AFV Club M102 105mm Howitzer Vietnam version 1/35

Ice - Nice work....some suggestions. The rail on either side of the barrel would be a steel color as it slides back during recoil. Also the breech would be steel. The base plate takes a pounding and dry brushing the edges with an aluminum color would be good. You are missing the sight box tray which fits over the rear wheel. If the gun was emplaced it would not have the sight box in it.  You can get some other ideas from here.

www.redleg2scale.com/.../M102.html

I love the duce.....I commanded a battery of them long ago.

Keep up the great work

Rounds Complete!!

Thanks again for your feedback Redleg.  I loved the build on the Ontos you did, and will be sure to check out your M102. So good to have your comments, as i had no idea what extra i could do to the build, without some better weathering and a diarama. I also appreciate your advice on displaying the gun. I do wish to make an implacement with sand bags. Excuse my stupidity, but which one is the sight box as it appears to have one on either side to me?

I wish i could build a Vietnam FSPB like Coral with battery, mortars, tanks, CP, MG's bunkers, scrapes and fox holes, wire, etc etc. Problem is 1/35 will make it massive!  I guess 1/72 has its advantages.

Did you command your battery after Nam era?  as in the instuctions (i know not always correct) the modern gun has the rear sight box tray, lift ring and the hydrolic barrel end (?) is different.  

I still have to add the match and paint the 5 rounds that came with the model. I will paint the parts as you said, ruff up the plate and dry brush alloy. And when my weathering skills get better i will add some more effect also.

Im noticing a lot of white dry brushing to highlight edges on models. Im slowly getting there.

heres some pics of the instructions.

Ice - I commanded an M102 battery from 1986 to 1988. By that point we had the sight box tray. The roll over ring was added around 1990 and can be seen on the M102s deployed by the 101st to Op Desert Storm. The muzzle brake was never adopted and only used on test versions.

As for the sights, looking from the front, on the left is the elbow telescope which is used for direct fire (shooting directly in front of the weapon) and moves with the barrel. On the right is the panoramic telescope which is used to determine deflection (azimuth left or right) and does not move. it should be perpendicular with the ground.

HTH

Rounds Complete!!  

ice_spy

heres some pics of the instructions.

Yep, for the VN version that is removed. It was installed after VN to protect the recoil mechanism during airlifts or parachute drops.

Rounds Complete!!

thats great man, yep didnt realise the elbow scope moves with the barrel as you tilt it.  At FSPB Coral during Nam, they were nearly over run and were direct firing flachet rounds into the enemy VC and NVA.

So do you think  they would of retained both scopes?  

The "beehive" round is fired at 0 elevation and clears out a 300 meter spread. It's an oversize shotgun. Also known as the boots and goo round. The elbow telescope is used to hit more of a point target like a vehicle which can be seen from the position (same way an anti tank gun works)

When emplaced both sights would always be on the gun. You never know what may come your way!!

Rounds Complete!!

I painted the slides and breach and added a bit of wear to the top frame area and lid. Dry brushed the edges on the sights and painted wear on the base plate.

Those Beehive rounds would sound amazing. Im thinking of displaying my models on individual modular diaramas, that can be connected to make a big FSPB display.

Looking better.....especially the trail edges...they would always get worn near the weapon as the frame was aluminum and did not hold paint well. Tool box looks good also.

Are you going to create a base. If you mount the weapon fill in the holes around the edge of the base plate with threaded rod and paint the tops aluminum. The recoil stakes would be hammered through the holes to keep the weapon from displacing when fired

Rounds Complete!!