I grabbed both of these kits at my local hobby shop today. They were $8.95 minus the 10% IPMS club discount, so they ran about $8 a piece.

Hull:
Both kits look to be spawned from their motorized version. The bottom of the hull has spots where screws would have gone to hold the halves together. It also has a pronounced bulge that goes from the #1 road wheel arm to the #5 road wheel arm. Again, probably due to the motorization of the original.

Suspension:
The road wheels have poly vinyl spacers that they mount to and the compensating idler wheel and drive sprockets mount on a metal axle. The drive sprockets are well detailed and appear to be the newer style.

Turret:
The lower turret has a curious hole on the underside, probably to hold the motorized version together. That will require a little plastic surgery to cover up, but nothing major. The bustle rack is molded solid and will have to be opened up or replaced with photo etch. I imagine the ExtraTech PE for the Revell M1A1HA would work to correct this matter. Revell's kit is much better in this area.

Each tank only includes the proper TC cupola for either the M1A1 or the M1A2. The cupola detail is rather soft. The M1A2 has the type of ammo blast panels with the three "mushrooms" (removeable interior ammo rack type) and the M1A1 has the plain non-removeable type.

Both versions have the bustle mounted APU and also include thermal CIP panels for the turret sides and rear (3 panels).

M1A2 specifics:
The M1A2 includes markings for the former Dollar Ninety-Fourth (194th) Separate Armor Brigade out of Ft. Knox, KY. The camouflage scheme is for a test vehicle that was used at the National Training Center in Ft. Irwin, CA. The turret "tact boards" are stickers (yes, peel-n-stick) with the bumper number C22 in tan on a black background. The boxtop pictures a vehicles all MILESed up with a Hoffman device, but parts are not included.

M1A1 specifics:
The M1A1 includes markings for an OIF tank from the 3rd Infantry Division's 1st Battalion, 64th Armor. It even includes the "pre-po" markings for the front of the hull. The forward, flat type CIP panels in this kit are represented by a pair of peel-n-sticks. The kit only includes Army style smoke grenade launchers and does not include a Missile Countermeasures Device (MCD), therefore a USMC M1A1 Heavy Common cannot be made OOB.

Tracks:
The high point of these kits are the black vinyl tracks. These are some of the nicest ones I've seen in 1/72 scale and are the later T-158 "Bigfoot" style. This is probably the one area where the kit surpasses the Revell of Germany kit. That kit has nicely done link and length T-156 track that forces you do do an earlier M1A1 variant. The only downside to the vinyl tracks are the T-156 center guides on T-158 tracks as someone on Missing-Lynx pointed out.

Conclusion:
Looks to be a good buy. At under $10 you really can't go wrong. Revell's kit is better, but it's not an A2 and it has early style tracks. It will take a little surgery to make the M1A2 look like an M1A2SEP (as used in OIF), but at 1/72 scale, would be fairly easy to fake.

I bought them since I have several sets of Archer Fine Transfer M1A1 decals in 1/72 scale. I'm debating whether or not to slap them together or order a couple of sets of the ExtraTech photo etch (EXV 72 001) to address the bustle rack problem. Now, where can I get several sets of the vinyl tracks for use on my Revell M1A1-HA?

Unsure Bill, 1/35 is well entrenched and unlikely to be toppled by the meager offerings in 1/72 scale. Besides, we are seeing a "graying" of the modelers who started with the 79¢ kits of the 60s. Many just do not have the eyesight for Braille scale any more.

Bill....

hehe

My local hobby Shop had in some the 1/72 WW2 German Armor pieces that DML has come out and said the same thing about the metal hulls..they are the same as the prebuilt models DML is selling for the "collector" crowd. I took a look the Panther they had out and they where really nice and I almost got one.

Interestingly, the Dragon Elefant I have was not a motorized variant brought into plastic. It is a rather nice, purpose made 1/72 scale model kit.

Just got the M1A1 from the friendly neighborhood bargain dealer . Aside from the big belly, huge screw holes, solid bustle rack and incorrect APU location what else is incorrect on this kit?

Thanks!

I haven't tackled either my Dragon M1A1 or M1A2. I did get two sets of the Part (Poland) photo etched set made specifically for the Dragon kit though:


The Revell kit is dimensionally different from the Dragon kit so a PE set fitted for one won't be entirely useful on the other. There will be bits and pieces that are interchangeable though.

It does not look like a bad kit. I am glad they are out and have increased my Revell Abrams count so I can use the Dragon kits to help me build an early M1A1, late M1A1HA, M1A2 and with any luck an M1A2SEP.

Dragon's M1A1 looks like it's standing on tiptoes. Last night I compared the model to the box pic. On the box pic the skirts hide the tire and a little of the rim of the road wheels. The kit's skirts however only hide part of the tire. I think the joint between the upper and lower hull need to be sanded down a bit to give the model the correct stance.

Are the angles of the turret front correct? I don't know if it's just me but it doesn't look right.

Are the Abrams' road wheels really smaller than a Chally's?