Paul Truhe reviews and builds the M47/G Patton from Takom in 1/35th scale.

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If you have comments or questions please post them here.

Thanks!

My compliments to you in the ability of holding back the disappointment(s) that this kit possesses during your build process.

I didn’t really have any expectations when starting the build. I’ve always wanted to do a Bundeswehr M47 but never picked up a Testors/Italeri kit. First Takom kit as well. Maybe my disappointment is tempered by my experience with the Heller AMX-13/75.

It's been an interesting kit. I am building a representation of an M47 which is on outside display at the Joint Forces Training Base at Los Alamitos, CA.

A metal plaque on the rear plate identifies this tank as a former vehicle from the Spanish Army. This vehicle does not have the small idler wheels and arms mounted next to the drive sprocket, and now that I write this, I remember there is no cover in the kit for the hole where the idler arm is on the hull. I'll have to take a closer look.

Thanks for your review. I just want to add/correct some historical details:
- the West German Army (Bundeswehr) was formed in 1955, not in 1946
- the Bundesgrenzschutz (Federal Border Guard) never used the M47
- the M47 was mainly replaced by LEOPARD 1 tanks in the 1960's,the last ones were phased out in 1969

With moving the driver to the right side, there was space for additional ammo rack on the old driver position. The ammo storage increased to more than 100 rounds!

Oops. Typo on my part but I thought it was 1956.



My BGS reference comes from this:
http://www.beim-alten-bgs.de/Zu_den_Kameradenseiten/35_Vom_BGS_1954-56_zum_PzBtl_2/BGS_II_GSG6/bgs_ii_gsg6.html
I’ve been told this became PzBtl 1.

And at bottom of this page:
http://www.beim-alten-bgs.de/Zu_den_Kameradenseiten/35_Vom_BGS_1954-56_zum_PzBtl_2/5__GSG6/5__gsg6.html



So units with M47 were given priority on Leopard 1 delivery over those who had M48?

Job well done..on your build.

I thought the BW was formed on paper in '55, but the tanks arrived in '56, so a little confusion is understandable.

Looks like another enjoyable, well-detailed kit. Let the critics begin!

Is there any decal for Jordanian and pakistan army?

Yes but it’s not much.

Nice review, thanks

My BGS reference comes from this:
http://www.beim-alten-bgs.de/Zu_den_Kameradenseiten/35_Vom_BGS_1954-56_zum_PzBtl_2/BGS_II_GSG6/bgs_ii_gsg6.html
I’ve been told this became PzBtl 1.

And at bottom of this page:
http://www.beim-alten-bgs.de/Zu_den_Kameradenseiten/35_Vom_BGS_1954-56_zum_PzBtl_2/5__GSG6/5__gsg6.html



So units with M47 were given priority on Leopard 1 delivery over those who had M48?[/quote]

OK, some BGS units were transfered to Bundeswehr units and formed the base for the new Bundeswehr. As it is written on that page, it seems to be in the transitional phase with tanks from the Bundeswehr and personal still from the BGS. Never seen or heard before!

Regarding the delivery of the Leopard 1:
the M47 was replaced with the Leopard while the M48 was still in service until around 1990. Some of the M48 have been upgrated to M48A2GA2. The M48 in tank battalions of tank brigades were repalced with Leopard 2 and the M48 were then in use with the German pendant to the US-National Guard (German: Haimatschutzbrigaden)

Thanks for all the information about the tank replacement method!

Got the kit, and the contour of the glacis plate is drastically wrong. The raised area around the machine gun mount should blend smoothly into the rest of the glacis, but Takom depicts it like a plateau, with a very sudden transition. It will require a great deal of scraping, filling and sanding to make it right.

The Italeri kit is less sophisticated in its tooling due to its age, but it is accurate in shape.