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Hi guys,'
Having been inspired by my second trip to the American Armored Foundation's museum yesterday, I want to tackle an M113.
Question--I've heard that Academy's kit is better than Tamiya's, but how bad IS Tamiya's?--or, more accurately, how bad could it be with a full interior?
I want to build a simple M113 -- NOT the "ACAV" model -- in a standard MERDC scheme as it would have been typically seen during those years. I want to do up the interior nicely. Now, Verlinden has an interior for the Academy version which is quite nice--is it appropriate for the Tamiya version? I seem to recall something about the engines being different? Gas vs Diesel?
Is the Tamiya interior good "as is"?
Anyone have any thoughts or information on these?
Thanks!
Academy's is an improved version of the original Tamiya kit. The Tamiya ACAV kit is the original Tamiya M113 with just new figures and the ACAV gun shields. It can be built as a standard Vietnam era M113.
Academy's is more accurate and better detailed. They come with interiors and are the diesel versions whereas the original Tamiya M113 & ACAV are gassers.
The "new" Tamiya M113A2 is a cosmetic upgrade to their original kit but minus the interior. As depicted on the box art, it is actually an M113A3, which has an entirely different interior detailing so the original interior would be wrong any way. Even as an A3, it is inaccurate and simplified.
With the MERDC scheme, you'd want the Academy M113A2 kit. The original Tamiya M113/ACAV kits will not build into one accurately OOB.
Rob,
Thanks sincerely--that's exactly the information I was looking for. It's way cool that the Academy kits have interiors too!
My credit card is tingling in my pocket right NOW!
Thanks, buddy!
Rob is right. I've built several by both Tamiya and Academy, and I liked the Academy ones more. Academy also does lots of variations, especially for Israeli. You might want to be careful when you see some of the options that are out there, least you be distracted.
Looking forward to what you do building one of these, I really liked your little Sturntiger.
Doug
Thanks for your compliment, and your input, Doug! My Academy M113A2 is on its way! ;)
good info. as I too would like to venture into some modern armor.
[View:http://s172.photobucket.com/albums/w1/g-earl828/]
The only M113 kits I'd advise you to avoid are the ones by Italeri (M113A1, M901 and M163 Vulcan). Not very good model kits and Academy does two of the three (with a variant of the 3rd) and are much better models (M113A1, M113A2, M981 FIST-V and M163).
The "Papa Chuck" has had such a long life and served in Vietnam, Panama, Desert Storm, Iraq, and everywhere the US has had soldiers. It can be painted OD with white stars, MERDC, any number of interim camouflages we used, NATO 3-color, desert sand or overall forest green (the 11th ACR and the Berlin Brigade used plain green scheme in the 1980s).
Great info, Rob---just what this thread needed!
In just US Army service alone they wore pretty much every paint scheme that the US has used over the past 50 years.The Academy kit also offers various options such as the smoke grenade launchers, TC's Dragon missile mount, TC armored shields, floatation trim vane, external fuel cells, that neither the Tamiya or Italeri 113 kits offer in one box. I did not think the Italeri M901 or M163 kits were bad, and they do have some improvements over the Tamiya kit. (We had some plain green Forest Green 34079, and later CARC/NATO Green in 5th ID as well in the 80s).
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LSM
Yes I know this is an older thread, but it does help with the following question.
Wuddat?
Modeling is an excuse to buy books.
That looks like the M59 APC. Those were replaced in service by the M113.
No model I can find in 1/35!
No sir... Unless AFV Club decides to kit one. I think it was related to the M41/M42 family and you could use one for a serious conversion effort. I vaguely recall somebody did that in the magazine many years back...
oops, scratch that... it was the M75 that was based off of the M41 chassis.
Obviously scratch the body would be doable. Maybe the running gear is M41- they sure look the same.
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the doog I feel like I'm in a time machine!
Time for some Floyd?
I have a vague memory of an article in either Scale Modeler or Military Modeler in the late 70s or very early 80s on using a donor M-41 to build an M75. I remember the article for what it did not have--dimensions and the like (a rarity for scratch-built articles in those days).
I think MM had an article on an experimental "digital" camouflage scheme using MERDOC colors, and the flat sides of the M-113 being ideal for that.
CapnMac82 I think MM had an article on an experimental "digital" camouflage scheme using MERDOC colors, and the flat sides of the M-113 being ideal for that.
That would be the "Dual Tex" or Dual Texture camo scheme
Rob is right on as usual! I built the Tamiya M113 a few years back and after assembling the engine realized that it didn't look like mine in the motor pool, it was the gasoline version. so unless you're after a Vietnam era one, go with the Academy.
T Ellis Springfield, VA
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