I have the parts referred to, in the DEF kit, in PE, just hanging on till I’m back on the Magach and at a stopping point on the Model B. Any idea what they are?
Most probaly a .50 cal storage point and an additional .50cal barrel.
Also, something that was puzzling me when I was building mine were the fire extinguisher positions
and the Uzi mounts
3 Likes
Excellent pics, thanks.
Top pic has an interesting mount for the MG, any idea of the time period of that pic? I’m debating which cupola to use (Urdan or Sherman) and that mount on the Urdan cupola would be a neat detail. I want to do a YKW tank…
1 Like
Yom Kippur War.
It is not an Urdan Cupola, it is a Chrysler Cupola from a captured M48 with a Centurion “style” mount, you can find the part for the mount in the AFV Club centurion kit.
Oh boy… That would be really unique on a model.
Can someone show a Chrysler cupola vs Urdan? I’ve googled and both come up with the same name.
Also, one pic has what looks like a Sherman type cupola. Is that a common retrofit?
Thanks, Dan
The devil is in the details though. Notice the hinge on the bottom left corner. This indicated that this is an ex M48A2 hull with different engine grilles setup and armored air cleaners, similar to this one:
Yes, on lots of their vehicles.
1 Like
I don’t know very much about Israeli armour but I do know that Slingshot models produce, or used to, an M48 early-type Commander’s cupola (which might be one and the same as the “Chrysler” type):
Sadly, I understand that Slingshot Models are in a sort of suspended animation at the moment.
1 Like
Thanks much.
The US Army loves its .50s.
This resin cupola has a rear periscope but the above pics (urdan) do not.
This is a Chrysler cupola by Slingshot models.
Boy I feel dumb now …
There is no reason. If I tell you the hours I have spent looking at low resolution black and white Magach 3 and M48 photos trying to figure out what I was looking at you will easily change your mind. 
2 Likes
Thanks, And what about the Sherman like cupola?
Didn’t have enough urdans and hated the US Chrysler cupolas?
They hated the M1 cupola and apparently replaced it with Sherman cupolas until the Urdan cupolas became available, I seem to remember reading somewhere. I suppose there were a few Magachs, as pictured earlier, of converted ex-Jordanian M48’s with the Chrysler cupola…
I feel some conversion fever coming on.
The IDF started upgrading their M48 tanks to Magach 3 standards sometime after the Six Days War (1967). The upgrade included a new engine and transmission, new engine deck, new L7 gun etc. They used their M48A1, captured M48 from Jordan and M48A2 tanks. They used whatever they could regarding cupolas, Sherman, Urdan or the M1 cupola of the M48. The M1 cupola was unpopular because it was too big with limited visibility and made the commanders an easy target. The Urdan is most probably a product of upgrading/evolving the Chrysler cupola design. So you can see Magach 3 tanks will all kinds of cupolas. You can distinguish the origin of the tank by counting the return rollers (3 for exM48A2 or five for ex M48/M48A1.) Some examples:
Ex Jordanian M48, it can be identified by the smaller driver’s hatch and the serial number starting with 1 (all captured M48s had this type of serial)
exM48A2
exM48A1
2 Likes
Thank you, I’ve never know much about Israeli armored and did not know that some were captured from Jordan.
Can you make a Magach 3 in 35th with no major AM needed?
Not really. Dragon offers a Magach 3 using its excellent M48 kit, but you only get the M1 cupola, and the skinny 105mm gun and garbage DS two-part mantlet from their M60. So at minimum you need an AM gun and mantlet, as well as the cupola of your choice. Other M48A3 kits are available, but again you need to replace the gun…