M2A2 Bradley

[Paul A H]

M2A2 Bradley

1:72 Revell

The M2 Bradley infantry fighting vehicle (IFV) has served with the US Army for almost 30 years, during which time in excess of 4000 examples have been produced. The Bradley has a distinguished service record and has been deployed successfully in both Gulf Wars. Primary armament is a fearsome 25mm Bushmaster chain gun, capable of pumping out 200 rounds per minute. A 7.62mm co-axial machine gun and TOW anti-tank missile system complete the offensive armoury.

Introduced in 1988, the M2A2 upgrade bestowed the Bradley with a more powerful engine and improved armour, making it capable of withstanding a hit from 30mm cannon fire or an RPG round. The Bradley has proven itself capable of punching well above its weight, having taken out many previous generation MBTs during combat in Iraq.

Packaged in the usual end-opening box, Revell’s Bradley is comprised of 175 parts spread across 5 sprues of olive green plastic. Although first issued in 2001, the moulds appear to be in excellent shape. No flaws, flash or sink marks are present anywhere. All of the component parts are crisp and well defined and there is enough detail packed into the kit to keep all but the most demanding of modellers happy. Although the kits is labelled as an M2A2 Bradley, it is also possible to build the M3A2 armoured reconnaissance variant from this kit instead, using a couple of optional parts provided.

Construction begins with the drive sprockets, road wheels and tracks. The road wheels have small raised ridges moulded between the hubs and the rubber tyres, which will make painting the tyres nice and straightforward. Tracks are of the link and length variety and are nicely detailed, although the upper runs will be covered up by the time the build is completed. Once the tracks and running gear are complete, construction moves on to the lower hull. Various access hatches have to be added at this stage, all of which are beautifully rendered. Typically for this scale, there is no option to pose these hatches open, although this is no great loss as there is no interior detail anyway. Construction of the upper hull follows, and includes some nice touches including a mixture of moulded-on and separate pioneer tools.

The turret is the last major sub-assembly. The fact that construction of the turret is divided into 15 separate stages should give you some idea of the amount of detail packed into this kit. The Bushmaster cannon and co-axial machine gun are designed in such a way as to allow them to be poseable once the model is complete. In contrast to the hull, the hatches and sensor coverings can be posed open if desired, as can the doors of the dual TOW launcher fitted to the left hand side of the turret. Revell recommend stretched sprue for the radio antennae, but other options could be used such as the bristles from a household brush.

A close-up shot showing of the detail moulded into the upper hull.

Four colour options are provided:

· M2A2 Bradley of C Company, 2nd Battalion, 6th Infantry Regiment, 1st Armored Division 2002 In NATO black/brown/green;

· M2A2 Bradley of A Company, 2nd Battalion, 6th Infantry Regiment, 1st Armored Division 2001 In NATO black/brown/green;

· M2A2 Bradley of 4-7 INF/3rd Infantry Division, Operation Desert Storm 1991; and

· M3A2 Bradley of 3rd Armoured Cavalry Regiment, Operation Desert Storm 1991.

The decal sheet is small and basic, but nicely printed. A large air recognition flag is also provided on the decal sheet, but it may be a good idea to replace this decal with some other material such as foil or masking tape, for I fear it may prove troublesome to apply.

Conclusion

This is a really nice little kit of an important subject. The amount of detail packed into the box is very impressive and makes this a good value kit for fans of modern armour. Definitely recommended.

Review sample courtesy of

[daz greenwood]

Great review Paul.

I'll be getting a few of these.

[Obi-Jiff Kenobi]

Nice review, Paul.

[FalkeEins]

..indeed.. I was a little taken aback at the price when I took mine up to the counter in MZ today .....not much change from a tenner ! (1p to be exact..)

[jimbuna]

Nice review...always liked the look of the Bradley.

[alex]

Nice kit, it went together without any problems. Maybe a bit of luggage would have been nice, as many bradley looked packed with a lot of bags and other things strapped on the outside. But that's complaining on a high level.

http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/234995663-bradley-172-revell-desert-storm/

Alex