Introduction

A Squadron of Danish Leopard 1A5DK tanks deployed to Bosnia as part of the UNPROFOR forces during 1994 and 1995. The tanks were painted white with bold UN markings. This gave the tanks a very unique appearance and they truly stood out as only a few Nations’ Main Battle Tanks from around the world have deployed on missions painted in white with UN markings.

The Danish crews with their Leopards did not hesitate to engage belligerent forces with their main guns when they were required to as a result of the terms of engagement. The deployment of the Danish Leopards showed NATOs armies that tanks had major value during a UN mission and follow-up Peace Support type missions were fighting forces also had tanks as their disposal.

This new decal set produced by the Leopard Workshop was created for use with the new Danish Leopard 1A5DK conversion from Legend Productions for the Meng Leopard 1A3/A4 kit. However, the Accurate Armour Leopard 1A5DK conversion and Italeri Leopard 1A4 kit could also be used with the applicable UNPROFOR modifications.

The decals focus on the Danish Leopards as they appeared during deployments to Bosnia with UNPROFOR.
Years ago I built a 1/35th scale UNPROFOR Danish Leopard 1A5DK. This was before any decal set was available and I had to cobble together decal sets or create my own decals to make accurate markings. This set most definitely provides the modeller with a much easier and more detailed route to a great looking UNPROFOR Leopard.

Review

The instruction sheet provides the modeller with a large amount of information in a small compact package:

• Overview history of the Danish Leopard 1
• Description and marking layout for six distinct UNPROFOR Danish Leopard 1A5DKs
• Additional detail and marking information about the Danish Leopards

Images of actual UNPROFOR Leopard tanks are provided in the instructions to show the placement of the markings. At first glance the majority of the UN markings are in generic locations on all tanks but there are subtle changes so pick your tank markings and study both the instructions and the images.

Two of the tanks are shown with a mine plow and a dozer blade fitted. There is currently no 1/35the scale Leopard 1 mine plow and the current available 1/35th scale Leopard 1 dozer blade produced by Mouse House Enterprises may not be correct for the Danish tanks as depicted. With that in mind, the plow and dozers may have been removed at some point (as seen in the instructions) so accuracy would be fine with a standard UNPROFOR Leopard build.

The decal quality is very nice. The details and edges are sharp with no apparent bleeding or overlap visible. The thickness of the decal film is visible but as the decals are applied to flat surfaces of the Leopards they should seat and settle in nicely. The colours are vibrant particularly in the red, yellows, and blues. There is no doubt that the decals will make your UNPROFOR Leopard standout among other Leopards.

I noted from my references that some of the UNPROFOR Leopard cartoon art was carried over to Danish IFOR Leopards. This will provide the modeller even more Danish Leopard options with the right references.

conclusion

The Leopard Workshop UNPROFOR Danish Leopard 1A5DK decal set is a welcome addition to aftermarket items for Leopard 1 enthusiasts. The hardest part of using this decal set will be to decide which tank to depict or how many to build!