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Monday, January 04, 2016 - 12:05 AM UTC
Dragon Models is releasing an M60A2 Starship as a smart kit in 1/35th scale.
The M60 main battle tank (MBT), first introduced in 1960, was developed by the USA primarily to meet the threat posed by the Warsaw Pact during the Cold War. One variant of that family was the M60A2, which entered service in 1972 as a stop-gap solution before the expected arrival of the MBT-70. Some 526 examples were manufactured, and it was nicknamed the Starship because of its then sophisticated technology, with the M48 152mm gun/launcher being an obvious example.

This weapon, which had a troubled operational life, fired the MGM-51 Shillelagh anti-tank guided missile out to a range of 3km. A .50-cal machine gun was also mounted in the commander’s cupola on the new low-profile turret, meaning the commander did not need to leave the safety of his position. Although the M60A2 was a disappointment, it paved the way for future designs.

Now, to thrill fans of modern armor, we are going to released a 1/35 scale model kit of the M60A2 Starship. Dragon has conducted highly detailed and extensive research on this tank, and the result is a superb plastic kit. The complex form of the turret is accurately reflected, and the tank has lots of convenient features such as slide-molded components and DS tracks. Dragon has taken this M60A2 Starship into the space age with this technologically sophisticated kit!
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Comments

The AFV Club will be worth the wait.
JAN 05, 2016 - 04:47 AM
Ed,The service A2s had top loading aircleaners.The earliest ones did not have that lower armored strip.Later, they would gain the small indicator for the condition of the filter inside,located near the forward edge. On my thank, the top surface was flat, and only had a small bevel, towards the turret ring side.
JAN 05, 2016 - 06:03 AM
Sure, never fails, right after I buy the Tamiya
JAN 05, 2016 - 07:35 AM
It will.
JAN 05, 2016 - 06:22 PM
Thanks for the info Carl - that's what I meant. The pictures of M60A2s I've seen show the air cleaners with a flat top surface rather than the kind with the sloped front. So just curious whether anyone has pictures of an A2 with the pattern Dragon shows.
JAN 06, 2016 - 12:36 AM
I crewed the A2 when I was in the Army. I've been waiting for this kit. The tamiya kit has/is lacking. I will place my order ASAP.
JAN 06, 2016 - 12:39 AM
I am not seeing canvas covers for the main gun or the TC cupola in the CAD images. [/quote] Good point, and, BTW the material was not actually canvas, but a rubberized stressed fabric that appeared to me to be synthetic. Unpainted it had a lime green color. That being said, it was relatively durable and held cammo paint well considering the wear and tear factor. The searchlight cover and coax port cover were canvas however. Here is me and my A2 in the field ...Hohenfels FRG circa 1978 You can see in the second pic that we had been supplied with later revision track (replaceable pads). SO, a later representation A2 would be correct in having either type. I really like the AFV club offering and will probably use it in my build.
JAN 06, 2016 - 12:46 AM
I missed the A2 by couple of years; I am a 19D so in a CAV unit i trained on both m113's and M60A3. I took a Tamiya kit and after a lot of research and brass, I made the correction to make an A2. The CBSS bulge on the rear was the real hard part. Cant wait to build the Academy kit.
JAN 07, 2016 - 04:02 AM
The kit is Dragon, I was referring to the AFV club aftermarket indie track.
JAN 07, 2016 - 10:16 PM
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