Hi everyone,

I'm working on this kit and I'm concerned with the infrared sight. The kit comes with two gun mantlets, a solid styrene one and one to simulate a canvas cover made from soft vinyl. I would greatly prefer the canvas cover option but I'm concerned about how the infrared sight goes on.

There are three little knobs, also vinyl that are very soft. The site is supposed to attach to them. But I can't see them holding it up, unless the sight actually sits on the gun barrel which I don't think it does. The instructions don't help and don't actually show how the sight attaches.

I was wondering if anyone has built one what advice you could give me. I'm considering just leaving the IR sight off altogether actually.

Thanks heaps.

Edit: Sorry, I meant IR search light, not sight.

While I unfortunately cannot give you the answer you are looking for, you might be interested in this resin replacement. It's fairly inexpensive, and would allow you to get the look you want.

https://tigermodeldesigns.com/product/35-7108-m48-canvas-covered-mantel-depressed-position-dra/

I ended up just buying the DEF Model detail set for it.

Definately go for the DEF resin manlet. It is easy to assemble and use...

The three little "bumps" you describe are platforms for a "ball and clamp" arrangement that lock down the Searchlight. It's best to think of them each as a small trailer hitch which uses a similar arrangement to hitch a trailer to a ball mount on a civilian truck or car. By the way, the IR "sights" are internal to the gunners and TCs periscope system (and the drivers IR driving scope), what's on the outside of the tank is the Searchlight. The searchlight itself has two modes-- one for white light, and one for infrared operation. If it's the Xenon light, it's either a small box with a circular opening, or a larger light with a square opening, similar to an old TV screen. There is also a very early light that's round, most commonly seen on USMC tanks of the 1960s. I don't know which you have, and it would depend on the period you're modeling. In addition, the M60 and some M48 series tanks had a bracket behind the loaders position that overhung the side of the turret with three corresponding "balls" so the searchlight could be suspended, lens down for storage. Even with the mantlet cover, which is a rubberized fabric material, the three attachment points would project through the cover, so the light could be attached.
VR, Russ

The mantlet pieces are molded from DS or Dragon styrene so will assemble with regular model liquid cement.

The one in the Dragon kit is this:







It balances on the balls and the then you clamp it down. Did it a bunch of times on M48A5s (the beast in the middle picture)

Thanks guys. Going for the DEF set. It looks like it has a replacement search light as well which is great because I've buggered it a bit.

Don't forget decals!

http://star-decals.net/35-C1074.html

Sweet.

Nice. I also wanted to point out that Dragon's mantlet cover looks a bit over-sized. DEF set looks much nicer.

Hi again guys. I've finished the build now, and another concern popped up. There is no detail at all on the inside of the loader's hatch. Would anyone who has built this kit share what if anything you did about that?

Cheers.

The loader's hatch inner surface has a head pad and a simple lock mechanism. You can see them in te bottom of the below pic.


I replicate them using a piece of 0.020 styrene for the pad, sanded to shape, and a few pieces of scrap PE and wire to fabricate the latch.