Hi, I have seen pictures of OIF M1a1 of Marines having extra rectanglar boxes on the rear storage racks. I believe the Marine M1a1 has the marking of "Evil Eye" (which Echelon Decal has released a decal set).
The tank was featured in Issue 120 of Tamiya Modelling Magazine.

Does anyone have any idea what are these boxes? Could they be kits for river crossing operations?

Any information of the kits that comes with the parts are most welcomed!
Photos/dimension are great as well. I can scratch build them.

Also, I've seen boxes mounted on the rear basket racks instead of extended storage basket. Does anyone have any information on this?

Cheers!

The boxes are 20mm ammo cans scrounged from the ASP. They are bolted on to store various crew gear or sometime petroleum products like oil for the engine and transmission that come in standard US 1 quart cans.

Hi Robin:

Thanks for your quick reply. However the boxes that I'm referring to are bigger ones. It probably took up half the lenght of the extended storage rack.

It's not the usual x4 20mm boxes that are commonly bolted onto the rear of rear storage rack.

I suspect that these the boxes that are used to either store the fuel bladders that only Marines have or the river crossing kit.

Then again, I'm not sure. Pictures are very very rare.

This was covered a while back. I think it was the consensus that it was a modified HEMMT side box. Theres an A2 with it at prime portal
http://data.primeportal.net/tanks/brent_sauer/abrams/m1a2_13_of_33.JPG

Some tankers have scrounged the storage boxes off 5-ton and HEMTTs and attached them to the bustle racks as well. I haven't seen any other storage-type boxes on them.

He he, beat Gino by one minute! a new record!

Hi Folks:

Thanks for the information. It is most helpful. Do you guys remember when was this subject mentioned in the forum? Perhaps I can check it out.

Nelson

Have a look at Primeportal. Here is the picture of the box.

Erik

Although some units specify what kind of storage boxes you are going to mount, we'll mount anything that will hold something, and not interfere with operating the tank. The more stuff in a box of some sort leaves us with less junk on top of our turret or in the bustle rack.

However, if you are looking to model this one, it comes off of a HEMMT. See

M985 HEMMT from Prime Portal

Jed

Thanks Jared. I'll now try to scratch built the HEMTT box. As I do not have Itarlie HEMMT kits, any measurements in 1:35 of the toolbox is most helpful! Dimensions of the actual HEMMT box is great as well. I can scale it down.

I've compared the real photo of the HEMMT box on M1a2 as mentioned in the earlier thread with the M1a1 kit by John Murphy in issue 120 of Tamiya Modelling Magazine. The HEMMT looks like one of the smaller boxes. There is another box which is much larger. Unfortunately I cannot post a picture of it to illustrate my point. But any of you guys/gals knows something about the mystery of the "huge box" do let me know.

I've only seen it on Task Force Tarawa M1a1 "Evil Eye". No other M1a1/2 have ever had that huge box.

Btw - "Evil Eye" have slogan "Potest this" on the fume extractor.

Thanks heaps!

Measurements in 1:35 scale are: 3,85cm x 0.85cm x 1,6 cm measured of a HEMTT box from Pro Art. One hinge is placed in the middle of the box, the two others are 3 mm in from both sides. I have scratched one for my M1A2 and it is quiet easy to do it.

Erik

Although there is not a rear view there are pics of that model here

Hi Erik, your measurement are most helpful. Thanks Heaps! I'll scratch it. But position it so that the sides there the hinges should be would be hidden. The extra big toolbox can be seem in the last picture of John Murphy's "Evil Eye"link.

It's on the left-hand-side. There's also a toolbox on the right-hand-side which is hidden by the APU. The right-hand-side toolbox looks like the HEMTT box.

Nelson