M48 Leopard Tank Easy Print

thingiverse

I came across this type and thought it looked intriguing, so I decided to build one for myself - it turned out pretty sweet! If you want more information, just search for "M48 Leo" online. I modified it to make a printable version, all you need to do is support the gun barrel and mantlet area where the gun clips in. It assembled without any issues as shown in the picture! Here's some brief background info on it: As soon as the Leopard 1 started getting into service, Germany's military was eager to develop an improved tank within the next decade. This led to the beginning of the MBT-70 development process in cooperation with the United States starting from 1963. However, by 1967, doubts arose about whether the MBT-70 would ever enter service anytime soon. The German government issued a directive to explore future upgrade options for the German M48 Patton. Germany had a significant number of M48 Pattons in its inventory with low mileage and still in good working condition. Given the abundance of these tanks, it was absurd to scrap them when they were already obsolete. However, pitting them against Soviet armored units would have been suicidal due to the ineffective 90mm gun. As a result, the Bundeswehr explored various options to upgrade these vehicles, including installing the Leopard 2AV tower with a Smoothbore 120mm pistol.