1:72 M46 Patton Medium Tank, 6th Tank Battalion, 24th US Infantry Division, Han River, Korea, 1951

The real subject

The M46 Patton was an American medium tank that came out of a rebuild of the older M26 Pershing. It received a new engine and a hydramatic transmission, thanks to which mobility improved markedly, and the main armament was a 90 mm gun with a muzzle brake. It was fielded in Korea, where it was among the strongest machines the American army put into action there. The vehicles of the 6th Tank Battalion, which fought in the area of the Han River, became famous for the tiger mouths painted on the front of the hull.

How the model is made

This is a finished collector model rather than a kit. It arrives assembled and painted at the factory, markings included, so nothing is glued, filled or sprayed. The hull and the turret are metal, the small parts plastic.

• 1:72 scale
• the real subject is the American M46 Patton medium tank
• the rendering of the 6th Tank Battalion of the 24th Infantry Division, Korea 1951
• a finished model; it is neither built nor painted
• a metal hull and turret, plastic small parts
• a factory finish and markings

Display and care

Sweep dust off the model with a soft brush or blow it off with a bulb, and do not use solvents or alcohol-based cleaners on the factory finish. Longer display in direct sunlight lightens the paint, so the model does best in a closed display case. When carrying it, hold it by the hull rather than by the gun barrel or by the grab handles.

Who it is for

The model will be appreciated by collectors of ground vehicles and by modelers who want a machine from the Korean War in a display case without building and painting it. The 1:72 scale matches ordinary plastic kits, so it can be stood beside them and beside figures of the same scale. Paints, glue, figures and a display case are not in the package, unless stated otherwise.