Italeri's M1 A2

The July issue of Military in Scale magazine did a good build review of it with lots of pictures. If you just look at the pictures of the article, it doesn’t look good because the author added a lot of detail to the kit. Even though the author thought that the kit lacked detail, he concluded that it was well worth the price.

Not sure if this helps or not, good luck.

I've heard it's the best M1A2 out there, but I've not built it myself.

Rob?

It's a very good kit. Superior to the excellent DML M1A2 and decent Trumpeter M1A2. I picked mine up for $20+$5 shipping, a good deal. Well worth the value when compared to Trumpeter's ($15-20) and DML's ($20).

This was a strange choice of kit to manufacture since there were two decent kits of early M1A2s readily available and relatively inexpensive. A better choice would have been the more up to date M1A2SEP. Or at least give optional parts to make this variant. If this had been a SEP, they would have flown off shelves.

It has better detail under the side skirts than any previous Abrams kit. It also includes good detail under the exhaust grills. I like the fact that it includes a track adjusting link for the compensating idler arm. If you decide to do a diorama of a crew walking track, at least the proper detail is inside the #1 skirt.

They copied the removable portion of the back deck from DML's M1A1/2 series.This perpetuates an error that is over a dozen years old and makes the separate engine cover ("back deck") a useless feature if you want to do a tank undergoing any maintenance in the engine compartment. No problem if you just glue the deck done though.

DML's has the benefit of being able to readily accept the interior from one of their M1A1 kits.

Italeri uses decals of the now defunct 194th Armor Brigade. This unit was co-located at the Armor School in Ft. Knox and supported the schoolhouse. The desert camouflage scheme was a demo scheme used when the tank was being marketed to Kuwait and Saudi Arabia.

Modern US armor decals are fairly easy to replicate yourself or are readily available.

I recommend this kit if you do not own an M1A2 and wish to. If you've already got an M1A2, this one's better, but not worth dumping your old to buy the new.

It's the old ESCI kit. I don't think the ESCI version made it to US soil. The US version was in a AMT/ERTL box. It's a good rep of the Abrams. But I think Tamiya's was better. Haven't built the DML/Dragon kit, so I don't know how they are.

But ESCI released the Abrams in both 1/35 and 1/72 about 1988. I've built both and had no problems with either.
Bernie the K.
St. Paul, MN

QUOTE: Originally posted by bernndye It's the old ESCI kit. I don't think the ESCI version made it to US soil. The US version was in a AMT/ERTL box. It's a good rep of the Abrams. But I think Tamiya's was better. Haven't built the DML/Dragon kit, so I don't know how they are. But ESCI released the Abrams in both 1/35 and 1/72 about 1988. I've built both and had no problems with either. Bernie the K. St. Paul, MN

You are very wrong. I own all Abrams tank kits in 1/35 scale, including both the old Esci/AMT/Ertl M1 and M1A1 kits. The Italeri M1A2 has no relation whatsoever to the old Esci kits. Besides, Esci never did an M1A2. The Esci M1 and M1A1 kits were the worst Abrams kits produced to date in 1/35 scale.

The Italeri M1A2 isn't even related to the DML kits (some initially assumed it could be a rebox of the DML M1A2). It is an entirely new kit.

These rumors begin by uninformed persons, such as yourself, incorrectly speculating. This one probably started because Italeri picked up the Esci molds for the M60 Blazer and M60A1 and released both kits in an Italeri box. Italeri also picked up the old (but very nice) Esci 1/72 scale kits and subsequently released them in Italeri boxes as well.

BTW, the Italeri Avenger is a new kit as well and not a rebox of the old Esci Avenger (or as they spelled it "Avanger").

I've been around Abrams tanks for the last 16 years of my life and have trained on the XM1, M1, M1IP, M1A1, M1A1HA, and M1A2, that's all variants except the M1A1D, M1A2SEP, and the M1A1HA with USMC-specific fittings.

The Italeri (ex-Esci) 1/72 scale M1 kit is a nice model. I recently won third place in a contest with it back in the Feb-Mar time frame. Here is a link to the article I did on the kit:
http://www.armorama.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=Sections&file=index&req=viewarticle&artid=149

Thanks for responding. Thanks Edog, I'll try to track that issue down or do they have a link? Special thanks Rob, I know you know M1's like the back of your hand, so your expertise is very important. From what I've gathered, it seems to be rated pretty high as far as M1's go and I found a shop with a price similiar to the price you paid Rob. Looks like it's time to order another kit, especially at that price. If anyone has anything else to add, or have built one, please respond. Thanks.

I'm waiting for Dragon's M1A1 HA "Baghdad 2003" kit, due out at the end of August here in Japan. It's just Dragon's M1A1HA, but with a bunch of new Iraqi Freedom goodies.

Maj. Rob,

How's the Academy kit??

QUOTE: Originally posted by wipw Maj. Rob, How's the Academy kit??

A copy of the Tamiya kit before they fixed the turret. Even the mold cut marks on the underside of the upper hull are the same. They made an adjustment here and there, but it is basically interchangeable part-for-part with the Tamiya kit. Even has the same error on the vinyl tracks, center guides in the middle of a track block instead of straddling two adjacent track blocks. I gave mine to my 13 year old son to work on since he picked up an interest in the tank after watching some footage on the news and me giving him a ride in one. It's a decent enough build for the casual model builder, but seems to go for more than the better Trumpeter or DML kits. Go figure.

Here's the best to worst breakdown (1/35):
1. Italeri M1A2
2. DML M1A1/A2
3. Trumpeter M1A1/A2
4. Tamiya M1
5. Tamiya M1A1
6. Academy M1A1
7. Esci M1
8. Esci M1A1

Trumpeter kits are a great value, they include two sets of tracks (vinyl and link&length). Tamiya's original M1 kit is better as an M1 than the reworked kit is as an M1A1. Esci's M1A1 has so many errors since the same base kit is used as their M1 with only a new gun tube, incorrect bustle rack, blow off panels and manhole cover are the only differences they add. The Esci kit as an early M1 is a better representation than as an M1A1.

Thanks very much.

greatmodels has the Italeri on sale for less than $20. I picked up a Trumpeter M1A2 (00337) last week (hate the ejection pin marks on the tracks). Should I spring for the Italeri also?

Bill

That one's up to you. It's not that superior to the older M1A2s that you should dump the old for the new. Those dimples on the Trumpeter tracks are curious. I had to triple check the tanks with T-158 track to see if the bumps are there or not. I even checked brand new track that have never been mounted. Trumpeter shows them drawn on the instruction sheet so it leads me to believe they were put there on purpose. Perhaps they were needed for the motorized version to give the road wheels some traction? Just a guess.

I noticed them on the instructs, too. I'm not sure what they are, but they really look like ejector pins to me. We'll probably never know for sure!

Thanks, again.

Bill

hi rob.
i bought a tamiya M1A1 with mine plough a little while ago.
i have not started it yet,what are the errors in the kit and do they/can they be corrected.thanks.

gazza.

Thanks again for your input Rob. I've been laborously working on my Trumpeter and am getting really sick of the cleanup, puttying and sanding. Also the top of the hull is not going on all that great and there appears to be a nice gap up front where the top and bottom come together. I checked out the Dragon kit and was a little disappointed in all the flash on that kit. I believe you if you say that the Italeri kit is the best. I guess I'm lazy or whatever, I'm looking for that nice clean build. I did order the Italeri kit.

QUOTE: Originally posted by freefall hi rob. i bought a tamiya M1A1 with mine plough a little while ago. i have not started it yet,what are the errors in the kit and do they/can they be corrected.thanks. gazza.

There is a tweaks list on Missing Links website regarding all of the ins and outs of accurizing the various Abrams kits. But a couple of quick ones off the top of my head are the engine grill area. I added the correct grills to the lower side of the grills with some cutting and strips of styrene. Also the tail light guards must be accurized. The fire extinguised handle is missing from the left side of the hull and the mud holes in the sprocket (4 per sprocket carrier, but only on the outer half). The track retaining ring can be installed on the sprocket or left off (fill the locating slot and add bolt detail). The rectangular lump of plastic on top of the #1 side skirts should be cut off and replaced with a piece of square brass tubing. I bought a foot long piece of this stuff for about a $1 at the local hobby shop display stand. It's enough to last me about 20+ M1s. The front and rear mud flaps should be thinned out.

I don't recall if the Tamiya kit includes this, but the electrical cable for the mine plow should snake from the plow and into the tank through the driver's right periscope (it is removed). You can use one of those round black twist ties that come with electrical (like computer stuff) equipment to replicate the cable. The real one is black rubber and larger than a garden hose, very stiff too.

The road wheel hubs are made of clear plastic and are filled with oil (about mid way) and the small bolt in the center is brass colored. Take a look at the bottom of a plastic bottle of cola to see what color you should try to replicate.

On the engine grill, only the center grill is the engine exhaust. It gets burnt, black and rusty. The other two grills just blow air that is used to cool the primary and auxillary transmission oil coolers, they just get dusty.

This should be enough to keep you going for a while.

Maj. Rob;

I started work on my Trumpeter last night. I am not well pleased. There is a lot of flash on a lot of parts (sprockets, hubs, etc.) and it seems to be a very hard plastic that doesn't clean up easily. Also, the drive wheels have mold parting lines, and the mold halves didn't seem to line up perfectly. Again, very hard to clean up with the plastic they used.

One build question, there are little square and rhomboid blocks on the hull sides below and to the side of where the tortion arms go through the hull. The kit plans do not show the angle the tortion arms should be mounted. Do they fit down over these blocks, or sit above them, or have nothing to do with them?? I am amazed that they don't show this better. Anyone want to buy an M1A2 kit cheep?? But guess I'll keep at it. It's got to get better, right??

Bill

I'm with you Wipw! This kit isn't going together as nicely as i had hoped. I put the torsion bars over the mentioned blocks. It seemed the only alternative. It fits naturally. Good luck with yours.

I used my Trumpeter M1A1 to detail out my Tamiya M1A1. I do have an unbuilt Trumpeter M1A2 (same basic kit) and will take a gander at the road wheel arms.

The Tamiya kit is an early M1A1 (not a Heavy Armor/Common) and my first M1A1 was an early one. It just made more sense to accurize the Tamiya kit than to backdate the Trumpeter M1A1-HA. My second, third and fourth were all HAs. I only spent a week on the M1A2 for transition training. I used the various DML boxings to replicate my HA tanks. The kits don't travel well.