Hi Everyone,

Im taking a break from building 1/48 fighter jets and want to start building modern 1/35 MBT. A friend of mine gave me a Tamiya M1A1 kit #35158 with Mine plow. I want this to be my starting kit.
I want to build this tank OOB with out the mine plow (i will use the mine plow in a future Abrams build).
My questions are can this tank be built OOB and paint it overall green? Do I need to apply anti slip coating? Does this tank represents the late 80s era Abrams, and if so, is it safe to have the hull mounted APU and chevron style tracks on? Does the decal supplied in the kit appropriate for an overall green Abrams?
Sorry to ask too many questions but I want to be ready before I start to assemble it. Appreciate everyone's advice on this.

Thanks,

Eric

Hello Eric,

i'm working on an Tamiya A2 at the moment. So i can tell you something about their Abrams kits.

First thing is that the parts fit all together very good (Tamiya like) but the kits also have some inaccuracies like the running gear, smaller details and the missing anti slip coating.
I've managed to apply it with cheap terracotta spray. In my opinion the result is a very good one atlhough the roughness is not the same all over the tank due to some influence factors and testings. It is important to spray several THIN coats from a distance of about at least 30 centimeters until you're happy with the result. Just see my result for yourself:

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It is actually a pretty simple kind of work but it requires a lot of masking. It took a lot of masking tape and liquid 'till the job was done...

Let me tell you that you will have to do a lot of work to make the Tamiya Abrams become an all accurate one. Just like the kits from Trumpeter and Italieri it has it's "lights and shadows" with lights to prevail. In the end it turns out in an Abrams-looking model so or so. So it's good for an OOB build. I did only a few additional details so far like some bolt and nuts, some plates and so on. The biggest details which i have added are the anti slip coating and lots of welding seams (had to practice you know...).

So much for the basic kit, let's get back to topic. Yes, the kit is good to represent a late 80's M1A1. You can use chevron tracks. There have been A1s fittet with these, even in the Gulf war if i'm right because the material had to be used although the new T158 BigFoots were already introduced. But i don't know which specific vehicle had which tracks mounted on and when.

I can't help you whit the APU (i'm always confused about it!), the paint and the decals but i guess that there's an expert around here somewhere?

Yes to all your questions, however, I don't remember which decals are in the kit though, so I can't comment on the accuracy of painting it overall green and using the kit decals.

Most Abrams by the late '80s - early '90s were painted in overall sand or NATO 3-tone camo though. There weren't many left in overall green.

Also, the hull-mounted APU was a CONUS (stateside) feature. Be sure your markings are for a CONUS-based unit and you should be good.

Bernd and Gino thank you very much for the advice. I shall start and enjoy building this one. I'll go try to search for markings for tanks CONUS to make it more accurate.

Cheers,

Eric

Eric,
Gino and I have talked about this problem before. Decals in kits that are not true. If you make your own decals here are a couple of suggestions. In the 90's when 3ID replaced the 24th. You had the 3-69AR, 1-64AR, and 2-69AR. The 24th had the same units. 3ID just picked them up when 24th deactivated. At Ft Riley you had the 3 BDE 1 AR DIV, which had 1-13AR, and 2-70AR. Also at Riley 1 BDE 1ID you had 1 & 2 34AR. This should be enough for you.

Joey,
Thanks for heads up. Unfortunately I dont know how to make them. I will try to ask around. maybe somebody would hear my plea.

Eric

Here is my 1/35 Tamiya M1A1 Green Abrams


















Hope you guys like it. My next project will be a 1/35 Up-Armored Ariete MBT...

Cheers,

Eric

The only abrams that were painted overall green were the M1 abrams that mounted the 105mm gun the nato scheme came along when the M1A1 came in to service also one thing you for got to tell him is the turret in his kit in inaccurate for a M1A1

Not totally true. The USMC had overall Forest Green M1A1s in Iraq during the invasion. I believe it was at least one PLTs worth. Two were profiled on Echelon's USMC OIF #2 decals.


I'm sure there have been some others that were overall green over the years as well.

What is wrong with the Tamiya M1A1 turret? The only issue I have heard of with the turret is on the Academy M1A1s that used a copy of the shorter Tamiya M1 turret on them, not the lengthened M1A1 turret.

Went outside and got some more shots.








Thanks for looking.

Eric