US M48A3 Patton Tank

This tank comes with some nice details. It comes with one full figure and half of a driver that can pop up out of his driver spot and go back down to close the hatch. The copula can swivel on top of the turret. String is supplied to simulated tow cable and vinyl tubing is supplied to simulate the cable that runs from the turret to the lamp on the barrel. Extra bags, wheels and water cans are supplied to add stowage to the tank. An optional snorkel is present. Decals allow for US Army markings as well as markings for USMC with playboy bunny marking and sharkmouth. Tracks are rubber band type or single piece vinyl. Chassis has large holes on the bottom reminiscent of its past of being a motorized kit.

This is one of those kits that you should hand paint. The original tank didn't have a smooth paint job. It was one of those WWII-Cold War tanks that looked bumpy. If you're weathering the tank at all, then know that the weathering job will cover the coat of paint, which means that your perfect airbrushed coat will not show up.

I you didn't have one of these tanks in your collection during the Cold War you most likely missed that era! I know because I built one during the largely un- heard of push by the Soviet Union to invade Western Europe via East Germany. These tanks which were equipped with the huge Infra red light on the turret were made famous by being able to at least slow that advance and thank goodness it never came. The night vision version of this U.S. Army heavy was far advanced past that of the USSR forces and could counter an attack. As always with Tamiya the ease of the build was the appealing part and I had no problems with it at all. For a historical and easy to build model, this is one war hear that never went into combat.