Well, I don’t like doing things part way but this was going WAY. Saw this kit on ebay and had to have it[dinner]. At least I know after I clear the bench of what I am working on now, I know what is next.
This is a 1/32 scale Pershing 1A Tractor and Launcher. The kit was actually made by Martin Marietta in their prototype and tooling department where the missile was built. I presume it was a limited production run but I will have to try and do some research with Martin Marietta/Lockheed to find out. The kit is marked EPL-1 and the kit is dated November 1973
The kit is plastic molded, the former owner started the kit, (was not a modeler so we will need a little work there) but only assembled the frame of the tractor. Once we get to working on this I’ll post WIP reports.
Here is the box
Here are the directions for the tractor on the left and EL (erector launcher on the right) The missile assembly is added at the bottom of the tractor.
Here is the kit in the box. The styrene parts seem good and have a fair amount of detail. The tires will have to be replaced, they are the rubber tires but have Matin Marietta logo on them. There are also clear for the glass on the tractor, decals for the missile and tractor and a stainless etched plate for a display stand.
Here to give you an idea of size, I hand fit the missile parts. The missile is about 12 1/2 inches long and about an inch in diameter. Also notice the display plate.
This is just a photosheet showing the finished model. The finished model will be about 18 inches long if the tractor is connected.
This will be fun as this is an artillery weapon of my time. It will also be fun working on a rare kit like this. This will also set up some research for me on the Pershing prior to starting.
I would love to find out if the molds still exist. It would be great if someone could re-make this kit.
I would hope by early next year to have my bench clear, research done and be able to start on this. I was hoping to do a couple of simple builds and then work on somthing with a little more beef but I can’t pass this up.
Please keep us posted on the progress of this build Redleg12. You’ve got quite a collector’s kit there IMO. Brings back some fond memories and I would love to see this completed!
what you have may well have been one of those freebee gifts that defense contractors often hand out to tours and to employees. I was involved with the M-1 tank project from the prototype all the way thru the M1-a2 and the e2 mods. I have all kinda key chains and coasters laying around. Used to have a neat O.D. green tee shirt with the M-1 pic on it. Of all the doodads I recieved the keychains they handed out during an open house are the most sought after (why I don’t know as they are rather cheap looking).
Here is the deal…As I have said in some other thread a major portion of my past modeling was scale model rockets. I have been carting around for ~30 years about 6 moving boxes full of kits and parts. I have no desire to go back to that so I have been selling them on ebay, creating a money stash for items like this (also collecting all the old Revell/Monogram/Lindberg missile kits). With that in mind, this kit really cost me nothing. But for those who are wondering, the winning bid was $731. If it was out of pocket I would have thought about it, but its my trade of an old hobby for my current.
It’s expensive, but I did not see this opportunity coming again. When you consider a Revell HM version of Atomic Annie will go for $200 - $350 and that was a mass produced kit, this was a bargan.
WOW,WOW,WOW!!! What a find. By the way I have been looking for the old Renwal kits, and I can find them! The grail quest continues! I am really looking forward to seeing this build.
Redleg, I worked for a large hobby shop in Orlando, FL from 1970-77. Martin/Marrieta called us one day and wanted to send someone to talk about model cement and model paints which were readily available at that time. I asked what they were working on and couldn’t get a positive answer. Kinda hard to make paint recommendations if ya don’t know what the project is. I finally talked to some one and found out it was a Pershing missile which was to be made available to employees only. I did get to see a complete kit in a plain box with no instructions or decals. At that time Renwal was still in business and since MM chose 1/32 scale for their Pershing the quality and style of molding and the engineering all looked like Renwal had done the molds for the kit. Also heard a rumor that the molds may have been destroyed after the production run but don’t know if that’s true or not. Anyway, I tried real hard to get a kit (worked the "compensation for tech. advice angle) but no luck. Martin/Marietta almost treated the model project as though it were “Top Secret”—Rick Martin
Thanks for the info. Because of what I do I have some contacts within Lockheed. Trying to find out do any kits still exist and do the molds exist. Obviously if the answer is yes to any of those this forum will be the first to know.
Finding and getting this kit is just proof that luck beats skill any day. Hope to begin work on it after the new year. [:-^]
Trying to gather information on the Pershing now. That in itself is a daunting task as the Pershing was classified. [banghead] Not many good close up photos. Trying to work with a group of Pershing vets.
Congratulations on landing a rare kit. “an artillery weapon of my time”?, I thought these were tactical nukes?. Well, I don’t know beans about the Pershing missile, but I do know they threw a lot of GI’s out of the units in Germany for seemingly minor infractions. Several of these “rejects” landed in our battalion. No hokey pokey arond the nukes I guess.
Does anyone know who was contracted for the tractor?
Good luck Redleg, looks like a great project and one that in truky unique.
Well yes they were tactical nukes but they were part of the Army Field Artillery. Pershing training was done at Ft Sill so yes they are part of my time!!!
The M757 tractor and those series of vehicles were built by Ford. They did not build many of them and they were primarily used for the Pershing missile and missile support systems.
The M757 series were used with the Pershing 1A, The original Pershing used the M747 vehicles which were modified M113 vehicles. There were 4 variants of that for the launcher, warhead, launcher control and cargo. The Pershing 2 used the same M757A1 erector launcher trailer but were pulled by M983 HEMTT for the US units and the Germans used a MAN tractor.
I’m not going to say anything about the price. I dumped over $5000 in a race only to have a weld fail on a brake mount. It failed when I was going about 90 mph and into a corner. End result my car went staight into the wall and destroyed the car. But, putting another one together. [#offtopic][:D]
But did you enjoy building it??? Are you enjoying putting another togeather??? If the answer to those are yes and the use of the money did not affect the quality of you or your families life, then price does not matter!! [oX)]
yep new car is being built with the wifes go ahead. She wants the car more than I do, and is helping pay for the new frame. It makes both of us very happy!
