It was moderately well armoured, with more than 100mm of armour on frontal surfaces, and was capable of a top speed of 30mph.Īlthough an interim design, more than 8,500 M47s were built. The tank carried a 90mm main gun and a crew of 5.

The turret was a quite distinctive, elongated shape presenting strongly tapered and curved surfaces to the front and side, but with an extension or bustle at the back, which was further lengthened by an external storage compartment attached behind it. The M47 married the hull of the M46 (which was itself an M26 Pershing with improved engine) with a new turret design. In the event, it arrived too late for use in that war, entering service in 1952, and was quickly retired to be replaced in US service by the M48 (also, confusingly, called Patton) by the end of the decade.

The M47 Patton was an interim tank design rushed into production owing to the perceived shortcomings of US and NATO tanks versus those available to the Communist powers at the time of the Korean War. To become acquainted with the Solido range, where better to start than with one of their earliest military models, the M47 Patton tank? M47 Patton A good selection of models is evident in the 2003 catalogue – but most of these moulds were created a generation earlier. Development of new castings for the military range largely ceased from this point, though variations and updates of existing models continued to be released until the early years of this century. In 1981 Solido was purchased by Majorette. The armoured vehicles especially are hefty and often impressive pieces, with generally good accuracy and moving parts. The larger vehicles including most of the tanks and trucks were made to 1:50 scale, while some smaller vehicles were 1:43. By 1980, a catalogue of more than 70 military models had been established. The range was built up steadily during the 1960s and 1970s, with a focus on vehicles used by the French army (including some US-built equipment acquired during and after WW2), but also incorporating a selection of suitable opponents in the shape of German, and some Russian vehicles. In 1961, Solido launched their 200 series, a new range of military vehicles. The ‘Solido’ brand name – suggesting strength and robustness – was first established in France in the 1930s, but it was after World War 2 that Solido became a major producer of diecast model vehicles.

Military toys tanks