Academy 1/35 Abrams "Iraq 2003"
Kit # 13202
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The Abrams
This is the principal main battle tank for the U.S. Armed Forces since
its introduction by General Dynamics in 1980. Its initial M1 version was
armed with a 105mm main gun but has been up-gunned to the 120mm M1A1 version
in 1985. The smoothbore 120mm is a licensed copy of the same gun manufactured
by Rheinmetall of Germany. Not only was it up-gunned but included NBC
(nuclear biological chemical) protection with improved armor. A remarkable
fact is that no Abrams has ever been destroyed by an enemy tank since
it was deployed. Both the Army and Marines are equipped with the M1A1
Abrams.
The Kit
  The
box has colorful artwork of an Abrams in a desert paint-scheme. It makes
a good painting reference. There is also some color photos of a finished
model on the sides of the box. Inside the box is a fourteen-page instruction
manual in Korean, Chinese, German and English. The illustrations are very
well done and in logical order of assembly. There are nine sub-assembly
steps with accessory part assembly to complete this model. Kit instructions
have a symbol legend for filing, gluing, cutting, etc. that guides you
through assembly. If you have trouble finding a part there is a parts
location diagram page. You will find in this diagram unused parts that
are shaded as well as templates for sizing the turret basket mesh and
optical glass.
  There
are multiple sealed bags containing part sprues and one containing the
decals. The sprues are molded in a soft tan styrene. This is good in that
small parts may bend but not break when mishandled. There is no flash
to speak of on any of the parts. Injection pin markings are mostly hidden
from view after assembly or need minimal sanding to remove. Included with
the parts is fine vinyl mesh for the turret basket and poly-caps for the
road wheels.
  My
first impression is this 1/35th scale Abrams kit has nice exterior surface
detailing on the upper hull except it is missing the rough anti-slip surface
patches. Commander, gunner and driver hatches are open if you wish to
incorporate figures (not included in the kit). You can glass over your
optics with a piece of clear transparent film but you must cut them yourself.
Unfortunately, the lower hull is the motorized version (motor not included)
with the open holes at the bottom that required filling.
  The
one-piece vinyl tracks are nicely detailed for 1/35th scale except they
seem to be stiff and bulky. I would suggest you soak them in hot water
and reshape once the suspension is assembled. The most time-consuming
sub-assembly is the turret, which involves 6 steps. One of the optional
steps involves the "2003 Iraq" version, which has accessory parts involving
external stowage bins, ID panels, jerry cans, gunner optics, and other
items. To help you with the location of these items there is a page with
two model photographs with location indicators.
 The
decals are of high quality being printed on thin film and not off-register.
There is a separate paint and decal instruction sheet that shows you two
U.S. vehicle markings, one from an Army unit and the other from the Marines.
For the "Iraq 2003" version you get two ID panel "stickers" (not decals)
for placement on the front of the turret. You get an extra page included
to assist in the proper painting and placement of the decals/stickers.
One negative item is the paint color legend does not refer to any standard
FS or paint manufacturer but uses color terminology (olive drab, light
green, red, etc.) instead.
Conclusion
Overall the quality of this M1A1 Abrams kit is very good. This is consistent
with Academy's other products. I definitely give this kit two thumbs up
for subject detail and accuracy. I highly recommend this to builders of
modern main battle tanks. Virtually no flash or sink marks on the parts.
I would like to thank MRC for the review kit.
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