Hi everyone! Ok, working on some Abrams projects, and I have two requests, if I may. The first is regarding NTC Abrams, specifically trying to find pictures of the tan/brown/black scheme. Does this ACTUALLY exist? Or do they just use the tan/greyishy black scheme? Specifically I have the Italeri M1A2 Abrams and I've decided to do it in NTC colors. The instructions actually call for the three-color scheme but the diagram only shows two (!).
Second request: regarding the M1A2 named Death.com: once upon a time at AFVINTERIORS.COM there were quite a few pics of this tank, along with the tank named BOUNTY HUNTER. Did anyone here save those pics, and if so would you mind sharing? This isn't too important actually, I have the decals for it and at least one pic of the real deal. I guess it's just the OCD in me coming out.
Thanks everybody!

The M1A2 depicted in the Italeri boxing was a test tank that was tested at the NTC in the mid-90's. The scheme was/is not used on any operational M1A2s. All M1A2s are in overall sand paint. There were never any M1A2s in the draw fleet at the NTC either

The tan/black/brown scheme was used on some of the NTC draw fleet of M1A1s in the early '90s. The draw fleet is no longer used there (since about 2000). All units bring their own tanks from home station now. Here is an article by Pete "Epi" Becerra on building one of the three color tanks from the NTC draw fleet.

Sorry, I have no info on the tank named "Death.com".

Good luck.

Scott,
The pictures of DEATH.COM (B-32) & BOUNTY HUNTER (B-65), M1A2s belonging to B Co 1-67 AR, 4ID were originally from Full Metal Jacket, a picture reference site similar to Prime Portal, run by Mr Matthew Malogorski. Matthew had to shut the page down in 2005 and he "donated" the contents to AMPS. If you are a member of AMPS, you can log on to the AMPS home page, go to the "Real Vehicles" link and access FMJ to get to the M1A2 pictures. The tanks are scruffy looking with an overall tan paint job and lots of green replacement parts. I want to say that the pictures were taken by 1LT Andrew Willingham in late 2000/early 2001.

To add to Gino's post, the Tan & Green striped M1A2s were part of TF1-70, 194th Armored Brigade that participated in NTC Rotation 94-07, the first digitalized battlefield rotation. TF 1-70 had a mixture of home station M1A2s and NTC drawyard M1A1s - those tan brown & black camo'ed tanks.

By 1995, the NTC draw tanks (110+/- vehicles), which were pretty well clapped out through constant use and poor crew/organizational maintenance, were turned in and units went back to bringing their own tanks out to the desert (maintenance costs to constantly fix the "rentals" outweighed the cost of transporting unit tanks from home station).

Let me know if you have any additional questions...

HTH

John

Hi Gino, John,
Many thanks for the info, guys. It's all very helpful. Glad to know the three-color Abrams were NOT the A2 variety. Any opinions on what paint color to use for the dark color on the NTC? All the pictures I see vary from a dark green to a dark grey, depending on lighting.
John, Full Metal Jacket was the place, thanks for that reminder. A little off-topic here, but I have a Merkava II gun tube you sent me many years ago. I'm a little embarassed to bring it up since you sent it so long ago (2002), however . . . I actually found the guntube it was supposed to replace! So, as I no longer need it, do you want it back? Or maybe you've heard of someone who needs one and I can pay the favor forward?
Thanks again!

Scott,
My recommendation for the dark paint - it start out black, would be a dark gray as the sun fading and dust accumulation will quickly take their toll on black paint. There was a 90's era Concord book on the NTC that has a good number of pictures of the drawy ard tanks in action that could also help to get you pointed in the right direction on the color...

If you still have said guntube, then hold on to it and send it out if anyone else in model land has a need.

John

Scott, you could go w/ the two tone camo of tan and brown of the OPFOR M1A1s. The more recent ones were made to look like Soviet tanks by removing the sideskirts of the Abrams and replacing it w/ a rubber sideskirt similar to the t72. I don't know exactly when they changed the Hoffmaster device, but the old one was replaced w/ a safer large box-like device that is placed on the cheek of the turret.

Bob

Bob, thanks for the comment. Do you have any reference links or pics to those OPFOR Abrams? Sounds like it would make quite an interesting future project.

This is what the two-tone sand/brown scheme from more current 11ACR tanks at NTC. They also deployed to Iraq in '05 with some tanks still in this scheme.



More pics here. I built this one for the 1st Squadron CDR as a farewell gift from his officers.

When they are vismod-ed into the K1 (Krasnovian - the fictional enemy at NTC- M1 variant), usually the side skirts are removed and rubber skirts that hang down about 1' are added, 55 gal drums are mounted on the back, the barrel is wrapped with a heat shield, and a bucket is mounted on the left side of the barrel to represent a search light.

Here is a pic of one with only the skirts removed. The pic is one Bob took when he was out at the NTC.


Hope that helps.

I can share these. Others with closeups are in my NTC book by WWP. The book also has Abrams three tone camo of black brown and tan from the 90s, along w/ Vismod too.





This tank was missing it's right side skirt, which made it even more interesting looking. Since the 11th Cav was deployed, the nearby Nevada Ntl Guard unit was the OPFOR, 1/221 Cav.

Bob

Bob, thanks for those pics, add another book I need for my library.
So regarding the NTC M1A2, I finally "saw" (paid attention to?) that my 1/72 Dragon M1A2 is the same tank as the Italeri 1/35 M1A2, plus it has an actual pic of the tank, C22 TF 1-70 at NTC. Additionally, I found a pic of another NTC TF 1-70 M1A2, C24, in a book picked up at the library ("Modern US Tanks & AFVs" by Green and Stewart). Now, if you kind gentlemen can suffer yet another inquiry: the painting instructions for the Dragon and the Italeri Abrams don't match up with the photo (go figure). I've decided to go with this scheme and tank, but is there any guidance as to how these markings were applied? Barring any further information/pics, I'm going to try an amalgamation of the instructions (both) and the pic.
Thanks again for all the help, I hope to put some pics up soon of my project, and I hope you all have a safe and happy holiday!

Great pictures guys.

Bob, the M1 with the rubber side skirts is very unusual. Very interesting photograph. Thanks for sharing that.

This tank was commanded by SFC Morrie. It was part of a two tank element from B troop 1-221st Cav. This "action" was the first against a Stryker unit. It occurred in 2005. The "city" is Medina Wasl, or Junction City. It's one of numerous new towns in the "Box" at Fort Irwin. For this engagment, Junction City was heavily fortified in attempt to recreate conditions similar to Fallujah. For this particular action, the main guns were disabled. Both tanks were "taken out" early on by Blue Force air support.

Testors Armor Sand and Dark Earth are the best colors to approximate OPFOR KVT paint scheme from 1997 to 2007.

Hello Charles - welcome to Armorama.

It sounds like you are an NTC vet. Are you still there? I came in to the above mentioned battle as it was winding down. It was VERY cold that week. If you were there, we probably crossed paths. I was w/ the NTC PA officer and two journalists. General Cone came by to see things and we chatted w/ him a bit too. Nowadays the two main towns look quite a bit more realistic with new facades and such, instead of just the container building look. Too bad I did not meet you as I was developing the book - you probably could have provided some more interesting detail.

Maybe I can pick your brain when I get around to making an OPFOR vehicle of my own.

Bob