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Armor/AFV: Modern - USA
Modern Armor, AFVs, and Support vehicles.
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Tamiya bradley
PanzerKarl
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England - North West, United Kingdom
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Posted: Tuesday, February 21, 2006 - 02:14 PM UTC
Does the tamiya bradley come with any interior or do you have to buy after market stuff?

any ideas

cheers
Erik67
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Buskerud, Norway
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Posted: Tuesday, February 21, 2006 - 02:26 PM UTC
The Tamiya M2A2 comes without interior. The original M2A1 (OOP?) had an interior. Academy has reboxed(?) this kit and the interior fits the M2A2. I might have messed up this a bit, but I'm sure HeavyArty, Sabot, Epi or some of the other US armor experts can sort this out.

Cheers
Erik
Drader
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Posted: Tuesday, February 21, 2006 - 02:52 PM UTC
Tamiya originally made versions of the M2 with and without a partial interior (mostly the hull, nothing for the turret apart from the turret basket), the version with the interior appears from time to time. The updated model doesn't have an interior. The interior provided is an early edition too, complete with the FPW versions of the M16 (which are ******* fragile).

Haven't seen the Academy copy so I can't comment.
Frenchy
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Posted: Tuesday, February 21, 2006 - 03:09 PM UTC

Quoted Text

The original M2A1 (OOP?) had an interior. Academy has reboxed(?) this kit and the interior fits the M2A2.


You can still find the Academy kit for about $8 at some asian webstores. Just what's needed for some kitbashing...

Frenchy
Vodnik
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Posted: Tuesday, February 21, 2006 - 03:17 PM UTC

Quoted Text

The Tamiya M2A2 comes without interior. The original M2A1


The original kit was M2. There was never a M2A1 kit made in 1/35 scale.



Quoted Text

Academy has reboxed(?) this kit

Not really - Academy old kit was not a rebox, but a unauthorized copy of Tamiya kit and there were minor differences between Academy model and original (tracks in Academy kit had rubber blocks upside down). Tamiya kit included much nicer decals for the interior (actually I don't remember if there were any interior decals in Academy kit), but in general Academy kits are a good cheap source of parts for early style Bradley interior.

For more info about Tamiya M2A2 kit I suggest my article: http://www.vodnik.net/index_feat.htm

Pawel
Erik67
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Posted: Tuesday, February 21, 2006 - 03:24 PM UTC

Quoted Text

Not really


Well, there you go, thanks Pawel. I was sort of close, but not a bulls eye this time :-)

Cheers
Erik
afv_rob
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England - East Anglia, United Kingdom
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Posted: Tuesday, February 21, 2006 - 04:40 PM UTC
For the best looking interior you really have the do some scratch work as I am doing (check out my Bradley on the modern usa forum) You can use the floor and turret basket from the old Tamiya/academy M2 kit (both are usable) Then you need to build new bench seats and add lots of details-check out my build for my work so far and if you want any info on building the new layout interior just send me a PM.
You can use the old M2 interior For M2A2's but in my opinion its doesnt look as good and with the new interior there is more room for details.
sopmod6
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Tokyo-to, Japan / 日本
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Posted: Tuesday, February 21, 2006 - 06:16 PM UTC
I remember Tamiya boxing an M2 or 3 or A3 without an interior, but that was like in 86-87?
My M2 came with an interior then, but a friends didn't.
Can't remember!
Sabot
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Posted: Tuesday, February 21, 2006 - 06:24 PM UTC

Quoted Text

I remember Tamiya boxing an M2 or 3 or A3 without an interior, but that was like in 86-87?
My M2 came with an interior then, but a friends didn't.
Can't remember!

Tamiya has done four versions of the Bradley, the first two were the M3 CFV and M2 IFV. The rundown went like this:
35131 M3 Cavalry Fighting Vehicle-no interior
35132 M2 Infantry Fighting Vehicle-same base kit w/interior (only kit with interior)
35152 M2A2 Bradley-no interior
35264 M2A2ODS-no interior
HeavyArty
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Posted: Tuesday, February 21, 2006 - 07:53 PM UTC
Everone has pretty much covered it. You can use the original M2 interior in an M2A2 ODS version as currently used in Iraq, I did it on mine recently. Not all M2A2 ODS vehicles are up to full ODS mods with the new bench seat layout. Also, many units totally pulled the seats out and installed wooden storage boxes/seats in their place. If you want a most up to date M2A2 ODS, you will have to scratch much of the rear compartment, especially the new troop seats. The Tamiya/Academy interiors are still a good starting place though.
sopmod6
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Posted: Tuesday, February 21, 2006 - 08:29 PM UTC
I've got a book with the M2 ODS in front of the Pentagon with the USMC type of MCD mounted behind the TC's hatch. Has anyone seen this variant anywhere else?
Vodnik
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Posted: Tuesday, February 21, 2006 - 08:41 PM UTC

Quoted Text

I've got a book with the M2 ODS in front of the Pentagon with the USMC type of MCD mounted behind the TC's hatch. Has anyone seen this variant anywhere else?


Are you sure it was MCD? Did it look like this:




If so, then it was M2A3 and this device is CITV - commander's independent thermal viewer.

Pawel
HeavyArty
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Posted: Tuesday, February 21, 2006 - 08:43 PM UTC
Sounds like it is an M2A3 with Comander's Independant Thermal Viewer (CITV), similar to the one on an M1A2. US Army doesn't use the USMC MCD. We did test it out, but it was mounted on top of the GPS doghouse in testing. Did it look like this?




A bunch more pics of it at Prime Portal too.
Frenchy
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Posted: Tuesday, February 21, 2006 - 08:43 PM UTC

Quoted Text

I've got a book with the M2 ODS in front of the Pentagon with the USMC type of MCD mounted behind the TC's hatch. Has anyone seen this variant anywhere else?


I have posted on this forum a picture I had found on the Web showing such a configuration quite a long time ago. Here it is again:

Here's the link to the original thread :
https://armorama.kitmaker.net/forums/38640&page=1

HTH
Frenchy
Vodnik
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Posted: Tuesday, February 21, 2006 - 08:47 PM UTC

Quoted Text

US Army doesn't use the USMC MCD. We did test it out, but it was mounted on top of the GPS doghouse in testing.

Actually I have pics of MCD installed on M2A2ODS in Iraq so at least some were in use there (or were tested there), but as you wrote - it was installed on top of GPS, not behind TC's hatch.

Pawel
HeavyArty
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Posted: Tuesday, February 21, 2006 - 08:52 PM UTC
Yup, above pic from Iraq was one of the test vehicles, it belonged to 3-7 CAV.
sopmod6
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Posted: Tuesday, February 21, 2006 - 09:00 PM UTC
That's the same exact mount. It could have been on top of the doghouse, but the way the pic looked, it was behind the TC hatch.
Need to look at it again...
james84
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Posted: Wednesday, February 22, 2006 - 11:36 PM UTC
Once I built the M3 Bradley by Tamiya and it was empty inside, though you could move every part (opening hatches and doors, moving turret and gun...)!
HeavyArty
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Posted: Wednesday, February 22, 2006 - 11:55 PM UTC

Quoted Text

Once I built the M3 Bradley by Tamiya and it was empty inside, though you could move every part (opening hatches and doors, moving turret and gun...)!


Yup, the M3 and M2 were the same kit, only the M2 came with the interior and 4 infantrymen figures, M3 did not.
Vodnik
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Posted: Thursday, February 23, 2006 - 01:56 AM UTC

Quoted Text

Yup, the M3 and M2 were the same kit, only the M2 came with the interior and 4 infantrymen figures, M3 did not.

There was only a commander figure in M2 kit, no infantrymen. These figures were available separately as "US Modern Infantry Set" #35133 released at the same time as M2 Bradley kit, but were not included in it.

Pawel
Sabot
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Posted: Thursday, February 23, 2006 - 02:28 AM UTC
He's probably confused, the Academy M2 clone came with a set of (a copy as well) the modern soldiers.
HeavyArty
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Posted: Thursday, February 23, 2006 - 03:14 AM UTC
Not confused, could have sworn the Modern Infantrymen came with the original Tamiya issue as well. Maybe not.
redneck
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Posted: Thursday, February 23, 2006 - 04:15 AM UTC
Actually the Academy M2 only has the commander. There are no other figures in it.
I’m currently building it.

But I would be interested in that infantry set. anyone know where it could be found?

HeavyArty
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Posted: Thursday, February 23, 2006 - 04:22 AM UTC
Tamiya recently reissued them. They are not that great of figures though. Typical older Tamiya. They look anarexic and have pretty soft details. The weapons, helmets, and gear are pretty good though.




Any of the older Dragon ODS-era US figure sets are much better.
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