1:72 Scale Metal Diecast – Stridsvagn 103

 

1:72 Scale Metal Diecast – Stridsvagn 103 (Strv 103) -  Length: 4.75" (from end of vehicle to tip of the main gun)   Width: 1.5”

 

This S-Tank model has a main body made of metal. The tracks are made of rubber and are fitted, however they do not move. The coloring and markings are accurate and realistic.

 

The maker of the model, Eaglemoss, really did a good job with the model, the panel lines and details are very clear and crisp. These models have different details engraved such as doors, hatches, panels, lights, ports, antennas, machine guns, ropes, shovels, etc; all of these done with high accuracy and proportion. When they are painted in different color, say for example, shovels and ropes, they are indeed painted accurately.

 

These models come in what could be described as a disposable blister pack. The packaging is very minimum, the blister back is just big enough to enclose the vehicle and the cardboard backing to which the blister is attached is barely bigger than the lengths and width dimension of the vehicle.

Although these models are inexpensive and just about the size of a (regular) computer mouse, they are certainly not toys. The tracks don't move and the turrets and their main guns and machine guns can be quite fragile because of their size. However, unlike airplanes and helicopters, tank models don't have all those think and long parts, so in practice,  a tank model would be able to withstand more than an airplane or helicopter model.

The Stridsvagn 103 (Strv 103), also known as the S-Tank, was a Swedish post-warmain battle tank.^[4] It was known for its unconventional, casemate design: it was turretless with a fixed gun traversed by engaging the tracks and elevated by adjusting the hull suspension. While turretless armoured fighting vehicles are usually classified as assault guns or tank destroyers, despite its uniquegun laying process the Strv 103 is considered a tank because its designated combat role matched those of other tanks within contemporary Swedish doctrine. It is the only main battle tank and the only tank of any kind since the World War II era to dispense with a turret.

The Strv 103 was designed and manufactured in Sweden. It was developed in the 1950s and was the first main battle tank to use a turbine engine. The result was a very low-profile design with an emphasis on defence and heightened crew protection level. Strv 103s formed a major portion of the Swedish armoured forces from the 1960s to part of the 1990s, but have since been removed from service in favour of the Stridsvagn 122.