"Iraqi Freedom" M2A2 Bradley W.I.P.

Looking forward to your progress.  If you can't find the instructions, the instructions for Tamiya's M2A2 ODS are on-line here.  Click on the Assembly Guide thumbnails.  You should be able to use them since it is the same basic kit with half a sprue of extra parts for the ODS upgrades.

Keep us posted.

Hay man glad to see your back to work on this project. I just won 2nd place in a local show with my bradley. Here's the first pace winner and my 2nd place winning M2A2 Bradley.

O.K. here are the update pics!!!

I assembled and temporarily installed the running gear on both sides. The wheels will be removed for painting. I also added a few other pieces to the upper hull....

Such as the headlights....

I also assembled and installed the little hatch near the rear...

And I got started on the turret. At this point it's about 70% finished....

I also took the time to drill out the end of the barrel.....

And finally, I tacked on the side skirts and mocked up the whole thing....

Mike, that's looking really awesome!

Hey, also--I took a loook at your website---man, that Titanic wreckage you did was AWESOME! (That IS your model, right?)

INCREDIBLE! 

the doog wrote:

Mike, that's looking really awesome! Hey, also--I took a loook at your website---man, that Titanic wreckage you did was AWESOME! (That IS your model, right?) INCREDIBLE!

I got a tiny bit more work done on this one...

Here are the spare ammo cases and the unit I.D. plate installed. Tamiya provides a small piece of thin styrene for you to cut this out of.

And I got the gunners hatch installed. Nothing special here, just an extra hand grab or whatever it is I saw in a couple of photos, so I added it from copper wire.

And I added a few more of the myriad of small parts that covers the turret.....

An OIF Bradley could have either type hatch.  Both styles were/are still in use, it just depends on how up to date the vehicle is and when/what unit/what vehicle you are depicting.

Check out Pavel's great article to see corrections and upgrades you can make to the Tamiya Bradley kits. The Supplement at the end covers ODS upgrades, added post-Operation Desert Storm (ODS, '90-'91), that are seen on OIF Brads.  

corvettemike wrote:

O.K. here are the update pics!!! I assembled and temporarily installed the running gear on both sides. The wheels will be removed for painting. I also added a few other pieces to the upper hull.... Such as the headlights.... I also assembled and installed the little hatch near the rear... And I got started on the turret. At this point it's about 70% finished.... I also took the time to drill out the end of the barrel..... And finally, I tacked on the side skirts and mocked up the whole thing....

Gotta ask this question.

How do you (modellers in general) paint in areas that are seemingly impossible to reach accurately after you put the parts together. In this case I'm talking about the inside of all the wheels. and the sides of the hull. Yes, I know you're going to use an airbrush, but you're gonna need to get a sharp line in between the wheel and polyurethane tire thing. And then you're gonna weather it all.

Has just left me stumped.

CM!

I'm watching your progress closely, as I this kit is in my very small stash, and I look forward to getting to it.  Keep up the good work, dude!!!  You're inspiring me to get to it sooner, rather than later.  Although, I'm currently working on Academy's 1/35 Scale M2 Bradley, and Tamiya's 1/35 Scale M1A1 Abrams.  I may move Tamiya's M2A2 ODS Bradley up in order of construction.  Maybe!

hey mike, not sure if you know this already, but a little trick i find to work on the vision blocks, (when you get to that point), is i use a small bag of party confetti. you can buy a bag od different colors in different shapes: blue, green, red, pink in stars, circles, diamonds, etc etc. i take some colors a\that are close to the actual color, and cut them to shape, and just glue them on. here's how mine went:

like i said, if you knew it already, kudos, if not, hopefully i can help a little. you can find the confetti at any wal-mart, michaels, or dollar store. it wont work so well on WWII armor since they didn't have the laser protection in it.

looking forward to seeing some more of the build, its coming along nicely

corvettemike wrote:

I got a tiny bit more work done on this one... Here are the spare ammo cases and the unit I.D. plate installed. Tamiya provides a small piece of thin styrene for you to cut this out of. And I got the gunners hatch installed. Nothing special here, just an extra hand grab or whatever it is I saw in a couple of photos, so I added it from copper wire. And I added a few more of the myriad of small parts that covers the turret.....

Gino's right about the grab handle but I would try using a slightly thicker diameter brass wire versus the copper wire you were using. Sure copper wire bends easier but it is also a softer material which is less forgiving than brass when it comes to mistakes. And also get Griffon Models workable hinge and grab handle forming set so you can make grab handles or hinges more accurately.

It depends on the individual vehicle you are modelling. My understanding is that existing vehicles which were upgraded to "ODS" spec retain the mounting points for the flotation barrier, whereas new-build M2A2 "ODS" vehicles were built without the mountings.

It would be possible to omit the barrier parts on the front of the vehicle, but all current Bradley kits have the (stowed) flotation barrier molded into the perimeter of the upper hull, making complete removal of the barrier difficult.

Looking pretty good, keep it up

 I like your avatar, do you listen to Demon Hunter? I havent heard their new cd, but I liked The Triptych