The M48 series of U.S. main battle tanks formed the backbone of the German armed forces until indigenous Leopard tanks replaced them in frontline service. The M48A2GA2, with its 105mm gun and new mantlet, a new commander's cupola, and a spotlight and case mounted on the rear turret (among other changes), was the last upgrade of the M48 before the Leopard II entered service.
The kit is injection-molded in olive green plastic with "rubber band" tracks molded in vinyl. Generally the molding is crisp, although I did find sink marks and flash on several parts. Cast texture is molded into the hull and turret, but many of those parts should not have the cast texture; I removed it when I could without damaging the part. A power cord for the searchlight is molded in vinyl, and wire is provided for the antennas.
Directions are clear and logical, including a parts list and multiview drawings of the camouflage patterns. Detail colors are called out along the way.
Construction begins with the four-part lower hull. Make sure the lower hull sides are aligned. Removing the seam will damage the cast texture. I used Mr. Surfacer 500 to blend in the seam and tone down the texture. I skipped ahead and glued the rear panel (B5) and upper hull, making sure to first drill the locator holes for later parts. I hid the joint in the hull front with more Mr. Surfacer 500. The rest of the hull was no problem.
The vinyl tracks are supposed to be melted together with the pins on the outside of the track. I found this odd, but the fender hides the melted marks if the seam is on top. Mount the track at the same time as the drive sprocket. If you glue the upper hull in place first, as I did, there is no room to slide the tracks over the drive sprocket.
The tracks are about two links too long, but not worth fixing. They have knockout marks and flash that is impossible to remove. Aftermarket replacements are your best bet. The drive sprockets have no lightening holes, but you can add them if you like.
Turret assembly started with drilling holes for the additional parts of this version. Fit was good; the only filler needed was around the ventilator cover (Part D85). The gun tube is molded in two parts, but the good fit left only a small seam that was easily removed.
I added the mantlet before all the detail parts. Next, I glued the top of the dust cover to the mantlet and turret. Once this was dry, I folded the two sides down and glued them. After the dust cover is in place, the gun cannot be moved.
Directions show the searchlight's vinyl cable is held in place by melting its ends. It was still loose, so once everything was in place I applied more liquid glue to secure it.
For the antennas, you are supposed to heat the wire and melt it into place. However, the top of the base is small, so I chose not to add the wire because I didn't want to damage the plastic base.
Parts E128 and E129 are stands for the commander's hatch. They are supposed to have a seam on top that lines up with the edge of the hatches. Use care removing the basket halves (D100 and D103) from the sprue. The ends of the baskets are molded half-round to match half-round sections on the basket ends (F101 and F102).
The kit provides four marking options: two NATO three-color camouflage and two in a single yellow-olive. I chose the second of the yellow-olive, since I already have several models in the NATO scheme and I liked the markings for the 4th PzGrenDiv, PzAufklBtl 4, Roding, 1980.
I primed with Tamiya spray-can NATO green (TS-61), then airbrushed Vallejo Model Air yellow olive (70.013) and olive gray (71.015) in cloud patterns to provide variety. Washes and dry-brushing with Vallejo, Ammo of Mig Jimenez, and Humbrol paints produced detail and weathering.
I painted the tracks with Tamiya spray-can tire black (TS-82) and picked out metal parts with a dark rust. Mig neutral wash made the tracks look dusty.
The decals are in-register except for the German flags on the license plates; none of those three colors lined up. The decals did not want to stick to the gloss coat and needed a heavy dose of Solvaset, but there was no silvering.
The kit supplies everything needed for an M48A2GA2. But if you want to make this tank your own, you may want to consult The M48 Main Battle Tank in German Army Service, by Stefan Marx (Tankograd Militarfahrzeug Special Series No. 5011).
A straightforward build with no complex assemblies or photoetched metal makes this a great kit for beginners or a quick, no-thinking build for experienced modelers. (I took 30 hours.) Replacing the tracks will make this a great-looking addition to any collection.
Note: A version of this review appeared in the October 2015 FineScale Modeler.