SPA Modeler

Stikpusher wrote: ↑Fri Jan 20, 2023 11:50 am

Medicman71 wrote: ↑Fri Jan 20, 2023 10:26 am Question for you Stik. Were the Strykers in OIF? I need to check my books.

Yes, they deployed to both Iraq & Afghanistan, starting in late 2003. They were not yet fielded at the time of the initial invasion.

Yep. I have two books with tons of pictures of Strykers during OIF. So I’ll be doing a Stryker ESV (engineer squad vehicle). It’s the Trumpeter kit.

I am leaning towards a Bradley, HEMTT, or picking up that HET gun truck that released last year. I'd like to start building an Oshkosh vehicle one of these months.

Sounds good Robert! Those gun trucks were unique improvised vehicles.

This a good one? It does look like the decals are toast. I'm getting good a buying kits with bad decals.

That’s a great kit Lyle, but it needs a few changes to be a Desert Storm version. The types of Bradley’s used there were the M2A1/M3A1 and M2A2/M3A2.

The a2 and a3 are hard to find at a price I'm willing to pay. Is the Academy offering decent?

If you’re asking about the Academy M2A2, yes it’s a good kit. Although it does need new tracks, and it is the version used in the OIF war, not 1991.

I saw that on a review on Armorrama. Can't find them on Blast Models, though. How about Meng kits? I've never built one of theirs. Or, I guess I could get a conversion set for the Tamiya kit I have, but it still doesn't have the Big Foot tracks. Think I'll stick to those 10 Cent balsa gliders. (not 10 cents anymore, though.)

To modify that M2 into a M2A1 is pretty simple. The ammo boxes off the turret front are left off, the armored flap over the front of the TOW launcher is filed to a different shape, some brush guards made from strip styrene need to be added on the drivers hatch and TC hatch periscopes, and the shape of the turret rear stowage bin needs to be altered to match that of the A2 with all vertical sides. Although that last one is not 100%, as the early production M2A1s kept the original bin.

Ok, I’m only confusing myself here. The M2 or A1 version aren’t gonna be used in OIF. You’re looking for an A2 or A3. Getting my Gulf Wars confused here…