Hi. I was just looking at the box art on Tamiya's M2A2 ODS IFV model and was wondering how ther water cans on the front of the side skirts are held on? Now I know that sometimes the box art can be highly misleading as to the actual vehicle, but I was just wondering if there was some kind of spring clip system that held these in place, or should there be a metal bracket, of sorts, that goes around them, much like the older brackets on the W.W. II tanks.

I would just bet there's a metel 'spring' sort of system that these clip into as this would seem kind of logical for modern armor, but was just wondering for sure or not.

Thanks and take care, sgirty

If you are talking about the water can where the step in is above the second road wheel, Tamiya left a part off. The water can is secured by a rubber flap that looks like a truck mud flap. The flap attaches to the bolts forward of the step on the higher side. It comes over the water can, completely covering it up, and attaches to the armor side skirt to the rear of the can with a cloth strap in the middle. This mod was introduced recently due to the water can being ripped off the vehicle by trees, wire, or other items on the battlefield. The other option is to have cloth straps crossing the water can both horizontally and vertically to secure it. This way is still done as well. Here is a photo to better show what I mean.

Sgirty,
I want to say that there is a water can holder that the can is strapped into, while the rubber flap keeps brush and like items from getting caught behind the can and ripping it from the vehicle. Let me check at home tonight. I have a bunch of M3A2 pics and I know that I took pics of the area that you are talking about and I will repost to confirm my suspicions

John

Hi. Thanks guys. Been checking around and have seen a couple photos on something called the global security site that show an m2a2 with a rather large fabric-type of strap on one side of a vehicle that seems to be holding all the crew's personal gear on, or at least supporting it from the bottom. The front end of this strap seems to be coming up from behind that extra spaced armor plate on the front and goes, more or less, all the way to the back, with the baggage tied or held secured to the top of the side armor plate, or just behind it, as well. But this photo shows no water can sitting there, or even a rubber cover for one.

Am speculating that maybe these cans were put in that rear storage bin behind the turret so they could be more easily reached by the crew. Or maybe kept inside, space permitting of course. Or not.

Also see tow hooks on the front of the vehicle in this photo as well, that could have been easily supplied by Tamiya too, but were not. Out comes the spares boxes! Believe I've seen these rounded type of hooks someplace or other.

Thanks and take care, sgirty

Hi, Just another post on this subject. Happened to be out to a local book store in the area tonight and was looking through their history section and found a small book, I think it's by one of those tv news personalities (seems they are good for something after all), that is full of color photos of combat action taken during OIF. Had a 5 or 6 shots of Bradleys in action in it. Seems they had just about everything hooked on the sides and piled up around on them but the kitchen sink (and it was probably there as well, someplace or other.) All kinds of bags and boxes, very large and thick rolls of barbed wire, etc. In one picture it looks as if the vehicle was almost half as wide again, just with all the 'extras' tacked onto the sides of it. Guess they weren't figuring on getting into any tight spots with these things. Trying to negotiate down a small narrow street with all this stuff on the sides would definitely turn this vehicle into one big sitting duck once it got hung up on something or other.

And as you can guess, it was darn near impossible to see if there was any of these water cans or the rubber carrier/protectors in this forward position. So I'm just going to leave them off altogether and put the cans in the rear storage section behind the turret.

Now to look through this site and see if I can find that article on how to make barbed wire, as it appears I'm going to need at least one large roll of it tied onto this vehicle's side and/or front. Ha! Did find the towing hooks in the spares box for it. It's amazing what these spares boxes collect down through time.

This project is turning out to be kind of interesting. May have to get an MI and an updated M113 to go with it, just for the heck of it.

May the dark forces forgive me! It's just a temporary change or pace. I promise to return to the K5 before too long.

Take care, sgirty

Mech/armor soldiers always travel with the kitchen sink. It is called a "Number 10" can.