As many of you know, scale modeling has its fair share of ups and downs; of perfect builds, as well as total modeling disasters. I know that all of us have had good days and bad days on the workbench. I am no exception…
Case in point.
I purchased this kit from eBay. I will keep the seller’s name a secret, because I am not petty like that.
A quick excerpt of the auction reads as follows:
Introducing the RYEFIELD MODEL RFM RM-5011 1/35 M1 Assault Breacher Vehicle, a high-quality unassembled kit perfect for enthusiasts of militaria. This kit features a detailed interior and exterior, including armor and other special features. The model is made of durable plastic and is not painted, allowing you to customize it to your liking.
The kit is suitable for ages 15 and up and includes everything you need to assemble the vehicle. It’s perfect for collectors or anyone looking for a fun and challenging project. Made in China, this 1:35 scale model is a great addition to any collection.
That should’ve been my first warning… No pictures or description of the contents or condition noted on the auction. The box was in good physical condition, according to the pictures the seller did provide, so I naively thought it was a complete kit.
Got the kit last Friday after thanksgiving and i was, as always, excited to get a new kit for the stash.
HOWEVER…
The excitement quickly turned into disappointment once I opened the box for my customary “parts check”.
sad trombone noises
The kit had been plucked clean of most of the M1-specific parts, which is both bad and good.
Most of the turret stuff missing. Like the stowage bins, the old school APU, the blast panels and the gun shield for the commander’s cupola, which only fits the M1A2 commander’s cupola - strange that he took the A1 cupola, but not the A2 cupola.
He took the drip pans and both exhaust shields (usually you only need one)…
Took the Old style commander cupola, Tank sight housings (both variants), machine gun mounts and USMC specific smoke launchers. Thankfully; @tanknick22 hooked me up with a spare E sprue - that should cover me on the M1A1 Commander’s cupola. I hope the USMC smoke dischargers are in there, because i wanted to build a Marine M1150 (crossing fingers here 
)
As I mentioned earlier; the main gun components were taken, along with the tow bar. weird that the early M1A1 Mud flaps were left behind, eh; probably already had some. 
The lower belly plate is completely missing - i will definitely need this, since the ABV is supposed to have the extra underside armor protection. the two ERA rows are for other kits, so they’re not needed.
Most of these sprues are complete, including the M58 MCLIC containers; hopefully all the components needed to the launch rocket will be there, since I want to show at least one charge in the open position.
Again, all the glass components for the tank sight and gun shields is missing. GLadly, he left the bottles; dunno why, but I’m glad he did.
But the most important part that was missing - pretty much the centerpiece of the kit - the Mine Plow System. I saw that DEF Model made a Mine Rake set, but as of now, it is marked “Discontinued” on their website.
After stepping back and doing some research; I came to the conclussion that this is not a lost cause (not yet…). I can always try and replace the Mine Rake with the Dozer Blade, made by the same folks that built the Mine Rake System - Pearson Engineering, which makes it for the M1150 as well as the British Trojan AEV.
There are verious examples of the rake-less M1150 in use by the US Army, as well as the US Marines, prior to the USMC divesting from their heavy armor assets.
M1150 with the Pearson Engineering Dozer Blade.
M1150 in Ukrainian service, fitted with the Dozer Blade.
USMC M1150s with both the Dozer Blad and the Mine Rake.
Another viable option is to delete the attachments altogether and leave the mounting bracket on - This one will be tough, since the P parts sprue has most of the pieces for it.
As of now, I am weighing my options… See what I can do with the parts I still have and what parts I can fish from eBay or from any of you that may have some extras in your spares boxes that don’t have any plans to use.
