Since there are a few tanks getting upgraded, I thought I’d stick my toe in the pond and try it myself, just for the heck of it. So I have a Tamiya M60A1 and I’m trying to upgrade it to a A3. I have the kit instructions for both tanks so that really helps. So I had to scratch build the turret cables, I used Verlinden AM resin 105mm two part main gun, with thermal shroud (US Army version), I used from my parts box parts the TC periscope, I used plumber’s putty to form the turret mantlet cover and .50cal TC cover. PE was used for the smoke discharger anchors and their ammo boxes. I decided on using the kit tracks. I primed and silly puttied it for the camo paint. I’m going with Flat Green, Olive Green and Desert Yellow with splashes of Buff and Flat Black. Enjoy the WIP pics and as always all comments and critiques are greatly appreciated.
I believe all M60A3s used T142 tracks with the elongated hexagonal pads. The kit has older T97E2 tracks with chevron-shaped track pads. In addition, the kit tracks have the inner center guide teeth molded incorectly in the middle of each pad, as opposed to connecting them.
No, he’s starting with the newer rebox kit that included the A3 parts are unused and molded in tan. I’m pretty sure he has the later tracks that first came out with the M247 Sgt. York (from his photo).
It’s not quite as complicated as German armor, but the M60 series consists of four basic versions; the original M60, also called the “Slick 60”, M60A0 or “A-nothing”.
That first version is very similar to the final version of the M48 series tanks with a 105 gun instead of the M48’s 90 mm. A lot of people will mistake an M60A-nothing with an M48A5, including old 19E tankers.
The Slick 60 served for decades in USAR and ARNG units, so the tank continued to receive upgrades that appear on later versions of the M60A1 or M60A3.
The next version is the M60A1 which served even longer and received so many upgrades that it would take a book to list them all. The final version of the M60A1 used by the USMC was the M60A1 RISE/Passive which served during Desert Storm.
The M60A2 had the shortest life and used a funky looking turret that fired the 152 mm Shellelagh missle or a cansiter round. Most of those tanks had the turret removed and became AVLB bridge launchers.
The M60A3TTS was the final version used by the Army. They added a Tank Thermal Sight (TTS) that was very effective and a laser range finder (LRF). There are a few more upgrades, but mechanically it was virtually identical to the M60A1 RISE/Passive. The improvements were to the fire control system versus the automotive capabilities.
The main visual differences between the two main variants, the M60A1 and M60A3, are the thermal sight housing (aka “dog house”), the thermal shroud on the main gun, crosswind sensor mast, and the laser range finder housing.
In the little photo of me in my TC hatch, there is a round blister below the cupola. It is the LRF housing and has a small brass padlock on a little door flap. The laser range finder was considered a direct fire weapon and could blind people. The cover is to prevent it from being fired by some soldier just messing around. Yeah, that happened because they didn’t treat it like the weapon it was.
I’m the guy that was confused for years by the M4-M4A4 because I thought they were numbered sequentially instead of refering to different engine and hull types. [:^)]
You may have been the guy who opened my eyes to how the M4 numbering system actually works. I don’t remember at this point.
Anyway the M60 model designation system makes more sense than that of the T-72. I kinda regret going down that rabbit hole- the Russian models are enough to keep straight not to mention all the other versions modified by different national users… [:(DD]
Yeah, definitely, the M60 series designations are probably the easiest to understand. The Slick 60 with its “M48 style” turret looks different than the A1/A3 turret.
The M60A2 stands out among all turrets. Too bad it was a failure. It had a lot of new fangled features.
Probably the most unusual fact is that there are models of early M60A1s when they were first fielded to the Regular Army and models of later Slick 60s used by the National Guard in the late 1980s that will have more modern features than those A1s.
You’ll see Guard M60s with later style tracks, steel road wheels, top loading air cleaners and smoke grenade launchers versus the original M60A1 with early tracks, aluminum road wheels, side loading air cleaners, and no launchers.
Hey Rob, thanks for the pic. I’ve been on vacation but I fixed up the discrepancies in my upgrade to the A3. Luckily I had some resin air cleaners so I popped off the side loading ones and replaced them with these, also I was able to put the TTS doghouse in its proper location and scratchbuilt a new vision sight(it still needs the lens cover). BTW thanks for the back up on the tracks. Now I can proceed with the upgrade.
It’s been over two weeks since I’ve updated my post. Summer, friends and family will do that. I’m not complaining. I took liberties when it came to artistic license. The camo looks stark, but I’ll be giving it a pin wash, a dark/grime wash, (hopefully to tone down the camo), and weathering for wear and tear. I haven’t decided what decals/transfers to put on it, but definitely there won’t be any white stars. [:)] Then the tracks will be painted and added on, along with the figures. Here are couple of pics of the stark camo. Enjoy.
If it’s a fantasy color scheme, that’s one thing. But as far as the winter verdant MERDC scheme your colors are well off. Way too much black and sand, and the field drab would not impinge on the green. See - https://www.cybermodeler.com/armor/m60/m60_profile02.shtml
He’s right, the black squiggles were more or less “seagull-shaped” and by 1987, we had virtually eliminated the sand colored spots on the tank. We just used field brown, NATO green and black.
This is the proper pattern, but remember, 18-20 year old kids are painting this, often with old paint brushes like you’d use on the exterior of your house.
The colors used varied based on the zone the tank operated in. We used “winter verdant” with the lighter green being replaced by the field brown.
