"1/72 Revell M60A1 w/ERA (#03168-0389)" Topic

Kit: picture

Bought this kit at a local brick & mortar for $11.99, I am about 75% done – base coat applied and all that is left is final assembly, details & weathering.

I am prompted to write this review because of what a pleasure this model was to come together.

162 pieces on 5 sprues, no flash whatsoever, extensive instructions with decal options for Italian (Somalia 1993), USMC (Desert Storm), US Army (Germany 1970-1980) or Bundesheer Osterreich (1966) versions.

Due to the options above, the kit is designed to be assembled with or without the reactive armor.

The only portion of the assembly process that was a tad challenging was the racking at the back of the turret; fragile to separate from the sprue, so be careful. It did not look logical to me the manner in which the instructions gave to assemble the rack. The instructions showed putting together the entire rack assembly first, and then gluing to to the turret.

Instead, I glued together the bottom portion of the rack and "inside" pair of vertical supports, then the two upper rails, and gluing it to the turret. Finally, the last two "outside" vertical supports. This seemed a better way for me.

This also is the very first model I have ever done exclusively with CA glue. More often than not, I use model cement or a combination of both CA & model cement.

I'll see if I cannot get pics posted up once I am done. BTW, my version is USMC Desert Storm.

Why did you use CA glue instead of cement?

Damon.

The label says M60A1, but the picture is an A3, the only version with Reactive Armor. From your description, it sounds like you can build it as either an A1 or A3.

I may just have to get one of these kits. I don't game this scale, but I spent a good chunk of my life in M60s. I had a beautiful 1/35 scale model of my command tank "Cold Steel" one of my platoon sergeants made, but it did not survive the office cleaning service.

Are you sure its an A3? I don't see the laser cover on the rangefinder, and there's no crosswind sensor mast.

IIRC the Marines only ever used the -a1, and the model depicted is similar to this picture: picture

Although not conclusive, I can't see a crosswind mast on this tank, and of course there is no thermal shroud on the gun (which the marines didn't use anyway AFAIK). There is no way to see the laser rangefinder on it either.

Damon.

Thanks for the review, Mardaddy. I'm guessing this is a rebox of the old Esci kit which is now owned by Italeri (Italeri and Revell Germany often trade molds back and forth). Those were nice kits and arguably some of the best 1/72 scale armor back when they were first released.

The USMC is the only US service branch to use the M60 ERA package in combat and it was only used on the Marines' M60A1 RISE Passive tanks. The Army originally developed the ERA package for the M60A3 TTS. Although trials conducted in the mid-to-late 1980s at Aberdeen apparently proved positive, the Army ultimately felt it was better to direct resources towards fielding an improved version of the M1 Abrams (which would emerge as the M1A1) rather than continuing the life cycle of the M60A3. IIRC, the Army had already ordered several hundred (maybe 200 to 250?) sets of the ERA and when they chose not to field them, the USMC purchase them for their M60A1 tanks instead. If you find photos of a US 'A3 with this style of ERA, it's probably one that was fitted out for trails at Aberdeen during the '80s.

I wish I could point interested parties to websites with this information but I'm going mostly on memory based on a series of articles written by the late Bob Lessels for Military Modeler back in the mid-to-late '80s.

I built the Revell kit of the M60A3. I'm assuming this kit uses the same sprues as that one. If so it owes nothing to the old Esci kit, and is very, very good for a 1/72 scale model.

Damon.

The ring behind the muzzle is for the thermal shroud. I did not look for the mast. The sighting laser was just below the ERA plate above the gun on the prototypes.

Mlatch, you may be right about the Marines using the A1. My comments above are based on my experience with the prototypes at Ft Knox in the mid-80s. The Army only tried the ERA on A3s. We were unimpressed. The armor protection on the M60 series was inadequate to begin with and they burned rather easily (I have first hand experience with that one!). We were just not that confident the armor would withstand the shock of the ERA going off. The plan was to designate the ERA the A4 model. We also played around with a prototype tentatively called the A5 that had ERA, the same thermal sights as the M1 and a 2 meter longer gun barrel. It had a significantly higher muzzle velocity, but was less accurate due to excessive muzzle droop. Both fell away in favor of the M1.

Garand, couple of reasons I used CA exclusively for this:

#1 An experiment. I had never tried using *just* CA on plastic models and wanted to check out how comparatively easy/difficult it would be.

#2 All the model glue (plastic cement) I have left is tubed, kinda old, and has started to "cobweb" every time I use it, so it's about time to toss.

Regarding A1, A3, reactive/RISE armor, it's uses, drawbacks, etc., I defer to those who would know… though I am a retired Marine, I had never served in a Tank Bn, nor had done any but the most cursory research on them.

I'd toss the tube glue regardless of how old it is. I use exclusively liquid plastic cement, either testors in the glass jar or plastruct plastic weld. Works much better…

Damon.

revell have deleted the kit from their 2010 catalogue , so if u want some , better get them soon …