_GOTOBOTTOM
Armor/AFV: Modern - USA
Modern Armor, AFVs, and Support vehicles.
Hosted by Darren Baker
TAMIYA M2A2 Bradley IFV
PaladinLJJ
Visit this Community
Guangdong, China / 简体
Joined: February 21, 2016
KitMaker: 13 posts
Armorama: 13 posts
Posted: Tuesday, March 07, 2017 - 01:18 PM UTC
Hello guys, this is an "old" kit which was announced in 1985.I finished this kit OOB, painted with NATO three colors scheme from Tamiya acrylics and light weathering.











Compare with MENG's Bradley, some detail of this kit couldn't make me satisefied, such as drive wheels, tracks, side skirts. Hope some good brand such sa MENG or TAMIYA could bring me a total new M2A2 and M2A0, especially M2A0, because this is my favorite Bradley.

Thanks for reviewing, happy modeling, nice day!
Thirian24
Visit this Community
Oklahoma, United States
Joined: September 30, 2015
KitMaker: 2,493 posts
Armorama: 2,344 posts
Posted: Tuesday, March 07, 2017 - 06:30 PM UTC
Wow! Very nice on the painting and weathering. I have this same kit and pulled it out of the stash last night to look it over. After seeing yours, I think I'll give mine a go.
HeavyArty
Visit this Community
Florida, United States
Joined: May 16, 2002
KitMaker: 17,694 posts
Armorama: 13,742 posts
Posted: Tuesday, March 07, 2017 - 06:40 PM UTC
It looks very nice. You did a great job on the camo and weathering. One correction though, you have painted a couple of the ammo cans on the turret basket in the camo color. They should be all green above the bracket that holds them. The ammo cans are removable and are not in place when the camo is painted.


Also, the spare tracks links should have rubber on the inner pads, the raised rectangles behind the center guide tooth. Also, the retainers on the spare track pads, rectangles at ends with a bolt head, should be the same color as the hull beneath them. You can see them well on a later M2A2 ODS below.




Quoted Text

...this is an "old" kit which was announced in 1985.



Actually, this is the second generation of Bradley Tamiya released in the early '90s following Operation Desert Shield/Storm when the M2A2 was first fielded in '90-'91.


Quoted Text

I have this same kit and pulled it out of the stash last night to look it over. After seeing yours, I think I'll give mine a go.



I recommend using Vodnik's excellent M2A2 Correction and Detail Article if you are going to be building any Bradley.
andromeda673
Visit this Community
Wisconsin, United States
Joined: July 30, 2013
KitMaker: 584 posts
Armorama: 525 posts
Posted: Tuesday, March 07, 2017 - 06:50 PM UTC
Banging job on the paint and the weathering, nice work! time to build another one, but maybe in the desert storm tan scheme.

One of each flavor for the completed shelf!
Thirian24
Visit this Community
Oklahoma, United States
Joined: September 30, 2015
KitMaker: 2,493 posts
Armorama: 2,344 posts
Posted: Tuesday, March 07, 2017 - 07:25 PM UTC
I wonder why Tamiya didn't include tow shackles in these kits?
HeavyArty
Visit this Community
Florida, United States
Joined: May 16, 2002
KitMaker: 17,694 posts
Armorama: 13,742 posts
Posted: Tuesday, March 07, 2017 - 07:53 PM UTC

Quoted Text

I wonder why Tamiya didn't include tow shackles in these kits?



I'm not sure they even realized there should be tow shackles as none of the towing points even have the holes in them for the shackles. All the towing points have to be drilled out to be accurate. Check out the linked article for a bunch more things Tamiya missed on their Bradleys.
PaladinLJJ
Visit this Community
Guangdong, China / 简体
Joined: February 21, 2016
KitMaker: 13 posts
Armorama: 13 posts
Posted: Tuesday, March 07, 2017 - 07:53 PM UTC

Quoted Text

It looks very nice. You did a great job on the camo and weathering. One correction though, you have painted a couple of the ammo cans on the turret basket in the camo color. They should be all green above the bracket that holds them. The ammo cans are removable and are not in place when the camo is painted.


Also, the spare tracks links should have rubber on the inner pads, the raised rectangles behind the center guide tooth. Also, the retainers on the spare track pads, rectangles at ends with a bolt head, should be the same color as the hull beneath them. You can see them well on a later M2A2 ODS below.




Quoted Text

...this is an "old" kit which was announced in 1985.



Actually, this is the second generation of Bradley Tamiya released in the early '90s following Operation Desert Shield/Storm when the M2A2 was first fielded in '90-'91.


Quoted Text

I have this same kit and pulled it out of the stash last night to look it over. After seeing yours, I think I'll give mine a go.



I recommend using Vodnik's excellent M2A2 Correction and Detail Article if you are going to be building any Bradley.



Thanks for your note. I painted those ammo cans with olive drab; and, I wandering, dose the early type tracks have rubber on the inner pads?
PaladinLJJ
Visit this Community
Guangdong, China / 简体
Joined: February 21, 2016
KitMaker: 13 posts
Armorama: 13 posts
Posted: Tuesday, March 07, 2017 - 08:02 PM UTC
Thanks for reply. Have a happy modeling!
HeavyArty
Visit this Community
Florida, United States
Joined: May 16, 2002
KitMaker: 17,694 posts
Armorama: 13,742 posts
Posted: Tuesday, March 07, 2017 - 08:09 PM UTC

Quoted Text

I painted those ammo cans with olive drab...



No, I am talking about the ammo cans in the holders on the back of the turret, not the three on the left rear of the hull. The ammo cans on the turret should also be all green above the line of the holders.

In the below pic, you can see the empty ammo can holders are painted the camo of the hull.



Here you can see the green ammo cans sticking above the holders.
PaladinLJJ
Visit this Community
Guangdong, China / 简体
Joined: February 21, 2016
KitMaker: 13 posts
Armorama: 13 posts
Posted: Tuesday, March 07, 2017 - 08:13 PM UTC

Quoted Text


Quoted Text

I wonder why Tamiya didn't include tow shackles in these kits?



I'm not sure they even realized there should be tow shackles as none of the towing points even have the holes in them for the shackles. All the towing points have to be drilled out to be accurate. Check out the linked article for a bunch more things Tamiya missed on their Bradleys.



Tow shackles? How does it looks like? BTW, seems your link is failure...
PaladinLJJ
Visit this Community
Guangdong, China / 简体
Joined: February 21, 2016
KitMaker: 13 posts
Armorama: 13 posts
Posted: Tuesday, March 07, 2017 - 08:15 PM UTC

Quoted Text


Quoted Text

I painted those ammo cans with olive drab...



No, I am talking about the ammo cans in the holders on the back of the turret, not the three on the left rear of the hull. The ammo cans on the turret should also be all green above the line of the holders.

In the below pic, you can see the empty ammo can holders are painted the camo of the hull.



Here you can see the green ammo cans sticking above the holders.



Oh, I got it! That's mistake indeed.
HeavyArty
Visit this Community
Florida, United States
Joined: May 16, 2002
KitMaker: 17,694 posts
Armorama: 13,742 posts
Posted: Tuesday, March 07, 2017 - 08:16 PM UTC

Quoted Text



Tow shackles? How does it looks like? BTW, seems your link is failure...



Actually called a Clevis Shackle, a.k.a. Tow Shackle.


The tow shackle is the grey loop on the lower front of the Bradley that the tow cable is attached to in the below pic. One is also on the other end of the tow cable attaching it to the lift point on the upper, front glacis.



The link works from here.
Vodnik
Visit this Community
Warszawa, Poland
Joined: March 26, 2003
KitMaker: 4,342 posts
Armorama: 3,938 posts
Posted: Tuesday, March 07, 2017 - 10:24 PM UTC

Quoted Text


The link works from here.


It shouldn't You probably have the page cached somewhere, as it certainly is not a valid link anymore.

The current link is http://vodnik.net/pages/m2a2/m2a2-p1.htm

By the way, there is a small issue with the camouflage application - the camo pattern should extend to the back of the turret and into the bustle rack, not end abruptly at the turret roof edge.
Thirian24
Visit this Community
Oklahoma, United States
Joined: September 30, 2015
KitMaker: 2,493 posts
Armorama: 2,344 posts
Posted: Tuesday, March 07, 2017 - 11:20 PM UTC
Pawel, how did you replicate the handles on the side skirts?
HeavyArty
Visit this Community
Florida, United States
Joined: May 16, 2002
KitMaker: 17,694 posts
Armorama: 13,742 posts
Posted: Wednesday, March 08, 2017 - 03:40 AM UTC
Thanks for the correction Pawel. Glad the article is still available.
PaladinLJJ
Visit this Community
Guangdong, China / 简体
Joined: February 21, 2016
KitMaker: 13 posts
Armorama: 13 posts
Posted: Wednesday, March 08, 2017 - 09:19 AM UTC
Thanks Gino!
PaladinLJJ
Visit this Community
Guangdong, China / 简体
Joined: February 21, 2016
KitMaker: 13 posts
Armorama: 13 posts
Posted: Wednesday, March 08, 2017 - 09:23 AM UTC
Thank you, Pawel, and Gino! This site is a quite quite useful!
 _GOTOTOP