I found this a minute ago , for those interested here is the link
http://www.perthmilitarymodelling.com/reviews/vehicles/tamiya/tam35269.htm

Hi. This sounds real nice all right. Wonder if the mine plw fixture on their older M1 Abrams kit will fit to this new kit's front end?

Take care, sgirty

I have one of these bad boys on back order. Can't wait to get it.

Of course it will - the hull is not modified at all (unfortunately...), so the plow will fit exactly the same way as it did before.

Rgds,
Pawel

Toad, can you send this link to Santa please?!

Jurgen

nice review! ill try to get one of those here in serbia

reading the review, does this mean that Tamiya has put in the 'fixes'? Would be nice to have one OOB....Jim (:-)

It sounds like they did the Turret stuff :-) :-)
But not the Hull stuff..

WOW No wonder it proice is around $40.00s at my local hobby shop. With all that included it seems well worth it.. I guess I will have to add one to my collection this New Year.

is Tamya s new ABrams really worth to buy? I mean by all what I heard is the DRagon Kit the best

OKay, if I buy this Abrams I can have an M1 group build all by myself. I think I have 5 different M1 kits already.

Thanks for the link.

Shaun

Woah ... another M1 I just got to have ... Just think off what can be done with all those alternate parts ... build this kit with teh MCD and spoof up another with the CITV ... with every kit build you'll have so much for the spares box, it's gonna be worth the money for sure
Andreas

Yeah, but to put a wrech in the works, because it really pisses me off, Tamiya retooled the new turret and STILL LEFT OFF THE ANTI-SKID SURFACE! Oh for the love of...tanks and artillery! At least the "unique pieces" like the nice Marine Corps "dazzler" will not make it a waste of money, but come on.....

just a little dissapointed.

Does this mean I won't get that irresistible urge to buy the kit? #:-)

I was looking forward to this so much. . . then I read the review Approx. $40 for a very nice turret? Thanks, but I'll just continue to use the already nice looking Dragon or nicer (but more expensive) Italeri M1A2. They really should have made a new M1A2 SEP.

The BIG PICTURE is that Tamiya is turning out modern kits pretty darn fast---and so is the competition. Almost every company involved proved something this year and that is that these companies can produce it, and in short order too.

Compare the time it took for the Tamiya's M2 to M2A2 to M2A2 ODS. I don't have either kit, but just read the M2s' copyright and you'll know what I mean. That took YEARS to transgress from one M2 to the other.

So while the Tamiya M1A2 may not have anti-skid and this and that, it does show Tamiya's FAST manfacturing capability from drawing board to production. Some can say Tamiya's new M1A2 just adds another sprue and some corrections. But these corrections/ additions were done pretty darn fast. The same goes with DML's USMC M1A1---released pretty darn fast. Same goes for Tamiya's Humvee M1025 and Humvee TOW. It's like a modern model blitzkrieg.

However, the downside of this of course is that it shows Tamiya's and DML's FAST manufacturing capabilities. OIF started in March and the Tamiya M1A2 kit released in December while the DML USMC released IIRC in October (or November?) of this year..half a year instead of waiting for five to seven years.

As such, if there's a market, Tamiya and DML can crank it out pretty darn fast with some good degree of accuracy. PE and resin are soon to follow and what used to take years to get PE and resin for, now takes just a few months!

So the Big Picture....do you all know what this means? So if we wanted a Tamiya M1114 or Avenger or M1117 or Stryker....

Hmmm...hmmmm....ummm-hmmmm!!! Ummmm-hmmmmm (:-)

Pluses and minuses for Tamiya, DML, and aftermarket in showing their true manufacturing speed and power. Of course pluses and minuses for the modeler too---the low wait time for being the largest plus for us.

So is the talk really about these businesses making money by releasing these kits pretty darn fast, or putting the money in to make it, you know?

So the talk of an M1A2 SEP....Tamiya already has the Humvee TOW out in short order....so in theory, a M1A2 SEP shouldn't take years to make.

Trisaw's just right. The big guys are actually capable to turn out new kits at want ... as long as they feel there's a market for these ... makes me think ... who actually analyzes the market, there's so many kits I am waiting for. Let's take the Challenger II, Trumpeter produced and released the TELIC version even while I was waiting for my resin conversion, those guys can be really fast!
Back to the M1, I don't mind having to rework kits, I do this all the time and it gives me real pleasure to do so. Really I just wouldn't want to simply glue parts together, this being no excuse for weak research ... I just don't mind too much ... I really like the crispness of the TAMIYA outputs and very much appreciate the options this kit gives me. If it is even better and they reworked the old kits I am happy with it. Every kit has its pro's and con's and "there has to be something else to do on a kit other than assemble it...
"
just my two cents
Andreas

It is great that they can put out kits quickly. There're also not bad kits at all (I bought and love the M2A2 ODS kit), but when there are so many kits already of the M1 and with three companies having already released M1A2's, this should have been one to raise the bar, one to set the record straight if you will. At about $40 though, it's just not worth it buy this Abrams, at least for me. While more fussy builds, the others at least have anti-skid (if somewhat overdone) and a much better lower hull while being cheaper. I was hoping for an effort more like their excellent T-55 in which case I would've gladly paided $50 for it. Just my two cents.

What I really think (and me personally) Tamiya should do is make more accessory sets. Take a look how their latest modern one crosses so many gaps. Too bad the packs won't fit figures though. And I'm not talking about just Tamiya either. DML, Academy, Italeri, etc. can all benefit from releasing new accessory sets.

To make modern, one doesn't really need to reinvent the wheel. As the latest M1 kits show, just an added sprue and decals are enough to change things.

An accessory set with G36s, M4 RIS, M-16A4s, Steyr AUGs, GPS, PEQ-2s, and so forth can set figures ahead light years. And when things get outdated, release another accessory set.

Wouldn't this approach be a lot cheaper than remaking a kit?

To make corrections and additions, why not a kit saying of such with new thread HMMWV tires, SINCGARS, M113 external fuel tanks, EAAK, MOLLE packs, M2HB shields, rear turret baskets, IBA torsos, and so forth all in one kit? Kill many birds with one stone. Of course the downside is one kit costing less will bring in less money that five individual kits with such features, IF we get five kits.

The same can apply to resin companies. Some companies just attempt to replace parts with PE which another modeler hated because that's replacing 3D with flat 2D. I agree. Nothing can substitute for 3D!

I hope Tamiya releases a Dumvee and Avenger from their Humvee line. Better yet, I always hoped for a modern 1/25 2003 American fire engine! What with California wildfires and 9/11 and Homeland Security, I'm still surprised no company released one yet!!! It takes an offensive war to move things in the model world, but I suppose fire and defense cannot. The fire engine kits on the shelves are made in the 1970s and 1980s! None of those fire engine kits have the technology or standards as today's trucks and here three companies are making an M1A2 and probably three will wrestle to make a Stryker.

So is the talk releasing modern kits to make money or putting the money in to make modern kits? I wonder what the OEF/OIF doll makers have to say. OIF started in March 2003 and already the market's flooded with modern OIF dolls that are accurate. Go figure....