In Box Review of Monogram 1/35th Scale
U.S. M48A2 "Patton" Tank
Kit no. 85-7853
Available at Section 8 Hobbies for $18.36
By Ray Mehlberger
Copyright 2011
Available at Section 8 Hobbies for $18.36
By Ray Mehlberger
Copyright 2011
HISTORY:
The M48 Patton is a main battle tank (MBT) that was designed in the United States. It was the third tank to be officially named after General George S. Patton, commander of the U.S. Third Army during World War II and one of the earliest American advocates for the use of tanks in battle.
It was a further development of the M47 Patton tank. The M48 Patton was in U.S. service until replaced by the M60 Patton and served as the U.S. Army and Marine Corps' primary battle tank during the Vietnam War.
It was widely used by U.S. Cold War allies, especially other NATO countries.
The M48 Patton tank was designed to replace the previous M47 Pattons and M4 Shermans. Although bearing some semblance to the M47, the M48 was a completely new design, featuring a complete new turret as well as modified hull.
It was the last U.S. tank to mount the 90 mm tank gun, with the last model, the M48A5, being upgraded to carry the new standard weapon of the M60, the 105mm gun.
Some M48A5 models served well into the 1980s with U.S. Army National Guard units, and many M48s remain in service in other countries.
The Turkish Army has the largest number of modernized M48 MBTs, with more than 1,400 in its inventory. Of these, around 1,000 have been phased out, placed in storage, or modified as armoured recovery vehicles.
The M48A2 had a Improved powerpack and transmission, redesigned rear plate, and improved turret control.
SPECIFICATIONS:
Type: Main battle tank
Place of origin: United States
In service: 1953–1990s (United States)
Wars: 1958 Lebanon crisis, Portuguese Colonial War, Dominican Civil War, Vietnam War, Six-Day War, Indo-Pakistani War of 1965, Indo-Pakistani War of 1971, Yom Kippur War, Western Sahara War, Lebanese Civil War, Turkish invasion of Cyprus, Iran–Iraq War, Battle of Mogadishu (1993), Kurdish–Turkish conflict, 2007 Lebanon conflict
Designed: 1951–1953
Manufacturer M48: Chrysler, Fisher Body, Ford Motor Company, American Locomotive Company
Produced M48: 1952–1959
No. built M48: ≈12,000
Variants: Many
Mass: M48: 49.6 short tons (44.3 long tons; 45.0 t) combat ready
Length: 9.3 m (30 ft 6 in)
Width: 3.65 m (12 ft 0 in)
Height: 3.1 m (10 ft 2 in)
Crew: 4 (commander, gunner, loader, driver)
Armor: Upper Glacis: 110 mm (4.3 in) at 60° = 220 mm (8.7 in) LoS
Turret Front: 178 mm (7.0 in) at 0°[3]
Main armament: 90 mm T54; M48A3 90 mm gun M41; M48A5 and later variants: 105 mm M68 gun
Secondary armament: .50 cal (12.7 mm) M2 Browning machine gun and a .30 cal (7.62 mm) M73 Machine gun
Engine: Continental AV1790-1790-2 carbureted V12, air-cooled gasoline engine[note 1] 650 DIN hp (478 kW) or a Continental Continental AV1790AVI-1790-6 V12, air-cooled gasoline engine M-48A2 or a Continental AVDS-1790-2 V12, air-cooled Twin-turbo diesel engine of 750 hp (560 kW)
Power/weight: 16.6 hp (12.4 kW)/tonne
Transmission: General Motors CD-850-4A or -4B, 2 ranges forward, 1 reverse
Suspension: Torsion bar suspension
Fuel capacity: 200 US gal (760 l; 170 imp gal)
Operational range: M48 and M48A1 113 km, the M48A2 258 km, the M48A3 463 km, the M48A5 499 km (all on road)
Speed: M48A5: 30 mph (48 km/h)
The M48 Patton is a main battle tank (MBT) that was designed in the United States. It was the third tank to be officially named after General George S. Patton, commander of the U.S. Third Army during World War II and one of the earliest American advocates for the use of tanks in battle.
It was a further development of the M47 Patton tank. The M48 Patton was in U.S. service until replaced by the M60 Patton and served as the U.S. Army and Marine Corps' primary battle tank during the Vietnam War.
It was widely used by U.S. Cold War allies, especially other NATO countries.
The M48 Patton tank was designed to replace the previous M47 Pattons and M4 Shermans. Although bearing some semblance to the M47, the M48 was a completely new design, featuring a complete new turret as well as modified hull.
It was the last U.S. tank to mount the 90 mm tank gun, with the last model, the M48A5, being upgraded to carry the new standard weapon of the M60, the 105mm gun.
Some M48A5 models served well into the 1980s with U.S. Army National Guard units, and many M48s remain in service in other countries.
The Turkish Army has the largest number of modernized M48 MBTs, with more than 1,400 in its inventory. Of these, around 1,000 have been phased out, placed in storage, or modified as armoured recovery vehicles.
The M48A2 had a Improved powerpack and transmission, redesigned rear plate, and improved turret control.
SPECIFICATIONS:
Type: Main battle tank
Place of origin: United States
In service: 1953–1990s (United States)
Wars: 1958 Lebanon crisis, Portuguese Colonial War, Dominican Civil War, Vietnam War, Six-Day War, Indo-Pakistani War of 1965, Indo-Pakistani War of 1971, Yom Kippur War, Western Sahara War, Lebanese Civil War, Turkish invasion of Cyprus, Iran–Iraq War, Battle of Mogadishu (1993), Kurdish–Turkish conflict, 2007 Lebanon conflict
Designed: 1951–1953
Manufacturer M48: Chrysler, Fisher Body, Ford Motor Company, American Locomotive Company
Produced M48: 1952–1959
No. built M48: ≈12,000
Variants: Many
Mass: M48: 49.6 short tons (44.3 long tons; 45.0 t) combat ready
Length: 9.3 m (30 ft 6 in)
Width: 3.65 m (12 ft 0 in)
Height: 3.1 m (10 ft 2 in)
Crew: 4 (commander, gunner, loader, driver)
Armor: Upper Glacis: 110 mm (4.3 in) at 60° = 220 mm (8.7 in) LoS
Turret Front: 178 mm (7.0 in) at 0°[3]
Main armament: 90 mm T54; M48A3 90 mm gun M41; M48A5 and later variants: 105 mm M68 gun
Secondary armament: .50 cal (12.7 mm) M2 Browning machine gun and a .30 cal (7.62 mm) M73 Machine gun
Engine: Continental AV1790-1790-2 carbureted V12, air-cooled gasoline engine[note 1] 650 DIN hp (478 kW) or a Continental Continental AV1790AVI-1790-6 V12, air-cooled gasoline engine M-48A2 or a Continental AVDS-1790-2 V12, air-cooled Twin-turbo diesel engine of 750 hp (560 kW)
Power/weight: 16.6 hp (12.4 kW)/tonne
Transmission: General Motors CD-850-4A or -4B, 2 ranges forward, 1 reverse
Suspension: Torsion bar suspension
Fuel capacity: 200 US gal (760 l; 170 imp gal)
Operational range: M48 and M48A1 113 km, the M48A2 258 km, the M48A3 463 km, the M48A5 499 km (all on road)
Speed: M48A5: 30 mph (48 km/h)
THE KIT:
Monogram is an old prolific model company that was based in Elk Grove Villiage, IL at the time this kit was released. They manufacture all manner of model subjects in the popular scales.
This kit came in a shrink-wrapped tray and lid type box.
The box art shows a "Patton" tank on a field with 2 helicopters behind it and a infantryman walking in front of it.l
The "Patton" is overall olive-drab, with multiple white slotgans all over it: "Here come the judge" and "The love bug" on the sides of the turret with the peace symbol. White "Short timer" on the nose with a yellow circle with black 52 on it above.
It has a white C-12 on the front of the left front fender and a white 314-CAV on the front of the right fender.
Skill level is a 2 and the kit is intended for modelers over 10 years of age.
One side-panel begins with features of the kit: length 9 7/8", 152 parts, water-slide decals.
Monogram is an old prolific model company that was based in Elk Grove Villiage, IL at the time this kit was released. They manufacture all manner of model subjects in the popular scales.
This kit came in a shrink-wrapped tray and lid type box.
The box art shows a "Patton" tank on a field with 2 helicopters behind it and a infantryman walking in front of it.l
The "Patton" is overall olive-drab, with multiple white slotgans all over it: "Here come the judge" and "The love bug" on the sides of the turret with the peace symbol. White "Short timer" on the nose with a yellow circle with black 52 on it above.
It has a white C-12 on the front of the left front fender and a white 314-CAV on the front of the right fender.
Skill level is a 2 and the kit is intended for modelers over 10 years of age.
One side-panel begins with features of the kit: length 9 7/8", 152 parts, water-slide decals.
The M48A2 "Patton" tank was named for General George S. Patton, famous tank commander of WWII. It is a heavily armored, full track-laying tank vehicle with a 90 mm gun, a .50 cal. machine gun in combination mount and a .50 cal. machine gun in the commander's cupola.
This is all said in English, French and Spanish.
Decals in optional markings, followed by an above rear color photo of the model made up in the cover art scheme, but minus the white slogans, with 6 infantrymen around it.
It is my opinion that these tanks never had more than one slogan on them and not the multitude showed on the box art.
This is all said in English, French and Spanish.
Decals in optional markings, followed by an above rear color photo of the model made up in the cover art scheme, but minus the white slogans, with 6 infantrymen around it.
It is my opinion that these tanks never had more than one slogan on them and not the multitude showed on the box art.
The other side-panel begins with a color photo of the model made up in the box art scheme, with white slogan "Short" on the side of the turret, followed by a suggested paint color listing in the 3 languages and a small color side-view of a "Patton" of the Israeli Army.
It is overall sand with a white chevron X2 on the sides of the turret.
It is overall sand with a white chevron X2 on the sides of the turret.
WHAT'S IN THE KIT:
This kit holds 5 dark-green trees in 4 stapled-shut chear cello bags, black vinyl treads, the decal sheet (with a tissue to protect its face from scratches) and the instructions.
The instructions consists of a staple-bound booklet of 12 pages in 8 1/2" x 11" page format.
Page 1 begins with a small black and white repeat of the cover art and a 3-view of the "Patton" un-marked, over a one paragraph history of the tank, READ BEFORE YOU BEGIN instruction and a customer assistance web address and Revell-Monogram's street address in Elk Grove Village, IL in the 3 languages.
Page 2 begins with a suggested paint color listing, over decal application instructions and international assembly symbol explanations in the 3 languages.
Page 3 has a list of the colors of paints to use to paint the kit parts. There is a whopping 51 of them listed !!
Page 4 through 10 gives a grand total of 25 assembly steps. I counted these steps as the instructions only numbers them up to 7.
Page 11 is the figure assemblies and a color guide for them.
Page 12 has two 4-views. One is the box art scheme and the other one is the Israeli scheme (both already described above).
Trees are not alphabetized or illustrated in the instructions. Bad move Monogram !!
The first dark-green tree holds: the hull roof and lower side panels and the small turret (4 parts)
This kit holds 5 dark-green trees in 4 stapled-shut chear cello bags, black vinyl treads, the decal sheet (with a tissue to protect its face from scratches) and the instructions.
The instructions consists of a staple-bound booklet of 12 pages in 8 1/2" x 11" page format.
Page 1 begins with a small black and white repeat of the cover art and a 3-view of the "Patton" un-marked, over a one paragraph history of the tank, READ BEFORE YOU BEGIN instruction and a customer assistance web address and Revell-Monogram's street address in Elk Grove Village, IL in the 3 languages.
Page 2 begins with a suggested paint color listing, over decal application instructions and international assembly symbol explanations in the 3 languages.
Page 3 has a list of the colors of paints to use to paint the kit parts. There is a whopping 51 of them listed !!
Page 4 through 10 gives a grand total of 25 assembly steps. I counted these steps as the instructions only numbers them up to 7.
Page 11 is the figure assemblies and a color guide for them.
Page 12 has two 4-views. One is the box art scheme and the other one is the Israeli scheme (both already described above).
Trees are not alphabetized or illustrated in the instructions. Bad move Monogram !!
The first dark-green tree holds: the hull roof and lower side panels and the small turret (4 parts)
The second dark-green tree holds the large turret parts, its equipment rack and the hull rear panel (4 parts)
The third dark-green tree holds: the hull upper nose section with upper sides attached, hatches, 2 infantrymen figures, the commander figure, helmets, tail lights, road wheel small star-shaped hubs, main gun barrel, lift rings, axles, etc. (34 parts)
The fourth dark-green tree holds: the road wheels, more axles, drive sprockets, return rollers, coaxial machine gun, jerry cans, infantryman figure etc. (73 parts)
The fifth dark-green tree holds 4 infantrymen figures and 2 bases for the standing figures and a flamethrower tanks (9 parts)
There are 2 runs of black vinyl treads, with detail nicely molded inside and out.
There is no interior detail, but the exterior is nice.
The decal sheet completes the kit's contents.
The decal sheet completes the kit's contents.
Recommended.