I don’t suppose anyone knows of a 1/72 M109??
Jim – it is indeed the same one! I’m looking at the Eduard sets for it, the grills are a must-have, but the general set is both more expensive and more extensive (while not including the grills). Brackets, tie-down points, protectors, all sorts of detail to be filed off the original parts and replaced with brass. I’m tempted, but having difficulty tracking the sets down…
It looks like I can work on the undercarriage and the gun without getting into any areas the brass is needed for, so I might start there.
Gunner Chris – I’m afraid not, 1:35 is the only scale I’m aware of the M109 being produced in as yet… But I could be wrong!
Cheers, Mike/TB379
My Renwal Howitzer is turning into a weekend project. It is a very simple kit and the fit has been good. With any luck, it will be ready for paint Sunday!
Wow, okay – looks like we’ll have a completion before many of us have even slit the shrinkwrap! So, what’ll your next build be?
M/TB379
Heck, I haven’t even bought a kit yet…[:$]
Plenty of time… I’ll count myself lucky if I can build two!
M/TB379
Thank’s for posting that color profile of the IDF M7 Priest , Tony [Y]
I’ve decided to start with my second option of using the Italeri 1/72 fast assembly M7 Priest and combine the Italeri M4/M4A1 kit bogies / wheels , tracks , engine deck cover pieces and the Continental radial engine
The engine will just fit into the lower hull section of the M7 kit with perhaps a few swipes of the sanding stick on the engine side support brackets
The seperate rear deck cover pieces fit nicely between the rear stowage boxes
There are some little lights I can use from the Sherman doner kit along with some seperate tools , I will also add some control levers for the driver . I’ll cut open the rear end lower hull doors to show of part of the engine and a few other small additions here and there . I ordered the Squadron M7 Priest walk around book and it should arrive late next week but I can start on getting the engine built , painted and fitted in place in the meantime . I’ll search through my other kits for some volunteer’s to crew the M7 as well .
John .
I have the Atomic Cannon and a Trumpeter Type 83. So, it will be one of those, although, I am thinking the Atomic Cannon is in the lead.
The Atomic Canon – Renwal? Revell? Glencoe? Sounds old – 1:40th scale?
M/TB379
Some WIP pic’s on my kitbash Italeri M7 Priest build .
I airbrushed the lower hull interior white and the underside of the drop in floor along with some silver on the engine pieces
I cut open the rear deck and also the driver’s small front hatch as well
I drilled through the floor piece to fit the drive shaft into the molded transmission
The engine fits nicely inside the hull
I also cut open the rear doors on the lower hull end piece and the top deck engine covers fit nicely
Next I’ll start putting together the bogies / wheels .
John .
You’re really moving along there, John! Great work, it’s looking good, especially for so small an item!
Cheers, M/TB379
Thank’s Mike , I’m quite pleased how the engine has work out . I only needed to file the sides of the support engine mounts a little and it fitted into the M7 hull nicely .
I found some crew figures to use , two from a Hasegawa M4A3E8 Sherman kit and Italeri’s M4 doner kit had a figure on the sprue anyway . I had to cut the arm of the seated driver as he was slightly wider than the seat
I added a couple of control levers for the driver and he’s sitting in place nicely
I’m really happy how this build is going so far , a really enjoyable project .
John .
[dto:] Nice work as usual.
The Revell Renwal re-issue. It is 1/32 and that makes it BIG!
Would AFV Club’s M1128 Mobile Gun System qualify? I guess it’s more of an infantry support vehicle but it carries a 105mm cannon.
Jim – spectacular! Should make a highly indicidual an rare model!
Kevin – I don’t see why not, we had an M108 last year which mounted a 105 IIRC, and self-propelled is the clincher.
One day … I have a yen to scratchbuild the giant Russian atomic guns, probably the OKD rather than the Kondensator, which was a mortar rather than a gun IIRC. (Or was it the other way round? I must find that feature in Tankograd Gazette…) But I’d need better photos and plans that I have access to as yet.
Cheers, Mike/TB379
I’m jumping in for this build…after the 152mm Dana I need another piece of artillery on my shelf! Still undecided on kit yet…finishing up my Maz 537g so I have some time! count me in!
Jeff B
JeffB – you’re in! Can’t wait to see what you build!
Okay, gents and artillerymen, here’s my first progress post on Trumpeter’s AS-90. First the obligatory boxtop pic:
!(http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn48/MikeTheModeller/Trumpeter AS-90/DSCF3765a.jpg)
And the first WIP:
!(http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn48/MikeTheModeller/Trumpeter AS-90/DSCF3766a.jpg)
67 parts used so far, and some filler work beginning. The boxy mantlet is not a good fit and will take a lot of adzing, filing, filling and sanding to make its five parts look like one.
the kit is a good one but misses some details and simplifies others. Yesterday I went ahead and ordered both the Eduard sets, which together cost more than the kit, especially off the shelf here (which price I certainly did not pay!), so it’ll be an interesting exercise. I considered a punch and die set to generate the missing bolt heads, but when I checked out the price I winced and backed off…
There are a number of missing weld seams which I might do with strip plastic and a hot screwdriver, we’ll see when I get there. I can’t rip into the upper hull and turret until the PE arrives, so I’ll do everfything I can on the lower hull and gun, and possibly get the wheels into colour. I’m considering building the wheels before painting and not bothering with colour on the facing sides, they certainly line up very close together. Anyone have any oppinions on this approach? How do you think it looks?
Cheers, Mike/TB379
Great start on the lower hull Mike [Y]
All the 1/35 proposed Self Propellrd Artillery kits are going to look awesome .
I’ve done a little more on my 1/72 kitbash IDF M7 Priest
I thought I may of had the bogies and wheels attached by this stage , hopfully first thing tomorrow .
Instead I airbrushed the lower hull section Olive Drab . I tried mixing Tamiya Acrylics of two parts XF-51 Khaki Drab with one part XF-62 , trying to get a slight brownish olive drab finish as one of my reference books mentions how a lot of Shermans and M7 Priest’s came from France and that was the color untill the IDF refurbished them . Anyway it still looks olive drab to me , so I’ll see how the upper hull looks after I get some paint on that .
Driver and 105mm Howitzer in place
I filed off the molded on spare track and boxes as one was sitting too high next to the driver hatch and I made some new ones from strip plastic and cut three track lengths from the Italeri M4 doner kit and sat them inside the new boxes
I aslo cut open the left side hinged armour plate to pose it open
Then I decided to cut down the pulpit to match some of the IDF reference pic’s I have
Next up , the bogies and wheels .
John .
Marvelous miniature work here, John. To go to these lengths in 1:72 is truly skillful and ambitious, it’s going to be an eyecatching model!
I’ve been filling and sanding, I just fixed the gaps around the final drive covers. There should technically be a weld seam in that location but I can’t see me being able to heat-texture strip plastic in a right angle corner without obviously damaging the perpendicular surface. There are two weld seams around the final drive covers themselves, and they are condidates for reworking. I may not have much else I can do before the etch arrives, and I’m sure I’ll get the itch to pull out that Chinese Type 83 in the meantime…
Cheers, Mike/TB379