, whats not to like, the thing is a total beast!

I'm hoping it will be a nice build. Also a bit of a distraction from my OMG dio I'm also doing.

The instruction sheet looks easy enough to follow.

Very little flash if any on the larger parts.

Three sets of sprues, again with minimal or no flash.

Decal sheet and length of cotton for the tow rope.

I'm also going to try something new and it is these DOA paints from Trackpads http://trackpads.co.uk

Well I tried them, well one of them to be exact, British NATO green. It is very thin, and after three attempts to cover the lower hull and running gear I've decided to use something else. That would be WEM Modern British green.

Lower hull after three coats of DOA British NATO green. Never again.

Upper hull assembled and primed.

Turret assembled and primed.

I have found this kit a joy to assemble. The instructions are easy to follow, and the parts needed little work doing to them after they were removed from the sprues. The fitting of the parts is very precise, and it was almost a snap together kit at times. This was very helpful during the dry builds, and when it came to gluing it made it so much easier applying from an applicator.(Plast-I-Weld).

I have removed the molded pick heads and handles from the front of the turret and I've also filled in the wholes that would locate the shovels on the side of the turret. This is because they would not be fitted as normal on a driving course at Bovington.

Awesome progress; looks like a sweet little build! Excellent moldings for the parts Never heard of that DOA brand, so I guess now I know why

Only 10 days left! Will your fabulous selection make it to the finish line?