I'll have to agree with Carmen in his thoughts. The DML Abrams SEP has to be one of the better builds I've ever completed...hands down.

I'm with Jim these are the two best modern model kits in my opinion the third one is Tamiya T55
I picked up two SEPs kits recently at a small shop while traveling,so there out there.

Amen on DML M1A2 SEP kit being the best kit in accuracy, detail and price. NO DOUBT!

Good read here.

Glad I picked up those two a few years back.

Sorry for the 2 cents worth ,but I do agree with those kits.

Let Gino explain the difference between the two kits.

If I remember a lot is internal.

Plus you could add the Legends Tusk to finish it off as to the latest.

Sorry you will have to buy this one add on to make it totally the latest Bill.

http://armorama.kitmaker.net/forums/154789&page=1

Mean looking battling the Bad guys Tank

I vote for the Tamiya 2A5 and 6 kits.

The 2A5 is quite a bit cheaper (Ebay) and is so good to put together..

Great price great kit, great accuracy !

What do consider to be modern? Post `45, the last 10 years, the last 30 years?

Hi Bill

Well, there you are we all agree for a change

Actually all this talk of the Dragon M1A1 has got me adding it to my "must make one of those one day" list.

Sounds like a really good model in all respects and will be just the thing you are looking for given your description.

Go for it. I will.............. after the Challengers

Alan

One more vote for the Tamiya Leopard 2A6, it's a great kit.

Trumpeter's new Challenger 2 with bar armour

In my eyes

I would suggest the Tamiya Leopard 2a6 or Tamiya Leclec both are accurate and extremely build able.

The Dragon M1a1 AIM and SEP and both great kits, but the instructions are over complicated in their layout and can be a pain to put together

cheers

Keith

p.s. the new Trumpeter Challenger is also an excellent kit

A lot of the other kits mentioned are good, such as the Challenger, but still lack serious things. The chally for example, is a great kit, but has no anti slip and many of the smaller details are simplified or missing. The Abrams is a kit which basically has everything, it doesnt really need any aftermarket at all, or any improvements. The instructions are a bit of a pain in the arse, but by the looks of your other builds you are pretty much used to what DML instruction sheets are like.

Best OOB build would have to be either Dragon Abrams. I have built the Tamiya Chally 2, 2A6, Leclerc, While they are very good kits you need to buy extra photo etch, aftermarket barrels, just to get what Dragon comes with. All are excellent choices however out of the box is the Dragon.

BTW Sprue Bothers have 2 Dragon AIM's $43.49
And the have 20 M1A2 SEP's $39.99
and for example the Leclerc
is 52.99 plus 15 for the barrel and 15 for the minimum photo etch.

Just my 2 cents

Herky

First let me say... WOW! THANKS for all your comments about DML M1s!
Good to know that my work was worth it

And my suggestions:
- for the most complete and accurate modern tank kits, although not exactly shake&bake - see most repeated kits in earlier comments in this thread

- for the ease of build and still very good looking model - Tamiya Leopard 2A6.

Pawel

Thanks, Gents, for your enthusiastic replies!!

Modern would be last 20 years or so, since many of these tanks are not, strictly speaking "new."

I think the Dragon kits have come to the forefront based on the following:

1.) accuracy
2.) completeness
3.) accuracy

and did I add "accuracy"?? LOL.

I would love to build a Stryker IF IT DIDN'T NEED SLAT ARMOR. Not interested in building a tank or other AFV that deploys differently than the kit, and the cost/pain in the arse of the slat armor puts in outside my interest (I have the RoG Corvette "Snowberry" kit, and it needs 300-400 hours of PE rework, soooo no thanks Stryker). The new LVT could be interesting, but again, seems to need too much AM stuff. Not going to live long enough to do everything....

OK, WHICH of the two DML kits? If both are available....

What ARE the differences? I know nothing about ODS/OIF other than we kicked their arses, LOL!

My Abrams Variants Article here on Armorama should clear it up.

I have built most of the kits suggested here. The M1 SEP is very nice, but takes a lot of time to build. Mine had the lower hull badly distorted and the tracks were a little bit disfigured too. If You get a good sample it can be built perfect OOB. The Tamiya Leopard is much simpler. It is the best engineered kit I have ever seen. The AFV strykers are on the same level. Unfortunately, tracks may need replacement, and no antislip. Another option would be for You the HB AAV, well engineered, but dont know if the tracks are completely accurate. Unfortunately no OIF version with EEAK awailable. A bit complex, but it is huge.

Hey,
how about a hobby boss AAV7 variant?
I only heard positive things about those kits

Cheers Max

Bill,
Sprue Has them both in stock 2 AIM's and 20 SEP's
both under 45 Bucks...


Herky

Thanks, Gino, that's very helpful. Which units got the SEP and which the AIM? Seems like III Corps got the SEPs and everyone else the AIM. Would that mean the AIM kit has more versatility for painting/decaling? I'm a Marine Corps brat, so I'd be partial to a Jar Head paint scheme.

Gents, I'm not looking for kits that are easy-to-build, but ones that are the most-accurate and most-complete. As I said, I'm likely only going to build one modern tank, and I want to pick the best kit. I appreciate those who praise this or that kit for its ease of construction, but I'm more concerned about the final outcome than the road that takes me there, LOL!

definitely the M1a1 AIM

as my stock prove it



i love the SEP too (especially the magic tracks)


and i would add the strykers from AFV club

You are correct. Initially, only III Corps units 3ACR, 1 CAV, and 4 ID) received the standard M1A2 and M1A2 SEPs. Some other units are starting to recieve them now. I believe 3rd ID is slated to get them when thier Heavy BDEs get back in fall '10. So yes, you do have more options with the M1A1 AIM. All operational M1A2s and M1A2 SEPs are only in sand camo as well, so you can't accurately do one in 3-tone NATO camo unless you build a training tank from the Armor School, formerly at Ft Knox, KY, currently moving to Ft Benning, GA.



The M1A1 AIM is the one to get if you want to do a USMC tank, however...you can't build it as a USMC tank out of the box. At a minimum, you would need to add the 8-shot USMC smoke grenade launchers. You could also add the intake and exhaust snorkels, MCD, and T/I Phone box for an up to date USMC Abrams. The AIMs are also seen in both 3-tone NATO camo and overall sand.

My suggestion:

The Trumpeter Ariete C1 or the C1 uparmoured Iraq version.

They definitely receive the "bang for the buck award". Easy to build, comparable to Tamiya and very cheap to get. Even with an additional Bronco track (the kit has rubber band tracks) the project would probably cost not more than 30$.

The kits are veeeery nice! I built the plain C1 and it was a pleasure to build. I had to fill only one sink hole. The rest fits like a glove.

The only thing to add would be the slot for the coax MG which Trumpeter strangely omitted and reworking of the fume extractor.

The plain C1 has the early Leopard 2 style one and in the Iraq version they changed it to the new style but centered it. Its concentric and looks very much like the Leopard 1 fume extractor.

Thomas

NINE kits, Jean-Thomas???? Wow!

Gino, perhaps I should ask you for a more-detailed look at Jarheading the AIM, but that's now drifting away from my hopes to avoid lots of AM working overs.

Thomas, much obliged, but I'm not looking for ease of build or cheap, I want the _best_ kit at _any_ price because I'm only going to build one (I have 40 WW II and WW I AFVs, ACs, two subs and a corvette ASW in 1/72nd scale in my stash that should carry me into retirement).

Making it a Marine tank doesn't really take much work. Most of the changes are already in the AIM kit. To just make it a Marine tank, all you "have to" add is the smoke grenade launchers. I have an extra set of Marine smoke launchers and the MCD if you want them. Take a look at this thread to see what you can to add to make an up to date USMC tank. The T/I phone box can easily be scratched. The rest are general upgrades to bring an M1A1 up to the latest standards and not "have to" changes.

I'll take you up on that offer, Gino, and happily pay for them plus postage.

Great thread. USMC is looking like a good option.

To all the others who've made suggestions, thanks ever so much. I have tried to be open-minded about this, and will certainly look at other kits if I survice this one. Now, I just need to come up with an AIM. Maybe one will turn up at MosquitoCon this weekend?

What about the Eduard PE upgrade? How useful/necessary is it?