Academy 13211 Armored Personnel Carrier Iraq 2003 1/35 Scale plastic Model Kit The A3 generation of the M113 family of vehicles is a major, comprehensive upgrade for the entire range of M113 variants. The intent of this upgrade was to increase the overall performance of the US Army's M113 fleet, which was the workhorse of its armored forces in the 1980s (over 20 000 M113s and its variants were in US service then). While previous M113 models were considered to possess adequate firepower for an APC, thier protection was considered lacking, and thier mobility attributes outdated. With 209 hp and a top speed of 64 km/h, the earlier M113A2 would lag behind the 72 km/h M1 Abrams MBT and M2 Bradley IFV. Fully replacing the M113 FOV with Bradley variants had already proven technically, logistically, and fiscally impossible, which necessitated upgrading the M113s instead of replacing them. About Academy Models Academy Plastic Model Co., Ltd. is a Korean plastic model, chemical, and toy company. It is headquartered in Uijeongbu-Si, Gyeonggi-do, Korea and was established on September 1, 1969. It holds three headquarters: in Seoul, Korea; Gelsenkirchen, Germany; and Rosario, Cavite, Philippines. Academy has developed and supplied over 500 products to more than 60 countries worldwide, and since 1989, Academy has won several Modell des Jahres awards for its product quality.