Legend brings us an economical little set to correct some deficiencies of the Dragon M48A3 Mod B kit. This set provides a replacement covered mantlet and an AN/VSS-1 searchlight which were standard equipment on all M48A3 Mod B tanks and missing from Dragon''s kit.

Link to Item

If you have comments or questions please post them here.

Thanks!

Thanks for posting this up Darren. It is a great little set.

Hi Gino, thanks for the review, like your idea for mounting the mantlet cover. I have both sets and am getting ready to star building the Dragon kit. I do have one issue, they show the searchlight handles going through the cover, i am a little suspect of this. How would the cover be taken on and off? All the reference photos I have show the cover shorter, and the handles being short of the end of the cover.

As Legend shows, and I have built it, is the forward legs on the handle to be short and not make contact with the light at all, just sort of hanging there. I'm not sure if this is correct or not as I have only seen them shorter in length as well.

I believe the front part of the handle is shorter but still attached to the light, the same as it is on the old Tamiya M48 light. I have a large photo of an M48 in 'Nam on my computer as a screen saver, and it definitely looks like the handle is shorter in length than Legend shows it.

It looks to be the way Legend has you build it on the below M48A5. The front portion is not attached and just hanging there. Maybe they were both ways?

Good write up Gino and a nice price but is the lens cover an option? Can it be built without it?





Jeff

Thanks Jeff. No, there is no option to build it w/out the lens cover. The light is a solid block of resin with the cover molded onto it.

Gino, very good possibility, or Legend just made the sides of the cover to long? Either way I am just going to make the front part of the grab handle a little shorter than they call for, and hope it is correct.

Thanks Gino... ah, but I have to ask the stupid questions first.


I like it just the way it is! Now just to find who sells it.








Jeff

The carry handles do go the length described except that the front of the grab handle curves in, but does NOT attach to the light case itself. The handles are only secured by the rear and middle, leaving the front open with enough space for the cover. There's also a removable part at the front of the light where the handle would have attached - they don't attach there of course because it's a removable piece. I've found some TM's online for the light that illustrate this clearly - I myself never dealt with these older lights in person.

The cover also has straps that go back and attach to the torsion bars that go across the rear.

The "hitch" handles also need to be added for the ball/trailer hitch type of mount. These are missing in several companies kits although they are a fairly large obvious item.

Thanks Bruce, great info and pics. Now that I think about it, it makes sense that the front of the handle is floating. The forward part of the light comes off to service the bulb. If the handle was attached, the front wouldn't be able to be removed.

Thanks Bruce for solving the mystery.