"15mm M60A3 Preview " Topic

The Plastic Soldier Company announced a new 15mm M60A3 kit

Main page
link

theplasticsoldiercompany.co.uk

Amicalement
Armand

I don't know what that is, but it's NOT an M60A3…
1: No heater exhaust pipe
2: Track pads are wrong.
3: No thermal shroud on the gun barrel
4: Gunner vision block is not rounded in the back for TTS
5: Grenade dischargers are completely wrong.
6: No Xenon Mount on top of gun shroud.
7: No LRF in the range finder turret bubbles.
8: No Turret bubbles at all.
9: No wind sensor mount.
10: No phone box on back fender.
11: End of the barrel on the M85 is incorrect…

Okay I'll stop there…

12. Missing fire extinguisher pulls on front slope
13. Lift rings on the gun mantel
14. Searchlight electrical connection on turret top
15. Aluminum road wheels!?! I wonder if they come with wear plates?

Other than all that … it's a nice model … LOL !

Looks enough like an M60A3 to me.

(smile)

Amicalement
Armand

Small point Murphy- I always thought the Xenon searchlights were removed from the A3s when they received the TTS- though I note your comment on the shape of the gunner's block being wrong for the TTS type.
Pres a model should have EITHER the Xenon light for the original A3 OR the correct vision block fitting for the A3TTS?

Seneffe:

There were two versions of the A3 originally. The first still had the old RISE/PASSIVE IR, and the searchlight, (that was the lesser amount and were quickly replaced), although the mounts were left in place.
As a result the Gunners periscope block had square edges.

With the TTS, the back of the block was rounded.

Major Mike:

btw..you have BII layout on Saturday….hooah!

Wish someone would make a plastic A2.

Grimm

When you're wargaming and looking at a 15mm tank from 3 or 4 feet away does it really matter? I can't see that stuff anyway. If you want every single detail then why not go with a larger scale model kit? For wargaming I think they're fine. Cheers!

Grimnar, Not plastic but exceptionally nice resin from here
link

@Lee494
For the price you pay for this stuff, the manufacturer might as well get it right. Otherwise you might as well put any other tank model down, and call it an M60. No problem eh? After all it's a 'tank'.

I don't know what that is, but it's NOT an M60A3…
Okay I'll stop there…

Uh-oh, here come the Dino tankers and they´re scale counting!!

Well I guess if you consider the fire extinguisher pulls on the front slope absolutely critical to telling an M60 from other tanks you're right. Cheers!

On the one hand it looks fine to me, as I've never seen an M60 close up.

On the other hand, they should have realized that there are going to be a heck of a lot of people who worked with these on a daily basis, and that are going to want to buy, not just something that "looks ok" on the other side of the table, but that would give them the connection with their own past / experience while they are putting it together and painting it.

So, it does seem that this time at least PSC have set themselves up for a bit of avoidable criticism.

@Lee494
I was thinking more of Murphy's post than Major Mike's, but why not get the basics right?
+1 langobard.

Let's run this down…
1: No heater exhaust pipe ..Check..
2: Track pads are wrong. ..Check..
3: No thermal shroud on the gun barrel ..Check..
4: Gunner vision block is not rounded in the back for TTS ..Check
5: Grenade dischargers are completely wrong. .You're one of the few that use the correct term.
6: No Xenon Mount on top of gun shroud. .There were three of them.
7: No LRF in the range finder turret bubbles. .Check.
8: No Turret bubbles at all. .Check.
9: No wind sensor mount. .Check.
10: No phone box on back fender. .Check.
11: End of the barrel on the M85 is incorrect .Check.
12. Missing fire extinguisher pulls on front slope .There is one there but it is small!
13. Lift rings on the gun mantel .And where are the ones on the rear of the hull?
14. Searchlight electrical connection on turret top .Check.
15. Aluminum road wheels!?! I wonder if they come with wear plates? .Check.
Now here's mine..
16. Sprocket doesn't go through the end connectors.
17. Grenade ammo boxes are flush with the turret.
18. No bracing in the bustle rack.
19. Infantry rails way to big.

Charles M.
And I wear the dino tanker badge with pride!!

^^ What he said ^^

Murphy
(Dino Tanker)

@OldDAT: I'd be inclined to give the infantry rails being too big a pass, assuming that we're talking about those huge tubes around the sides of the turret.

Because they look like they're a separate piece, and at 1/100 scale you'd about have to use fishing line to get the thickness correct. Which would be far too fragile to game with.

I agree that getting stuff oversize due to process limitations is unavidable. getting the smoke dischargers (UK term) in the wrong pattern is a bit hard to swallow. Also the basket at the back of the turret has too many rails based on the pictures I have looked up on the net.

For a gamer looks fine, the rails may be big due to being a large plastic piece and they did not want Great War Bayonets part 2.

Where can I get one of those Dino Tanker T-shirts???? :D

I can't see the T-shirt pic !?!?!?

The t-shirts are from spreadshirts.

UPDATE: I got my PSC M60A3s on Friday and after putting one together, here is how it stacks up to the above observations:

1: No heater exhaust pipe. still missing
2: Track pads are wrong. acceptable, they are two piece track
3: No thermal shroud on the gun barrel. still missing
4: Gunner vision block is not rounded in the back for TTS ..Check
5: Grenade dischargers are completely wrong. You can glue them on the correct side
6: No Xenon Mount on top of gun shroud. .There were three of them. Still missing
7: No LRF in the range finder turret bubbles. Both locations are flat
8: No Turret bubbles at all. .Check. See above
9: No wind sensor mount. There are two "mounts" and they are both in the wrong place
10: No phone box on back fender. .Check.
11: End of the barrel on the M85 is incorrect .Check.
12. Missing fire extinguisher pulls on front slope .There is one there but it is small!
13. Lift rings on the gun mantel .And where are the ones on the rear of the hull?
14. Searchlight electrical connection on turret top .Check.
15. Aluminium road wheels!?! I wonder if they come with wear plates? .Check.
Now here's mine..
16. Sprocket doesn't go through the end connectors. .Check.
17. Grenade ammo boxes are flush with the turret. Can be fixed
18. No bracing in the bustle rack. .Check.
19. Infantry rails way to big. Fixable, but I won't bother.

All in all PSC took care of a few things I'm not happy with on the BF M60 like the headlights but the picture above is essentially the one that came out. I plan to see what can be done with some of the issues but others will take too much work for the possible outcome to worry about.

Well I have a box of them coming in this week. Should be a fun build!