SPA Modeler

Okay, so having been messing about with this for six months - I've finally finished it! Actually my 1st finish this year.

It's a fun kit, and I'm pretty happy with how it came out - I wanted it mainly OD with some 'Vietnam Red' on it and that's what it is. I learnt a bit too - like on how to use mulliputt. I still have a way to goes with my weathering, but it's a learning curve.

All OOB except the Mullitputt Gun Mantles and the wire antenna.

But anyway - photos...











Comments and suggestions welcome, it's how we learn after all.

Cheers!

Well you're 1 finished kit ahead of me for the year . Looks good - always liked that massive spotlight on the barrel. Curious how that was used tactically. Yes you can see whats out there but it's also a beacon saying 'shoot here'.

Awesome work Stuart!!

Medicman71 wrote: ↑Wed Jun 04, 2025 12:31 pm Awesome work Stuart!!

Thanks Mike - appreciated!

keavdog wrote: ↑Wed Jun 04, 2025 10:30 am Well you're 1 finished kit ahead of me for the year . Looks good - always liked that massive spotlight on the barrel. Curious how that was used tactically. Yes you can see whats out there but it's also a beacon saying 'shoot here'.

Thanks John!

Yeah, I agree. It was a solution to the problem of fighting at night I guess - until they had Thermal sights, but like you said, it is kind of an advert to be shot at. Apparently what they could do was have some of the tanks lit up, and others not - still, I wouldn't want to be the guy with the lights on.

Also what they could do was - this was actually an IR lamp as well. It would light up the world in IR as it were, and the gunner etc. had IR sights so that they could see what was out there - but you couldn't see the light to the naked eye. The trouble with that again though was if you opponent also had IR sights, then they could see what you see.

Thermal sights must have felt like a godsend.

I will post some info on the various types of night vision sights after I get off work. But the basic white light or active IR sight tanks often worked in pairs. One would be the illuminator while another would be the shooter.
I’ll post more later.

Very nice looking M48 Stuart!

Not only does he build sero(u)planes (threw the ‘u’ just for you), he knocks tanks out of the park! Great looking work.

Looking great, Stuart!

Oh, that is lovely, Stuart! Really a great looking M48, well done, sir!

Here’s a good short article about crewing on M48s in Vietnam

https://cherrieswriter.com/2020/02/23/w ... been-like/

Oh and a bit more on night sights on AFVs. There are basically three types:

1st generation, or “active infrared”, first developed during WWII in which an illuminator light source is fitted with an IR lens and projects a beam of light on infrared wavelengths not visible to the human eye that can be seen by using a scope that “sees” in that wavelength and is coupled with and sighted with the armament of the AFV. This set up is limited by the distance that the scope can see and the light source can project, as well as the narrow field of illumination of the IR light beam as well as smoke, dust or precipitation in any form;
2nd generation or “image intensification” in which ambient light such as moonlight or starlight is magnified by a passive scope/vision device, and again coupled with the AFV’s weapons systems. No seperate active illumination is needed with these “starlight scopes”, while acuity and sensitivity has greatly improved with technology improvements. Range is again limited by the scopes capabilities, weather conditions, as well as natural ambient light. These types will see IR laser beams and illumination spots which are invisible to the naked eye, while the other types will not;
3rd Generation or “Thermal” sights which pick up heat signatures and convert those signatures into a visual picture. These can see through fog, rain, smoke, dust, vegetation to limited distance, etc to a certain degree depending upon the device but can not see through something as simple as a pane of clear glass (the glass will present a single temperature signature of its surface, warmer or cooler than its surrounding area). That pure Hollywood fiction where a human can be seen though a wall or window pane with a thermal sight, only differing temperature of one section of wall compared to an adjacent section from another room due to heat or cooling.
I’ve worked with all three types of Night Vision Devices between 1983 and 2007.

Thanks for the detail. I do recall seeing a Panther kit with night vision recently. So the M48 would just be more modern version of that? Both under category 1. Night vision goggles would be type 2? And all those nasty Apache videos are type 3.