Hi Gang,
I am in the processs of building the Meng Bradley. started with the interior. I noticed two things:
1. The radios in the turret or of the older RT-524 or similar type. I guess there should be SINCGARS or ASIP types installed.
2. More disturbing: NO RACKS FOR TOW MISSILES. Since I don`t believe that the TOW racks have been removed on the A3, this is a MASSIVE mistake. I really wonder have this could happen?
Cheers
H.-H.

I believe parts S1 and P48 (on the floor, under the seats) are for stowing the TOW missiles. Some extra missiles would have been nice to put there.

Yes, the radios are incorrect and need to be replaced w/SINCGARS.

Sherb is right about the TOW racks as well. There are racks for two missiles under the right side seats, but no missiles are provided for them.

I think Epi may have identified the radio issue in his build. Although I replaced mine I can barely see it. Who knows why Meng put the old one in - perhaps going off of old photos. The original photos I sent them did not include radio shots, s that is the one thing most places ask me not to photograph. As it happens, months later I was told it was okay, and took some shots.
As for the racks, I think physics has a hand in it here. The spot usually occupied by the upper TOW stowage has been replaced by the A/C unit. Can't have both items occupy the same space, at least not in this dimension.
By '07, only one of the Bradleys I saw carried TOWs. (Those who have my walkaround see it - it was an M3A3 and it only carried one missile)
I'll just use parts from the interior sets I have.

Hi, Gino, where can one find AM SINCGARS?

ProArt is an option :

http://www.perthmilitarymodelling.com/reviews/vehicles/proart/pau35020.htm

for earlier SINCGARS, check out Mr Models set :

http://www.mrmodellbau.com/_shop/product_info.php?products_id=171

Voyager, D-Toys and E.T. Model have released sets that include SINCGARS as well...

H.P.

Thanks, Frenchy, the Pro Art sets looks about right.

Hi Guys,
thanks for ironing out the rack problem. I guess I have been on the racks of the M2A2. So is there only one SINCGARS radio in the turret? As for A/C unit, is this part S3? I build one track w/o the A/C boxes, so to have to omit part S3?
H.-H.

That's what I did. I have never seen S3 in any of my photos, and none of mine have the A/C units installed. The racks themselves are pretty easy to fab up.

Please speak English for those of us amateurs from other eras, LOL.


Anyone have photos of what they're talking about?

The A/C units are two Air Conditioning units that are the large boxes on the rear. There is also an internal box (part S3)on the left side upper wall. These can be left off and the standrad stowage lockers added to the rear panel in their place for a Brad w/out A/C.




The racks are on he left side sponson behind the seat nearest the rear ramp. Yo can just see them in the below pic, two U-shaped mounts in black rubber. Two missiles are strapped here with a third strapped on top of the.



You can also see them in the Tamiya kit below, laying horizontally on the left side sponson.

Unfortunately the stowage on the M2A3 is quite different than what you have pictured there. I don't have my own reference at the moment from my walkaround, but it is a flat rack that folds downward. In the older M2's as pictured there are sectioned conical pieces to trap the upper missile, similar to the ones that trap the top of the vertically stored missiles. (Not depicted well at all in the Tamiya kit) Although I have not done so, I think a quick search may yield the current arrangement. If not, anyone who has my references may feel free to post the one photo that shows what I mean.

Here is the left rear side with out the AC unit and the missile racks added:


Here is a shot of the right side of the turret. You can see the radio to the right in the picture, looks to be ASIP's and some "foram green" box to the right of it.


Here is a shot of mine with the TOW missiles under the troop seat:


Hope this helps!

Did you scratch the TOWs, spares from another kit or are they AM resin parts?

Bill,
I believe they were from the AFV Club Wiesel kit

Another question: Is there no more drivers instrument panel?
Or does the Drivers Vision Enhancer screen serve as digital panel?
H.-H.

You can find six TOW missiles in the Tamiya M1046 TOW Humvee.

You are correct. It is all digital and viewed on the DVE screen.

Hans,
If you blow this picture up, you can make out a little bit of the drivers screen and the instrument cluster to the right of it, doesn't look like it has the regular instrument cluster that the A2 and AO+ have. Hopefully Robert Skipper can clarify this. I only got to work on the A2's and A0+'s, never got to work on an A3.

Thanks, I will see if anyone has spares they're willing to sell.

Are there AM TOWs? I need two, correct?

Bill,
Let me check my stash, I don't think I have the nicer AFV ones, but I might have extra ones from another manufacturer.

Thank you, Pete, I would of course pay for them and any shipping. What a great hobby we have!

Hi Pete,
thanks for the hi-res, there is a kind of switch panel right of the DVE, easy to replicate. I only can hope that tey display the M1A2 SEP v2 and M2A3 at the Grafenwöhr Fest in August.
H.-H.