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In 1977 Panhard developed the ERC 90 (Engin de Reconnaissance à Canon de '90' mm'') to meet project requirements of the French Army. The contract was awarded to the Renault VAB instead but the ERC turned out to be an export success orders being made by Argentina, France, Iraq, Côte d'Ivoire, Niger, and Mexico. It has also been adopted for the French Fast Deployment Force.
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The ERC 90 is mobile, amphibious and NBC-proof. The all terrain mobility is enhanced by the capability to raise or lower the central pair of wheels depending on terrain. |
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The "ERC 90 F1 Lynx"used by the Mexican Army is fitted with the Hispano-Suiza Lynx 90 turret. This is the same turret used on the Panhard AML 90 Lynx. |
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The Lynx is armed with the 90mm F1 quick firing low pressure gun, a 7.62 coaxial machine gun, roof mounted 7.62 coaxial machine gun. two smoke grenade launchers and night vision equipment. |
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The Lynx can be ferried quickly by Fuerza Aérea Mexicana (Mexican Air Force) C-130 Hercules. |
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The ERC is equipped with two hydrojets and requires no preparation for amphibious operations. |
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I was very happy with how the weathering turned out on this kit. I used washes and pastels to create road dirt and grime. |
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The external 7.62 machine gun mount provided in the kit seemed to sit too high so I bent and modified it to represent what I observed in photos. |
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ACE did a good job on this kit. The vinyl tires are a big plus and overall accuracy is very good. |
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I'm very pleased with how my ERC turned out, pleased enough that I would like to build it's sister kit by ACE, the ERC 90 Sagaie used by the French Army with the GIAT TS 90 turret. |
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Here is my ERC on the workbench after a base coat of Testors Model Master British Gulf War Light Stone. |
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Next I carefully applied (freehand with no mask) Testors Model Master Faded Olive for the second color of the camouflage. This method worked out better than I expected. |
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Kit: Ace # 72416 |
Scale: 1/72 |
Value:
I paid $16.95 (US) at Hobbytown USA in Plano, Texas 2006. Slightly higher than average (at the time) for a small scale armor kit, but still within reason. |
Assembly:
The kit consists of 92 plastic parts on 5 sprues molded in white, six vinyl tires, one decal sheet and a single-page letter size front and back instruction sheet. Exploded views are fairly easy to follow with no real surprises.
This is a short run kit so there is flash on most parts, and many parts require careful sanding, test fitting and more sanding.
The turret hatches are separate and can displayed in the open position. The driver's hatch is molded shut and the driver's side door is a separate piece but there is no hole in the hull so it could be displayed open with some careful drilling and cutting.
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tires are molded in vinyl with very nice tread detail, they fit well over the plastic wheel hubs. Paint adhered to the vinyl and dried in a normal fashion.
Overall this is a very straightforward build.
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Decals:
Markings are provided for 3 vehicles:
Mexican President's Guard 1988,
Mexican Army, 1-st Armored Brigade 1990,
Mexican Army 1999.
Decals were nicely done, in register on a nice thin carrier with all colors completely opaque.
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Customizations:
I used metallic sequins and clear epoxy to make headlights and brake lights. I used stretched sprue to create the aerial. Turret Hand-holds were created with small gauge wire. |
Recommendation:
This is one of ACE's easier kits to build. I think any level modeler can handle this one. This is a great addition to any modern small scale AFV enthusiasts collection. |