The M1 Abrams Main Battle Tank comes in three basic versions: the standard M1, the improved M1A1, and the most recent version, the M1A2. There are considerable differences between these three versions, which should be represented on a scale model.

M1 / M1A1 Differences

The M1 is armed with a 105mm cannon. Starting with the M1A1, the armament was upgraded to a 120mm gun. The main visual difference of the guns is the stouter barrel and larger bore evacuator on the 120mm.

There are a couple of turret differences too. The ammunition bin blow-out panels (on the turret roof to the rear of the crew hatches) on the M1 were composed of three, irregularly-shaped panels; on the M1A1, the pattern was changed to two, larger square panels. The storage boxes on the sides of the turret were enlarged on the M1A1, and there was also a large storage basket/bustle rack added to the rear of the turret. Another important change on the turret roof is the flat, circular mounting for the future thermal gunsight (to make its appearance with the M1A2) in front of the loader's hatch.

The main noticeable difference on the hull is the addition of two, small, engine access hatches towards the rear of the engine deck, one in each corner just to the inside of the fuel caps. There were many, many other changes between the two versions, but most of them were internal, and would not be visible on a scale model.

M1A1 / M1A2 Differences

According to Glen Broman in Museum Ordnance Special Number 9 - Abrams Main Battle Tank M1A1 and M1A2 , the technological improvements of the M1A2 over the M1A1 are of the same magnitude as the differences between the M1 and the M60A1. The M1A2 is arguably the most sophisticated and deadly MBT in the world today. Fortunately for us modelers, there are only three main visual differences between the M1A1 and the M1A2. Most of the other improvements are internal. First is the addition of the CITV - Commander's Independant Thermal Viewer in front of the loader's hatch, which is a tall, armored housing for the thermal gunsight. Second is the Commander's Weapon Station (CWS), which has improved vision devices, a differently-shaped commander's hatch, and a simplified mount for the .50 cal MG. The third external difference is the change to a different style of track, on which the shoe shape is different than that seen on the earlier tanks (this type of track is also seen on late M1A1's).

Kit Reviews

There have been seven different kits of Abrams tanks produced at one time or another: three M1's, two M1A1's, one M1E1 (M1A1 prototype), and one M1A2. With a single exception, these are all very good kits. There are certain errors and ommissions on some of them, but for the most part, any one of them will build into a decent Abrams tank. Note : all of the kits come with hard plastic, link and length tracks, except the Galaxy M1A2.

ESCI M1 Abrams, (Kit No. 8070; ESCI/Ertl Kit No. 8307; AMT/Ertl Kit No. 8637)

This was the first Abrams kit available on the market, and it is now out-of-production. Overall, it is an excellent kit. The dimensions are very accurate to 1/72nd scale, and the detail on all the kit parts is very good. The panel lines on the front portion of the turret roof are raised, but I think recessed looks more realistic. This is the only M1 with the driver's hatch molded open, and the periscope visors are also molded open. The turret storage bins and the tow cables are molded as separate pieces. There are no errors or ommisions that I can readily see on this kit, and it will build into an excellent M1.

My one major complaint, shared with all but one of the kits below, is the way that ESCI molded each pair of bogie wheels as a single, double-wide wheel. Granted, with the side skirts on, it is difficult to notice the shortcut without picking up the model, but this feature limits the ability of modelers to make interesting dioramas with the side skirts removed. This is a common problem with many kits of modern tanks from several manufacturers.

Hasegawa M1 Abrams (Kit No. 31133/MT33)

Although this kit has a couple of minor problems, it is still a very good model. The hull is just a hair too small (about 1mm too narrow, and maybe 2mm too short - nothing to complain about), but all other details and dimensions are accurate. One figure is included, and he's pretty decent looking. The driver's hatch is molded closed, but the periscope visors are open, as opposed to solid blocks, as on the Matchbox kit. The panel lines on the turret roof are raised. The turret side storage bins are molded directly on the turret, as are the tow cables. Spare track links are molded onto the storage racks on the turret sides. The wheels are the "double-wide" type. You can refer to a full construction review of this kit for further details.

Matchbox M1 Abrams (Kit No. 40179)

This kit is a mixed bag. The hull shares the same (slightly) underscale dimensions of the Hasegawa kit, but in addition, it is missing some details on the rear engine deck (hatches and lines). The driver's hatch is molded closed, and the periscope covers are solid blocks of plastic, instead of having open fronts. There are no tow cables provided for the turret sides. On the positive side of things, I prefer this turret to the previous two offerings, because the panel lines are recessed, and the other turret details are a little more sharply molded. The storage boxes are molded as separate parts, but the smoke grenade launchers have unusual protrusions coming out of a couple of the grenade cavities. The wheels are again the "double-wide" type. If I could only pick one M1 kit, it would probably not be this one, but despite that, it is still a very good model, and if it the only choice in your local shops, I wouldn't hesitate to build one.

Hasegawa M1E1 Abrams (Kit No. 31135/MT35)

The M1E1 was the prototype designation for the M1A1. I believe that Hasegawa released this kit before the M1A1 actually entered production, because there are a couple of inaccuracies. This kit is basically the earlier Hasegawa M1 kit, with a few alterations. The gun has been changed to the 120mm, but it is a little short, and the shape of the bore evacuator is not correct. Perhaps this was based on a prototype version of the gun of which I have not seen any photos. The turret has been changed to reflect the elongated storage bins on the turret sides, and the altered ammunition bin blast panels. There is no mount for the future thermal gun sight, but it may be that this feature was missing on the early prototypes. The bustle rack for the turret rear is included, as are add-on armor plates for the front faces of the turret. These armor plates were used on the test-bed vehicles to simulate the weight of the additional armor in the production M1A1. The armor on the production version is incorporated into the armor "packaging" so it is not a visible difference on M1A1 kits (thanks to Ken Hagerup for the test armor info).

Aside from the above changes, the remainder of this kit is the same as their early M1 kit.

ESCI M1A1 Abrams (Kit No. 8072; M1A1 w/US Soldiers: ESCI Kit No. 8602; AMT/Ertl Kit No. 8649)

The first M1A1 Abrams kit to hit the shelves, was again by ESCI, and it is now out-of-production. This is essentially the same kit as ESCI's M1, with a couple of changes. First of all, the 105mm gun was replaced with a 120mm gun, but the bore evacuator is not correctly shaped. The bustle rack on the rear of the turret is also included. Aside from these two alterations, the remainder of the kit is the same as the M1, which indicates a couple of short-comings. The storage bins on the turret sides are too small; there is no thermal gunsight mount on the turret roof; and the ammunition bin blast panels have not been changed. Additionally, the two, small engine access hatches were not added to the rear engine deck. The kit that I reviewed here is the AMT kit with US Soldiers, and curiously enough, although the kit title in the instructions has been changed to M1A1 , the assembly instructions do not reflect the changes in the kit.

Revell-AG M1A1(HA) Abrams (Kit No. 03112)

This kit is the finest Abrams kit available of any type, and also represents one of the best small scale armor models ever made. It is an absolutely outstanding kit. The HA in the title stands for Heavy Armor, which indicates that a layer of depleted uraniam was added to the vehicle's armor package. This makes the Abrams the best armored tank in the world. The kit contains all the appropriate details for the A1 version of this tank. The ammunition bin blast panels are of the later style, which can also be seen on the M1A2, but differ from the ones on the earlier M1A1, as seen on the Hasegawa M1E1 kit. There is some very delicate texturing on the turret roof and hull surface to represent the anti-skid coating applied to these surfaces. The panel lines on the turret are recessed, and all the hull and turret details are very sharply molded. The turret MG's are much more detailed than those in all the previous kits, and like the ESCI kits, the driver's hatch is molded open (with open periscope visors). The hull dimensions are accurate, and most importantly, this is the only Abrams kit that has each bogie wheel molded separately. If I was to recommend only a single Abrams kit of any version, this would be the one.

Galaxy M1A2 Abrams (Kit No. 205)

This kit is the exception that I referred to above. It is the only kit marketed as an M1A2, but it is, in fact, completely inaccurate, so in reality, there is no M1A2 kit on the market. This kit is apparently a copy of the Hasegawa M1 kit. Not copied as in "making a mold directly from the other kit," but rather, it seems as though the Hasegawa kit was used as a pattern to make the masters for this kit. All of the details are the same, the dimensions are the same, even some of the parts layout on the sprues are the same. The only thing that Galaxy did to try to make this look like an A2 version, was they added a poor CITV housing in front of the loader's hatch. Had they truly wanted an accurate A2, they would have been better off copying the Revell M1A1HA, or at least the Hasegawa M1E1. Additionally, the molding is low quality, the details are soft, the decals/stickers are worthless, the wheels are very poor, and the tracks are a soft vinyl that don't even resemble Abrams tracks, and also eat away at any styrene that they touch. Consequently, I wouldn't even recommend this kit as a standard M1.

Conclusion

Well, there's not much more for me to say, which I didn't say above. With the exception of the Galaxy kit, all of the Abrams kits can build into pretty decent models. My single resommended kit would be the Revell M1A1(HA), but any of the available kits would do in a pinch. There are two photoetched brass detail sets available for the M1A1, one from ExtraTECH , and one from PART . Both are excellent sets, and will help the M1A1 kits very much. As for the M1A2, for the moment we are left with only the prospect of converting the Revell M1A1 kit. With the exception of the different tracks, the conversion would be fairly easy. The commander's station would need to be modified to look like the improved CWS, and the CITV would need to be fabricated. I've included photos of each below, to assist anyone wanting to perform such a conversion.

References used:

• Warmachines No. 6 - M1-M1IP-M1A1 Abrams Main Battle Tank, by Francois Verlinden, Willy Peeters and Patrick J. Cooney;
• New Vanguard No. 2 - M1 Abrams Main Battle Tank 1982-1992 , by Steve Zaloga and Peter Sarson;
• Museum Ordnance Special No. 9 - Abrams Main Battle Tank M1A1 and M1A2 , by Glen Broman;
• King of the Killing Zone , by Orr Kelly.