This is the Tamiya M2A2 ODS kit with Eduard PE and a Model Point barrel. The entire build was pretty straight forward, and I didn't run into any major headaches I drilled out the drainage holes in the turret basket (with a little assistance from my father's drill press).

The model need to be dusted and dullcoted, but other than that, it is done and ready for your approval/suggestions.

very nice!

what did you use for the periscopes and FCS optics?

Very impressive, you going to put in a dio. I like the straps alot. I have two M2a2 bradleys waiting to put together. I have to get the PE set and Model Point barrel.

I bought 2 plain M2 Bradley's and useing the interior for both of them for the M2A2s. I hope mine comes out as nice as your.

Happy Modeling

Looks pretty good. The CIP panels look unpainted, if so, they should be painted a sand color. One other suggestion, the poles under the maintenance shelf on the left side of the hull and the ones on the right rear were for the flotation skirt which is no longer present on the M2A2 ODS. These should be left off, they are no longer carried. I too am doing two M2A2 ODSs with full interiors from M2 kits plus scratch built turret interior. Currently, one is being done up as an M7 BFIST (Bradley Fires Integration Support Team vehicle) the other will be a standard M2A2 ODS with (hopefully) a full engine compartment too. Looks good. Keep up the good work.

Thanks for the comments guys!

Elad - For my periscopes and lenses I used party stars. I bought a string of them and as I need them, I pull them from the string, trim them to size, and put them on the model with a touch of CA glue.

Tom - I'm probably not going to put this one in a dio. I would definitely reccommend picking up a set of the straps, they are an easy upgrade and, IMHO, give the model a little something extra.

Gino - The CIP panels are painted with Tamiya Desert Yellow, which isn't a whole lot different from the color of the styrene. I totally spaced about the poles, but now that you mention it, I do remember some discussion about this a while back. Also, on the M7 BFIST, is there a conversion for that or are you going to scratch build the targetting assembly?

Great job Jeff!!!

One little thing, but it ain't a biggy. On the lenses for the Periscope Head Assembly ("Dog House") or gunners sight, your lenses are switched. The red looking lense should be on the right and the clear lense should be on the left. The left side houses the TOW Visual Modual and is used for day operations and the right side is for the BSA (Basic Sight Assembly) which is the thermal sight. It is a very dark, almost black, red.

Other than that, I like it!!!!!!!!!!!

Thanks Pete!

Unless I'm misunderstanding you, I the lenses are in the correct spot. According to my references, when facing the Dog House, the rt is purple and the left is a clear bluish-silver. Here are a couple of the pics I used (borrowed from Vodnik's site).

The one on the right side of the vehicle sometimes has a goldish/orange tint to it - very well visible on the cover of Verlinden's Bradley book:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/reader/9070932253/ref=sib_rdr_zmin/104-6890130-3842338?p=S001&j=1#reader-page

That's how I made it in my model.

Pawel

Jeff and Pawel,
A picture says a thousand word!!!!

The lenses have a protective coating over them. When you are looking at the lense covers form a distance and depending on the lighting, they look like what you see in the pictures. But when your up close, the left is actually clear and the right is darker where you can almost not see through it. It just like the periscope lenses, they have the same reflective coating on them too. They are also clear when you look at them close.

I wish I would keep my camera here at work. I have an ISU (Integrated Sight Unit) sitting in side my parts cage, plus one outside in the Bradley in my bay.

Maybe a dumb question but why do the CIP panels have to be sand colored and not green.

Paul

They come that way from the manufacturer. I have never seen them green. Only sand in color.





Grasshoper12,
The BFIST actually looks pretty much the same as a standard M2A2 on the exterior. Most of the difference is on the inside. The main exterior difference is the TOW box is now an instruments package box called the BAB (Bradley Armored Box - Gotta love Army acronyms). The onle difference on the box is that the rear is a flat plate. The whole targeting sytem with the GVLLD mounted on where the TOW box is never really made it past initial stages since it was too difficult to line up all the optics and some other problems. The GVLLD is outdated technology anyways. The sight sytem on the Brad is better than the GVLLD optics anyways. The other major differance is that the rear tail light gards are extended and two more antenna mounts are added here for the two extra radios carried in the vehicle down in the hull at the Fire Support Station. Here are a couple of photos of how the actual production version looks:


Here is one in action from 1-10 FA, 3ID during the invasion of Iraq.


This was the original design which had the GVLLD located in the large box wher the TOW would nomally go. Also, it shows the Missile Counter-measure Device (MCD) that was rejected by the Army, but adopted by USMC.


Hope that clears it up. I will post some photos soon. The hull interior is just about done.

There was some pictures on ML last year of a M1A1 AIM with green CIP panels.

And:
http://www.defenselink.mil/photos/Jan1996/951231-F-8381L-001.html

Paul

I guess they come in green too. I have only seen them in sand. I guess most parts come in both sand and green these days.