Revell M48A2 Patton ARRIVED!!

BigDaddyBluesman

I want to do dioramas so the scale is important. I hope it's 1/35 but I have the sinking feeling it's 1/32.

If it's 1/35 it's not jive, if it's 1/32 I'll use it for the sprue.......

Used alone, with 1/35th scale figures and accessories, the difference in scales is NOT that important, except for those with that debilatating affliction called AMS (Advanced Modeling Syndrome)... It's pretty common among Rivet-Counters (Might even be genetic), not so much with normal modelers..  I don't think it's contagious though..

Really, you CAN use 1/35th scale figures with a 1/32 scale kit in a diorama, I do it all the time, especially with aircraft and armor mixes... I even use 1/35th figures with 1/32 aircraft.. The guys just ain't all 6 feet tall..

The difference is NOT that pronounced unless you put a another M-48 in 1/35th on it alongside the 1/32 scale Patton ... 

Even if you mix the scales of vehicles, say a 1/35th Jeep, Duece, or APC, it'll be ok, I promise ya.. Just don't mix figures or weapons...  Use 1/35th figures and weapons, jerry cans, c-rat boxes, etc.. Don't use the acessories from the 1/32 scale kit.. I think the only ones that are separate are the Jerry cans anyway...  

I got one as a parts donator for back dating a Tamiya M48A3 to an M48A2GA2. The revell kit was 1/32, but the box said 1/35. The build went okay, but I had to do a lot more surgery on the rear deck parts I was swaping than I'd hoped for. The Revell kit is really old, but with some TLC it builds up just fine; fear not.

I want to do dioramas so the scale is important. I hope it's 1/35 but I have the sinking feeling it's 1/32.

If it's 1/35 it's not jive, if it's 1/32 I'll use it for the sprue.......

"The Love Bug" and the "Flower Power" decals for the turret and gun tube were on the 1970's re-issue of the White-box Monogram 1/32 Patton... I know that kit well...  I went to Revell's site to check, and the picture is bang-on for the Monogram kit, even though they themselves say it's 1/35th, I'm tellin' ya, it's 1/32... I'd bet my life on it..

But you didn't waste 20.00... Just because it's a Monogram kit doesn't make it bad... It builds up rather nice for it's age.. It'll build into an M67 same as any 1/35th scale would..

I know there was an old version from Monogram and that probably was 1/32. It had Big Pat as the name on the tank. I googled it and came up with a picture of an old box. It doesn't say scale but it does say their usual scale which if I am not mistaken was 1/32. The new version says love bug.

This is what they are selling now in 1/35 scale:

Product Description

1-35 Scale.Length: 9-7/8" Parts: 152. The M48A2 Patton tank was named for General George S. Patton, famous tank commander of World War II. It is a heavily armored, full-tracklaying combat vehicle with a 90 mm gun, a .30 cal. machine gun in combination mount and a .50 cal. machine gun in the commander's cupola. Opening and closing hatches, movable turret, cannon, machine gun and tank treads. Two crew members and six military figures. Decals with optional markings. Molded in olive drab with soft black treads. Skill level 2

Well, if Revell redesigned the entire mold-set, then maybe it is, but I highly doubt that happened.... The picture looks exactly like the old Monogram Patton, which was 1/32....  It's pretty obvious when set alongside the Tamiya M48... I know the catalog says 1/35th as well, but I doubt it..

http://www.revell.com/model-kits/military/85-7853.html

But don't let that hang you up..And 1/35th accessories look fine on it, as long as you don't mix after-market/parts box accessories with the kit accessories, or mix the included figures with any other 1/35th figures...   No need to be pizzed...

 It's still a fun build...

It's the same way with all the old Monogram armor kits, like the half-tracks, M-4 Sherman, T-34 Calliope, M-3 Lee, Grant, Panzers all, Weasel, Jeep, etc.... They were 1/32 as well..  But you won't notice it unless you put them right alonside other manufacturer's kits of the same subject in 1/35th..

Monogram was one of the kit manufacturers that want the standardized scale for armor to match the 1/32 aircraft market, but it never happened... The Japanese manufacturers, like Tamiya, didn't follow suit, and Monogram got buried by 1/35th...

It says on the box 1/35 scale. I just ordered one from ebay. i know there is an old one out there that is 1/32. But i think this is 1/35 scale. Or if it's not I am going to be pissed......I'm going to try and make it a M67 flame tank.

Be advised that that kit is 1/32 scale, not 1/35th, so buy accessories accordingly... If you use 1/35th scale parts, don't mix in any 1/32 stuff.. Stay with one scale..

If Revell stayed with the all the Monogram accessories, there are also some 1/32 scale Infantry included, and naturally, the TC and driver(a half-figure)...

Shep Paine did a fantasic diorama with that kit, even using the stock figures (with modifications)..

http://sheperdpaine.atspace.com/patton.htm

Stik's right, it IS a fun kit to build, goes together pretty easy, and will even roll on it's tracks if you want it to, and to make tracks on your dio base or display base...  This was the very first armor kit  I ever bilt, back around 1971 0r 72, and my very first diorama bild as well.. I never looked back at doing "shelf models" again, I only build dioramas now...  I'd build this one again in a heartbeat...

some things you may want to consider:

File off the "steps"on the turret sides and scratch build the rails that belong there from stretched sprue, styrene or brass rod.

remove the molded on pioneer tools and replace them (and the jerry can) with ones from Academy's AFV Accessory sets. Also the packs in that set are more appropriate than the modern era ALICE packs in the Tamiya sets.

Drill out the bore of the main gun- it is molded solid shut

Add the dust cover for the mantlet.

It is a fun old kit that can be made to shine if you take the time.

I recently added this kit to the stash.I plan on loading up on aftermarket parts and giving it a killer (hopefully) paintjob.

The kit hails from the late 1950s and was a great kit for its time. It does suffer from age and not up to current standards. Many modern armor modelers update the kit by combining it with the solid Tamiya M48A3 kit. Tracks and sprockets are usually the first item to be replaced on this kit. AFV Club makes a set of tracks for the M48/60/88 series vehicles. Many modelers use these to update the current kits.

There is a Tamiya modern US equipment set made in the 80s, but it is OOP. The current one is too modern and includes the louvered CIP panels. You don't want that one.

This is the one you want to find somewhere. It is from the 1980s, but a lot of gear would still be interchangeable in the Vietnam era. The tank rounds would not be proper for the M48A2 though.

http://cgi.ebay.com/MODERN-TANK-WEPONS-SET-/250734291419?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3a60eda9db