Looking to build the Dragon M48A3 in USMC Vietnam-era configuration. What metal AM barrels are recommended, and what about AM tracks?

AFV Club tracks, set 35005.

Orange Hobby is the only company making a metal barrel OH G35-130, but the kit one is fairly good.

There are the previously mentioned AFV Club tracks and Bronco also makes a set, but they are quite tedious to assemble and time consuming.

Are you going to build the ModB kit no 3544 or kit no 3546?

In any case you will need a mantlet and DEF model set DM35029 is superb, providing the main gun mantlet as well other details.

For kit 3546 you will need to correct the rear engine doors, since they do not have the brackets like the mod B engine doors supplied in the kit. There are aftermarket items but it is airly easy to correct them.

Do not forget the holes in the sprockets.

As Nikos mentions, the kit barrel is pretty good as is. Here is a build review I did of the Mod B kit a while ago. It should give you some tips and pointers.

You don't HAVE to have a mantlet cover, there are quite a few pics of M48's in Vietnam without one....check the squadron signal book amongst others

This is very interesting. Thanks for pointing that one out, I will check my references.

I have built all 3 tracks... the Bronco is very tedious... not fun... built the Fruil.. nice detail but tedious to add the nut that covers the wire hole.... I really like the AFV Club... very little clean up and went together really quick!

Thanks mike, I was wondering about the tracks myself, your opinion, having built all three sets is extremely helpful! I guess I will try a set of AFV club myself.

AFV CLub tracks usually have sinkmarks on the inner side of the track. Every link. They are not difficult to fill.I usually glue the links together, since the end connectors tend to pop off while working on the track.

Friul T97 tracks are not workable, because they include links preshaped for the angled parts of the track. You also need to add two pins on every link (a left and a right side one), not a single large one.