Your thoughts on Meng, Dragon or RFM for a Desert Storm M1A1, Marines?
Inquiring minds want to know.
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It will depend. I will always default to Ryefield, even though i have yet to buid a single Abrams they offer (I have3 their SEP v2 on my stash).
My other choice would be Meng, which i’ve built their TUSK I/II SEP kit.
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Are you planning on using after market decals?
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They are all about equal quality wise. The Rye Field M1A1 w/full interior is a later M1A1 AIM, so not really correct for ODS. The Meng one at the bottom can be build up as just about any version from all the parts included.
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I would say Rye Field and then Meng for a ODS hog. Depending on how many Marine M1’s you want to build with other manufacturers kit, I might get the Meng kit then since you will not be using the Marine parts and then they can be used on those other kits.
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I want to make a tank from 4th Tanks. They had just completed their M1A1 training prior to going to Saudi Arabia. So I am pretty sure their tanks must have come from Army stocks once they arrived in country.
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Most likely will need aftermarket decals for Bravo Company, 4th tanks markings
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Thanks, They said the Marine ones come with the missile defense but I do not remember seeing any with it. Could just be faulty memory.
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Your best bet is the Rye Field M1A1 1991 kit. The MCD (Missile Countermeasures Device) was used in OIF, not ODS. MCD circled below.
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I like the Abrams kits from RFM in my view of the kits there is enough parts to buld any variant of the M1A1 to the M1A2 SEP v.2 for thier M1A2 SEP V.2 from the SEP V.2 kit I built the Saudi M1A2S
and from the Ukrainian/Polish M1A1 kit I built a Egyptian M1A1
see pic of my Egyptian the RFM Abrams kits give you both types of drivers and loaders hatches with the lip and with out the lip
the seccond pic shows both early (left) and late (right) drivers hatches both are offered in the Ukrainain/Polish M1A1 kit
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Right, Bravo tanks were missing any smoke grenade launchers, didn’t have MCD (like Gino mentioned), no APUs and don’t think they had the other gear for snorkel or exhaust deflector as that was all either not provided or rat freaked before deployment. I think the lip was a later mod on the driver hatch.
Those can be use on other kits. Except maybe for maybe the tracks and adding non skid the Tamiya kit can also work. Rye Field, Meng and then either Dragon or Tamiya could be used depending on how much you want to invest.
Markings are easy as an inverted V and 1-3 dots depending on platoon. Seems most of the marking were added after combat. The book has some good photos to use for reference.
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didnt early M1A1 C.1885 were with out the anti slip surface or did all early A1 have the anti slip surface?
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We had M-1A1s that were built in 1988 that had non-slip. Not sure of earlier production.
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Just replace the tracks and add the non-slip.
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Tamiya made a decal sheet for Gulf Operations that had a myriad of decals; from US Army and USMC chevrons to
Arabic numerals and national flags from Kuwait, Iraq, the UK and the US.
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HeavyArty is right the best option is the RFM M1A1.
It includes this option for a Marines tank
some photos
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Yep, just depends on how detail he wants the build.
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The inverted V’s just left of the underlined 71’s are the similar style with dots being horizontal.
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The markings in the kit are very close. B Co 4th Tank battalion was attached to 2nd Tank Battalion. 2nd Tank does have a Bravo company so it might be theirs. I forget offhand the Marine units that did have M1’s at the time. There was only 4 units that M1’s, the rest were almost all M60A1. A handful of Army M60A3 were in the mix. I don’t have the book on me to see if the tank name matches so the palm tree might not be for the Bravo company he is trying to model but the other Bravo company. Confusing I know. 
Your first photo of an actual tank is very representative of a B Co 4th tank battalion tank. No grenade launcher, apu, no USMC serial number.
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