AFV Modeller - Issue 06 - 2 - Snow Leopard (Strv 122).pdf - AFV Modeller - bonsaiPL

Snow

Leopard

Sweden’s Strv 122

By Anders Isaksson

Strv 122

To replace its ageing Strv 104 (based on the British Centurion

Mk V) The Swedish Army performed trials with the French

Leclerc, American M1A2, and the German Leopard KWS. The

trials ended in favour of the Leopard and a contract was

signed in 1994 for the delivery of 120 Leopard 2-S (Stridsvagn

122) MBTs, with an option for a further 90 along with leasing

160 Leopard 2A4s. The Stridsvagn 122s are partially

assembled in Sweden, with the first one delivered in 1996,

and the last one reaching it’s unit in the spring of 2002.

Modelling the Strv 122

I build mostly WW2 and Vietnam era

armour but when Tamiya released their

Leopard 2A5 I was a bit interested, the kit

seemed like a quick build and in pictures

the finished model looked very impressive.

As rumours of an upcoming conversion kit

for the Strv 122 began circulating I really

became interested. So when the

conversion finally was released by the

Hong Kong Creations Workshop I could not

resist clearing my workbench of other

projects and get started.

In addition to the upgrades made to the basic Leopard 2A5

compared to the 2A4 the Swedish version has received

additional armour on the hull front and glacis, a spall liner in

the driver’s compartment and a cooled engine compartment

(to minimize the IR signature). The turret features an

uparmoured turret roof with sliding hatches, a protective flap

over the commander’s periscope/thermal imager along with

an improved fire control system as well as a tank command

and control system. Also new is a GIAT Galix vehicle

protection system that can fire smoke, decoy, flare or

fragmentation mortar rounds.

The Tamiya kit

Tamiya released the Leopard 2A5 in 2000

and the overall level of detail and ease of

assembly makes the kit a real winner. As

with any kit there are few minor errors and

omissions but straight from the box,

Tamiya’s kit builds into an excellent model.

Among the many fine details that can be

found in this kit the most impressive items

All these modifications make the Strv 122 one of the most

potent armoured fighting vehicles in the world today.

must be the two circular air intakes on the engine deck. The detail

of the screens is remarkable and they really do not need replacing

with photoetched parts, as would normally be the case. Still,

modellers who wish to add extra detail have a number of

aftermarket accessories to choose from.

evenings work I had the basic running gear, lower and upper hull

assembled and ready for accepting the HKCW components.

With good planning and dry fitting, the majority of the resin parts

fit without problems, and the required cutting of the Tamiya kit

parts went like a breeze. The only problem I encountered was the

assembly of the components for the frontal armour. If assembled

prior to attaching to the kit nose, there will be a slight gap to

armour plate sitting on top of the front. I found the easiest way of

assembling the front would be to attach lower front (part HK26) to

the kit front, followed by the upper front (part HK25). The most

difficult task was fabricating the protective cages for the

headlights. HKCW provides metal wire but I decided to use 0.5

mm styrene rod instead. This was probably a bad choice since

the cages are a bit complex, but in the end everything worked out

ok. Note that there is a slight simplification in the HKCW

instructions regarding the shape of the protective cages. They tell

you to make the cages running at a right angle from the frontal

armour when they are a little more complex as they should be at

a right angle from the ground. Check your reference pictures to

get this detail correct.

The HKCW conversion kit

Moulded in a cream-coloured resin, the HKCW conversion kit

provides the components you need to make the Swedish version

of the Leopard 2A5. Also included is a piece of metal wire,

although I found it a bit too thick. The most notable parts in the kit

are the new hollow-moulded turret, the added armour for the front

and the new lower rear plate. Most of the smaller parts are

provided twice in case they should break or be lost during

assembly, which is a nice touch. The instructions are overall very

clear and a complete diagram of the camouflage is provided. The

only major items sorely missing in the kit are a set of proper

antenna bases and a set of markings so these will have to be

found elsewhere.

Construction

With the conversion complete I substituted a few details like

Assembling the Tamiya kit presented no problems. In just two

Strv 122

handles for the various hatches and tow cable brackets using

copper wire and styrene strip and rod. I decided to improve the

details around the different gadgets and tools on the engine deck

using odd pieces of styrene, scrap photoetched brass and ABER

photoetched chain. The fume extractor on the gun barrel was

textured using Tamiya putty thinned with liquid glue.

The Strv 122 does not carry the same set of tools as the Leopard

2A5. HKCW provides two new spades, which look good straight

from the box. The saw should not be used and was removed from

the Tamiya kit part. Unfortunately I did not realise that the pick

should be omitted as well. Oh well, the pick is mostly hidden

beneath the turret rear overhang anyway.

All pictures I have of the Strv 122 (and Leopard 2A5 for that matter)

show the mudflaps in the folded up position below the rear lights

and I decided to incorporate this detail in my model. Since the kit

mudflaps are a bit thick they were cut away and replaced with new

ones made from thin plastic sheet and detailed with small hooks

made from metal wire. Tamiya provides a section of thread for the

tow cables but I scrapped these in favour of the excellent tow

cables made by Karaya of Poland. The crossed tow cables are

prominent features on the Leopard and the Karaya items really are

a big improvement in this area.

The one-piece rubber tracks that come with Tamiya’s kit are very

good, if a bit too long. When used on the model the tracks should

be shortened by one link. I choose to use the individual link tracks

produced by HKCW, mainly because I wanted my model to have

the ice cleats installed. The tracks look really good, but with three

connectors per link the assembly was a bit tedious. As the side

skirts will hide most of the upper track runs I saved time by only

assembling as many links as can actually be seen when the tracks

are in place on the model.

The Strv 122 enjoys a good level of maintenance between

manoeuvres and, apart from scuffed paint and a few scratches,

does not feature much in the way of wear and general abuse.

However, I noticed from photos of tanks in the field that the side

skirts often get scratched or even whole sections are lost, probably

due to collisions with trees and other objects. I decided to grab this

chance to personalise my model and subsequently cut away the

rearmost two sections on the right hand side. Using my reference

pictures I scratchbuilt the exposed bracket details along the lower

edge of the hull side.

AFV Modeller - Issue 06 - 2 - Snow Leopard (Strv 122).pdf

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