As per usual I used Vallejo paints in the main, followed by highlighting, oil washes and MIG pigments.

I did do considerable research into what the correct colour was, which in the end was simply good old Russian Green!

I would also like to thank a most helpful modeller, from Finland (next door to Sweden) who assisted me with the correct dimensions of the road  edge marking. I am an Civil Project Designer (Engineer) by profession and although I knew what the line marking arrangement was, was unsure of the correct width and hit/miss distances. A suitable post and the gentleman went out and measured the line type for me as well as providing scaled dimensions. A big thanks!

The base was built up using fine grade wet and dry for the asphalt (I wanted a newly re-sealed asphalt road) and Woodland Scenics products for the groundwork, turf and small bushes.

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An excellent build with the only "fiddly bits" being the floatation screens at the sides of the hull and cleaning off a nasty mould part line along the exhaust. The rest of the kit went together very well indeed.

Trumpeter tracks and their inherent non ability to actually be joined are no issue for me now. I simply cut the ends off and sew them together with black thread.

Trumpeter has released three versions of the STRV-103. The initial release was the STRV-103C and has much more parts to add than the subsequent simpler releases of the STRV-103B and STRV-103C (kit re-release) which have many of the individual smaller parts moulded on. I have all the two boxings of the STRV-103C and there is a full sprue extra in the earlier boxing.

For braille scalers and the bigger kit blokes, it comes with a fine recommendation.

Michael Johnson

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