American Badass

Historical Background

In the late 1960s, the United States and West Germany co-operated to develop a new 'joint' main battle tank. Known as MBT-70, the programme was very ambitious and incorporated various innovations. The programme ultimately failed and cancelled by the Congress in November 1971. In its place, a new design, the XM803 was initiated but being more expensive while only having the same performance the M60, it was cancelled in December of the same year. The funds were reallocated into a new project, the XM815. The XM815 reused most of the XM803 features, but simpler and therefore less expensive. The XM815 was then redesigned XM1 and given the name Abrams after General Creighton Abrams, who become the US Army Chief of Staff in June 1972 and was considered the equal of, if not better than, the legendary Patton.

In June 1973, contracts to build the prototypes were given to Chrysler and Detroit Diesel. These were delivered in February 1976. Armed with the ubiquitous M68 gun (the licence-built Royal Ordnance L7 105mm gun), the prototypes were not only compared to each other but also the West German Leopard 2. Chrysler's prototype was powered bya turbine engine it was this design that was selected for production. Initial production was set up at the Lima Army Modification Centre in Lima, Ohio in 1979. Eleven Full-Scale Engineering Development (FSID) vehicles, still designated XM1, were produced in 1979 before the first full-production Abrams rolled out in the next year (the first FSID XM1 was given the nickname 'Thunderbolt' after General Abrams' personal mount during World War 2). In 1982, after around 1,000 M1 have been built, Chrysler was bought by General Dynamics Land Systems (GDLS). 

The M1's hull is made of solid RHA with the parts welded together. The hull front has downward-sloped 'beak' while the engine deck is raised to accommodate the turbine engine. The Abrams also incorporated composite armour inspired by the British Chobham armour. This gave the frontal turret armour of the baseline M1 an effective thickness of 350mm against APFSDS rounds and 700mm against HEAT rounds. In 1988, armour protection was improved by adding classified layers of depleted uranium and other undisclosed material. Introduced into the M1A1 model, the added material increased the effective frontal armor to 600mm against APFSDS and 1,300mm against HEAT. Interior protection against spalling is provided by a layer of kevlar. To further protect the crew from ammunition cook-off, fuel and ammo are stored in armoured compartments with blowout panels. The Abrams is also equipped with halon firefighting system and small hand-held fire extinguishers are also carried. Some Abrams, mostly seen in the USMC, are equipped AN/VLQ-6 Missile Countermeasure System that can impede the guidance system of ATGWs. 

As mentioned before, the original M1 was armed with the M68A1 105mm gun. It was getting outclassed by the then new Soviet tanks - the T-64 and T-72 by the mid-1980s . To combat newer armour technology and to increase effective range, a newer, larger gun was needed. The German Rheinmetall L/44 120mm smoothbore gun was selected to arm the M1A1 and M1A2 variants. Built under licence by Watervliet Arsenal, it entered service as M256A1. Able to fire various type of rounds as with its predecessor, the highlight of the gun was the M829 series of APFSDS rounds which were developed specifically to address the threat posed by the aforementioned Soviet-designed tanks. Secondary weapons consist of an M2 12.7mm heavy machine gun in front of the commander's hatch and two M240 7.62mm machine guns - one in front of the loader's hatch and another mounted co-axial with the main gun. 42 rounds of 120mm, 900 rounds of 12.7mm and 10,000 rounds for the 7.62mm machine guns were carried.

At the heart of the Abrams is the 1,500 hp  Lycoming (later Honeywell) AGT 1500 multi-fuel gas turbine capable of delivering 1,500 shaft horsepower. The power waqs transmitted by a six-speed (four forward, two reverse) Allison X-1100-3B hydro-kinetic automatic transmission. The Abrams is able to reach 97 km/h on road but with the engine governor in place, is limited to 72 km/h - this is mainly to prevent damage to the drivetrain and shock injuries to the crew. The multi-fuel nature of the powerplant means it can accept diesel, kerosene, petrol and jet fuel JP-4 and JP-8. For logistical reasons, JP-8 is preferred by the US military. While highly reliable, the engine is a notorious fuel guzzler, consuming 6.3 liters per mile. The engine however is quieter than a diesel and for this it received the nickname 'Whispering Death' during its first REFORGER exercise. 

The Abrams received a number of improvement packages with the most significant in the late 1990s with the introduction of the M1A2. The A2 includes improved fire control system, the commander's independent thermal viewer, weapons station, position navigation equipment and digital datalinks. Systems Improvement version One (SEPv1) provide digital maps, Linux communications and improved air conditioning. SEPv2 added Common Remotely Operated Weapons Station (CROWS / CROWS II) color displays, better interfaces, a new operating system, improved armour and upgraded transmission. To improve survivability in urban environments, the TUSK (Tank Urban Survival Kit) was initiated. Upgrades include reactive armour blocks on the tank sides and slat armour to the rear to protect against RPGs and other shaped-charge explosives. A Kongsberg RWS replaced the original, exposed commander's 12.7mm MG while a Transparent Armor Gun Shield with thermal sight was added to the loader's M240 MG. An exterior telephone allows accompanying infantry to communicate with the tank commander. The TUSK package is field-installable and 505 units were delivered by General Dynamics Land Systems. 

The Abrams entered combat during Operation desert Storm in February 1991 where it proved superior to T-55s, T-62s, Type 59s and export-version T-72s of the Iraqi Army. The long firing range of its gun outranged the Iraqi tanks, a decisive advantage in armoured warfare. Nine Abrams were destroyed during the campaign - seven through friendly fire while the other two were deliberately destroyed to prevent capture after receiving critical damage. None resulted in fatalities. Further combat took place in 2003 during Operation Iraqi Freedom. To prevent (or at least reduce) incidents of friendly fire, the Abrmas (and indeed all of the Coalition's vehicles) were fitted with Combat Identification Panels. However, as of 2005, casualties was higher with at least 80 Abrams suffered damage, 17 of them beyond repair. The majority of the damage was caused by IEDs. In operations against the Daesh in 2014, about 1/3 of 140 M1A1s of the Iraqi Army were damaged or destroyed; some were captured by the opposition. 

Today the US Army operates some 1,174 M1A2 and M1A2SEPs and 4,293 M1A1s (including variants), the USMC operates 403 M1A1while Australia have 59 M1A1 AIM, Egypt (1,200), Iraq (140), Kuwait (218) and Saudi Arabia (440). All the export tanks lack the depleted uranium layer in their armour. 

The Kit

In 2016, Meng Models joined the ranks of 1/35 Abrams model kit producers when they issued their    version of the M1A2. The second kit depicting the TUSK modifications (the first was Tamiya), the kit alllows one to build a TUSK-modified Abrams straight from the box. The box has the same footprint as the rest in the T-Rex series but deeper than usual to fit the eight sand-coloured sprues, three clear sprues, four dark brown sprues, two sheets of PE, a bunch of poly caps plus the usual decal sheet and instruction booklet. The parts are very well-moulded and have great details. There are a lot of ejector towers on the reverse side of many of the parts though  The individual-link track looks more complex to assemble than anything I have done before and should provide me with a new challenge! The kit allows two styles of TUSK: the 'straight-edge' TUSK-I or the scalloped TUSK-II ERA plates and decision has to be made early as to which markings to choose. Speaking of which, four were provided:

1. 1st Battalion, 22nd Infantry Regiment, Iraq 2008 (TUSK II)
2. E Troop, 2nd Squadron, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment, Iraq 2011 (TUSK I)    

3. 3rd Squadron, 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment, Iraq 2011 (TUSK I)
4. 'Ghetto Blaster II', 68th Armored Regiment,1st Brigade, 4th Infantry Division, Iraq (TUSK I)

Construction

As usual with land vehicle kits, work started at the bottom of the hull. The foremost pair of torsion bars are of multi-part assembly and are workaable so careful application of cement is a must especially between C20/C31, C37/C38, C32/C64 and C39/C63 as the contact area is very small and to avoid accidentally gluing C29 and C36. The mud scraper was not added as it would mean extra work removing the bolt heads on the mount. The torsion bars are of the typical Meng style which can flex over diorama terrain. While the instructions have you place the wheels next, I skipped that part at this time and add the hull top first. But before the roof can be mated to the hull, the ejector towers on the reverse side of the roof have to be removed else it won't fit at all to the hull. Holes and notchess also need to be opened on the upper hull before fixing the roof and the hull together. The notches require filling as I cut them a bit too large. The engine exhaust grille is a multi-part assembly and can be posed open (when one have an aftermarket engine set that is)

Next up is assembly of the running gear. Really no problems here except for that bit of hate-love relationship I have with tank running gear in general (lots of wheels!!). Anyway, it was straightforward except that a number of the inner wheels have flash on the outside face and needed some clean-up. The tracks, as mentioned before, is a multi-part affair, and meng as usual, provided a jig to help with the assembly. I however took a totally different route. I took the DS rubber track from my Dragon M1A2 SEP (long story about why I dismantled the earlier kit). The DS is overly long for the Meng kit but a dry run shows that the excess length can be hidden behind the skirting plus, the track fit Meng's sprocket teeth. The side ERA blocks fit nicely in place although the side skirts needed a bit of 'persuasion' towards the rear of the hull.

Work on the turret was started by drilling a number of holes into the roof and also the bottom half of the turret. The position of the holes were clearly marked with indentations and arrows and 'M1A2' embossed in the plastic. The trunnion was then assembled and I noticed that despite being designed to be totally hidden by the mantlet, there are details embosssed on the trunnion. The gun was then assembled. The PE part X is meant to remain moveable and so the instructions has you taping (instead of cementing/supergluing) it to Part  D40. I eventually decided to superglue it in place after deciding to set the gun at a certain elevation. And just to be different from previous builds, the gunner's sight protective doors were posed open. meng provided different styles of armoured cables on the turret roof and the instructions need to be followed as to which version is needed for the tank you're building.

The Commander's cupola is basically a model-within-a model construction and was made separately. The periscopes (Part J1) were very tight fit and I have to sand the sides down a bit so that they are easier to fit in place. The cupola itself is a two-piece construct and there are two styles to choose (they are the same, just the way they were moulded). I however assembled just the basic cupola at this time. The shields and screens were assembled but was kept separate until after painting. The loader's shield has a gap between the panels and needed some puttying. The right-hand panel also seemed to out-of-position too, despite my effort to rectify it.

Painting and Decaling

Before the tracks were fitted onto the model, it was painted first. It was painted overall XF-1 Flat Black and after the paint has cured, the 'metal' parts of it were treated with AK Interactive Track Wash. It was then aside. I don't have the exact colour to match the modern US Sand colour so I select the next best available in my arsenal - AK Interactive AK4006 Buff Light Shade. To my eyes it looks fair enough although it is more yellow-ish and has less grey than the actual colour! Unfortunately seepage happened at one of the loader's armoured glass panel and it cannot be cleaned off as it seeped between the two already-joined clear panels! The hubs of the main wheels were painted Tamiya X-19 Smoke as these are actually translucent, which allows monitoring of the lubricating fluid inside. The whole model then received a wash using AK Interactive OIF and OEF Vehicle Wash. The periscopes / vision blocks were painted a mixture of clear colours to obtain the purplish sheen usually seen but mine ended up mainly reddish. For markings, I chose 'Ghetto Blaster II' as it was more eye-catching than the rest.

Finishing

I started by fully assembling the commander's and loader's shields and putting them in place. This was followed by the Counter Sniper / Anti-Material Mount on the mantlet. The 'grenades' for the smoke discharger were painted and then fitted in place - I used the longer ones as they were a bit easier to handle. Then accessories were added to the model using parts from the kit itself, the spares box and also Meng's own Modern US Military Individual Load-Carrying Equipment Set and Equipment For Modern US Military Vehicles set. The model did not receive much weathering (read paint chipping) as the paint on the real tank is seldom seen as such (besides, its supposed to be resistant against corrosive chemicals, what more against boot scrapes). The aerials were then put in place. Sice Meng only provides aerial bases only, the rods were made using guitar strings and for the rightmost aerial, I use the one from my Dragon M1 kit. The kit then received  a spray of flat clear. My clear parts masking however is bad and many of the armored glass panels were 'frosted' as a result. The model then recieved an overall 'dust' coverage using thinned Tamiya Buff. The lower parts of the model were then were liberally covered with MiG Production Iraqi Dust pigments. Once dried, the excess were brushed off.

Conclusion

Modellers have a number of choices to build an Abrams in 1/35. Although another Abrams may be seen to be superfluous, Meng's M1A2 TUSK is very much welcome. The details were quite sharp and yet not as complicated as other brands'. Well, I do cheated somewhat by using the tracks from my Dragon kit! It was a fun build and anyone with even those with little experience building tank kits will have no problem with this kit (the multi-part tracks may be a different matter).