The M24 Chaffee was an American light tank of World War II. Between 1944 and 1945, 4,731 units were produced. It successfully replaced the M3/M5 Stuart light tank. Chaffee was equipped with welded armour, two engines and a 75mm M6 cannon, which is a lightweight gun developed originally to be mounted on the B-25H Mitchell bomber. It was the first Western Allied tank to use torsion sticks as suspensions. Occasionally, Allied soldiers opened fire on their own tanks because the Chaffee chassis resembled a German Panzer II and a Panther. The tank was used in battles in France, Italy and the Third Reich. The tank saw service after the war with the US army up until 1953 when it was replaced with the M41 Walker bulldog. It enjoyed great popularity and found many buyers all over the world. The M24 was also used in the Korean War. Units belonging to France fought in Indochina and Algeria. In the Vietnam War they were used by the South Vietnamese army. Over its long service life it was modernised by many countries such as Norway with their NM-116 upgrade, that was retired in 1993 and Chile which upgraded its Chaffee's with Italian 60mm Hyper Velocity Medium Support (HVMS) gun's, these were retired in 1999. The Chaffee was finally retired for good by the Uruguayan army in 2019 ending its 61 year service career. However there are many examples still around the world today including many in running order.
From 588 COBI building blocks you'll build a perfectly designed model of the M24 Chaffee light tank. The model has working crawler traction, a rotating turret and a movable barrel. Under the opening service flap you’ll find two brick-built engines. On the turret there is an opening hatch and a machine gun. On the model are extremely durable prints that do not scratch or smear, even during intense play. Two U.S. troops figures are included. The first figure is a tank commander equipped with an M3 submachine gun (lubricator) and binoculars. It is accompanied by a tank mechanic equipped with a wrench. Both soldiers have a new type of tank helmet.
The set is sure to please younger brick fans and adult collectors alike. Dioramas builders are sure to use it to re-create the end of World War II. After minor modifications, the set will also work in the theatre of hostilities in Korea and Vietnam.
Cobi Set 2543 - 590 pieces 2 minifigures Compatible with other cobstruction block brands!
