Trumpeter shares further details and photos of its large scale Abrams tank.

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Thanks!

Waoh Trumpeter pics are so big it hurts !

M1A2 SEP hull with M1A1 turret... :/

Annoying...
It's a glaring, huge mistake

At least the tracks are more accurate than the Tamiya kit, as is their depiction of the bustle rack/APU, and exhaust. Disappointing that there's no Bustle Rack Extension.

Seems this M1 Abrams looks like not that good which not up to the great quality/accuracy of their 1/16 T-72B(a very nice kit even also a same version from RC . But the design of this 1/16 M1 somehow looks not come from the same person who designed their T-72B kit. a bit shame. Hope we can have some AM brand release some correction for this big boy..

Kangaroos on decals implies can be built as Aussie, wonder if accurate to that?

Looks like there is CITV shown in one of the photos, perhaps it can be built as the sep variant considering the hull does not match AIM? What do you think?

Also, a question to experts here (Pawel?) - based on the photos, how accurate do you think it is? Is it worth the money over 1/35 kits the likes of Dragon and Meng?

My wallet has been hurting with all these new Abrams releases...

Thanks!
Michal

Only the upper part of CITV seems to be included, but not the base. And M1A2 commander weapon station is not inluded. So M1A2 cannot be built.
I can't say much about accuracy yet (other than the wrong details on the rear left hull - and it's not really a SEP hull, as Trumpeter put a fuel filler cap right on the SEP panels...).

Well, that's disappointing. I was looking forward to this, too.

Not very. Not even for tanks in their "as delivered" configuration appropriate for that paint scheme.

No refrigerator (bustle mounted, adjacent to the APU), no bustle rack extension, no umbrella holder, no TI on the CWS (though this is a relatively recent addition). The rest of the "Australian" markings are fiction.

I think trumpeter should have another go at the turret for this kit

Thank you, Pawel. It seems they will also release a separate sep kit then...
As for accuracy, I suppose we need to wait for more photos. I remember a thread where it was disscussed that the kit has the ABC system panel mounted on both sides. And the manual seems to corroborate this...

Can’t tell if there is anti skid or not. Sure would like to see USMC smoke grenade set up and extended bustle racks. Shapeways maybe?

I bought the kit and I am very disappointed in it. I love all my Trumpeter 1/16 scale kits - except this one. I have the T34/76 1942, the MRAP M-ATV, the SU-100, and a T34/85 all in 1/16 scale, but this kit is the worst offering I have ever seen from Trumpeter in any scale. The driver's hatch molding is messed up (sunken down in the back and raised in the front). The NBC venting is indeed molded on both sides of the tank instead of just on the left side. I was able to cut it off and fix it with styrene, but it was a PITA. The front track skirts are molded very poorly with a huge 1/4" x 1/2" gap that must be filled. The front mud guard springs are molded even worse. The rubber skirts on the fenders have no fastener detail or line seperating them from the metal part of the fender. The turret basket is about 1/4" too long so it doesn't match up to the rest of the side bars on the turret. Had to cut about 1/4" off the basket length to get it to fit. There is a big open spot on the back of the tank below the engine access doors that is supposed to have a cover, but it is not included in the kit so there is just a big open hole. This is an M1A1. It had the older onboard generator so it should have the gas cap on the left rear of the tank. Trumpeter molded the access hatches on the back of the tank that hold the battery packs that are used on the M1A2 version of the tank *and* the filler cap for the generator. The tank should have one or the other and not both. In this case the M1A1 should not have the extra access hatches. It should only have the filler cap. The barrel is horrible. Had to put it on my lathe in order to get rid of all the molding lines. If you mount it the way they tell you to in the instructions, it will seat too far back into the mount causing a gap around the base of it. It will also be too short because it is basically being mounted in the position it would take during recoil after firing the main gun.

Other than those MAJOR issues...the kit molding is quite detailed for an M1A1 version. It does have a pretty nice anti-slip texture molded into the surface of the tank although there are many place it should be but it isn't. I have been able to fix most of the problems, but the fixes aren't perfect. For a tank in 1/16 scale, you get more detail in a 1/35 scale tank. Way too many molded in details for a tank of this size. I would give this tank zero stars if you don't have the ability to fix the major problems with it. I'd give it a 2/5 now that I've mostly assembled it and fixed the major issues.

Most of the issues can be fixed with some patience or hidden well enough not to matter, but for a tank of this price tag the mistakes in the moldings are deplorable. It does has more detail than the Heng Long 1/16 scale R/C tank I have. It's funny because the tank includes the SEP hood, but not the base as someone pointed out. It includes the photo etch mesh for the extended bustle, but not the bustle itself.

Overall, I would not recommend the tank to anyone to purchase. The painting and marking guide above does include the mistakes I've mentioned. They are just hard to see in some cases. The instruction booklet also had the mistakes on it so they seem to be make from the CAD drawings used to make the molds.