We have some last minute photos of the plastic, clear parts, etchings films & decals for your perusal in our preview…. We have some last minute photos of the plastic, clear parts, etch, films & decals for your perusal in our preview….
Preview update: Built up detail of the 35th scale M7A3 Bradley BFIST from Magic Factory
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M7A3
Bradley BFIST From Magic Factory
Kit No #2006
1/35th scale
Plastic injection model kit
Masks & prismed shapes for transparencies included.
Photo-etch & metal barrel included (first production run)
Link & length tracks included
Two marking choices provided in the box
The Subject:
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M7A3 Bradley BFIST The BFIST (Bradley Fire Support Team) acts as the “Eyes” for the US Army’s artillery units. The M981 Fire Support Team Vehicle (FISTY) was replaced by the newer M7A3 Bradley BFIST. The BFIST is based on the Bradley M3A2 Operation Desert Storm chassis. It retains all the key Bradley features, while enhancing its reliability, availability and maintainability. The BFIST is assigned to the Armored Reconnaissance Battalion and Combined Arms Battalions within the Armored Brigade Combat Team of US Army. The US Army BFIST is seen on manoeuvres. This one has no BRAT armor on its front. Turrets can be rotated 360o electronically, with weapons that can be raised from -10o to +60o. On the left-hand side of the turret, the standard Bradley IFV TOW antitank guided missiles are replaced with target acquisition optics. On this M7 BIST you can see that instead of TOW antitank missiles, this “bin” is equipped with target identification equipment. The vehicle is capable of detecting targets up to a 20-km distance. The vehicle has four crew members: the driver in front, the two in the turret and the one in the troop compartment in the back. It has a 400-km range and a Cummins VTA-903T 8-cylinder turbocharged diesel engine that produces 600hp. Its torsion bar suspension includes six dual rubber-tired road wheels on each side, with the drive sprocket at the front and the idler at the rear.
The Russian Army apparently captured one of these reported that they had captured a US-supplied BFIST used by the Ukrainian Armed Forces, in the Avdiivka direction.
Standard equipment for the BFIST includes a fire detection and suppression system, NBC system, and day/night vision equipment for the commander, gunner, and driver. Standard equipment for the BFIST includes a fire detection and suppression system, NBC system, as well as day/night vision equipment for the driver. The gunner also has an Integrated Sight Unit with an eye safe laser rangefinder. This eye-safe range-finder comes as part of an ODS upgrade package for Bradley vehicles. The kit:
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Although the artwork is still a work in progress, it’s clear that we have a lot to learn from Magic Factory’s previous Bradley releases. This M7A3 Bradley BFIST comes with the extra 3D printed parts for the long-range antennas and GPS/INS system and large sight instead of the TOW missile launcher.
Also included in the package will be a metal gun barrel (with the first release batch), masks for the opticals (along with those prismatic lenses), and a small sheet of photo-etch. This kit is “metal”. Below you can see a view of it. The Bushmaster cannon is available in metal in this first kit. ?
