Leopard 1A1 Main Battle Tank
From 1972, Leopard main battles tanks of the 1st to 4th production batches were upgraded to the standard of the fifth batch (Leopard A2); the obvious differences being the iconic side skirts and the thermal jacket of the main gun. The Leopard A1 pictured above is a ROCO kitbash, mating the hull of a Leopard A2 (ROCO 391) with the turret of another ROCO Leopard, the product number of which we could not ascertain at the time of publication. The parts are from three different ROCO models purchased at auctions.
Available Scale Model Kits
- Leopard 1.A1, 1:35 Revell 03258
- Leopard 1.A1-Turm, 1:72 ModellTrans MT72137
- Leopard 1.A1, 1:87 ROCO 391 & xxx Kitbash
- Leopard 1.A1, 1:300 Heroics & Ros GM04
Bibliography
- Anweiler, Karl: Rad- und Kettenfahrzeuge der Bundeswehr.
- Blume, Peter: Die Panzertruppe der Bundeswehr 1956–heute (Illertissen 1996)
- Gau, Lutz-Reiner: Deutsche Militärfahrzeuge. Bundeswehr und NVA.
From 1975 to 1977, the Leopard received a combat value upgrade (Kampfwertsteigerung) of applique armour on the turret and gun mantlet, which led to its new designation as Leopard A1A1. From 1979, these vehicles were designated Leopard 1A1A1, to differentiate them from the new Leopard 2.