M1A2 Abrams Full-Option
History & Significance
Released in 2017 in Tamiya’s Big Tank Series. The real M1A2, introduced in 1992, represented a major digital-era upgrade to the Abrams line — adding depleted-uranium armour, a modified commander’s cupola, the Intravehicular Information System, and a Commander’s Independent Thermal Viewer turret — a significant modernisation of U.S. armour doctrine that the kit models as a modern full-option subject.
Chassis Engineering
Metal parts include the lower hull, suspension arms, and drive sprockets, plus an aluminium gun barrel. A rear-mounted gearbox houses two Type-500 motors that can run together or independently for forward/reverse and pivot turning; turret traverse and gun elevation/depression use a servo plus a Type-130 motor. A Multi-Function Unit drives synchronised sound — engine start-up, turret rotation, main gun firing — alongside movement.
Variants & Re-releases
No documented prior release or re-release of this specific kit number beyond the 2017 launch.
Manuals
Restoration Guide
Currently in production — spares available directly from Tamiya. No vintage restoration concerns apply.