Having seen just a couple of pics of the M103 I was wondering how long this beast was in service?
Info on it seems pretty rare.
Thanks folks

Mark, first I'm no expert, but I seem to remember reading about the M103 a couple weeks ago as I think its one of the neatest tanks the US had. It was used to beef up regular US Army (and I believe Marine units) with its heavy 120mm cannon.

I believe the turret was basically plopped on an M48 type chassis. I think the ammunition was two part i.e. charge and round.

Just go to Google, type in M103 and you'll get directed to sites that have photos and descriptions. (Again, I'm no expert, but am glad to see another interested in the M103.)

http://www.battletanks.com/m103_heavy_t_.htm

http://www.missing-lynx.com/gallery/modern/dmm103.htm

These are two good references... but I also refer you to the message above... there are several good picture sites and several with more information.

I stand to be corrected (actually, I can't stand to be corrected, just ask my girl...), but didn't the M103 evolve out of that same mad super heavy armour doctrine of the '50s Cold War. This also gave rise to the British Conqueror tank, a super gnarly piece of kit.
The idea was to have units of MBTs (tho' of course they probably weren't called that in those days...) going into battle against the 'swarms of Soviet invaders' supported by tanks of the super heavy league - does this sound familiar to students of WW2 German armour doctrine..?
The M103 was a big tank. The commander sat high and dry waaaay at the back and top of one mother of a turret. There's no way it could have been based on an M48 chassis...
I have seen one reference to the M103 being used by the USMC in Vietnam - but that was just a generic photo and a caption refering to in-country deployment in a copy of the UK magazine Regiment, covering the USMC from 1948 to the present day (I'd be more convinced if the photo showed an M103 squashing a couple of bamboo hotches or taking on a water buffalo but there it is...)
Anyway, I guess asking for a 1/35 scale plastic kit of this, and other armoured behemoths, would be too much - hang on, isn't someone bringing out a 35th scale Mörser Karl..?
Ah, but that's German WW2...

acav out

It first came into service in 1957, and ran into the 70's.
The M103, the Heavy Tank variant of the M48 series, was designed to counter to the Soviet's JS III heavy tanks, which outclassed all other US tanks during the immediate period following World War II. At nearly 65 tons, it was by far the heaviest tank placed in service by the US Army prior to the advent of the M1 Abrams.
The strong family resemblance to the M48 was based on the components common to both vehicles. The suspension was similar to that of the M48, though modified to carry the increased weight. The M103 had one additional road wheel on each side, though unlike the M48 most of the M103's torsion arms had shock absorbers. Six return rollers were fitted, and the final-drives had much larger exposed gear-boxes.
While the M103 hull was similar in shape to the M48, it was longer and wider, and had thicker armor with better ballistic shape in the forward hull. The engine deck was unlike that of the M48. The turret was totally different, with a large bustle to enable the 120mm gun to recoil. The ballistic shape was excellent from the front, but poor from the rear. The machine gun mount was used to allow the gun to be trained, elevated, and fired from within the vehicle.
The M103A1 differed slightly from the M103, having improved fire-control devices that resulted in minor changes in the turret shape.
The M103A2 was the Heavy Tank variant of the M60 series. It had the large bulged rear engine deck, typical of the diesel engined M48 and M60. It saw service, with a few being around into the 1970's.

M103 Series Specs.

There's no way it could have been based on an M48 chassis...

Okay, but 'components' are different to the whole chassis

I stand corrected - well, that saved me a few bucks down at Madame Lash's dungeon this weekend...

acav out

Mark,
A picture of the built Commanders series kit can be found at this url
http://www.cidwebs.com/armorinscale/johnpic19.htm

Thanks to all for the info and links.My new interest in the M-103 stems from my sudden interest in Pershings,Pattons just in the last few weeks after I started building the Italeri M-47 Patton,which is a great kit that I recomend to all US tank builders.Now if only someone would come out with a M103 kit
Thanks again,and this is what makes Armorama such a great site :-)

The M103 seems to be one of those subjects where a lot of people know a little bit about it but very few know a lot. I'm in the first catigory. Heard tales about the M103 and several other super tanks in the 60's. None of which ever saw combat with US Army forces. The M103 has been reported on this site and several other to have been in combat in Lebonan and Vietnam. I can't find references to the deployment of the M103 to lebenon but I have found several that state that the M103 was not deployed to Nam with the other companies of the Marine Tank Battalions. The following is a quote from a referance on Marine Tanks . "Tanks landed with the Marine Corps units sent to Da Nang to begin the formal campaign in March-July, 1965. Overall command remained with Maj. Gen. William R. "Rip" Collins, the commanding general of III MEF until his normal relief in June, to this day the highest tactical post ever held by a Marine Corps tanker. Within a year, the 1st and 3d Tank Battalions arrived. The 5th Tank Battalion activated in July 1966, a company deploying with the 27th Marines to Vietnam in the summer of 1967. Except for the M103 heavy tank, all the equipment procured in the preceding decade would receive a rigorous trial by fire".
Some note on the M103:
The M103 was the final product of the T43? project started in 1947. Powered by the M47 engine and transmission, and at a weight 15 tons heavier than the M47, it was grossley underpowered. The M103A1 though still underpowered could meet the 20mph requirement but at a sacrifice of protection and mission oriented concerns. When the Army adopted the 60 series the M103 was quickly deleted from the inventory.
The Marines, not willing to invest the in the cost of tne M60's imbarked in 1963 on a program of upgrading the M103 and M103a1's to the M103A2. This upgrade included replacing the gasser powerplant with a deisel, installation of NBC protection and improved fire control systems. This upgrade and the anticipated new MBT the M70, delayed the procurment of the 60 series until 1975.
The heavy recovery vehicle, M51, based on the M103A1 chassis entered service in 1958.

And if you get down there, the military museum at Fort Lewis in Washington state has an M103 in the antique vehicle park. I was there a couple of weeks ago, and the the thing is freakin' HUGE.

Now then.... a confession. since the 9/11 attacks it is officially forbidden to photograph anything on any US military installation. This does not stop dedicacted modelers or other tourists, though. No MPs were actually patrolling the museum grounds and so I noted several cameras including mine snapping away at various subjects. Even the MPs at the gate say the regulation is stupid, but they will enforce it if they happen to be around. They aren't stupid; they realize that taking detail shots of a sixty-year-old relic has no detrimental effect on national security but ar bound by a knee-jerk regulation. So, don't tell the gate guards you plan to take pictures, and do a thorough reconnaissance of the vehicle park before getting your pictures. Chances are a good court fight would be the last thing the military really wants, as they don't need the adverse publicity, but it's best to keep a low profile and minimize your chance of getting caught with the goods on that M103 or, in my case, that M4A1E9 rebuilt Sherman.
Greg

So if I understan correctly there are not kits made of this beast? Or are they all just OOP now? It would be a neat looking monster on the shelf. If anyone knows of current or OOP kits of the M-103 please let me know. I have another question but it probably needs its own post.

A M-103 sitting on the shelf would look great next to some other US tanks,dont think there are any kits around in styrene.If I remember correctly "Roco Mini tanks" did have one in their series 1/87th scale or something tiny like that?
Oh well prehaps one day we will see a 1/35th kit :-)

I did a google search and found a resin kit... Cammander Series maybe?? It was damn expensive, though...

There are pictures of conversions online too... they look pretty good. With an M48 kit or two you should be able to do it.

I remember seeing a Roco M-103 in the local Hobby shop here in Boise quite a few years ago, but I can't remember if it had tha low engine deck or raised. There have been a few rumers among us modelers of an old M-103 (probably a Marine A2) carcass out on the Idaho National Guard/ Marine Reserve firing range south of town here in Boise, but nothing confirmed. They've got too much unexploded ordinance out there to let us go out on a Snark and Boojum hunt, and the tankers like to drag race out there in the desert with their Abrams and Brads.

About halfway down the page

M48 Tanks A pair of M48's set out in the Boise desert as targets for the national guard to destroy. Webmaster Don Roberts Photo


Really 103s

If you're in the local area, there's a guy who rebuilds military vehicles for sale just off of I-84 at Fruitland, Idaho. The last time that I drove past there, he also had an OH-58 whirley-gig on his line that looked airworthy. The largest armor that I've seen over there was an M-88 ARV. He has his rebuild site about 35 miles north on Idaho 95 the other side of Weiser, Idaho.

Found this set of reference pics if anyone wants to check them out...

http://community.webshots.com/album/30328733gJCfWvpJId

acav out