Well Dragon has now announced the long missing member of the M48 family in 1/35 as an injection molded kit, and not a conversion. We have had the A2, A2(G), A3, and A5 in 1/35 over the past few decades… now finally the A1
Berlin 1961 anybody?
Oh good, then I won’t have to make a conversion. 
This is a version that I’m interested in. Great ref shots too.
WELLY (pull back, die cast toys maker) released a VW bus just like the one in the top picture in 1:37 +/-
Yes, I think it’s Black Dog who does a resin conversion in 1/35. Or you could try grafting an M46 or M47 engine deck onto one of the A2/A3/A5 kits. Now if they do the A0 with the initial cupola the whole basic M48 family will finally be available in 1/35 injection molding kits.
the straight M48 didn’t exist for very long. Even the A1 was only around for a relatively short period of time. The A2 and A3 had a fairly long life, especially when they were rebuilt into A5s.
Some of the more knowledgeable modelers have been discussing the merging of the M103A1 back deck with the M48A3 hull in how Dragon appears to be producing this version.
Yes the M-103A2 kit has the M-48 engine deck included in the box as well.
Now didn’t the original M48 and the M103A1 share the same type of cupola as well? That makes perfect sense on Dragon using the engine deck to backdate the M48… IIRC, weren’t the A3s all rebuilds of earlier variants, and not a new production line model? As was the A5?
There is a potential issue in how they get an M48A1. The CAD looks like they are taking the M103A1 engine deck and sticking it on the M48A3 hull to backdate it. The issue is that the M103A1 engine deck was way off: too high in the middle, too long, too many vents, wrong angle at the rear plate, etc., etc… If this is what they do, it will be all hosed up. We shall see what happens with it.
Since it isn’t a version I want, I’m not too worried about it. Those that care might find out what it really is when sprue shots are posted and make their decision about whether or not they can fix the problem, or if there are any problems, those that don’t care won’t care about accuracy.
Is the only real difference between the M48 and M48A1 the enclosed machine gun on the commander copula?
I may just have to combine an M-60 with that M-103A1 engine deck just to piss everyone off lol. Naw, that would look stupid.
Yes, went to Charlie in '79. Weren’t so many tanks there then.
I’ll be happy when Dragon releases one with the M8 dozer kit…
…or somebody, anybody, releases a separate M8 dozer, resin, plastic, bubble gum…
In all honesty, with now three M48 kits, any of which could and did mount the M8, I think it’s high time. Verlinden did a fair resin M9 kit, and the Academy M9 was released separately and as part of the M60A1 Rise/Passive w/ ERA, and with a little TLC, it’s not bad. Both sold well enough.
DEF Model seems like a likely candidate, hint, hint.