Until the mid 1990s, Academy was known as a Korean company that had produced cheap knockoffs of Tamiya kits. But the company turned that troublesome reputation on its ear when they came out with a series of completely original plastic kits, including the M18 Hellcat and two versions of the Tiger I with complete interiors. They also produced a few sets of German tankers and infantry, the quality of which was not going to make the boys at Tamiya or DML lose any sleep.

Academy went toe-to-toe with AFV Club on the M18 Hellcat and the M10 series of tank destroyers. Neither company scored a knockout, however, as all the kits had their pluses and minuses, champions and detractors. In 2006 the company eked out a little more mileage from their Hellcat molds to produce an M18 Super Hellcat pilot vehicle that never saw combat, and an M39 AUV (Armored Utility Vehicle), some 600 of which were used during the war as artillery haulers.

The company's long awaited M3 Lee was also released in 2006 and garnered mixed reviews. While it is a marked improvement over Tamiya's kit, it has some deficiencies, most notably in the suspension that was compromised by reusing previously engineered parts, some dimensional issues with the upper hull and storage boxes, and a turret with an exaggerated flattened wall below the cupola. On the plus side, it has the right tracks, a fairly complete interior, correctly sized driver's visor, two barrel options, and serial numbers on the major parts.

Accessories

Tracked Vehicles