Academy 1/35 U.S. Army M1A2 TUSK II

The M1A2 Abrams program incorporated improved frontal armor protection,improved mission electronics on a digital data bus, and implementationof the independent thermal sight (ITS) (M1A1s had the mount in placebut was never used until the M1A2 upgrade). While 77 new-build M1A2srolled off the production line, most were upgrades for remanufacturedAbrams. The next round of improvements came as the System EnhancementPackage (SEP) which added navigation and situational awareness. Theadditional mission electronics required improvements to the coolingsystem, both of which increased the electrical load on the tank.In order to operate the tank without the main engine operating constantly,an auxiliary power unit was added to the rear turret basket.

The kit is molded in tan styrene and presented on nine parts trees(duplicates not shown) plus one tree of clear parts, one set of photo-etchedparts, one sheet of paint masks to protect the clear parts, and oneset of rubber tracks. The kit also comes with four instruction bookletswhich are used sequentially up until you decide what version you'regoing to build.

Among the features and options presented in this kit:

• All new-tooled parts
• New 'long' turret with anti-slip surfaces molded into the top surfaces as well as toolbox tops
• New lower hull with no holes for motorization
• New upper hull with anti-slip surfaces molded into the top surfaces (appears to be in the correct areas)
• Options to build 'vanilla' SEP v2 or TUSK I or TUSK II versions
• Road wheel hubs are hollow with clear caps
• Choice of solid drive sprockets or with lightening holes
• Optional boat hull ventral armor plate
• Optional upward exhaust deflector
• Choice of rear tail lights/housings
• Choice of standard, TUSK I or TUSK II side skirts
• Positionable doors for gunner's thermal sight
• Optional coaxial M2 machine gun over main gun
• Optional commander and gunner gun shields over hatches
• VCU in turret basket
• Optional TUSK armor for turret sides
• Spare track and Jerry can stowage on rear racks
• Optional thermal ID panels
• Optional CROWS II system
• Optional Duke CREW system
• Optional Blue Force Tracker antenna/module
• Optional stowed tow bars

Color profiles and decals for a number of subjects are included:

• M1A2 SEP v2, 2nd ID, US Army, South Korea, 2013 (over 40 options)
• M1A2 TUSK, 3rd Cav Regt, US Army, Iraq, 2008
• M1A2 TUSK, 3rd Squadron/G Troop, US Army, Iraq, 2013
• M1A2 TUSK II, 1st Bn/22nd Inf Regt/1st Bde/4th ID, US Army, Iraq, 2008