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Armor/AFV: Modern - USA
Modern Armor, AFVs, and Support vehicles.
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Abrams M1A1
RoelGeutjens
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Belgium
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Posted: Tuesday, July 05, 2005 - 05:49 AM UTC
Hellow

I Bought a Tamiya M1A1 a couple of years ago. The tank was finished in a desert colour. But I recently bought the modern US military equipment set from tamiya. Problem is the Abrams is an M1A1 back from the first gulf war in 1991. The equipment set for a US vehicle anno 2003. The equipment set has the thermal recognition panels.
Now my question is did the US troops use these panels already in 1991???

Greetz Roel
Sabot
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Posted: Tuesday, July 05, 2005 - 06:00 AM UTC
No, we didn't start testing the CIP panels until about 1994. It was the identification problems during the first Gulf War that lead the US to develop the CIP panels.
RoelGeutjens
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Posted: Tuesday, July 05, 2005 - 09:09 PM UTC
Ok thanks Sabot

Problem solved. Maybe you know if the US tankers used the M1A1 in latest gulf war 2003??? Or were al vehicles upgraded?
Sabot maybe a stupid question but are uou a tanker???

Greetz Roel
Drader
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Wales, United Kingdom
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Posted: Tuesday, July 05, 2005 - 09:40 PM UTC
Tamiya released an set of accessories just after the 1991 Gulf War, and it looks like it may be recycled soon. Hannants have it as a future release

http://www.hannants.co.uk/search/?FULL=TA35141
Sabot
Joined: December 18, 2001
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Posted: Wednesday, July 06, 2005 - 12:49 AM UTC

Quoted Text

Ok thanks Sabot

Problem solved. Maybe you know if the US tankers used the M1A1 in latest gulf war 2003??? Or were al vehicles upgraded?
Sabot maybe a stupid question but are uou a tanker???

Greetz Roel
The M1A1 being used is updated from the older ones used during Desert Storm, but some units used newer M1A1"HA" during Desert Storm (generally USAREUR units). Most have gone through a decade of upgrades and rebuilds between Gulf wars.

I spent 12 years tanking, now I work in the ordnance branch fixing them, although my current assignment is at the US Army Armor Center as an operations officer.
Red4
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Posted: Wednesday, July 06, 2005 - 01:01 AM UTC
[quote]
Quoted Text

Ok thanks Sabot


I spent 12 years tanking, now I work in the ordnance branch fixing them, although my current assignment is at the US Army Armor Center as an operations officer.


Once a Tanker, always a tanker. It never leaves your system. "Q"
Sabot
Joined: December 18, 2001
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Posted: Wednesday, July 06, 2005 - 01:05 AM UTC
Yep, still think, talk, act and command like a tanker. Main difference is that I have an Army paid degree in logistics management (never been to an ordnance course). Add that to my undergraduate degree in banking and finance and I should be set for life after retirement.
RoelGeutjens
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Posted: Wednesday, July 06, 2005 - 06:22 AM UTC
Hey Sabot

Nice. Whatdid you do as a tanker?? Gunner or something else??? I am also a tanker for 4 years now. I'm Tankcommander and platoons sergeant or how do you guys describe it??? Before I became a tankcommander I was a howitzer driver for 2 years in the artillery.

So about The M1A1 to have it real best thing to do is to place it in the first gulf war without the CIP panels???

Cheers Roel
Red4
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Posted: Wednesday, July 06, 2005 - 09:54 AM UTC
Rob, definately sounds like you are set for life after retirement. Even though by MOS I was a Scout I spent more time on tanks than Brads and HMMWV's. I miss my tanks Lucky for me I live close enough to the ranges here that I can still hear them during gunnery. "Q"
Sabot
Joined: December 18, 2001
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Posted: Wednesday, July 06, 2005 - 10:46 AM UTC

Quoted Text

Hey Sabot

Nice. Whatdid you do as a tanker?? Gunner or something else??? I am also a tanker for 4 years now. I'm Tankcommander and platoons sergeant or how do you guys describe it??? Before I became a tankcommander I was a howitzer driver for 2 years in the artillery.

So about The M1A1 to have it real best thing to do is to place it in the first gulf war without the CIP panels???

Cheers Roel
I started as a tank platoon leader, then tank company XO and went on to command a tank company in the 1st Cavalry Division. I've crewed on M48A5, M60A3TTS, M1IP, M1A1, M1A1HA, and M1A2 tanks as well as M728CEV and M3A1 Bradleys.
RoelGeutjens
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Belgium
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Posted: Sunday, August 14, 2005 - 11:14 PM UTC
Hey

This is an question for all the US tankers among us. I bought the tamiya modern us equipment set. But my question no is if you guys do an FTX or in iraq do you cover the blow out panels of the ammo storage or not with backpacks and tents and so on???

Greetz Roel
Recon
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Posted: Sunday, August 14, 2005 - 11:48 PM UTC
Wich is the best M1 on the market today?
Recon
HeavyArty
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Posted: Monday, August 15, 2005 - 12:34 AM UTC

Quoted Text

But my question no is if you guys do an FTX or in iraq do you cover the blow out panels of the ammo storage or not with backpacks and tents and so on???


The manual says to leave the panels free of gear and obstruction, however, since we carry so much crap, they seldom are. Usually, bags and gear are on top of them.



Quoted Text

Wich is the best M1 on the market today?


Tamiya's new M1A1/A2 OIF kit is the easiest to build and the newest tooled. Not necessarily the best. They all have their goods and bads.

Tamiya's lacks the prominant anti-slip coating. It does come with a nice USMC MCD, APU, and some modern stowage and two descent figures.

Dragon's is a close second to Tamiya. It is a little harder to build, but does have the anti-slip coating. All of Dragon's M1A1/A2s also come with a partial interior. The newest Dragon USMC M1A1 Baghdad kit also comes with a nice selection of gear, MRE boxes, and PE for the Bustle Rack Extension (BRE), however, the BRE is a US Army 3ID type, not USMC type. Dragon has also announced an all new-tooled M1A1 to be out this fall. The M1A1 AIM will share most of its componenets with their recently released M1 Panther II mine clearing vehicle. Many improvements have been indicated over the Panther II as well. http://www.perthmilitarymodelling.com/reviews/vehicles/dragon/dr3534.htm

Trumpeter is about on par with Dragon. It has the mud relief holes in the rear sprockets. It also comes with some extra ammo boxes and gear.

Academy's is horrible. It has a sprue with some updated parts that are great for OIF, such as a correct USMC Bustle Rack Extension, new style sprockets with mud relief holes, smoke grenades for launchers, USMC MCD, nice APU, etc. Other than the new items, it is the same old bad Academy kit with incorrect, short M1 turret and old style T-156 tracks that haven't been used since the early 1990s.

Italeri's is an improved copy of the Trumpeter M1A1HC.


Here is a side-by-side review of most M1Abrams kits out there.

http://vodnik2.republika.pl/pages/m1-comparison/m1comp1.htm

Review of new Tamiya M1A1/A2 OIF kit:
http://www.perthmilitarymodelling.com/reviews/vehicles/tamiya/tam35269.htm

Review of new Academy M1A1 Iraq, 2003 kit:
http://www.perthmilitarymodelling.com/reviews/vehicles/academy/acd13202.htm

Review of Dragon M1A1 USMC Bahgdad 2003 kit:
http://www.perthmilitarymodelling.com/reviews/vehicles/dragon/dr3533.htm
Vodnik
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Posted: Monday, August 15, 2005 - 05:46 AM UTC

Quoted Text

The M1A1 AIM will share most of its componenets with their recently released M1 Panther II mine clearing vehicle.

Actually that is not true anymore. :-) That was DML's plan until I joined the development team, but since then I made them reconsider it. Now it looks like there will be very little left from Panther II in the M1A1 AIM kit. It is quite likely that only tracks will stay in their current form, although this can also change

Pawel
Sabot
Joined: December 18, 2001
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Posted: Monday, August 15, 2005 - 06:02 AM UTC

Quoted Text

Tamiya's lacks the prominant anti-slip coating.
To me, this is akin to criticizing WW2 German tank kits because they don't have zimmerit detail engraved onto the surface. You've got to admit, applying non-slip surfaces to an Abrams tank is a heck of a lot easier than putting zimmerit on a panzer (excluding using PE metal or Cavalier resin zimmerit).
HeavyArty
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Posted: Monday, August 15, 2005 - 06:21 AM UTC

Quoted Text

Actually that is not true anymore. That was DML's plan until I joined the development team, but since then I made them reconsider it. Now it looks like there will be very little left from Panther II in the M1A1 AIM kit. It is quite likely that only tracks will stay in their current form, although this can also change

Pawel


Pawel,
No more changes man. We are waiting with baited breath to get at these. Any idea how much longer on when these kits are coming out?


Quoted Text


Quoted Text

Tamiya's lacks the prominant anti-slip coating.
To me, this is akin to criticizing WW2 German tank kits because they don't have zimmerit detail engraved onto the surface. You've got to admit, applying non-slip surfaces to an Abrams tank is a heck of a lot easier than putting zimmerit on a panzer (excluding using PE metal or Cavalier resin zimmerit).


Rob, I agree with you, just giving my mini-review of the kit. It is a shame Tamiya left it off though. All the other Abrams kits have it. It is really the only downfall to the new Tamiya kit. It is pretty easy to apply though. I did just that with a can of Rustoloem texture paint on my latest USMC M1A1HC.

Check here: Anti-Slip Texture Technique

Painted results here: "Angry American"
Vodnik
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Posted: Monday, August 15, 2005 - 07:18 AM UTC

Quoted Text

No more changes man. We are waiting with baited breath to get at these. Any idea how much longer on when these kits are coming out?


Sorry, still no ETA known... My personal, unofficial and purely speculative guess would be about mid October. SEP may or may not be out before Christmas. It is very important for DML now to get the M1A1 AIM as good as possible, as it will be a base of several future M1 kits. They want to avoid what they had with Sd.Kfz.251 kits where they had to correct lots of small basic details in each subsequent variant release... This time they want to make the first kit right and then only concentrate on modifications needed for other variants, like SEP. Well, actually it will be the second M1 kit after the Panther II, but we discovered a lot of small inaccuracies in most parts of that kit, so the decision was made to basically redesign the whole kit. M1 Panther II kit was great, but once you compare it to new M1A1 AIM parts you will notice that it was still noticeably wrong in more that a few areas. M1A1 AIM kit will definitely not be perfect, but we want to make sure it will be the best and most accurate M1 kit available in the 1/35 scale.

Pawel
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