Best kit for the M2 Bradley IFV?

Tamiya makes four versions of the Bradley, the original M2 IFV w/interior, M3 CFV, M2A2 IFV and the later M2A2ODS. If you want an interior, you have to get the original M2 and do some scratch building to make it appropriate for an M2A2 or M2A2ODS (used in OIF).

The active Army was using the M2A2 and M2A2ODS during the mid-90s. Some units may have received the M2A3 as early as 1997, but I am not sure.

Academy also makes the M2 w/interior, M3 and M2A2ODS as used in OIF. The earlier kits were basically copies of the Tamiya kits.

Eduard makes a photo etched turret interior. None of the above kits with interiors ever came with a turret interior or engine. Real Models made a resin engine that glued in from the underside of the upper hull and it looks pretty good.

Fruilmodels makes old and new pattern tracks and Academy offered old style individual link tracks as well.

Rob is all over it.  For some more info, if you are going to build an M2A2 ODS from the late '90s...

Tamiya's and Academy's newest M2A2s are both M2A2 ODS vehicles that are currently in use and were used in the late '90s as well.  The main difference is that the Tamiya one best represents a partially rebuilt to ODS standard M2A2.  Academy's represents a new-build M2A2 ODS.  To me, Academy's is a better kit since it has some of Tamiya's issues fixed, sort of.  For example, while still not deep enough, the drive sprockets have lightening holes, as opposed to Tamiya's solid dish sprockets.  It also has most of the ODS upgrade pieces already in the kit, unlike Tamiya's, which only has a few ODS upgrades.  The major drawback to the Academy kit is that it still has the old-style chevron block track, and to add further insult to injury, they are molded with the rubber pads 180 degrees out.  You can replace the tracks with Blast resin ones, buy a set of rubber-band square block ones from Tamiya for about $5 + shipping, buy a set of the rediculously priced Fruil metal ones, or AFV Club is releasing a plastic indi-link square block set soon as well.  

Both will benefit from Pawel's Bradley upgrade article.

Here are reviews on each from PMMS.

Academy M2A2 OIF

Here is one I did a while ago as a 3ID track from OIF 1...

w/interior...

More here.

And an M7 B-FIST w/full interior to include a full turret interior and engine compartment, also from 3ID in OIF 1.

I used modified M2 (Academy or Tamiya) interiors for both and scratched the turret interior.  The engine compartment on The B-FIST started life as a Tamiya Marder 2 engine and is highly modified.

Good luck.

is it actually green inside a M2 Bradley? I was going to do mine in white. And I do have the Fruilmodel early model track links but before I build them I'll need to know exactly how many links make up a full track on the M2 (either side since the number would be the same for the left and the right. Oh and BTW the track link set comes with a pair of drive sprockets though somehow I also have 2 extra inner drive sprockets (you know the part that goes against the hull) anyone want them?

Eduard came out with a new set for the M2 IFV to replace the set it discontinued. more details to add inside and outside along with a new seperate Turret detail set that includes the deck and "basket" that you add to the turret last. 

Posted on the wrong post while researching sorry. Please delete. 

Wow, talk about an old thread.  The info is still valid today though.  The only real difference is that there are few new players in the Bradley game now. 

Meng now has a very nice M2A3 w/full interior to include the turret and engine compartment. 

They also have an M3A3 kit that has only the exterior.  To go along with it they offer a separate M3A3 full interior set to include the turret and engine compartment as well.

A note on the Meng interiors, they fit into the Tamiya and Academy hulls pretty easily.  I used parts of the M3A3 interior to update/add the turret to the original Tamiya M2 here: https://www.armorama.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=SquawkBox&file=index&req=viewtopic&topic_id=279232

Orochi also released an M3A3 about the same time as Meng.  It had some issues with details though.  You can see them at my build review of it here:  https://armorama.kitmaker.net/modules.php?op=modload&name=Reviews&file=index&req=showcontent&id=11172

They offered it in two versions; a Deluxe Edition w/metal tracks and some resin bags and an out of place EOD soldier in a blast suit.  EOD doesn't use Bradleys.

And a Standard Edition of all plastic parts.

Kinetic bought the Orochi molds when they went out of business and updated them, fixing most of the issues with it.

Kinetic fixed the issues by adding a new sprue with parts for the TOW launcher, rear door handle, new headlights and tail lights, stowage basket wall and center support, and a set of T161 tracks and new sprockets for them.  However, the T161 tracks are too new to be on a Bradley w/ERA mounted.  They do mention what to leave off for a non-ERA vehicle, but don't talk about the tracks.  With these fixes, it builds into a really nice kit.  Kinetic did a pretty good job of fixing it.

New Kinetic sprue.  

All the new players make the original answer quite dated though. The original kits are no longer "the best" nor often even viable options unless you want a very early version (M2/3).

Not really.  All of the new ones are M2A3 or M3A3 versions.  If you want an original M2 or M3, M2A2, or M2A2 ODS, you still need to use either the Tamiya or Academy kits.  They can be updated/corrected with some of the new exterior and interior parts though.  Basically, by combining parts from different kits and a little bit of scratch work, you can build any Bradley variant that has been fielded.

HeavyArty

Not really.  All of the new ones are M2A3 or M3A3 versions.  If you want an original M2 or M3, M2A2, or M2A2 ODS, you still need to use either the Tamiya or Academy kits.  They can be updated/corrected with some of the new exterior and interior parts though.  Basically, by combining parts from different kits and a little bit of scratch work, you can build any Bradley variant that has been fielded.