M103 Heavy Tank
With American tank development having fallen behind the Soviets after World War II, it became apparent that the Soviet IS-3 (as well as other heavy tanks) was such a threat that a new heavy tank capable of destroying enemy tanks at any distance was needed. The M103, after much development, was accepted into service to fill this role.
Armed with an accurate 120mm cannon that could hit enemy tanks at long range, the M103 was the perfect counter for slow moving enemy heavy tanks. When paired with the more mobile M48, which could counter the faster Soviet medium tanks, it could focus its fire on high value targets that other tanks struggled to deal with.
Massive Firepower
The M103 was designed around the massive 120mm gun that was capable of hurling 22.7 killogram (50-pound) shells down-range at 945 metres per second (3,100 feet per second). These were capable of easily penetrating any enemy tanks on the battlefield.
Long Range Killer
To enable the gun to hit targets at long-range, the tank had the massive M15 rangefinder located on the top of the turret. This was protected by armoured glass and significantly improved the
accuracy of the gun whilst the tank was halted.
T57 Heavy Tank
The T57 was designed as a replacement for the M103 and combined an improved and up-armoured M103 hull with a powerful 120mm gun in an oscillating turret. The design of the turret, whilst not a new concept in tank designs, was not something that had been used on an American tank at the time. It gave the T57 excellent gun elevation and depression, providing the tank crews more flexibility when choosing hull-down firing positions in the heat of battle.
Despite the increased weight of additional armour and the long 120mm gun, the T57 was still reasonably mobile for a large tank. Whilst it could not keep up with newer medium tank designs, it was by no means a slow-moving target.
Sniper
The combination of the long barrelled 120mm gun and the latest in rangefinders and ballistic computers lead to a deadly long-range sniper.
Heavy Armour
The T57 was one of the most heavily armoured tanks available to American commanders, designed to be proof against anything the Soviets could throw at it.
THIS PRODUCT CONTAINS:
- 3x Highly Detailed Plastic M103 or T57 Heavy Tanks
---
These miniatures are supplied unassembled and unpainted