Just picked up this kit at my local hobby shop. I've been waiting for it ever since I heard it was being released.

First of all, this is not a reissue of the old Esci M60A1/A3 kits. All the M60A3 specific parts are on a sub-sprue labeled "M60A3". This leads me to believe that an M60A1 might be in the works. Some of the A3 parts are the thermal shrouded 105mm gun barrel, crosswind sensor, armored GPS housing, LRF blister and two smoke grenade launcher storage boxes.

Some of the improvements over the old Esci kit are link and length tracks with center guides; separate road wheels halves, separate support roller halves, center guide guides on the drive sprocket; separate loader and commander hatches; searchlight interrupter; crosswind sensor and several other finely detailed parts like the telephone box and tow cables.

The driver's hatch is molded closed and the road wheels are the steel (smooth) type. The kit includes decal markings for an OPFOR vehicle at the CMTC at Hohenfels, Germany (1995); an Egyptian Bright Star vehicle (1999); and a Grecian tank (2001).

The kit looks pretty good so far and I may have to pick up more of them. Too bad they didn't include markings for REFORGER era tanks. I do have a few Esci tanks that I can swipe these from.

Only a couple of minor things I see missing: crosswind sensor hold down; crosswind sensor interrupter; and the omnipresent 2x4 or chain length strung between the headlight guards. Any of these would be rather simple to add or too minor to bother with.

Hey Rob, thanks for the "quick look". It was my understanding that the Revell Patton kits were simply re-boxed Esci kits, with some slight variations.

I guess I need to try and get one of these bad boys to put in my Patton collection now.

Dave

The Revell m60-a3 is not a re box, It is a Brand new kit, and i also am looking forward to getting this kit.

This is true if you are talking about the 1/35 scale M60A3, but in 1/72 scale, the Revell M60A3 is all-new and not the old Esci kit.

[/quote]This is true if you are talking about the 1/35 scale M60A3, but in 1/72 scale, the Revell M60A3 is all-new and not the old Esci kit.[/quote]

Uh . . . do I feel stupid. I was breezing through the "latest posts", and saw this entry, and responded to it without looking at which group it was in.

Please excuse my gross ignorance.

Dave (looking for some place to hide)