The first U.S. tank to bear the name Patton, the M46 was derived from its predecessor, the M26 Pershing. The M46 saw extensive service in the Korean War but was quickly supplanted by the M47.
Molded in light gray plastic, Takom’s all new M46 features sharp details and no flash. The kit provides a number of options, including a covered and uncovered mantlet, two types of track (both link-and-length), and a turret-mounted searchlight. No figures are included.
The lower hull comes in one piece, so much of the work here revolves around adding the suspension. The road-wheel arms have a nice, positive fit with keyed attachment points. A handy jig ensures the arms are perfectly aligned. The road wheels are two-part assemblies and show nice hub and bolt detail.
The detail molded into the main upper hull piece, especially on the engine deck, impressed me. Separate crew hatches are provided.
The kit gives a choice of track-type: T80 steel chevron and T84 rubber-block chevron and the same jig used to align the suspension aids assembly of the runs. My track runs ended up being extremely tight and I had trouble joining the final links. No extra links are provided. In a pinch, you could use a link from the other style track to account for any shortfall. Alternatively, you could leave a little more space between each link.
The join of the turret’s upper and lower sections was precise and required minor cleanup to hide the seam. Clear periscope parts enhance the separate hatches, but, surprisingly, the commander’s cupola is molded with the upper turret and I was disappointed that the vision ports are molded solid given that the kit has clear parts for the periscopes.
The kit features a standard gun mantlet that will elevate or a canvas-covered version that will be fixed in place. I used the latter, which is a two-part assembly including the barrel. A one-piece gun barrel is provided for the standard mantlet.
I painted my Patton with a combination of Tamiya’s new bottle lacquers and its spray cans.
Decals are given for nine vehicles, several with striking tiger schemes from the Korean War. They applied well over a semigloss finish with help from decal solutions.
My primary reference was R.P. Hunnicutt’s Patton: A History of the American Main Battle Tank (Presidio, ISBN 978-0-89141-230-4). Also, I found useful Armor in Korea A Pictorial History by Jim Mesko (Squadron/Signal, ISBN 978-0-89747-150-3). Based on those references, I thought the assembled kit looked convincing.
I completed my Patton in 36 hours. The kit’s moldings and the options impressed me and I recommend it to modelers who like American armor subjects.
Note: A version of this review appeared in the November 2019 issue.