OK guys here is my plan/train of thought...I want to use the chassis of the Tamiya...I will add the extra bussel rack from the Dragon to the Tamiya chassis along with all pertinent OIF additions (from the Dragon kit). Would this conversion give me a somewhat accurate OIF USMC M1A1HA?? Is it absolutely necessary to add the non slip surface? Do all HAs have the non slip?If I have to I will try adding it myself!! Please help!!! #:-)

Why exactly do you want to use Tamiya chassis?... And do you mean just suspension parts or the whole hull? Tamiya hull has some accuracy problems.

Extra bustle rack in Dragon kit is actually US Army (3rd Infantry Division), not USMC. Dragon used wrong style of rack in their kit.

Yes, all HA have non-slip coating. Actually I believe that all M1A1s had it.

Rgds,
Pawel

All Abrams tanks have the non-slip surface. Older tanks and tanks that have been repainted often have a more subdued non-slip surface, but it is still there. The tracks on the old Tamiya M1A1 are the early T-156 pattern and most likely did not see action in OIF.

There are a few things that need to be corrected on the Tamiya upper hull (as I am finding out on my Tamiya M1A2 ) # 1 is the non-slip coating # 2 is the lip around the drivers hatch that is not supposed to be there # 3 no bilge pump spout on the right side # 4 the front fender braces # 5 the wire crew steps on the front skirts and # 6 I'm not shure on this one but i think most USMC M1s have the deep water frame on the rear exaust . I dont know about the DML turret and the Tamiya hull going together , but I know that the Trumpter and DML holes for the turret are different sizes . Good luck on your kit crossing

jesus h. christ! I am rapidly coming to the point where I dont give a rats ass and just build what comes in the bloody box! Inaccurate this and missing that! What a bleepin hobby I chose! And to think I got into modeling to relax and work on my patience. No offence guys..it just seems like there is a multitude of things wrong with every damn kit I choose to build! #:-) Arrggh! The humanity!!!!

Build what comes in the box. I am just as tired of all the things wrong with the kits. I just add some extra boxes and bags and do the best job I can. I know it can get very frustrating.
Recon

Well, there's always the OOB option...

If there's one thing we all should remember - we build model kits to enjoy ourselves, right?

On how accurate the kit becomes when finished is all up to you - if the end result pleases YOU, meets your standards, then your money was well spent!

My 2 cents.



BT6

thanks guys!! I will get back to OOB building..I have about 20 different projects going..all awaiting some form of aftermarket add on...to heck with it..its about me and my pleasure after completion...sorry for the rant guys...guess I needed a reality check!

I am just going to build what ever comes in the box, and if I can make it look half way decent then I'll be happy, like somebody said the figures in the old Italeri kits were junk, but I just put together two of them, and I can't see what is wrong, now there was quite a bit of seams to clean up, but that is what I bought a model for is to work on it. I was totally relaxed shaving the seams off them, to what scares me is when I got to paint them, cause I haven't learned how to use this magnifier light to coordinate my hands under magnification. Try to do what makes you happy, it is your model, and try to enjoy, that is what it is all about.

Hay guys. I feel for you. I build Detailed, Dioramas and Stock Box. Sometimes it seams like you have to throw tons of mony at a project just in order to compete at contest time. What ever happened to the good old days when all youn had to do is scratch build what you needed and were still competitive. Progress I guess. Well remember it's only a hobby !

Just remember the 2 most important things;
-1- We're building for the fun of it!
-2-The tanks we (or at least I) do, do not have to go to war and drive for real...

I must admit that seeing the projects of some of us (Pawel is a good example), makes me want to go into detail as much as them, but since I haven't got the money and the patience (read skills) for that, I'll stick to some minor scratch-building and OOB.
And it makes me feel Good
( , I know, sorry...)

I bought the Trumpeter M1A1HA for the G.B. And after this i discover the tweaks list which is at list 12 times long as the instruction sheet!!!! But i built for fun and the challenge is there for me, and u and all of us. I dont have money to put in 10 AM sets for each kit i Build, i put money to tools and paints and reference and i try to scratch as most as i can to the limit of my skills and my reference. I believe that a lot can be done , and i ll build the Trump kit for the GB and i hope that will turn nice. we ll see. what i wanna say is , read everything whats written but dont get dissapointed or frustrated. build in the way you can ask for advice and knowledge and basically try to be satisfied with the effort you make.
If i have gone i kindly apologise

Hello All,
It doesn't matter if you build out of the box, or invest a small fortune to make the kits 100% accurate, which IMHO no one will ever do since someone will always be able to point out a fault. It boils down to how much of an accuracy nut you are and how deep your wallet is. Then again we could always ask the kit manufacturers to get it right, but that would drive costs up or them to slow down production. The ultimate catch 22. I enjoy building them and will use aftermarket items if my wallet allows or it drastically improves the project.

Tanks Out

thanks alot guys...I feel like I just got talked down in an AA meeting or something!! #:-) I think I just lost sight of why I started this hobby in the first place..to take a bunch of plastic parts and build something my son and I can be proud of and stare in awe at! Back to reality...!!! :-)

Howdy Fellas,

I agree with the group consensus. And tankleader makes a good point when he says (paraphrasing) that somebody willalways be able to find a fault (if they look hard enough )
In fact, it's interesting the perception we apply to aftermarket 'accuracy'. There are some who are on autopilot about always getting a replacement JR turned barrel for every model they get. They do this even though the kit supplied barrel is just dandy! There are those who just must have the latest PE set for their new Tamiya T-55 and wrestle for days bending, gluing, soldering, etc. even when some of the parts are out of scale to reality. But...everyone says "you've just GOT to get the PE, that's what the 'pros' always do, right?"
Look. The whole 'Tweak List' thing is designed simply as an aid to those who feel the need to embrace AMS. That's all. How much you apply said 'list', is a purely personal thing. Because, as said above, there will always be something missing. Consider this. If someone spends all the money inthe world on barrels, and PE, and resin bits, etc. and the kit looks stunning, but he doesn't include a FULL interior, a COMPLETE engine compartment, etc, etc. Then....it's not completely accurate is it? All endeavors at modeling are just an attempt at creating your best rendering of the real thing. No more, no less. There is no modeler on the planet, not the 'pros', not the 'Master Classs' modelers, not the Dioramists, that makes, or has made a 100 Percent accurate model kit. Believe it.
So, make sure you always adhere to the Big Kahuna's Modeling Rule #1.....HAVE FUN !!

Tread out.

hehe, cool it a bit guys. I am not a modern armor dude. And I am equally shocked with the tweak list, just shocked, not angered mind you. I think it's awesome that we have dudes like Toady, vondik, broabrams and a couple others "abrams nazi?" whom have went extra length to do a perfect abrams, and possess such knowledge of the vehicle that is truely inspiring.

I believe modeling to be for fun, but the fun also originated from research and trying to make a close possible replica of the actual vehicle. these guys are doing it, and also pass their knowledge along, so fellow modelers can do it as well. They are not putting a gun to our head to demand us this as a must...

For me, I don't know 1% about abrams as much as I know about say maybe tigers, but it's great they have provided the tweaklist, some I would try to correct, i.e. the nonslip surface which for me is easy to do, some I would just let it go, not that I can't. just I won't bother at all.

After all, the build is for a bro. Toady, and for a bro it will be.

Cheers guys, my 2 cents. (++)

Man, you guys are scary! I once thought M4 Sherman fans were "fanatical"...

MajorGoose - I ultimately decided to build the Trumpeter Heavy Armor version too. We'll be brothers in plastic on this Group Build. I have all the Abrams kits, and I like them all for different reasons. I like the Tweaks List too - and might likely do some things to my Trumpeter kit to correct the obvious flaws. I already know what I'm going to do to correct the odd Turret floor and leftside problem cast into the kit. The smaller details will be what I decided to add. No mad dash to the aftermarket bins - I'll likey do what's fun until it's no longer fun to do. The only aftermarket set I pulled out was AFV Club's tracks - in case I decide to use them...

If you wanna swap notes or frustrations along the way - PM me and we can crack open a beer over it...

Looking forward to some fun!

Gunnie

[rant mode on] Yes, I've noticed this trend as of late. I think it is an off shoot of all the exposure the tank got last year during Operation Iraqi Freedom. The M1A1 is just about fully fielded to the National Guard so there are real live Abrams sitting at the local armories. There are photos online, books in print and almost as many boxings of Abrams kits as there are Tiger kits.

While I see this as beneficial to modeling the Abrams tank, the fanatics are taking the fun out of modeling the tank. This is what makes modeling German armor and Shermans "un-fun". Too many experts arguing that this was never used with that, this kit has that error and that kit needs the turret from one kit and the tracks from another.

People should realize the vehicle has been in service for over 20 years and has seen a shooting war in both Army and Marine markings. Many variations were tried, abandoned, retried by various individual units, the Armor School and the crews that ride them. Not a whole heck of a lot is still "standard" on an Abrams tank.

Do what I do. I fully accurize some and slap others together straight out of the box. It doesn't really matter if you just build to suit yourself. [rant mode off]

(said in my best Crocodile Dundee impression) "...that's not a rant......this is a rant!"
Just kidding. I fully agree with you. And your observation about the german steel and Sherman builders is spot on. The whole debate is comparative to the long-winded, and dryed-up argument about "what is the most accurate OD green colour?"......There isn't any.
Gunnie also included the most applicable phrase (IMHO)..."...to correct the obvious flaws..."
As a wise old Italian gentleman I used to know as a kid used to say "that wears pants for me!"
Meaning......whatever you do, as long as it makes sense to you...it "wears pants"

Tread.