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REVIEW
Trumpeter ASLAV-25
c5flies
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California, United States
Joined: October 21, 2007
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Posted: Saturday, February 21, 2009 - 09:25 AM UTC
Jason Miller provides a very In-Depth Review of the ASLAV-25 Reconnaissance Vehicle Phase III, a new Trumpeter release in 1/35.

Link to Item



If you have comments or questions please post them here.

Thanks!
bulivyf
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Praha, Czech Republic
Joined: April 03, 2006
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Posted: Saturday, February 21, 2009 - 09:43 AM UTC
Jason,

Thanks on very good and very correct review. I think that some upgrade sets and ASLAV is ready.
Conversion to Coyote is no easy. Coyote have many different parts and many very complicated stowage racks.
I think that conversion make of only very a statesmanlike modeler.
I prepare conversion set for Coyote with out Add-on armor.

Miloslav
CMOT
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ARMORAMA
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England - South West, United Kingdom
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Posted: Saturday, February 21, 2009 - 11:50 AM UTC
A very thorough review, nice work.
Boggie
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Newfoundland, Canada
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Posted: Saturday, February 21, 2009 - 12:19 PM UTC
Very complete Jason, so some work ahead of us that want a cheep(er) ASLAV 25. Your review will be an excellent step by step guide for what to correct, a handy resource.
Thanks for this
Bill
LeoCmdr
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Alberta, Canada
Joined: January 19, 2005
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Posted: Saturday, February 21, 2009 - 01:01 PM UTC
Very nice and complete review.....good to see more people with actual knowledge of a vehicle doing a kit review.

I think it is great to see more modern armour....but too bad more effort wasn't done on the front end in regards to research and master making to produce an accurate ASLAV.

Well....bring on the aftermarket correction set.
RomeoKilo
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Victoria, Australia
Joined: December 03, 2007
KitMaker: 160 posts
Armorama: 155 posts
Posted: Saturday, February 21, 2009 - 02:11 PM UTC
Hey mate great review.

Mines in the mail as we speak. Ill build it straight out of the box and use it to test paint for my ASLAV conversions.

One thing, the first, second and third rotations of the Security Detachment (SECDET) in Iraq were completed in initial Phase 2 ASLAV’s. Just a typo im sure, but i dont want people to think they can not make a Phase 2 in Iraq!

Also, do you think it would be easier to update it to a correct Phase 3 or backdate it to a correct Phase 2?

And whens the fix set coming out mate?... surely you are on to it!
ppawlak1
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Victoria, Australia
Joined: March 14, 2006
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Posted: Saturday, February 21, 2009 - 02:43 PM UTC
Thanks for the great review Jason !

Well done.

Looking forward to the update kit,

Cheers

Paul
jasmils
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Queensland, Australia
Joined: December 23, 2003
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Posted: Saturday, February 21, 2009 - 03:10 PM UTC
Thanks for the comments team.

So does this mean I'm now a published writer?

One thing I did forget to mention in the review was all fixtures (unless it has a wire of some kind running throu it,with the exeption of the HUD ) are all mounted on lugs that are welded to the hull.
Trumpeter has replicated this on some parts but not on others.


Quoted Text

Just a typo im sure, but i dont want people to think they can not make a Phase 2 in Iraq!

Also, do you think it would be easier to update it to a correct Phase 3 or backdate it to a correct Phase 2?



Ray, yes it was a brain f**t. The amendment has been sent in.
To convert the kit to P2 or P3 I think would be the same amount of work either way mate.

Update, what update. It had not even crossed my mind.

Cheers Jason Miller

ALBOWIE
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New South Wales, Australia
Joined: February 28, 2006
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Posted: Saturday, February 21, 2009 - 06:40 PM UTC
Great review Jason, exactly what we old tracked buckets need to build our new fangled wheeled thingy.
One point of education is that the Antenna bases are not AMU's on the SCRS gear. The matching is done elsewhere. Just something that an old boffin noticed.

Look forward to the upgrade / retrograde sets
Al
seb43
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Paris, France
Joined: August 30, 2005
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Posted: Sunday, February 22, 2009 - 05:17 AM UTC
Jason
What about the retail price ??
Since it is an big issue lately with trumpeter kits?
Cheers
Seb
jasmils
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Queensland, Australia
Joined: December 23, 2003
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Posted: Sunday, February 22, 2009 - 01:07 PM UTC
G'day Seb,
I paid $53 AUD for the kit. Now that is double the price I originally paid for the LAV-25 kit.

Cheers Jason
seb43
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Paris, France
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Posted: Sunday, February 22, 2009 - 03:21 PM UTC
So Jason
Quality vs Prize what is your opinion ???
Cheers
Seb
ALBOWIE
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New South Wales, Australia
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Posted: Sunday, February 22, 2009 - 04:55 PM UTC

Quoted Text

G'day Seb,
I paid $53 AUD for the kit. Now that is double the price I originally paid for the LAV-25 kit.

Cheers Jason




That's $25 AUD less than a current DML kit so pretty good value. Mine turned up today and I'm pretty satisfied. The Jerry cans are pretty anorexic IMHO and being US pattern ones fairly useless. I guess Tamiya or Italeri WW2 Brit ones it is.
Cheers
Al
jasmils
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Queensland, Australia
Joined: December 23, 2003
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Posted: Sunday, February 22, 2009 - 05:52 PM UTC

Quoted Text

Quality vs Prize what is your opinion ???


Seb and Al, I think it is a bit high. Around $40-45 AUD and I would have been happer.
If you comapire the number of parts and detail to a Dragon kit of around the same size, there is quite a diference.


Quoted Text

I guess Tamiya or Italeri WW2 Brit ones it is.


Al, the best ones I have found are the Tasca German WW2 cans. Again price is an issue, but with the seam running around the can done in PE, it realy looks the part. Just fill in the German text and markings.

Cheers Jason
newfish
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England - West Midlands, United Kingdom
Joined: June 23, 2008
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Posted: Sunday, February 22, 2009 - 08:37 PM UTC
Great Review jason . It looks like it could be a good little kit shame about the soft detail and inaccuracies


Violetrock
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European Union
Joined: March 09, 2003
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Posted: Sunday, February 22, 2009 - 11:00 PM UTC
Excellent review Jason!!!

If any review would be as good as yours!
This one is very informative and really shows the highlights and inaccuracies as it should be done in any review!

Please do some more reviews in the future!

Thomas
Boggie
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Newfoundland, Canada
Joined: December 08, 2005
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Posted: Monday, February 23, 2009 - 01:56 AM UTC
Jason
Have you some pics of the Tasca cans or a link to them. When you say Jerry cans are you referring to gas or water cans? I bought some Accurate Armour gas cans for the ASLAV 25 and they were beautiful.
Thanks
Bill
jasmils
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Queensland, Australia
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Posted: Monday, February 23, 2009 - 11:45 AM UTC
G'day Bill,
Here you go.
Tasca WW2 German Jerry Can Set B
http://www.perthmilitarymodelling.com/reviews/vehicles/tasca/bego35002.htm

Thanks Thomas. I would be interested in doing a few more.

Cheers Jason
ALBOWIE
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New South Wales, Australia
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Posted: Monday, February 23, 2009 - 06:32 PM UTC

Quoted Text


Quoted Text

Quality vs Prize what is your opinion ???


Seb and Al, I think it is a bit high. Around $40-45 AUD and I would have been happer.
If you comapire the number of parts and detail to a Dragon kit of around the same size, there is quite a diference.

Cheers Jason



I saw them in Frontline for $44 AUD today and they had many, many examples (50+). I still think with current exchange that 50-55 is acceptable as DML are now 75-85 for a similar sized kit (Sherman, Panther etc). They have maintained the $20-30 gap they have always had with DML in this country (unless it is a German WW2 subject then they were on par for pricing.
Cheers
Al
ALBOWIE
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New South Wales, Australia
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Posted: Monday, February 23, 2009 - 06:37 PM UTC

Quoted Text

Jason
Have you some pics of the Tasca cans or a link to them. When you say Jerry cans are you referring to gas or water cans? I bought some Accurate Armour gas cans for the ASLAV 25 and they were beautiful.
Thanks
Bill



We were discussing the Fuel cans as the Water ones are plastic and similar to the UK ones. The old Lee Desert Challenger was a great source of these as are the Accurate Armour ones.
The Italeri and Tamiya Jerry can (Possibly the GMC load set) sets offer British pattern cans (Fuel) which are identical except for the WD stamp as are the German WW2 from which they were copied. The Tasca (and some of the DML ones have the PE inner which was avail from one of the PE companies. A shim of thin Plasticard does the same thing. The Italeri Jerry set is one of the most useful sets going for the Armour modeller
Cheers
Al
Boggie
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Posted: Tuesday, February 24, 2009 - 12:51 AM UTC
Jason and Al
Thanks for the link to the Tasca cans very nice set and cheaper than the Accurate Armour ones I bet.
Al, thanks for the tips for other sources as well. I remember trying to find Aussie water cans to replace the ones on my ASLAV PC, they were soft on detail.
Do any of you have a stand alone picture of an Aussie water can and are these made in Australia?
Thanks guys, very helpful.
Bill
Edit
found this just now on the Australian DOD site
Photobucket
jasmils
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Queensland, Australia
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Posted: Tuesday, February 24, 2009 - 01:03 AM UTC
Bill, I currently have these ones in development.

Frontline you say Al?

Cheers Jason
Boggie
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Newfoundland, Canada
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Posted: Tuesday, February 24, 2009 - 02:30 AM UTC
Good to hear Jason, thanks
Bill
bill_c
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MODEL SHIPWRIGHTS
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New Jersey, United States
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Posted: Tuesday, February 24, 2009 - 03:56 AM UTC
Man, I got a headache just trying to understand it all. Talk about a great, in-depth review. I like seeing all the technical detail, and this guy really understands the vehicle. Almost like having David Bryden or Herbert Ackermans reviewing Tiger models in one.
nitrocomplex
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APO, United States
Joined: December 06, 2007
KitMaker: 349 posts
Armorama: 202 posts
Posted: Friday, May 01, 2009 - 06:15 AM UTC
Can any of the parts from this aslav be used in an American lav-25

IE: wheels, tires, muffler and what ever other parts can be swapped onto a American lav-25?
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