Academy 1:35 - M1A2 Abrams MBT Tusk I/II V2 US Army

OK, not a bad kit, but... the instructions are poor and have errors - typos with the part numbers, so be careful with that. Also, be aware that the instructions incorrectly show the tabs removed from the base of the turret - if you take them off, you'll be left with holes at the base of the turret where the tow ropes connect. Then the fit of quite a few parts is very tight, too tight; you'll need to dry fit and do some sanding to resolve that. Upload a few images of the real tank and use them as a reference, as in places the instructions are woeful.Other things to note? The fuel cans are a very odd fit and just don't come together very well and talking of alignment, the drive sprocket doesn't fit the track that well. Another issue is connecting the tracks with the two sprue tabs - you'll want superglue for this and then need to clamp the connection. No idea why they did it like that. The shield on the middle rear vent is total guess work to fit it. I've seen people fit this incorrectly in quite a few build videos - I built the V2 version, so correctly omitted this after checking a number of pictures showing that version did not have this.In summary, despite the issues, it's OK. But, anyone who's trying to say this is a super detailed kit is being rather kind about it - for example, the machine gun barrels are all solid, so you either have to drill them out or replace with aftermarket versions, as I did. There's other areas too where the detail is very poor - the wheels are quite bad, as are the smoke dischargers. I could go on... So, I think the Tamiya M1A2 kit is MUCH better than this kit, with the only negative being you can't build the same versions up. Else, just be prepared for a few headaches with this kit, well if you're a perfectionist that is, else, I guess most people will be pretty happy with it.

This was one of the first major builds that I had done, and what a kit. The quality of the parts is impressive straight from the box. The instructions were very good. It took me about 40 to do the complete build. The additional tusk armour really makes it a crowd pleaser when I am demonstrating.

Very detailed, all parts pass together very nicely. One of the best models I have ever made. Great quality.

What a spectacular looking model, not done an Academy model before but on opening the box I can’t wait to get stuck in

Good model. Fits together well.

Very detailed product with high quality.Very good purchase.

The kit looks amazing, not built it yet but looking forward to it.