AntPhillips Posted July 3, 2018 Share Posted July 3, 2018 I've been on the lookout for an AFV Club Centurion, the NATO 105 mm issue to be precise but they seem to be like the proverbial rocking horse poo. Does anyone know if AFV Club plan on re-releasing it any time soon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mungo1974 Posted July 3, 2018 Share Posted July 3, 2018 Wish they would re-pop it too Seemed to sell out almost immediately compared to the other Centurion boxings Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kingsman Posted July 5, 2018 Share Posted July 5, 2018 They do have a habit of re-releasing kits from time to time, so there is hope. I had a cast around the sellers I use scattered across the globe and no-one has it. Which Centurion Mark/version were you planning to make? Couldn't you adapt one of the currently-available kits? IIRC the "NATO" kit was a Mk6, which is basically a Mk5 with the L7 gun and an uparmoured glacis. IR gear on the Mk6/1, ranging gun on the 6/2. Ranging gun mantlets are available. I believe that L7 barrels are available (M68 clone has different fume extractor) and the uparmoured glacis is simple work with plastic card. Because the AFV Club kits are all short-hull (i.e. pre-Mk7) you're limited as to what you can do with them. Mk5, 6 or 11. The later-model Sh'ot kits of course have the Continental engine bay - which would be appropriate for a Swedish Strv104. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AntPhillips Posted July 6, 2018 Author Share Posted July 6, 2018 Hi Das Abteilung, Thanks for the information, I'm looking at doing a typical British version to fit in with a post war British collection, I've also done a bit of digging around and it seems as if the IDF Shot issue of the kit has all the necessary parts particularly if I can get one of the early releases that had the extra 105 mm gun option. Once again thanks for your input. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Evans Posted July 6, 2018 Share Posted July 6, 2018 PMMS has announced the issue of the Shot Kal Gimel, which looks like it has a 105mm gun. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob G Posted July 6, 2018 Share Posted July 6, 2018 PM inbound. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kingsman Posted July 6, 2018 Share Posted July 6, 2018 (edited) PMMS is usually pretty good at telling you what extra bits you do and don't get in each kit or showing sprue shots. The AFV Club kits are all Mk5s, so as I mentioned that does limit you to Mk5, 6 or 11 variants. The 6 had a plain gun barrel, the 11 had the thermal sleeve. Accurate Armour have both in resin at about £10 a go. The various aluminium ones are all M68s AFAIK. Mk5 of course had the 20pdr Type B barrel, also available from AA although AFV Club give you an aluminium and plastic one. Whatever you do, you'll need to replace the wheels. Firstly because of the vinyl tyres, which will eventually react with the plastic wheels and which (IIRC) also have part of the wheel rim moulded on (which kinda defeats the point). Secondly, they don't have the very obvious reinforcing rings inside the rims. The resin offerings from Panzer Art, MR Modellbau and Brach all have these rings. The AA and Legend ones don't have them. Because the suspension is workable the vinyl tracks can pull the first and last roadwheels off the ground. You might want to invest in AFV Club's indy link track set. There were also 3 very different idler wheel styles, but AFV Club only give 1. AFV Club, Lionmarc and DEF have resin mantlets with covers in different configurations, with and without ranging MG. The Australian Mk5 kit doesn't seem to have the side skirts, but could otherwise easily become a Mk5/2 or 6. But it does have the additional rear fuel tank (did UK use this?). You can pick up the Eduard early skirt set 35307 cheaply. The Mk5 kit with the dozer still seems to be available. The "IDF Shot" kit 35159 can be a Mk5 or 5/1 and looks to be about to be re-boxed as "IDF Centurion", whereas the various Shot Kals all have the Continental engine conversion. Edited July 6, 2018 by Das Abteilung correction 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rayprit Posted July 6, 2018 Share Posted July 6, 2018 1 hour ago, Das Abteilung said: But it does have the additional rear fuel tank (did UK use this?). Yes our Centurion Tanks did have the Long Range 100 gallon tanks...….I filled enough of them up from Jerri-cans to remember them...………...mainly Mk 5/2s in the regiment, but having said that, just about every mark was to be found in the regiment...…………...7s/9s/13s...……..we even had the IR lamp and tested them in the night sky whilst in Osnabruck BAOR. I was looking for an AFV Cent myself a few years ago, but realised you could get away with the Aussie one, so bought one of them, the only real difference was the glassis plate on the front...……….the Aussies mounted spare roadwheels on the front, whereas the Brits tended to mount theirs(if ever)on the centre hook for the towing hawser on the Long Range Tank...…….these road wheels could also be mounted on the rear turret where a spare 3 x links were sometimes hung. Instead of roadwheels mounted on the front glassis plate, our Brit Cents would hold generally 3 track links to the left and 3 track links to the right, or in front of the driver, 3 track links and to the left of him, on the plate, a large bin was to be found which held the drivers windscreen which could be bolted on when weather conditions got bad or wet exercises...………..sometimes we ran without sideskirts……….in fact I modelled mine with some of the skirt sections missing, which often happened on exercise, those skirts were ideal mud traps and if you had to do maintenance on a roadwheel on exercise(the rubber rim sometimes came off or got badly damaged)it was a hell of a job to take the skirt off 2 or 3 man job, unscrew 5 large securing bolts)and remove all the mud which usually was compacted, wet and sticky using a shovel or your hands, then find the wheel nuts, try to "crack" them with a large pole or lever ...……….refer to photographs, plenty of books out there showing permutations of skirts, track links, cam nets on the rear decks. Peace time tracks were fitted to all Centurions initially to cut down on damage to roads...………………….., if a conflict arose, the tracks were reversed turning them into war tracks. Even so, peace time tracks still tore up the roads, especially if doing a neutral turn, so, they developed the "Hush Puppies" named after the Hush Puppy shoes, these were rubber pads fitted to the links of the track, BUT these pads were known to fly off whilst moving...……..it became the "norm" then for all AFVs to be fitted with rubber pads...………………..Eduard do Brass side skirts as an extra for the Centurion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kingsman Posted July 7, 2018 Share Posted July 7, 2018 I knew we tried several types of add-on rear tank including a more oval unarmoured one before settling on the internal tank and extended hull in the Mk7. I wasn't sure that 100 gal type on the Aussie version was the right pattern for the UK or whether it was locally produced. While quite expensive (€22 + shipping), the MR Modellbau Monotrailer would be an interesting addition. Shipping is more reasonable for multi items, like their Cent wheel and tow cable sets. AFV Club have the Hush Puppy tracks too, but I think it would be highly unusual to see these on a Mk5 or 6: too early. Probable on Mk11. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kingsman Posted July 16, 2018 Share Posted July 16, 2018 One just listed on eBay today. £50 starting price, though. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/AFV-CLUB-1-35-CENTURION-Mk-5-2-6-105mm-GUN-NATO/253756035776?hash=item3b1509d2c0:g:nd4AAOSw4CJbTLUe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AntPhillips Posted July 17, 2018 Author Share Posted July 17, 2018 14 hours ago, Das Abteilung said: One just listed on eBay today. £50 starting price, though. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/AFV-CLUB-1-35-CENTURION-Mk-5-2-6-105mm-GUN-NATO/253756035776?hash=item3b1509d2c0:g:nd4AAOSw4CJbTLUe I've already clocked that one, I'm not so desperate for one to jump for it at that price though, I'll play the long game and hope that AFV Club get around to re-releasing it, it's not like I haven't got enough to work on Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kingsman Posted July 23, 2018 Share Posted July 23, 2018 Here's another one at a much more reasonable starting price. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1-35-AFV-Club-Centurion-M-5-2-6-105-mm-Gun-NATO-35122/392087899442?hash=item5b4a428d32:g:zjMAAOSw229bVdD6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AntPhillips Posted July 23, 2018 Author Share Posted July 23, 2018 I had spotted it at £2.99, since you posted the link it's shot up beyond £30, the sellers probably well happy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
junco Posted July 28, 2018 Share Posted July 28, 2018 To be honest if you see an Aussie or Shot version for around the £30 mark plus post you should get it. The current retail on the Aussie version is now £39.99 a jump from £29.99 since it has become available again. So you could assume if the Nato version was re-released it would be at least £39.99??? The latest Shot Kal is listed at £64.99 when it come Out! I also note the Platz/AFV Club A41 is approximately £46 from HLJ with shipping and import duty to add. Best place to get a Cent is from a show, picked up an Aussie one for £20 this year. Regards Neil 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
junco Posted July 30, 2018 Share Posted July 30, 2018 Latest Nato offering reached £51 plus £3.95 post. Need to revisit the stash...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AntPhillips Posted July 31, 2018 Author Share Posted July 31, 2018 14 hours ago, junco said: Latest Nato offering reached £51 plus £3.95 post. Need to revisit the stash...... Yep, I guess I'm not the only one that wants one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kingsman Posted July 31, 2018 Share Posted July 31, 2018 Ant, here's a question. It's the IPMS Avon show this Sunday, 5 Aug. There's usually a bevy of stores there including a couple dealing in older/rarer kits. If anyone has an appropriate Centurion kit at a reasonable price I'd be happy to pick it up for you. If I understood earlier posts correctly I think that would be any of the NATO, Dozer, Australian or early Sho't boxings. If that's of any interest, what would be your upper budget? Postage to you would be £4. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
junco Posted July 31, 2018 Share Posted July 31, 2018 It depends on which version you want to do Ant, as only the Aussie or Nato boxing's have the searchlight. Aussie version is only missing the side skirts. Neil Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kingsman Posted July 31, 2018 Share Posted July 31, 2018 You can pick up the earlier edition of the Eduard skirts for £3-4 these days, although they're intended for the Tamiya Mk3. They are appropriate for Mks 5 and 6, but I suppose there may be fit issues with the AFVC kits. I have a set somewhere. Searchlight (and dual white/IR headlights) is only appropriate in UK service for the Mk6/2, in terms of what you can do OOB from the kits. That's the latest version you can build OOB. A Mk12 needs more work, and I'm not sure the searchlight was the same. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AntPhillips Posted July 31, 2018 Author Share Posted July 31, 2018 7 hours ago, Das Abteilung said: Ant, here's a question. It's the IPMS Avon show this Sunday, 5 Aug. There's usually a bevy of stores there including a couple dealing in older/rarer kits. If anyone has an appropriate Centurion kit at a reasonable price I'd be happy to pick it up for you. If I understood earlier posts correctly I think that would be any of the NATO, Dozer, Australian or early Sho't boxings. If that's of any interest, what would be your upper budget? Postage to you would be £4. PM inbound Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mick4350 Posted August 1, 2018 Share Posted August 1, 2018 My LHS store has the aussie tank from AFV Club in stock around $60 AU. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AntPhillips Posted August 1, 2018 Author Share Posted August 1, 2018 I managed to get an Aussie one from evilBay for £37.99 including P&P. It should be in my hands on Friday / Monday. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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