sabotpub@gmail.com
Published by Sabot Publications
132 Pages Full Color
Suggested Retail Price: $35.00
ISBN: 978-0-9973774-1-5
Sabot Publications made some big waves with their first offering, M1A2 SEP Abrams Main Battle Tank In Detail, just a few short weeks ago.
M9 ACE is a great follow-up on another modern U.S. armor subject now available in kit form from Takom.
This neat little combat bulldozer has been in service from 1986 and saw it's first action during Desert Storm in 1991. It saw a lot of use during the Iraq War and in Afghanistan.
A short introduction section includes a textual description of the vehicle and it's mission and and excerpt from the technical manual with the location and description of major exterior components.
The succeeding chapters are more visually oriented.
The M9 ACE in Action chapter is mainly made up of pictures from the vehicle in actual field use, both internationally and domestically. It has some nice examples of different paint schemes used, including a shot of an M9 in MERDC camo!
The next chapter is On Maneuvers at Ft. Leonard Wood, Missouri.
This is a 26-page section made up made up of mostly big half-page photos of the vehicle being put through its paces.
The longest and most glorious chapter is The M9 ACE Walkaround. This chapter consists entirely of half-page and full-page photos.
Exterior shots are an excellent mix of overall shotsand close-ups of all the various details.
We really liked this since many photo walk around pictures are taken too closely, leaving the modeler searching for a detail that is just off the corner of the photo! Arrgh!
Yes, there is an interior section! This vehicle has a rather cozy cockpit for the single crewman, but Sabot covers it from all angles.
Some very good shots of the hydraulic plumbing are included for those who want to go for broke with detailing this aspect of the Takom kit.
Last but not least is a nod to all of the weathering fiends out there with a close-up look at a very grubby vehicle just back from playing the dirt. This little low profile puppy seems to move as much through the ground as over it.
Overall, this is a great visual guide to the M9. There is enough textual information up front to get the reader oriented followed by a visual guide to the M9 you just won't find anywhere else right now.
You can order direct by shooting and email to:
sabotpub@gmail.com
It's also available through these dealers in the U.S.:
Sprue Brothers, CRM Hobbies, Panther Hobby Supply, Aberdeen Bookstore, Avalon Books and Hobbies, The Hussar, or Larry's Legions
International dealers include:
Bookworld Wholesale in the UK, Christian-Schmidt Booksellers in Germany, Alquimy in Japan, HobbyEasy in Hong Kong, F-4Dable Models in Malaysia, Specmod in Australia, AKO Hobby in Taiwan, and Kits Maquette in France.