Preview: Amusing Hobby's AbramsX in 35th scale in development

The new generation of MBTs are under the microscope from Amusing Hobby. After last month's new gen Panther prototype we get the AbramsX in CAD form, due for release in 1/35th scale. We show you what we can about the real thing & the kit in our preview...

Preview: Amusing Hobby's AbramsX in 35th scale in development

Abrams X

From Amusing Hobby

Kit No# 

1/35th scale

Injection moulded kit

Photo-etch included.

Release date TBC

Product Link on the Amusing Hobby FB page

The AbramsX:

General Dynamics Land Systems has officially unveiled its AbramsX future main battle tank concept late in 2022. I does look much like a "future tank", with its highly revised turret that features multiple electro-optical sights and a remote weapon station sporting a big 30mm chain gun. The sniper grey-like urban camouflage with countershading along its serrated skirt also gives it a very futuristic look, as does its XM360-derivative 120mm cannon with its ported muzzle brake.

But the heavily-armoured tank's hybrid powertrain buried deep inside it is probably its most exciting feature. General Dynamics says this will result in a whopping 50 percent fuel saving. A hybrid diesel electric system will also allow AbramsX to operate silently while sitting idle and possibly for short durations at low speed, which would provide a huge tactical advantage. 

An unmanned turret with an auto-loading ammunition system makes possible a reduced crew size, down from four to three. This is also a major draw, increasing survivability and freeing up space in the turret for more capabilities. The AbramsX is lighter (60t) than its predecessors (80t), bucking the ongoing trend of increasingly massive M1 variants.

The AbramsX at AUSA 2022 

The digital backbone for the tank will be the KATALYST Next Generation Electronic Architecture (NGEA). It will connect all its systems together and provide for ease of upgradability of its hardware and modification of its software so that the tank can age more effectively than its forbearers and can be adapted more quickly to accommodate changing tactical realities and technologies. There are also slots for other things in its turret, like countermeasure grenades, active protection systems, and distributed aperture camera systems (DAS). 

There appears to be an advanced sensor suite for the driver as well on the front of the tank's hull that could also feed into the DAS architecture and provide a 360-degree video feed. With the help of augmented reality, this would allow the crew to 'look through' the tank's hull for a major leap in situational awareness, as well as see objects of interest highlighted digitally in their surroundings.

Of course, these are just some of the main features that are part of the AbramsX initiative, which also includes the ability to team up with unmanned ground vehicles (like switchblade kamikaze drones). Once again, give our recent post on the concept a read for more details as to its proposed capabilities.

The kit from Amusing Hobby:

Amusing Hobby always seem to bring modellers edge subjects that aren't covered by other manufacturers in regular injection moulded plastic (yet) and they continue that here with the still in development AbramsX.

We only have the first few sets of CAD images of the forthcoming model so far, but the shots do mirror the test prototype AbramsX in a fair few of the features we see in the concept working variant. Once we got box art, we will be able to tell you a lot more about this kit and its contents.

We see in these CADs the features of the prototype, including vision and IR sensors ont he unmanned turret, the remotely controlled turret MG. Serrated side skirts and up above, the switchblade drone that the real thin can launch. Who knows what form that will take on the kit when it comes in a few months,

there is no more information on this kit at the moment. For all of their kits check out the Amusing Hobby's Facebook Page as their website does not seem to be working right now...