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M103A2 Heavy Tank

Part 16 - Figure It Out

The Dragon kit does not come with any figures. For a figure representative of a USMC Tanker from the time period depicted in the build, the cotton sateen OG-107 utilities / fatigues would be the correct dress, along with the T-56 CVC Helmet. I converted the Tank Commander figure from the original Tamiya M1 Abrams #35124 kit into a USMC M103A2 Tank Commander. The uniform on the figure passes for the OG-107, and Hornet makes some fine looking resin heads wearing the T-56 CVC Helmet. To add an additional touch of detail I used a Royal Model PE microphone and the terrific resin head. While I was able to assemble and prime the figure, it will need some putty touch ups around the shoulders to fill gaps and some minor seam removal before re-priming and painting. To place the figure in the cupola I built a small riser base on the turret bottom. It was quite common to see the Tank Commander in the M103A2 quite far out of the turret.

Conclusion - Ready for Action

The M103A2 was a beast of a tank that served the USMC as well as could be expected until the reality of replacement by the M60A1 came to fruition. The colossal Cold War tanks such as the M103A2 would have stood their ground against Soviet counterparts. They would have dished out massive amount of firepower against an enemy and taken return fire very well. This was never nearer the truth while the M103A2 served stoically in Guantanamo Bay, staring into the face of the enemy.

The Dragon M103A2 Heavy Tank definitely took a beating from official and unofficial reviews after it was released. The kit requires a hard core approach to make it as accurate as possible. During my build I took what I consider to be a steady but true course in order to create a much better looking finished model than it would be if built straight out of the box. Using aftermarket parts, scratch building, and good old fashioned elbow grease, I concentrated on details that I thought were important and accepted other kit details for what they are. The historical research on the M103A2 I undertook was very interesting and most satisfying.

I don’t expect that we will see another M103A2 kit anytime soon. Have some fun when building this kit, I did! The era of the Cold War Heavy Tanks faded away decades ago, but for this build they have come roaring back to life, even if just for a moment in time.