Hello Gang,
I just visited a thread created by @panzer_modeler Ezra Talavera on this 48hrs build of 1/35 Academy Warrior.
I have couple off Academy 1/35 Warriors and I would love to know what is up/down on this kit. I am not master builder but if I can have this info then there might be a chance I can fix minor things.
Thank you kindly.
Mike
Mike, which kits do you have? The āIraq 2003ā kits have an extra sprue that corrects a few of the original kitās faults but there are still issues.
From an old Finescale modeller forum thread I wrote - in 2005!:
These are the issues with the original kit:
The sledge hammer and mattock handles are abysmal, get replacements from Academyās WW2 Allied and German accesories set (good for other stuff like ammo crates, ammo, etc that you will use down the track).
The turret basket is too high and the top edge sits over the top of the turret. Donāt be tempted to lower it, or the turret will foul on the rear episcope mounts. You need to trim about 2-3 mm off the top of each vertical strut ,and have fun getting the three (now 6) basket sections to join right. The mesh screen is woven but not heat sealed so the threads move - a bummer if you are not careful cutting it and handling it. My piece was poorly made and the āholesā in the mesh were so uneven so I ended up fabricating a whole replacement part from brass mesh, rod and styrene strip.
The side stowage bin mesh and the turret mesh have different size openings, so Academyās one size fits all is wrong. Not a prob if you use the side armour as the mesh is covered.
The smoke discharger relay box and wiring needs to be added to both sides.
The turret mantlet and front section, and the intake part on the drivers side of the hull just in front of the turret (the part with 4 bolt heads) and the transmission housings all needs to have cast texture added. The vertical face of the intake needs to be drilled out and a piece of mesh added, unless you plan on having the turret turned so the gun goes over that area - then it will be hidden.
The transmission housings that fit on the front hull are too wide. Trim the end off so that the bevel is only 1 mm past the shroud. Donāt worry that it leaves a huge rectangular gap on the front hull, the pieces fit so poorly that you needed to fill around the untrimmed part anyway.
The engine intake screens need mesh added and there are 2 canvas covers that fit across these. When the vehicle is in use, the covers are rolled up and secured next to the intakes.
The head light brush guards have attachment points unlike the real warrior. Trim right down the wire ālegsā then trim the legs off the bottom so that a rectangle of 20 thou styrene can be added without raising the overall height of the piece. Add bolt heads.
-The head light relay boxes and horn are not included in the kit. These can be made from styrene
Armoured Warrior info:
-The front armour is too narrow, partially due to the the front transmission housings being way too wide, and the top piece of the frontal armour is too wide and actually sits over the engine access hatch, which is obviously wrong. I scratch built a replacement.
-The side armour needs to have the top and bottom scribed to show the plates are separate pieces. Remember the top of the armour has cover strips, so only scribe where the cover strips join.
-When locating the side armour, use āunused part C23?ā in front of the two exhaust screens on the off side. This was actually bolted in place of the spare track link and was a mount for the front of the armour. That will help you line the armour correctly. Then use the gap at the back as a guide for fitting the drivers side plates. The āUā shaped piece with the locating pins to attach to the back of the drivers side armour plate is wrong as the tell you to attach it backwards. The pins need to be removed and the whole part thinned. The two bolt heads on top are actually the bolt heads for the spare track fittings, the bracket was simply bolted to that. You need to add a couple of rectangular bits of styrene to the bracket under the bolt heads and then attach them to the hull where the track link goes.
The side tool box was replaced when the armour was fitted. The kit does not provide the new tool box. It is the same size as the other one, but does not have the impressed X like the kit one, and the hinges are on the opposite side (you canāt unlatch the old box as the armour is in the way of lifting the latch up). The old tool box was fitted to the front armour or the side of the hull in front of the engine exhaust screens on most GW1 Warriors.
the front and rear Fire Extinguishers were not fitted to GW1 warriors, so fill those locating pin holes.
make sure you have the correct ride height on the road wheels before attaching the torsion bars, otherwise the vehicle will sit too high.
One thing I did not know back then, was the tight rubber band tracks will shrink over time and rip off the thin torsion bar arms. When assembling the track, use wire through the guide teeth holes to secure the ends so there a gap not a join. Hide the gap in the join over the top of the sprocket behind the armour plate/side plate so it canāt be seen.
Peter, that is what I was talking about. I know I have at least one original Warrior kit. I donāt have my kit in front of me but from what you shared it looks like correcting the Turret will be extensive work. Some of these corrections I might be able to handle. I will pull out the kit from my storage and compact it to your notes.
As to the rubber tracks shrinking, that is weird. I have one DML 1/35 M1A1 Desert Storm version that I build when it first came out and it had rubber tracks. To this day they are fine. But as you stated it can be fixed easily.
Thank you for your information Peter. It will be saved and used at appropriate time. 
After reading about the errors and inaccuracies, my first and only thought was, āwho would want to buy this piece of s**tā?
@Khouli Roly, you are right but for many it was the only game in town for a long time. So, a lot of these are still sitting in the stash someplace waiting to be done. And there is a feeling of an accomplishment if one can take an underdog and create a show stopper. Peters list can help modelers in that direction.
As I have to help the computer bott have minimum of 5 words
, Meš¤£