Developed as an armored engineer support vehicle, the m728 combat engineer vehicle (cev) was used in a variety of roles, such as clearing, leveling sites, digging defensive positions, and even vehicle recovery. The m728 cev is based on a modified patton tank chassis, with some based on the m60a2 variant that were withdrawn from service. It is equipped with a hydraulically operated bulldozer blade, a winch and retractable a-frame crane mounted on the turret for lifting, carrying and winching operations. Prodution commenced in 1965 and spanned seven years, producing a total of 312 vehicles. The m728 cev saw action in vietnam and was even deployed during the gulf war. It was withdrawn from us army service by the year 2000. The afv club 1/35 m728 combat engineer vehicle plastic tank model accurately recreates the real life us tank used during the cold war