Italeri or Revell M110A2 WTB

Thanks, Gino.

The decal-on-foil flag process was new to me, and it went amazingly well. I made one prototype to figure out how to do it. The ones on the pole are serial #s 001 and 002. I made the decals with both sides in a single strip, leaving a little space between the two that simulates the header. I attached a pice of fine wire to the edge of the foil, and centered the decal on that. Once the decals were set and dry, I trimmed the excess foil to the edges of the decal. Next time I do this, I'll add some additional field and stripe color at the top and bottom of the American flag so I've got some leeway. The POW/MIA flag wasn't a problem, of course. The flags are scaled to be 4'x6', and 3'x5'.

I trimmed the fine wire after making a tiny loop right at the top and bottom of the flag. I ran the halyard through those loops, so they approximate the brass clips, although ther are no grommets. The pole is a #7 nylon knitting needle that I chucked up in a drill and tapered with sandpaper. I drilled cross-ways through the very top to fake a truck and run the halyard through, and made a little cleat at the bottom to dog it off.

I'm going back to racing cars and real space subjects, so unless I do a LEM, I don't know when I'll do a flag again.

Edited to attach the .jpg of the flag decal sheet. printed full-size 8.5x11, these are to scale as described above.

Very nice.  It looks great.  I really like the flagpole you added.  The case w/the TMs looks really good too.

Thanks for all the comments. I'm glad to be finished with the first piece of armor I've built in 35 years! I ended up screwing it to the base. I did NOT go full-millwright and hit the screw with the ugga-dugga gun. It's juuuuuuuust tight enough to keep it on the base. My best friend at the Post handcrafted a stunningly beautiful walnut display case. He and I presented the completed display to the Post Monday night. Our Legion family said some really nice things, and were surprised and appreciative. Here are a couple of shots of the finished work.

A tip from a ship builder.

If the turret doesn't come off, as per Gino-

Drill a hole through the bottom of the hull and a matching one through the base, each slightly larger in size than an 8-32 or 10-24 or similar bolt.

Countersink the hole in the base a little from underneath.

Glue the right size nut into the hull using epoxy. Attach the model to the base with the right length bolt.

The model looks very nice so far. I like the idea of the concrete shells as bollards. It would be nice to do that for the model as well.

Our friend Keyda1 (Christine) in Aircraft has been building miniature models of a C-47 that she volunteers on, and is very fond of.

I pointed out to her that one of her photos shows a donation box made from an empty bomb casing at the base of the stair into the fuselage. She added all of that stuff to her first model of W7.

She's also put a lot of effort into replicating the current paint, and it looks really swell in a nasty sort of way.

It looks like it came out really nicely.  Good job on it.

PGBolt

How should I attach the model to the base? I'd like it to be positively attached, but removeable if neccesary.

Is the gun turret still movable/removable to access the hull?  If so, you can use a long wood screw to attach it to the base.  Drill a hole through the bottom of the hull as close to the center as possible, and a starter hole in the base.  Attach with the screw and reattach the gun turret. 

If the gun turret is not movable, it is kind of hard to attach it and still make it removable.  Your best bet then would be with some wire that comes from the bottom of the base through a couple holes and wraps around a couple of the roadwheel arms, then back through the base.  Twist them together underneath to secure it.

The base isn't finished. I just set the frame around it to show somebody the color. Lots of little touch-up work here and there. I didn't think I'd ever get it finished. I'll be donating it to the Post in March. I'll have more photos when the display is complete.

How should I attach the model to the base? I'd like it to be positively attached, but removeable if neccesary.

Thanks PGBolt, but I think I'll be keeping the detailing to a minimum - if I can just overcome the molding challenges and push the kit across the finish line I'll be happy.

To be fair, the Italeri M110 has been around for a long time.  It does look spectacular when done.

Nice.

Ejector pins, man. Ejector pins. The world has been making injection-molded styrene model kits for about 3/4-century, and we're still dealing with ejector pin marks. Oh, the struggles...

Let me know if I can provide any detail photos of our M110A2 that might help you with your M107. Ours is pretty comprehensively decommisioned, so a lot of detail features have either been removed, damages or otherwise "field-expedient modified" over the years (decades) it sat outdoors near the Atlantic coast.

Here is a link to my in-progress build, if you want a sneak peek into what awaits you:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/ntizumi/albums/72157711836874753

Don't be discouraged, as I'm kind of a stickler type that cannot ignore ejector pin marks.  Still, it's a skill builder kit so you get your money's worth in exercising your modeling skills.

I'll look for replacement tracks and consider the barrel. I'll wait to see what the Verlinden resin job looks like. I'll be sure to photograph and update along the way. It has been decades since I built any armor, and those were just a bunch of 1/72 Afrika Korps and British pieces for a wargamer friend.

Thanks,

Bolt

I'm currently doing a Tamiya rebox of the Italeri M107, which shares a lot of parts with the M110.  Like others said, replacement tracks are a must!  The metal barrel might also be a good investment, as I recall the 203mm muzzle brake had some serious fit issues (the halves didn't match up when the barel halves were aligned).

Lucky you have a 1:1 example to help you detail your kit.  Best of luck with your project, and please post photos as you go.

Sounds good.  If you want some rounds for your model, they are available too.

We've also talked about making some concrete facsimilies of the typical 200mm rounds to use as stanchions around the perimeter of the base!

Thanks! I found TB 43-0209, which has the template for M110A2 and the FS595a for the 3-color NATO.

I'm going to try to start a program to clean and repaint the 1:1 article over time. I figure if 2-3 members spend a couple hours each once a week or so, we could have the A2 looking a little better by Memorial Day next year.

Sounds like you are on your way.  The camo is called NATO camo; black, military brown, and forest green.

Thanks, fellas. I have been able to find an Italeri M110A1, and a Verlinden A1/A2 conversion. We'll see how close I can get with this combo.

I've also found a period TM for the 110, so I think I can make a nice display out of all this.

Ours has really, REALLY bad paint on it, but I'm not going to replicate that. I'll go for how it looked when it was last painted fresh in what I think is called the Euro pattern. 

Thanks again,

Bolt

I don't have one to sell, but can give some advice on after market for it.  If you want to build a really detailed version, there are quite a bit of update/correction sets for it. 

The biggest thing I recommend fixing is the tracks.  They are really stiff and don't look that great.  Spade Ace Models makes a metal track set that is very nice.

Hobby Fan does a nice update set.

Barrel Depot does a nice turned aluminum barrel.

There is also a 3D printed driver's station interior available on Shapeways.  https://www.shapeways.com/product/QTQSMAWQH/m110-driver-compartment?optionId=42897425&li=shops

Hope that helps and good luck.

One of the differences between the Revell of Germany version and the original Testors/Italeri version are the tracks. The RoG version includes German style tracks that are not correct for a US version.

I would check eBay or perhaps model sale sites for one.