I am, sadly, one of those modellers who gets all too easily distracted with other themes and projects and tend to veer off in all sorts of direction. My recent Dutch MBT-70 a case in point; although it fits in well enough with my Cold War focus, it is, of course, technically a What-If. None the worse for that you might think, but it has done nothing to reduce the stash of the more prosaic kits languishing therein.
With that in mind, I thought I’d tackle a Cold War 1960s workhorse in the guise of the M48A2. This is the Revell kit, which I had acquired some time ago; I believe it is now out of production so probably quite rare. The only other kits of the A2 that I’m aware of are the venerable Monogram version, and the more recent I Love kit one. I wanted to tackle the Revell one to see if the over-emphasised casting finish on the upper surfaces will interfere with the overall presentation of the model. To that end, I do not intend to attempt to sand it down or otherwise remove it, but just to see how it all flows.
Just to clarify re the MBT-70; it is actually built, however, it will have to be parked for a while as I’m about to undertake a bout of medical treatment; of course, that may also impact on this M48 project, but we’ll see!
Those who know the kit already will be aware that it can be built up as a Bundeswehr version, and in such a finish will add to any such collection; however, I was keen to portray a US vehicle and the kit’s alternate markings will effect that perfectly, depicting an M48A2 stationed in what was then West Germany in 1962. I was inspired by this particular picture and sought to replicate at least the positioning of the crew and the AFV in transit as on exercise:
The build was straightforward and I more or less followed the instructions. I did however, add a fair amount of model railway flock to the hull sides and chassis to represent the accumulation of mud:
I decided to use the kit rubber-band type tracks as they seemed quite reasonably represented. I noted that they sported a sink mark around every 5 track shoes; on the AFV Club track kits there is one on every link(!)
Tracks fitted:
I also utilised replacement handles on the stowage bins and these came from FC Modeltrend – the kit versions being moulded solid. As with an awful lot of 3D printed stuff, I find removing the items from the runners a fraught business, and I damaged several; however, they do look better than the moulded on versions I feel, even though I was a little heavy-handed with glue:
I like to populate my models so identified some suitable figures from the ancient Tamiya US Accessories set; there are sufficient figures to replicate the Driver, Commander and Loader/Operator, although all will require a makeover to ensure a representation of the timeframe, in this case, say, the early/mid 60s:
Cold War modellers will recognise the effort required to achieve anything like half-decent figures for this period; no manufacturer, apart from say, Valkyrie, have appreciated the gap in the market, (although in fairness, Miniart provide several iterations of Soviet crews) so, I set-to with extensive sanding, plastic card modifications, flattened lead wire, lead foil, all aided as usual with the simply sublime Hornet Heads US Tank Crew:
The Commander figure required an outstretched arm with a clenched fist (to indicate a change of direction to following tanks) and I decided I’d make an armature for this; a simple enough process with a wire drilled into the torso, then fleshed out (pun intended) using Magic Sculp.
The figure in its early stage:
Driver shown too, who will not require much attention at all as he can barely be seen.
The model so far; I need to add contours to the mantlet cover and sleeve on the barrel using Magic Sculp:
The real thing shows what needs to be achieved:
The kit’s jerricans weren’t really good enough so I’ve used one from another Tamiya accessory set, with a mount for it from card, a strap from lead foil, and a buckle from an Aber etched set:
Infuriatingly, I’ve only the one so have ordered another accessory set.
