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Well folks I just opened my M60A1 last night and it is by far the best thing since sliced bread. AFV really out did themselves. The kit is right on as far as detail goes. The sprockets have mud holes, you get a mantle cover, both side loading and top loading air cleaners, both steel and aluminum road wheels, an extremely detailed drivers interior, clear lenses for head lights search light and periscopes. The cupola upper is clear so if careful you don't have to paint the vision blocks. The sponson boxes are open with seperate handles so the can be posed open. all the grill doors and handles are seperate so they can be posed open for an engine removal dio. Markings for Austrian, Israeli 1973, 2 US Army MASSTER cammo tanks and the MERDAC cammoed USMC tank that did not exist but that you can make accurate with whats in the kit. The M85 MG has a seperate feed tray cover and the cupola access cover opens so a loading or clearing scene can be created.

The only negatives I can see opening the box are the slightly off cast texture and a short search light cable. the instructions show it stretching between the turret plug and the light. The cable had lots of slack and was very heavy, it draped all over the turret.

This is just a short list but if you like the M60 you will love this kit.

Anyone want some cheap Academy M60s?

TC

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Looking it over again I also see that the loaders and drivers periscopes are poseable and 2 M85s are included. all hatches have detailed interiors, 2 types of sprockets solid and scaloped. casting numbers are molded on. The instuctions are on magazine quality paper with the cammo schemes in color. Although the color callouts are doubtful. Field green and khaki when it should be forest green and field drab for MERDC.

I also believe more varients are planned. The left fender is in 2 pieces making a dozer version with the external hydraulics easier

Oh and it has a STURDY BOX

TC

PS the fuel cap has a molded on locking handle you just need to add the chain. And unlike Tamiya only 1 filler cap like the real deal.

I'm still looking it over and the tracks look really nice, good bolt detail on the end connectors and center guides. Very usable for live track with good tension. The mantle cover looks like glueable plastic not rubber. I don't know why but they added the working recoil spring.

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Nice review - just one question. Does the turret have the extra "cheek" armor that was added later to all A1's? I would think that this would heavily impact which subject you can build since (I believe), it was only added later on. For a 70's era tank, it should not be present.

Edited by 11bee
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The kit has the cheek add ons and every tank I saw from 1977 on had them. I got my tank in 78 and they were on it. I say add on because it wasn't armor it was between a quarter and a half inch thick and an air space between, I had to replace a torn mantle cover and found out what was behind it. I don't think it could have served as spaced armor. I think its primary purpose was to make fitting the mantle cover easier. I checked a bunch of MASSTER Cammo pictures from mid 70s and they have it. Possibly tanks from the 60s without mantle covers like the first Tamiya kit wouldn't have the cheek pieces. The kit turret does have the improved turret ring which covered the vunerable turret ring so that does restrict it to mid 70s a post Yom Kipper War improvement. The older turrets stayed in servce though and M60A3 could be found with the older turret.

TC

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Thanks for the info TC. That's interesting about how the cheeks were hollow. I always read that they were solid armor, the story I heard was that this area was a weakspot that was discovered the hard way by the Israelis during YK (along with the flammability of the hydraulic system). So I figured that they were added at earliest in the mid-70's.

Guess I'm mistaken.

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I thought so to until I got a look inside. I am trying to figure out when the turret was changed to cover the turret ring. I thought that came about after the 73 war showed it was vunerable. A quick look on line hasn't helped but I have to check my reference books on the M60. I wish I had the Hunnicutt book. I saw a picture of an Israeli parade of M60s with the improvement supposedly before the war .

The Army still used the older turrets though, I saw M60A3s with the exposed turret ring in my National Guard service.

TC

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Mine arrived today from Lucky Model. The one piece lower hull is beautiful! The old Tamiya and Academy kits just don't measure up. Even the ESCI kits, which were supposedly the most accurate, falls short. Looking forward to more releases in the series. I hope they release it as an IDF model with Blazer armor. If not, I'm sure Legend or DEF will bring out a conversion. Also would go for a proper M60A2 Starship.

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An idea for a diorama. The tank that was stolen and smashed up a neighborhood until it got jammed on the highway divider.

IIRC that was a Nasty Gaurd A3 in 1995.

Edited by Tank
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