Leopard 1A5 MBT

Plastic model kit from HOBBY BOSS, for the assembly of a German tank Leopard 1A5 MBT of modern era, in 1/35 scale. Includes sprues with plastic parts, P.E. parts, assembly instructions and decals.

The Leopard (or Leopard 1) is a main battle tank designed and produced by Porsche in West Germany that first entered service in 1965. Developed in an era when HEAT warheads were thought to make conventional heavy armor of limited value, the Leopard focused on firepower in the form of the German-built version of the British L7 105-mm gun, and improved cross-country performance that was unmatched by other designs of the era. The Leopard quickly became a standard of many European militaries, and eventually served as the main battle tank in over a dozen countries worldwide. In 1980, a research program was undertaken to study further improvements to the Leopard 1, providing it with a completely modern fire control system and fully effective night/bad-weather vision system. The decision was made to base the upgrades on the earlier models, which were no longer competitive. The resulting Leopard 1A5 was based on 1,225 vehicles of the Leopard 1A1A1 model. The turrets were again modified for the 1A5, both in order to store all of the new equipment, as well as to move more of the ammunition into the rear of the turret, as opposed to the left side of the driver where it had previously been stored. The new turret was also able to mount the newer 120 mm gun from the Leopard 2 if desired, although this option has not been used. The Leopard tank could also be fitted with bolt-on polycarbonate (Lexan) armor panels, which have increased the effectiveness of the armor. The first modified vehicle was delivered in early 1987. Since then, almost all users of the Leopard 1 have also applied similar changes to their own vehicles, and in most ways the 1A5 be considered the "standard" Leopard 1 today.