I am looking for an M3A2 Cavalry Fighting Vehicle in 1/35 scale to glorify my time as a mechanic on one of thoes over-sized tonka toys while assigned to 1st Squadron, 4th US Cavalry… I would like to know if any of you can help me find one. I seem to remember a Tamiya kit a couple years ago, but all I can find is the M2 version… HELP!!! Thank you
The Tamiya or Academy M2 CFV are the only 2 players, each with their merits.
Blast Models & others have done the add-on reactive armour packages & another kit or two for all the turret mods.
http://vodnik.net/ has a features page Accurizing and detailing the Tamiya M2A2 here
Google Gino Quintiliani (HeavyArty) He’s done some nice work on a M2A2 & A3 updates
good luck
Tamiya’s mid-80’s M3 CFV kit was essentially just the M2 (A0) with blanked-over gun ports. This kit also deleted the M2’s interior parts. A “clone” of this kit was also released by Academy at one time.
The only way to get an M3A2 or later is to start with one of three available kits, Tamiya’s straight M2A2, M2A2 ODS or Academy’s M2A2 OIF and perform the necessary mods. IIRC, none of these three kits include an interior.
Thanks for the recommendation Jon.
All the above is correct. The biggest external difference on the M3A2 (as you probably know) is the top hatch shape and the position of the rear periscopes as part of the top hatch, as opposed to behind the hatch on the hull roof. Send me a PM and I may be able to help you out with the top hatch.
Here is how the M3A2 top hatch looks:
As to the Tamiya vs. Acadamy kits:
Tamiya’s M2A2 ODS and Academy’s M2A2 OIF kits are about the same in quality. They both represent M2A2 ODS Bradleys from about 2003-2005.
The Tamiya one represents a rebuilt to latest standards M2A2 ODS version as used by 3 ID in the initial invasion (March '03). It has most of the ODS mods that were seen at that time, but still shows parts that were removed or changed as well. It also has you adding obsolete parts such as the flotation system rods on the rear and left side of the hull.
The Academy M2A2 OIF kit represents a new-build M2A2 ODS from about the same time as Tamiya’s. It has many newer features that Tamiya left off, like the new driver’s hatch hinge, anti-foul bars in front of the driver’s hatch, new lower front glacis plate, etc. It also has nicer side armor, sprockets with lightening holes, and better details in some areas. It has incorrect, old-style, triangle block track in the kit though. The triangle block track hasn’t been used since the mid-'90s. Furthermore, Academy molded the track incorrectly as well, with the pads being molded 180 degrees from how they should be. AFV Club makes a great set of indi-link, square block, plastic track for them though.
Even with the need for replacement track, I prefer the Academy kit over Tamiya’s.
Reviews of both from PMMS:
Tamiya M2A2 ODS:
http://www.perthmilitarymodelling.com/reviews/vehicles/tamiya/tam35264.htm
Academy M2A2 OIF:
www.perthmilitarymodelling.com/…/acd13205.htm
Neither comes with PE. Eduard does a few good PE sets though, one being a full turret interior. Legends and Voyager also have PE sets for them.
The M2A2 and forward kits deleted the interior that came in Tamiya’s and Academy’s M2 kits. For an interior, you can find either older M2 kit on eBay pretty cheaply and use the interior out of it for an older M2A2 ODS w/out interior seating mods (changed to long seats along the hull like an M113 with full mods), or use it as a base for a new interior. For an M3A2 interior, you could modify the seating arrangement and TOW storage from one of the earlier kits as well.
M3A2 interior:
Which one you get depends on when you want to build your M3A2 CFV from. If it is before the early 2000s, I would go with the Tamiya one. From the early to mid-2000s onward, I’d go with the Academy one. For an older M2A2 from the early '90s, before the post ODS (Operation Desert Storm, '90-'91) mods were added, go with the Tamiya M2A2 kit (#35264).
I second Pawel’s great article as well (working link):
http://vodnik.republika.pl/pages/m2a2/m2a2-p1.htm
Good luck and let us know if you need any more help.