U.S. M48A3 Patton Kit
Item #35120

Product Description

About the U.S. M48A3 Patton
Design of the M48 series of medium tanks commenced in October
1950, with the Chrysler Corporation commissioned to do the design
work and provide six prototypes. Due to the Korean war,
production of the M48 was authorized prior to the completion of
any prototype or testing. Ford and General Motors were awarded
production contracts, in addition to Chrysler, and the first M48
was delivered in early 1953. Numerous technical problems with the
new tank delayed its deployment in significant numbers until
1958. There are numerous variations and modifications of the M48
in existence all over the world today, and this kit depicts an
M48A3 "Patton" as it appeared during the Vietnam conflict when
employed by the U.S. Forces. Using a cast elliptical hull which
has high structural rigidity and excellent ballistic protection,
this 47.5 ton tank has proven its worth in the field of combat
against like opposition. The major improvement of the M48 over
the M47 was the superior shape of the "Turtleback" cast steel
turret, which provided a greater internal volume and much better
ballistic protection. Armed with a 90mm M41 gun and on 7.62
coaxial machine gun and a 12.7 machine gun in the commanders
cupola, and powered by a Continental V 12 AV-1790 petrol engine
of 865 hp, this fine tank has a top road speed of 48 km/h. It is
crewed by a Commander, Gunner, Radio operator/loader and a
driver. The M48 series of medium tanks is or has been used by a
great number of nations around the world, and is expected to
remain a first line battle tank for many years to come. The A3
series of the M-48 was the first to introduce the new AVDS-1970-2
diesel engine, which was a major improvement, and since its
introduction many of the earlier Pattons have also been
retrofitted with it. When used in Vietnam, secondary armament was
often boosted by adding a .50 calibre machine gun above the
cupola; a 7.62mm machine gun in front of the loaders hatch, and
another 7.62mm MG in the mantlet in lieu of the telescopic sight.
Early in its production the M-48 was fitted with a snorkeling
kit which enables it to fork water obstacles up to 4.1 meters in
depth. The M-48A3 uses a coincidence-type range finder for
sighting its main 90mm gun. Range data from this sight is fed
into a ballistic computer for very accurate and speedy target
acquisition. Maximum road speed of the M-48A3 was 48km/h. Maximum
range was 460 km, and the maximum road gradient was 60%. The A3
carried 62 rounds of 90mm ammunition, and up to 5900 rounds for
the 7.62 MG's. The A-3 model can be seen with either 3 or 5 wheel
track bogies, and the majority used in Vietnam had five bogies,
due to the jungle type of terrain encountered. Tank crew members
often built up the sides of the turret with extra padding and
equipment for additional protection from hostile fire. A great
many of the existing M-48 tanks around the world are now being up
graded to M-60 standards with the addition of the 105mm gun in
place of the 90mm main unit.

Suggested Paint Colors

AS-1 - Dark Green (IJN)
AS-13 - Green (USAF)
AS-6 - Olive Drab (USAAF)
MP-4 - Black
TS-1 - Red Brown
TS-21 - Gold
TS-38 - Gun Metal
TS-5 - Olive Drab
TS-6 - Matt Black
X-1 - Black
X-11 - Chrome Silver
XF-49 - Khaki
XF-56 - Metallic Grey