Merkava Tank Platoon (x5 Plastic)

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.

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.