Reference, Wings & Wheels Present Vehicle Line No.18, Abrams in Detail, US Army MBT M1A1 A

WINGS & WHEELS PUBLICATIONS

Present Vehicle Line No.18, Abrams in Detail, US Army MBT M1A1 AIM. By Ralph Zwilling. Soft covers, 8.75 x 9.75-inches, 72 pages. Contains 240 color photographs. ISBN 978-80-86416-66-3.


In service since the early 1980s, the US M1 Abrams MBT series has been covered in kit form in 1/35th-scale by Tamiya, Academy, Trumpeter and DML. Most recently, DML came out with completely-retooled kits of the M1A1 AIM and M1A2 SEP. These are clearly the most accurate and detailed Abrams kits on the market today; although complex, they will repay careful assembly by the modeler.


Likewise, there have been several booklets available (an older one from Verlinden and other, more recent titles from Concord-some by Mr. Zwilling) that are designed to provide detailed visual information for modelers. They are now joined by this excellent offering from Wings and Wheels Publications in the Czech Republic.


This particular book details the M1A1 AIM (Abrams Integrated Management), which is an on-going program that seeks to bring older vehicles up to current standards with all modifications. These vehicles are also brought up to “as-new” condition as worn components are repaired or replaced. The author, who is indeed quite knowledgeable on the subject, begins with a relatively brief text, which is, however, jam-packed with details and information. It will repay careful reading and will be referred to quite often as the modeler works through his project. A very useful segment is a listing, entitled “M1 Abrams Typology”, which gives details on the various Abrams types (up to, and including, the M1A1 AIM) and how they differ or relate to the entire program as a whole.


Then, the photos take over. Mr. Zwilling knows fairly well what we modelers are looking for and his images show it. Overall views, showing paint schemes, stowage and markings get things started. Several specific vehicles are covered; some are on exercise in Germany, while others are deployed to Iraq. One M1A1 AIM in particular has some very interesting markings harkening back to the famous German 11.Panzer-Division of World War Two. This specific tank is shown in Iraq and in Germany after its return from a 12-month deployment. Other segments detail the turret, the hull (and suspension system), as well as the power pack (and engine and accessory bays), mine plow and mine roller. The final section shows the men who crew these formidable machines in various uniforms and wearing various equipment.


The images are all well-composed, showing details very clearly. In particular, many of the sub-systems are given very good coverage, especially those on the turret. Aside from the engine bay, the only other internal details given are those of the driver’s compartment. The photographs are also well-reproduced and fairly well-captioned, although as usual from this publisher there are several facing pages that have no caption information whatsoever. This is one area where this reviewer would urge that some improvements be me made.


On balance, this book is well-done and provides an extensive selection of detail photographs, which will be extremely useful to modelers. This is a worthy addition to the reference shelves, especially of those modelers working on the DML M1A1 AIM kit.


Highly recommended.


Frank V. Curly Stooge De Sisto


Wings and Wheels books are available from mail order and retail outlets. They can also be acquired direct through their web site at: www.wwpbooks.com.


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