M26 Pershing, M45, M46, M47, M48, M60, Patton, and M103 Family of Vehicles

[ChernayaAkula]

They really could have done a better job masking the road wheels. All that overspray... yuck! 

AIUI, they also intend to offer this turret for a T-72 hull.

[Jeffry Fontaine]

They really could have done a better job masking the road wheels. All that overspray... yuck! 

AIUI, they also intend to offer this turret for a T-72 hull.

The overspray is expected as no one is that motivated to actually place masks over the wheels :)

I got the impression from the several overhead shots of the vehicle that it had a strong resemblence to the Russian T-90 turret.  A drop-in replacement would definitely do much for the flying turret issues with the ammunition explosions. 

[ChernayaAkula]

^ 'Looks like you're missing your turret. Want a new one?' 

[GTX_Admin]

Ukrainian M-60 anyone:  https://www.armyrecognition.com/defense_news_april_2024_global_security_army_industry/could_spain_provide_its_old_us_m60_tanks_to_ukraine_.html

[Jeffry Fontaine]

All depends on how they will be employed.  "Move out and draw fire" might have worked thirty years ago but that practice might not go as well today.  That said, "Reconnaissance by fire" should still be on the menu.  There is also the larger ammunition selection to consider such as actual HE rounds in addition to HEAT, WP, APDS, APFSDS.  The ammunition stocks are also plentiful and that could make a real difference. 

[GTX_Admin]

All depends on how they will be employed. 

Much the same as the Leopard 1s are being used I would suspect:

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ZNW_UkAd6g" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ZNW_UkAd6g</a>

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ZNW_UkAd6g

[raafif]

Never seen this one before - I'm calling it the "Alligator".

There IS a kit available - waiting on a price quote before buying

[Jeffry Fontaine]

Never seen this one before - I'm calling it the "Alligator".

There IS a kit available - waiting on a price quote before buying

Any additional details on this vehicle? 

[Frank3k]

I found this thread on reddit: Magachon heavy APC on Magach (M60) chassis, prototype only

[Jeffry Fontaine]

Thank you Frank for supplying the Reddit link.  Pimping the Patton with a new superstructure definitely makes for an interesting alternative. 

[raafif]

I found this thread on reddit: Magachon heavy APC on Magach (M60) chassis, prototype only

All those guys assume the Nag'ma'chon & Nakpadon are APCs - they're not.  They were designed as heavy patrol / engineer  vehicles (sometimes fitted with mine-rollers), so dismounting the crew wasn't a consideration.

[Patton Masterrace]

In IDR 12/1984 it is mentioned that the FOG-M or Hellfire follow-on could be a viable alternative to a gun MPGS.

Rather than procuring a new weapon platform, it was suggested that existing M113 APCs, M2 Bradley IFVs, M48 tanks and Humvees could be converted to that role.

Interestingly apart from the M48 it seems that all of those were eventually prototyped or at least drawn up in the form of the Ground Launched Hellfire – Heavy and the Ground Launched Hellfire – Light respectively.

https://www.google.com/books/edition/Hearings_on_Military_Posture_and_H_R_506/PqMfAAAAMAAJ
Hearings on Military Posture and H.R. 5068 (H.R. 5970), Department of Defense Authorization for Appropriations for Fiscal Year 1978, Before the Committee on Armed Services, House of Representatives, Ninety-fifth Congress, First Session ...: Procurement of aircraft, missiles, tracked combat vehicles, torpedoes, and other weapons, title I

And here is a description of what it would take to basically put the Abrams' AGT-1500 powerplant as is into the M60 tank.

https://www.google.com/books/edition/Department_of_Defense_appropriations_for/nIW5hPRRtfUC
Department of Defense appropriations for 1978
hearings before a subcommittee of the Committee on Appropriations, House of Representatives, Ninety-fifth Congress, first session ...

Also first time hearing about a stretched version of the M48 hull used in connection with the M103 heavy tank.
Would be great to have more info about that or even pics. I don't remember hearing anything about it in Hunnicutts Firepower: A History of the American Heavy Tank.
His Patton book probably doesn't contain anything about it as well. But It'd be great to find out it actually does...

https://www.google.com/books/edition/Department_of_Defense_appropriations_for/jVq2AAAAIAAJ
Department of Defense Appropriations for 1983
Hearings Before a Subcommittee of the Committee on Appropriations, House of Representatives, Ninety-seventh Congress, Second Session

And here we have information about a supposed 1980 Army plan to convert M60A2 tanks into M48A5E1 tanks.
Alternative proposals were made to convert them into AVLBs, CEVs or countermine/COVs.

[Jeffry Fontaine]

As posted previously in Oops I bought another model in March 2021:

From an eBay seller located in California:

2 X DML/Dragon "Black Label" (should be "Hack Label") (3560) 1:35th scale - T54E1 MBT with oscillating turret
ScaleMates > Dragon Models "Black Label" (3560) 1:35 - T54E1


(Image source: Wikipedia > T54 (American Tank)

 

The DML/Dragon kit is a POS as far as being a model of the T45E1 tank with oscillating turret.  It is an excellent source for M48/M60/M103 parts but do not expect to have any kind of success in building the turret provided in the kit.  Did I mention it was a POS? 

Another modeler with this same kit had an opinion that matched my own but he went one step further and made a replacement turret for the DML/Dragon Black Label T54E1 kit that has no moving parts and has all of the details without the DML/Dragon failures. 

He shared his work at the Missng-Lynx forums at this link: Missing-Lynx > Missing Lynx forums >Modern AFV Discussion Group > Turret Re-Work (Patrick Shortland) and it got my attention. 

After reviewing his work and impressed with what he had managed to accomplish I contacted him and inquired about obtaining a pair of the turrets he had created to address the shortcomings with the DML/Dragon T54E1 kit.  At first he declined to do anything of the sort.  Three years later he changed his mind about producing additional copies of his turret. 

My efforts in resolving the my T54E1 turret issue are finally over.  I received a package today (20251125) containing two resin T54E1 turrets that look like T54E1 turrets.  My opinion of the DML/Dragon Black Label T54E1 kit remains the same as before, it is a disappointment but still an excellent source of Patton tank parts.  That said, the T54E1 turret needs to be placed on something more suitable like an M48A5 or M60 hull with the Diesel power pack features.  That is my plan for these turrets. 


Images of the replacement turret will be uploaded as soon as I can get the images of the parts.