Soviet Battle Tank T-72
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Cold War Armor, Photographed Up Close

For forty years, NATO and the Warsaw Pact built tanks to face each other. These Cold War tank reference photos let you build both sides from surviving vehicles, panel by panel. Start with the M47 Patton with flamethrower (92 photos), the Leopard AS1 (94 photos) or the M48 (64 photos).

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The Patton line in three steps

The Patton family changed a lot in about ten years. Three packs show the steps:

  • US M47 Patton, flamethrower version: 92 photos (931 MB) of a 1950s Patton fitted with a flamethrower attachment, shot in Australia. A phone on a selfie stick was used to reach the high angles.
  • M48: 64 photos of the 47-tonne tank widely used in Vietnam, photographed in Ho Chi Minh City.
  • 1962 M60A1 Patton: 55 photos at 6240 × 4160. The M60A1 introduced a longer, redesigned turret. This tank originally served in Jordan.

Compare the turret shapes, the hull fronts and the road wheels across the three, and you can see how US tank design moved from WWII lessons to the 1960s.

Leopard 1 in two forms

  • Leopard AS1: 94 photos of a version built after 1977.
  • Leopard 1: 41 photos of a tank fitted with a mine plow.

The Flakpanzer Gepard (106 photos), which served NATO from the 1970s to the late 2000s, adds an anti-aircraft vehicle from the same family.

The other side of the line

A Cold War table needs Warsaw Pact armor too:

  • 1977 Soviet T-54M: 52 photos of an older tank brought up to T-55 standard.
  • T-62: 971 photos, originally taken for photogrammetry.
  • T-72: 34 photos of the tank that entered production in 1971.

BMPs, BTRs and other Soviet vehicles are on the Soviet armor page. British Cold War tanks, including the Centurion and the Chieftain, are on the British armour page.

Vietnam War armor

Several packs were photographed in Ho Chi Minh City, which makes them a matched set for a Vietnam scene:

All four were shot by the same contributor at 6000 × 4000.

Command and support

The M577 Command Post Carrier (53 photos) is the tall-roofed command vehicle designed by the US Army in the 1960s. Pair it with the M55 8-inch self-propelled howitzer (45 photos) or the US M52 (117 photos) for a full battalion area.

Frequently asked questions

I play Cold War tabletop games at 15 mm. Which packs help most?

Start with one tank from each side, such as the M60A1 and the T-62. For painting at small scales, look at the overall color, the track and road wheel colors and the stowage. For terrain to fight over, see wargaming terrain reference.

Is the M47 flamethrower version standard?

No. This tank carries a flamethrower attachment that most M47s did not have. The running gear and overall shape are still useful for any M47, but check fittings around the attachment against your kit.

Are the camouflage schemes original?

Most of these vehicles have been repainted for display. Use the photos for construction and wear, and use period photos for camouflage and markings.

Which pack has the most photos?

The T-62, with 971 photos at 4288 × 2848.