Hobby Master Archive

Hobby Master 1/72 Ground Power Series HG3507 Centurion IDF Shot Mk5/1 10th Armor Brigade Samaria, West Bank Israel 1967

Authentic Detailing Pre-Painted by professionals Accurate paint colors Markings Tampo (pad) applied Fully Assembled Die-Cast Model True to Scale (1:72) Turret turns and main gun elevates Metal turret and main gun Realistic tracks

Specifications for the Centurion Classification - Medium tank Country of origin - United Kingdom Crew: 4 Performance Engine - Rolls Royce Meteor V12 liquid-cooled gasoline engine Speed (max) - 34 km/h Dimensions Length - 7.6 m Height - 3.01 m Width - 3.39 m Weight - 52 t Glacis armour - increased by 44 mm to 120 mm at 57o Armament 1 X 20 pdr gun 1 X .50-calibre machine-gun 2 X .30-calibre Browning machine-guns The Israeli IDF Centurion Mk. 5/1 had (1) L7 105mm gun replacing the 20 pounder (1) Commander’s gun - U.S.-built 12.7mm M2 machine gun replacing the .50 calibre

It wasn’t long after the country of Israel was established in 1948 that the IDF (Israel Defense Forces) realized the importance of armored forces. The IDF bought any surplus WWII armor they could acquire and ended up with a very mixed inventory. Israel’s Arab neighbors were acquiring Soviet made T-54/55s that were superior to anything the IDF had. In 1959 the solution was to obtain the British built Centurion Mk.II that had thicker armor and offered better protection. This also allowed for the upgrade to a larger gun replacing the British 20 Pounder (83.4mm) with the British L7 105mm gun. The IDF also replaced the Commander’s 7.62mm machine gun with the U.S. built 12.7mm M2 machine gun. The Israeli’s named the modified tank the Sh’ot (whip) and when the Six Day War started in June 1967 the IDF had 385 Centurions tanks and 294 of them were the Sh’ot. During the Six Day War the IDF tanks played a major role and coordinating with other units the IDF pushed to the East Bank of the Suez and gained control of the Sinai Peninsula within 3 days. During the war Israel captured 30 of the 44 Centurion tanks owned by Jordan.