US M48 'Patton' Tank

The US M48 'Patton' Tank (catalogue# VEH 4) from Britannia Miniatures 20mm Vietnam range is the second battle tank in the range. The model reviewed here was provided by David Howitt of Britannia Miniatures.

All models are from my own personal collection and have been painted and photographed by me.

Model Components

The model comes supplied as a two part resin kit consisting of the hull (with running gear) and turret, and with a separate two-man crew and metal main gun. The hull and turret are festooned with stowage consisting of assorted baggage, boxes, tarps and so forth. At first sight all this stowage looks very good and gives a certain character to the model but, as mentioned later in this article, does present some limitations. Casting quality is, on the whole, good although with this much detail there are bound to be some flaws and yet, those that do exist are relatively minor.

The commander is depicted as sitting on the opened cupola hatch and manning a turret-mounted .50-cal. In the open loaders hatch just to the left of the commander, another crew member is standing armed with what looks like an AK-47! Both wear the distinctive helmets of AFV crewmen.

Preparation

Preparation of the model was very straightforward and required little work. I had to use a file to make the turret ring on the underside of the turret a little more rounded in order to get a smooth turret traverse but apart from that it was a matter of simply dusting the model down.

Before undercoating, I glued the main gun to the turret. Unfortunately, on drying, I found that the barrel was slightly twisted and the muzzle brake was out of alignment. I eventually fixed this with a pair of pliers and twisted the brake back into the horizontal.

Painting

Unlike the painting scheme used on other models at this scale, such as the M551 Sheridan and the M113 ACAV, I decided on this occasion to try something completely different. Instead of painting the main bulk of the model using a sponge, I was going to try using a combination of washes and sponge-applied paint.

I undercoated the model with a black primer and, after this had dried, I checked the model over for areas that had been missed. This was important because the level of detailing on the model is such that many areas are easy to miss with the undercoat spray. Missed areas were simply painted using a brush until I had a uniform black undercoat.

Using the now familiar make-up sponge, I applied quite a heavy coat of Games Workshops ‘Camo Green’. This was a colour that was new to me and which I obtained only recently. When dry, I applied a heavy chestnut ink wash to the entire model. This not only toned down the green significantly but also served the dual purpose of raising the detail on the model.

I then proceeded to use the sponging technique to apply the first highlight to the model using the base colour, ‘Green Camo’. A second highlight was subsequently added using Color Party ‘US Olive Drab’.

Once this was completed, the model looked a very uniform colour and I decided to break this up by picking out particular items of stowage and equipment. These were all then repainted in black and subsequently picked out in various browns and greens. I further applied an ink wash to some of these. The ink wash tends to leave a coat of colour over the entire surface and so makes the stowage look uniformly 'dirty' which is an effect that I had not intended but was quite effective.

Therefore, I dry-brushed all stowage items in their original colours. This resulted in bringing back the detail and individuality of all the stowage pieces. Now the ink wash was showing to best effect in the folds and creases of the stowage items and I was pleased with the overall effect. Apart from the addition of some weathering effects, the main part of the model was now complete. All that remained to paint was the crew. These were painted in the same manner as I usually paint my infantry.

The Completed Model & General Comments

The only problem that appears to affect this model is the sheer amount of stowage gear with which it is covered. As a single model in a collection, this would not otherwise be a problem but, if you wanted to field a platoon of these then having all three look exactly the same could be a detraction. The amount of stowage is so considerable that there is very little, if any, room remaining on the vehicle for customisation.

Personally, I think that either a separate turret free of baggage would be a good idea or else an entirely uncluttered vehicle that is open to personal conversions. One thing I do know about most gamers is that they appreciate the opportunity to add personal touches to their models and this is quite difficult with this amount of pre-moulded detail. A separate stowage kit is also an option.

However, in spite of these small criticisms, the model itself is a much appreciated addition to the Britannia range and certainly adds the finishing touch to an armoured cavalry platoon or a USMC tank platoon and is just the thing for battles like Hue during Tet or the the last days of South Vietnam.