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CV9040B Swedish Infantry Fighting Vehicle


Mike

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CV9040B Swedish Infantry Fighting Vehicle



1:35 Academy

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In association with

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I have to admit that prior to seeing this kit I was totally ignorant of its existence, and had to do a little reading round. Designed to meet the need for a survivable, highly mobile platform for a 40mm Bofors cannon, with the ability to carry a squad of 7 troops in the rear compartment. First examples were delivered in the late 80s, with the vehicle finally entering service in 1993 in a much uprated form, and it has since gone on to serve in Afghanistan and Liberia, where it has been involved in heavy fighting.

The 9040B has a fully stabilised aiming system in the two man turret, which coupled with a maximum speed of 70kmh and armour capable of absorbing a 30mm Armour Piercing round, makes it a hard target to kill. Various other derivatives have been sold to a number of European operators, and was even evaluated by Great Britain.

The kit arrives in a glossy top opening box, with a nice painting of the vehicle in the snow, and shots of the finished model in its distinctive M90 pattern (a favourite of mine) on the side of the box. Inside the box are five sprues of sand colored styrene, three sprues of black styrene, the two part hull, a sprue of sand colored poly-caps, a small sprue of clear parts, a small photo-etched sheet, and an optional turned metal barrel. The package is completed by a set of alternative vinyl tracks, a small decal sheet, and the instruction booklet. Overall, quite a complete package.

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Firstly, a mild word of warning. My hull halves had become wedged together, causing the upper half, which has lots of cut-outs in it, to warp quite badly under the sideways pressure of the underside. I removed the parts from inside each other and a couple of days later, the top hull is looking a lot better. If you're not going to build the kit immediately, take the precaution of looking in the box to ensure you're not storing up trouble for later.

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The hull halves are very nicely moulded, with lots of rivet and panel detail, plus the strips of anti-slip coating on the top surfaces. The underside has the 16 attachment points for the suspension arms moulded in, and given the shape of them, some slide moulding technology has been used in the process. The turret is similarly well moulded, with a separate underside that has the moulded in lugs to retain it on the hull when built.

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The roadwheels are all designed to be removable and movable by the inclusion of poly-caps within the three part wheel assembly. The outer rubber tyres are also separate, which would ease painting, but the final rim seems to be moulded into them, which kind of defeats the object. Detail is good however, and this extends to the drive sprockets and idler wheels. The suspension arms slot into the lower hull using keyed lugs, so there is no doubt over the ride-height as there is with some kits.

You are presented with a choice of how to construct the tracks for this vehicle, with the easiest option being to use the supplied vinyl "rubber-band" style tracks, which you must attach together using a heated screwdriver tip or similar. The other option, and the better one if you are going for realistic tracks, is to use the three sprues of track parts moulded in black styrene. Two sprues of links are given, and one separate sprue of track-pads, giving you the option of attaching them later once painting is completed. These can be glued with ordinary styrene cement, and wrapped around the idlers, roadwheels and drive sprockets to give a more natural, angular look to the finished tracks.

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The rear door that is used by the 7 troopers for exit/entry is posable open or closed, although as there is no interior included with this kit, so perhaps we're looking at a later upgrade set, or they're just leaving the door open (no pun intended) for the aftermarket producers. PE is used to complete some stowage racks on the rear, which fold up when not in use. Although they are modelled in the stowed position, it would be easy to depict them deployed. Small PE tie-down buckles surround the doorway, again leaving the modeller opportunity to attach some stowage here & there.

The upper hull has 12 cut-outs in it, excluding the turret ring, which must all be covered with various doors and panels. Again, the implication seems to be an upgrade set in due course from someone.

The driver's position is surrounded by clear periscope parts, as is the commander's and the gunner's hatches on the turret. The rest of the turret is a simple affair, requiring attachment of the cupola around the commander's hatch, placement of both hatches, a few stowage bins, and the prominent grenade launchers on each side. Additional track links can also be added to the sides here, as there are spares included.

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The Bofors 40mm cannon can be built up using either a slide-moulded styrene barrel with an open flash-hider, or by using the included metal barrel, which has a slightly crisper look, especially around the flash-hider. The metal barrel fits into a separate recoil cover and then into the receiver. Unfortunately, there is no breach or loading mechanism supplied, with a simple blank box inside the turret.

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Two crew figures are supplied to fill the open hatches of the turret, and these are nicely moulded with separate arms, heads and feet. Their stomachs are slightly concave however, but given they will be stood deep in the turret, this shouldn't notice. A color key is given for their painting in the M90 splinter pattern, but the guide seems more akin to American Woodland Pattern, although the black and white pictures of the painted figures shows a better rendition of the angular splotches of varying shades of green and black.

The decals comprise blocks of red and amber color for the running lights, number plates and a few stencils around the body. Registration is good, and the colors are suitably vibrant.

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Conclusion

A surprisingly comprehensive package, although all of those opening doors just begs to be filled with an interior set. Hopefully, if Academy themselves don't have one planned, someone will come along to fill the void - quite literally.

It's a nice kit, and pretty simple in construction, so recommended to all modellers with only the reservation of the complex camouflage pattern that might deter some due to the hard edges and complicated shapes. With care though, it will build into a stunning model, particularly if displayed in a snowy diorama. Already there is a stowage set and figure set available to further enhance this interesting subject.

Review sample courtesy of hljlogo.gif

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Looks very nice, I wonder if they'll release a kit of the 120mm armed version too?

The STRV.122? If so, that's already out under th Hobby Boss label:

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He means the CV90120, there are several other version of the basic chassis too, do a google search and you'll see. A CV9030 or CV9035 would be nice too

HTH

Andy

Edited by andym
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He means the CV90120, there are several other version of the basic chassis too, do a google search and you'll see. A CV9030 or CV9035 would be nice too

HTH

Andy

Possibly a subject for the aftermarket boys, unless Academy have some more kits up their sleeves :)

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  • 2 weeks later...

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