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Hobby Boss- LAV300 90mm Cockerill Gun

Catalog Number: 84573 Manufacturer: Hobby Boss
Published: Sunday, September 22, 2024 Retail Price: $87.99
Scale: 1:35 Reviewed By: Russ Clark

Hobby Boss- LAV300 90mm Cockerill Gun



Hobby Boss has released a new tooling of the LAV300 90mm Cockerill Gun. The LAV300 or V-300 originally was manufactured by American company Cadillac Gage from 1983-1994. This light armored vehicle (LAV) came in many configurations including armored personnel carrier, fire support vehicle, command vehicle, ambulance, and armored recovery vehicles.

Powering this 6 wheeled vehicle is a Cummins VT-504 liquid cooled turbo charged V8 diesel producing 270hp. It can accelerate the 32,400 lbs from 0-30mph in 10 seconds. Jet-A fuel, kerosene, and other light fuels can be used in place of diesel if needed.

The LAV300 was used first by Panama and Kuwait during the U.S. invasion of Panama, Battle of Paitilla Airport, and Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. A few years later the Philippines placed an order for 24 VAV300 Mk II's, half APC and half fire support vehicles. More recently the Philippines continue to use upgraded versions and the United States police departments make use of them for SWAT teams.

The directions are standard paper book stapled together printed in black and white. Although they lack the appeal of some other higher quality directions, the images are clearly printed and seem easy to follow.


A total of 5 sprues come with the kit. Sprue A contains a mix of turret parts, exhaust parts, hatches, and drivetrain parts. There are two of Sprue B. Both are identical and hold the wheels, axles, interior seats, and many very small detail parts.  Sprue C contains most of the drivetrain and suspension parts. It also holds all of the small detailed parts for the interior and exterior. Sprue GP is the clear parts for headlight and tail light lenses, and view ports. The last sprue is made to hold the turret basket. 

Sprue A

Sprues B

Sprue C

Clear parts Sprue GP

Turret Basket


The hull comes wrapped in foam. Inside is the turret basket also wrapped in foam.

Lower half of the body (Tub)

Inside of the tub and view of rear hatch

Upper half of the body

Two sets of Photoetch A and B, copper wire included for tow cable

Vinyl tires

1 Sheet of decals

Conclusion

All in all I can say this is a very nice kit. The sprues are packaged well and some of the more delicate parts are wrapped in foam inside the plastic bags. All the parts are firmly attached to the sprues and none have come loose during handling. I am impressed with the level of detail of the parts and surprised by the number of small detailed parts collected on only 4 sprues. There are a few areas that show mold release marks, mostly on the larger flat surfaces of panels, doors, and seats. Some may be visible on the interior of the vehicle. Normal clean up should handle the marks fairly easily. Assembly looks straight forward and simplified where possible without sacrificing detail. I feel the directions could use some attention with the quality of the material used to be comparable with other model kits, however they will get the job done I'm sure. With some time and patience this kit should go together nicely and make for an enjoyable experience. I am looking forward to start the build.

Highly Recommended for Beginner to Advanced builders, pending Full Build.

Thanks goes out to Model Rectifier Corporation for this review kit.

Reviewed by Russ Clark

 

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