Description
M3 Half-track DEFA 90mm, was an Israeli upgrade of their M3 armed with the 57mm gun. Israel having used the 57mm Half-track with huge success in battle during 1948 had taken back the concept to create a new generation of similar vehicles with better armament and improved design. The development started in 1965 and had the goal of making the SPG with modernized firepower and a lower profile. to do so, they chose the newly introduced field gun to the IDF, the 90mm DEFA D921. The cabin was mostly cut off to allow the gun to be installed with a lower profile. this eliminated the hull machine gun and the machine gun position. additionally, a smoke launcher was also installed on the side of the chassis. by 1966, the development was completed, and 60 of those SPGs were ordered. they was converted from the existing M3/M5 half-track in services. they served until the early 70s when they were sold away.
M3 TCM-20 – M3/M5 Half-Tracks fitted with the Israeli TCM-20 armament turret with two 20 mm Hispano-Suiza HS.404 cannon fitted to old Maxson turrets. The right hand vision port was often replaced with a ball mount for a machine gun.
M3 SS11 – In the 1960s Israel modified M3 half-tracks to take SS11 wire-guided anti-tank missiles. They were used in 1967 but were not seen as a success and were dropped.
Set consists of 5+5+5 fine metal 1:600th/3mm scale miniatures.
Producer: ‘Oddział Ósmy’ sc Marcin Kaźmierczak i Tomasz Kołuda, ul. Piotrkowska 107, 90-425 Łódź, Poland
