As U.S. forces encountered the rapidly evolving armor of their German opponents, it became clear the the M10 tank destroyer and its 76.2mm gun were insufficient and in need of replacement. Their solution was to install the more powerful 90mm gun onto the M10A1 chassis in an open top turret: the M36, which first appeared in June 1944. Its first live action was in fighting on the French-German border that October, but if faced more concerted fighting as the German forces launched a desperate counter-attack in the Battle of the Bulge in December 1944. Over a thousand M36 vehicles had been manufactured by the time of the German surrender in May 1945, and after the end of hostilities many were given to allies such as France, which used it in the First Indochina War. It is even said to have been used in the Japanese development of their first domestic post-war tank: the Type 61.
About the Model
This is a 1/35 scale plastic model assembly kit. Length: 216mm, width: 88mm. ★Tamiya designers based this product’s design on extensive studies of the full-size M36. ★The turret interior has realistic depictions of details such as the 90mm gun breech and sights, shell racks, crew seating and more. ★A slide molded recreation of the bulging turret rear counterweight accurately captures the curved design and gives a fuss-free assembly process. ★Bulkheads and sponson-top shell racks show great detail. ★Assembly type tracks have one-piece straight sections. ★Comes with a figure posed with a shouldered “grease gun.” ★Includes a painting guide and two marking options.
