Hey Guys,

finally going to do a modern tank and got my hands on a DML M1A2 Abrams; now i need to know who makes a metal gun barrel for this kit and also is there a source for info on what i would need to add to make it a current OIF tank?like extras and decals?
any help will be appreciated. thanks

As far as the barrel, can't help you out. There are many out there, Vodnik has a feature article comparing Abrams kits and he has a comparison of aftermarket barrels in it. Abrams comparison.

I personally think you can make the kit barrel look just fine, I think metal/aftermarket barrels are a gimick and a waste of money. My opinion.

For modern gear and equipment, get the Tamiya Modern US Military Equipment Set. It has lots of extra gear, ammo cans, MRE boxes, and CIP panels to make it look like a modern OIF vehicle, even a puppy.


For decals, I believe only 4ID, 3ACR and 1CAV used M1A2 in Iraq, 3ID did not (yes, I am sure, I was in the division at the time). Echelon makes OIF decals, I believe they are all for USMC and US Army M1A1 vehicles though. Another option is making your own out of rub on lettering or printing your own on computer decal paper. Another option is to purchase the decal sheet from the new Tamiya M1A1/A2 kit. Tamiya sells them for usually less than $5. It has 2 options for an M1A2:
1. M1A2 of 2nd Platoon, F Troop, 2nd Squadron, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment, Iraq, April 2003.
2. M1A2 of 4th Platoon, F Troop, 2nd Squadron, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment, Iraq, April 2003.
Here is what it looks like:

Here is the Tamiya contact info:
http://www.tamiyausa.com/contact/index.php
They should be able to send you the decal placement guide too, if not I'm sure someone here will have a copy for you.
Their service is great and shipping only takes a couple of days, especially since you are in CA.

Hope that answers some of your queations.
Good luck.

Best one I've seen is the Model Point barrel. They do outstanding work. I believe their website is www.modelpoint.us. That person posts on Armorama occasionally.

Archer Fine Transfers also does really nice OIF Abrams decals for both US Army and USMC tanks. I was lucky enough to get some sets in return for helping them. Their website is www.archertransfers.com

WOW! You can actually make an M1A2 Abrams tank look like a puppy?!?!
Now THAT'S what I call effective camouflage!

:-) :-) :-) :-)
(sorry, Gino, just stepped in here & tripped over that misplaced modifier. )

The accessories kit is great. I had so many left over parts that I used some on my CCKW-353 (a WWII truck!) - if you look at my gallery my Abrams is loaded down. However the CIP panels were a little different. They are made for a HMMWV, so fitting them took a little work, but they look fine. They aren't beat up, a little thick, and without any handles, but for asthetic purposes look fine on an Abrams. One thing the accessory kit doesn't include is the panels that attach to the front of the turret. You'll have to scratchbuild them. For the corner black tape, I had to hand paint them (that was fun.). But it looks like that decal sheet shown above has decals for them. Best of luck and I await to see the final project.

Jeff

Thanks for mentioning my article, but actually there is no aftermarket barrels comparison in it... The only aftermarket barrel I have is Model Point one and it looks very nice!

Pawel

I guess I saw one somewhere else then. I saw one somewhere that had at least 3 different ones compared side-by-side.

My article includes side by side comparison of four kit barrels, but no aftermarket ones...

Pawel

That may be what I am thinking of.

Thanks for all the input guys