US Army M1A2 V2 Tusk II

by Academy Models

Kit# 13504

History of the Vehicle:

As provided by ARMYRECOGNITION.COM, the M1A2 SEP V2 is an improvement of the M1A2 SEP main battle tank. Upgrades include improved survivability, automotive power pack, computer systems, and night vision capabilities. As the second version in the M1A2 SEP, the V2 variant provides the Army with a digital tank with a new electronic backbone, powerful new computers and an open architecture designed to accept future technologies without the need for significant redesign. The variant fully exploits the intent of the SEP to maximize the tank’s effectiveness on today’s battlefields while preparing for the challenges of tomorrow. The M1A2 SEP V2 has improved microprocessors, color flat panel displays, improved memory capacity, better Soldiermachine interface, and a new open operating system designed to run the Common Operating Environment (COE) software. In February 2015, it was announced that General Dynamics Land Systems in Sterling Heights, Mich., will build six M1A2 Abrams System Enhanced Package (SEP) Version 2 (V2) main battle tanks with digital vetronics under terms of a $49.8 million U.S. Army contract modification. Officials of the Army Contracting Command in Warren, Mich., awarded the contract on behalf of the Army TACOM Life Cycle Management Command (LCMC) in Warren, Mich. The M1A2 SEP V2 is considered to be one of the most technologically advanced and most survivable digital main battle tank available worldwide.

The Kit

Released in 2017, this kit, consisting of plastic sprues, PE, vinyl, waterslide decals and clear parts is a very nice kit by Academy.  Overall, the parts are really nice.  The PE parts fret is relatively limited by only covering screens that go on the engine deck.  The main gun is in three sections, all plastic.  There is no metal gun tube offered in the kit.  The kit does come with two runs of rubber tracks that look to be nicely detailed.  You can use the rubber tracks or....you can go with the option of constructing and using individual link tracks to build T158 tracks.  To build the individual link tracks, be prepared to take on eleven sprues of tracks.  

NEW TOOLING PARTS ADDED  (From the Box lid)
Newly tooled slat armor to protect the turret
Build with soft rubber or connected track
Detailed CROWS, tile-shaped reactive armor and slat armor.
Can be built as V2 or V2 TUSK II
Accurate gun shield with clear parts
Working tracks by none other than DEF MODEL [T158]
Features photo-etched parts

Decal Options are:  1st Battalion, 66th Armor Regiment, 3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Germany, February, 2017

The instructions are in four source booklets.  There are a lot of pages but the illustrations do not point to anything difficult.

The Sprues

Review Conclusions

Upon inspection of the kit contents, the parts are very crisp as I would expect from Academy.  I have built a multitude of airplane models that Academy have put out over the years and come to love those kits.  I suspect this model will be no different.  The tracks are nicely detailed and I cannot wait to try constructing them.  The kit has great instructions and I believe this kit will go together very well.

As the kit does come with photo etched parts that will detail the hull and some awesome tracks, individual and a set of vinyl tracks, I think this kit has the makings of a real gem of a kit.  The molded details of the parts is really finely done.  Aside from some depression in some of the pieces, namely G37 (spare track link pieces), E23, E43 and the insides of the parts that comprise the turret bustle basket where cumbersome knockout pin marks are present, the parts appear to be very smartly created.  Looking at the gun barrel and those components, I think that the modeler will not have to resort to replacing the kit gun with a turned metal barrel.  The parts look that good.

Highly Recommended based on what I viewed of the model in this box, with all modelers enjoying this build.  A full build of this kit with hopefully confirm my feelings about the quality that Academy has put into this offering.

Thanks goes out to MRC for this review kit.

Reviewed by Glen Martin

 AMPS Advanced Modeler

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