French AMX 30 B2 Brennus

2021 Refurbished Vehicles Group Build. Campaign runs from 01/01/21 - to 31/06/21. Campaign medals awarded for models completed within those dates.
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Olivier Carneau
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French AMX 30 B2 Brennus

Post by Olivier Carneau »

Hi all
here is my entry for the GB. The French AMX 30 has been upgraded to the B2 standard during its service life. This upgrade consisted in a better suspension, a more efficient engine and transmission and some improvement to the fire control system with an automatic FCS, initially a LLTV then a thermal camera. This version took part in the first Gulf War where it did the job in front of Iraqi T-55s and Type-69s. However the protection was still the original one and not capable of defeating new generation AT weapons.
It was decided to start an ultimate upgrade programme called Brennus which primarily added ERA bricks on the front of the hull and the turret. A number of items moved to newer locations as the ERA prevented the original brackets to be used any longer. The Brennus also used the newer double pins tracks with end connectors and the new associated sprocket wheel.
As the Leclerc was being fielded to the armor units it was finally decided that only one regiment would be equipped pending the completion of the Leclerc production.
The Brennus are no longer in active service. However a number are still used by the French OPFOR at the Urban Warfare Training Center in Sissonne (Northern France). These tanks have a camo quite similar to the British Berlin Brigade tanks which I won't try to depict. The French 3-tone camo will be the decoration when time arrives.

Here are pictures of the box and its content. The kit is made by Tiger Models. The plastic and the instructions are similar to Tamiya. The detail is quite good and the cast is crisp. A PE fret is given as well as a metal gun barrel and a metal 20 mm coaxial cannon. Weirdly enough the gun barrel is "trapped" in one of the plastic sprue. It is nice with the drain holes and the rifled bore.
Only one markings set is issued. I'll see in the stash what I have to make a different tank.

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Adam Durrant
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Re: French AMX 30 B2 Brennus

Post by Adam Durrant »

Should be a nice build. I like the little details Tiger attend to like a set of sticker “flags” to make the sprues easier to identify! :D
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Olivier Carneau
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Re: French AMX 30 B2 Brennus

Post by Olivier Carneau »

Yes Adam the stickers are a nice feature. Unfortunately they do not stick well and I already found one at the bottom of the box. :lol:

I started the hull yesterday afternoon and it came smoothly. Today I assembled one track and this was quite a pain. Tiger Models has cast two different track links. One is totally flat and the other one has the end connectors with an angle to better fit the sprockets and the idlers. So you just can't build a complete track and wind it over the running gear. Moreover you have to clean a mold line all around each link. And the last point is that the links only make contact by the central guide horn. The end connectors do not make contact with the links. Bad design issue there. So it's time consuming and you have to wait that the glue on the various lengths has fully cured prior to assembling them together. This gave me some time to concentrate on the upper hull and glue parts which will not prevent the future handling and the assembly of the hull halves.

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Last edited by Olivier Carneau on 22 Jan 2021, 21:00, edited 1 time in total.
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Olivier Carneau
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Re: French AMX 30 B2 Brennus

Post by Olivier Carneau »

More work done on the Brennus. The second track is assembled despite Tiger Models issuing the wrong number of "angled" links. You should have 13 per side for a total of 26 and you only get 25. I had to cheat a bit. The other issue is that despite using the same number of links the right track was a bit loose. So I cut the swing arm of the idler and rotate accordingly to make contact with the front part of the track.

I've also started to glue details on the hull. The rear panel has been detailed with an electric wire. The left hull side is partly wrong. Tiger Models has you gluing a crowbar where there should be a tow cable. Unfortunately there is only one cable in the box. I hope that my stash can help. Scratching the brackets shouldn't be an issue though. The right hull side is correct.

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There is still a lot to do.
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Re: French AMX 30 B2 Brennus

Post by Olivier Carneau »

The project is going on quite smoothly concerning the hull. The turret is another story as I'll explain later in the post.

The hull rear is complete. You need to cut the tow hook and drill out its location. TM gives you 2 hooks. One in the stowage bracket and one in tow position. As it's hard to make the stowage bracket alone, I decided to remove the hook at the back. I still have to thin the exhaust from inside. The PE part provided by TM will be totally useless as it is the same thickness.
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The hull sides are quite busy. Weirdly while the Brennus is equipped with the newer tracks, the spare links and rubber pads are the early type. As you can see I filled some holes with putty. TM asks you to glue a crowbar which is wrong. I have to make brackets for the second tow cable. If I find some tow eyes in my spare box I'll do the cable too.
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The front end is almost complete on the pictures. I modified the rearview mirror. TM gives it in driving position. Apart when a tank is driving in urban areas I've never seen the mirror raised. So I put it in the stowed position. This proves TM got the length of the leg wrong. I cut it and made a new one from plastic rod.
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I also modified the fire extinguishers so the nozzles face out. This prevents any injury to the driver if one extinguisher is accidentally triggered.
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The turret is interesting as it gives all its character to the Brennus. It looks nicely cast with fine details. However you have a mold line all around the shell that you have to remove prior to adding any details. Then the best is to assemble the various ERA packages before gluing them on the turret. Make sure the bolts on the ERA block match the rods on the support. There are 3 of them on each block in a triangle pattern.
The gun and the 20 mm coaxial cannon are moveable thanks to polycaps. Unfortunately the way TM designed the ERA bracket on top of the mantlet makes the gun static. The coaxial cannon can still move but with a limitation toward the top which looks like a mistake.
The main issue comes with the side baskets. The base is glued to the lower turret before the turret halves are glued together. It's a nice feature. Unfortunately when you add the upper bar on the top it does not match the vertical rods. So I glued the upper bar and when the glue was set I cut the bar near the bracket on the turret side so I could shorten the bar by almost 1 mm. Fortunately it is barely noticeable.

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To be continued ;)
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Re: French AMX 30 B2 Brennus

Post by Philipp Gross »

Nice work Olivier! Despite its little shortcomings it looks like a nice kit :D

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Re: French AMX 30 B2 Brennus

Post by Olivier Carneau »

Thank you Philipp.
Today I nearly completed the turret and discovered more shortcomings. Some are very annoying like the coaxial cannon not being parallel to the main gun. I could only fix this by gluing the cannon with CA.
Some subassemblies (thermal camera, cupola MG housing) fit poorly with gaps you need to fill with putty. At the end it will look like a Brennus. Better than nothing as the only other choice is a resin conversion for the Heller AMX 30 kit.
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Re: French AMX 30 B2 Brennus

Post by Vincent Power »

Looking good Olivier. You are moving along quickly with this one. I know basically nothing about modern armour so I learn something new with each one of your builds. :)

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Re: French AMX 30 B2 Brennus

Post by Olivier Carneau »

Thank you Vincent. I'm glad my builds are useful in a way. :D

Today I worked a bit to complete the build. Some clear parts will be glued only after the vehicle is fully painted. I fitted the tracks and the TC cupola just for the pictures. They will be removed for the painting session.

I had to clean the cupola MG housing a lot as there were multiple gaps. I could have added some wiring but I glued parts to early so they prevented me to reach the area where the details should be. I modified the front glacis extinguishers so they have the head to the front of the hull and the nozzle facing the outside. The exhaust edge has been thinned too.

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Re: French AMX 30 B2 Brennus

Post by Olivier Carneau »

Brennus got its paint. I tried Ammo so-called French army colors (green and brown). They are a bit flashy just like on a factory fresh vehicle. I guess I'll have to tone them down during the weathering.

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