Merkava Tank Platoon (Plastic)

Merkava Tank Platoon (Plastic) (TIBX01)
Contains five plastic Merkava 1 or 2 Tanks, one tank commander sprue, one decal sheet and six unit cards.

After the 1967 war, the purchase of modern military equipment became more difficult and the Israeli government decided to design, develop, and build an indigenous main battle tank. The design prioritised armour, armament and mobility in that order, with the key characteristic of the new tank being its armour and crew protection.

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The new design drew from the experience of ordnance experts, who had been upgrading and maintaining Israel’s older tanks, and the tank commanders who knew the combat capabilities they required.

The eventual design was the Merkava (Hebrew for chariot). The emphasis on crew protection led to the unique design aspect of the Merkava being its front mounted engine. This meant the crew were protected from the front by the tank’s front armour, the transmission, the engine, a layer of spaced armour, the fuel tank, and another layer of spaced armour.

Oil War
With Europe ablaze the shadow of war quickly crept across the globe. In the Middle East, Iran and Iraq had been locked in a conflict across their border since 1980, and looked unlikely to stop anytime soon.  Further west, Israel and Syria had come to blows in Lebanon as Israel fought PLO forces operating from inside their northern neighbour. The oil rich region, already rife with conflict and tension, was about to be drawn into World War III as the Soviet Union and US led NATO set about protecting their interests in the black gold that kept the wheels of industry turning.

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