Seeking some advice since I have not really been following the latest releases…
I was happy (and somewhat lucky) to get the back-then elite Dragon M1A1 AIM multimedia kit 10+ years ago.
However things have changed… I have less patience to overly fiddly kits, and at the same time new releases came out.
So the question is, is there a kit out there now that has overall better quality? And maybe less complex buld. My ideal level would be an average Meng/Takom/RFM offering. Not too much PE, with an acceptable workable track set.
TUSK versions are out of the picture for now, I am aiming at a more classical look
I enjoy the Meng Abrams kits, but I adore the Rye Field ones. I know there are details not present and they’re not perfect kits, but they are close to Tamiya engineering and AFV Club details. I’ve had a great time building them in various iterations. The modern Tamiya and Academy kits I’d put in the next tier down. Dragon used to be state of the art and they still build nicely but they’ve been passed by technologically.
I used to think that the Tamiya M1A2 kits were great till i found that RFM Abrams were hands down way better i completely replaced all my Tamiya Abrams builds with the RFM kits
I currently have 7 Abrams all Rye Field builds
The answer to this sort of question is always nuanced. After a previous discussion on this topic, I purchased a Rye Field’s 5004 M1A2 SEP 3 in 1. As it turns out, being the very first Rye Field Abrams, it has problems that were corrected in later releases.
Regardless of research done in advance, I think it is my doom to always purchase the ‘wrong model’. That is not actually true, but it often feels that way.
If you can wait for the updated Ukraine version of the Abrams - that is supposed to come with the workable track set. I wonder why they’ve refused to ship that with more recent M1s since it was used in the initial interior kit
Does the Abrams ever get used without the side plates that cover the running gear? During training? When the unit needs to move really fast? When the crew feels lucky? (That was a joke.) It seems like side plates are standard on all modern tanks.
@JJohnson59 Thanks. Is that Fort Irwin? My own search for am M1 without side armor did not yield anything. I did discover that an M1 is much larger than a T72.
@TopSmith Is the Rye Field M1A2 SEP V3 the currently fielded version?
…
Since we are here…I know almost nothing about the M1 Abrams but have these two…
Would these models be decent for Gulf War I and Gulf War II, respectively? (Or maybe Gulf War II circa 2004 and Afghanistan circa 2013 or so?)
Would I be better off ditching these and getting a more modern model? (If I recall correctly, the Dragon M1A1 AIM was very good…back in 2006. If I recall correctly, the Rye Field M1A2 SEP has an issue with wheel spacing, corrected in later iterations of the model.)
Oh. Also, what kind of tracks do I need to purchase for the M1A1 AIM? (Soft plastic tracks gotta go.)
To follow on with Dan’s excellent information, only the rear skirt might be removed either intentionally or unintentionally during use. It is a thin sheet of metal so easy to be removed.
