ref: Italeri # 208 M47 Patton
Bronco # AB3565 T80E1 tracks
Academy # TA987 M9 Dozer
Voyager Model # TE043 PSP
Bison decals #Suez 1956 part 2
Model and text: Didier Lecru
Model and text: Didier Lecru
For 30 years I have desired building this tank after having seen one in the backyard of a barracks in La Courtine training camp (France). It was painted khaki and belonged to the air force. To start this project I collected on the Internet the scarce information available about this M47 dozer tank. On the web, I only noticed 2 M47 Patton model kits in the Suez decoration (Rusty 2014 at Small tracks and Roberts Paul at Track link). Being really helpless, I went to see actual ones in Saumur and Fontevrault. In fact, I concentrated all the features I noticed on them and added the dozer blade. Regarding the Suez version, I think the M47 then had a true presence.
About a thousand M47 were issued to France in 1953. It was replaced in the sixties by the AMX30. In October 1956 operation Musketeer is launched. It involved Israel, Great Britain and France in order to break the Egyptian military blockade of the Suez canal. Thus A squadron of the 8th Dragoons regiment settled in Saarburg (West Germany) takes part in this campaign. Forr this purpose all the vehicles are painted sand.
The build
Having had the Italeri kit for years, I used it even though the Takom kit was already available. Of course I got inspired by this kit to gather all the missing details.
The hull: the vision blocks of the both front hatches are created as well as the headlights guards. The associated wiring is added. The front and rear fenders tensioners are improved with piano string. On the glacis a roll of barbed wire is added. The fuel tank covers and an air intake are detailed. Several lift eyes are added on the engine deck. The two deflectors on the engine deck for the protection of the riding soldiers are glued. The exhaust covers are improved too. Regarding the exhaust outlets they are modified according to the French version. As far as the pioneer tools are concerned they are fully redone. Some weld seams complement the lower hull. At the front end some brackets for installing the blade are added.
The blade: from the Academy M9 blade some modifications have been made to depict the M6 blade. Concerning the jacks and their piping, the push arms, the 4 connecting rods and the fastening device, all were built from scratch ( a real brain teaser). I was helped by the M47 dozer at Fontevrault. The chain comes from the spare parts box.
The running gear: the sprocket rings are redone from Sherman ones. From a single picture on the site 'Chars Français', I replaced the Italeri tracks by Bronco type T80E1 ones. When assembled you have a dozen of links and connectors left. Thanks to this set the Pakistani version can be done. The wear due to the roadwheels inside the track links is depicted with a graphite pencil. Some extra attention is required to assemble the tracks around the running gear.
The footstep: the French army only adopted this device to carry 4 to 5 soldiers in the battlefield. I reproduced the most accurately as possible the footstep of the M47 at Saumur. The crate is a Tamiya reference. The second crate and the tarp are scratchbuilt like the two padlocks.
The turret: the mantlet cover is patiently redone with tissue paper soaked with white glue. All the fasteners are added. All the vision blocks are redone. The rangefinder sights are detailed. The .50 cal MG is scratch made as well as its cradle and its ammo box. Several fasteners are added. The rear bin is thinned and detailed. The tarps on it are made by Italeri. The two jerrycan holders are fully redone to accommodate rebuilt jerrycans.
The PSP: they come from the Voyager Model set. I didn't manage to get the two longitudinal ribs by bending. So I cut them in width and glue them back with CA glue. Having no information about how they were fastened, I created the fasteners from scratch.
The crew gear: another Italeri crate is added to the turret. The five French helmets as well as some haversacks are from the same manufacturer. All the sleeping bags and the large rolled tarp are made from Green stuff. If you are not acquainted with this product make several tries beforehand. To hide some flaws some Italeri tools are glued on the turret as well as on one exhaust cover.
The painting:
In fact I intended to depict a clean tank as during the operation preparation period. Consequently it should feature quite no stain nor wear because the tank was freshly repainted sand. I tested many methods noticed on the Internet but I quickly came back to my basics. To get the closest color to the actual one I was inspired by a picture of a AMX13 stationed in Algeria after the Suez crisis. To do so I made a mix of Tamiya XF57 Buff, XF2 Flat White and XF59 Desert Yellow. I added the final touch with several oil shades and lighter fluid.
The decals: Having quite few documentation and only unconfirmed information about the position of the decals I used them at the minimum.
Conclusion: If you want to save time and and have a more accurate kit get a Takom model. The hard part of the project is the addition of the blade for which resourcefulness is a must. However with some patience and appropriate documentation all becomes possible.
References :
M47 Musée des Blindés at Saumur (France)
M47 Dozer of the 2ème régiment de dragons at Fontevrault (France).
Internet.
Click on a thumbnail to see the full sized picture
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06/2019