FIRE MISSION! Academy M12 SP 155mm is off to the Diorama Shop

 Rear of the piece, face the piece, fall in. 

Here's a couple shots of the areas that need painting prior to final assembly of the hull.  The stowage areas are impossible to cover completly with the airbrush, so get in there with brushes beforehand, taking care not to get paint on the joints, unless you're using CA or wanna scrape paint

As you can see, I didn't do that on the left oddment bin, so I have to brush that area.  Fortunately, I'll have a gunner figure in there to hide that bit of brain-cramp, as the piece was fired with the gunner remaining at the pantel.  You can also see (sort of) the four pulley sets that I mentioned, and the winch.  Tiny, TINY parts in them things, a total of 24 parts... And they have to cemented carefully as they are flexible, and need to be able to move during the installation of the spade cable. 

Another shot of the pulleys and spade:

Here's a shot of the driver's compartment.  Note that the interior of the driver's left hatch is without any detail (except the pin-marks).  That's getting sanded smooth right now, and the interior scratch-built to show the viewport cover in the open position, and I'll drill out the viewport from the outside.  I don't have any reference photos that show that hatch's inside face, so it's getting a bit of "creative gizmology" done on it...

Anyway, that's the mission so far...  Not bad for a morning's work, eh? 'Course, it's now 0915 and I started around 0100 today...

looks cool, always wanted to build that kit, how is fit and constuction? Easy? Hard?

Looks good.

It's pretty much falling together... The styrene is a bit softer than I'm used to, which is ok, since it's taking cement (Testor's Liquid) really well.  The only real slow-down is those pulleys because they're so small, and a few of the other "fiddly bits", like grab handles and such.  Can't tell ya about the gun yet, I'm still workin' the chasis, adding some details to it.  According to a couple references, the hatch on the right side shouldn't be there, just the driver's, but I didn't find those until after I'd finished the chasis.  Ah, well... I've got another one around here anyway, I'll correct it on that one...

This's my first Academy kit build, so it's a learning experience for me...   

Looking great!

I myself like the Academy kits, except for the tracks on most of them, due to their stiffness......but that's another story.

Hans - Looks like you are laid and safe. Nice work on the drivers area.

Brain cramp....happens to all of us. The good modeler figures his way out of it but the gunner on the pantel while firing.....Big Black eye on him and a bad headache.

I have this one on the shelf for the future. Keep my eye on your progress.

I know...you are accustomed to the old, hard plastic. This is our new softer, gentle hobby

Rounds Complete!!

Very nice, Hans!

For some reason, I seem to remember that there's some issue with the tracks in this kit? Or maybe it was just that they were those awful two-piece jobs?

Nice job so far!

The good modeler figures his way out of it but the gunner on the pantel while firing.....Big Black eye on him and a bad headache.

He'd deserve it if he was still lookin' through the pantel after, "Number __ , Stand Byyyyyy!"...

For some reason, I seem to remember that there's some issue with the tracks in this kit?

Nah, they're nothin' special, just ordinary rubberband tracks... Fit's good overall, both sides detailed... I know a lot of folks don't like the loop tracks, but on a Lee/Sherman chasis, it doesn't mean a heck of a lot... 

stikpusher wrote:

Watch those pulley mounts Hans! One of mine broke during the painting process and had to be replaced with some brass wire bent to shape.

THIS

I had the same thing happen. I think I used sprue to fix it. Dont even think of moving the spade up and down...just a little tension will pop those pulleys right off. I elected to build it with the spade up, and used superglue on the pulley cables to give them a little strength. I didnt use any aftermarket PE parts, so I dont know if the pulley assembly is rendered in metal or not.

Ranger Joe, Defender of Bunnies

Here's what I did with the driver's side-hatch.  Like I said, I didn't have any refs so I "CG'd" it... I first sanded it smooth to take off the raised pin-marks, then drilled out the "view slot" and added the cover to the inside face using strip styrene and some stretched sprue details for the interior latch and cover-strapping. I used a drill bit just under the same size as the opening, drilling a hole in each end, then cut out the section of plastic between the two holes.

Installed and painted:

I also removed the kit-supplied ramming-staff sections and scratched new mounts for the staff sections, since the staffs would be taken down and placed alongside the gun, with a single or double section used to ram the round during fire missions. 

Kit piece:

Installed staff mounts:

In the earlier pics you can see the kit part installed.  Here's a better view:

I temp-glued it in place with some white glue to use as a mask for the hull where the new mount sections would be located, then pulled it off and used the part to cut new staff-sections from styrene rod and to size the mount pieces, glued them into place. 

Since the model is going on a diorama (what else?) in a firing position, the spade will be emplaced in the ground, so the pulleys won't be having any stress on them.  I'll run the cable in-place after the gun's temporarily mounted on the base to get the lengths.

Hans - LOOOKING GOOD

Well....do you have a bucket for the dio???

Rounds Complete!!

Few more shots...

I was actually able "string" the spade and make the winch work (although playn' with it is NOT advised)...

Not sure on painting the oberator spindle, I can't find any shots of the breech open... I'm just going to do it same as a M109... Damn Frog guns anyway...

Won't be much longer and we'll be heading to the diorama forum with this 'un.. Thanks fer lookin'...

Hans - Looks like your are almost at "# ? aiming point identified"

Nice string work, Hopefully like us "aged" individuals, it does not sag in time

Rounds Complete!!

Yeah, It's all about gettin' laid, Redleg... I can add some CA to the string to give it a "stiffy" if need be...

  Just noticed that there's some knock-out pin marks on the gunshield I missed so I gotta come up with a Gunner's Reference Card and a Safety T to hide 'em... (Dunno if they used those in WW2 bu I'll take that chance..) 

This is turning into a bit tougher build than I anticipated with the pantel AND the DF scope on the gunner's side.  The DF scope has to sight through the gunshield and I didn't make a provision for the mount to move with the gun. Figured since the pantel was correctly vertical without regard to the QE of the tube, the DF scope would be ok too...  Shoulda looked it over more before I glued that mount down... Reckon I can hide it with the gunner's body and some restricted photo-angles, eh? 

Overall, it's a good kit, but gettin' everything figured out how to show the thing gettin' loaded is gonna be a real trick... There aren't any photos I've found that show a round gettin' hung or rammed... 

BTW, do you know if the 155mm powder cans back in WW2 were the same or similar to the metal ones we're used to?  Got a ton of "modern" ones (all green bags, but oh well) but the kit didn't come with any, just the joes with shipping plugs...

Hans - Sounds like the 7 Ps got you. The mark of a great modeler is figuring your way out of an OOPS

As far as the powder cans...AFV Kit 35017 - 155 mm and 8 inch howitzer rounds. Has palletized loads loose rounds and powder cans. You also need some 50 cal cans for the fuzes. If you are out of those, AFV Kit 35035 .30, .50 cal and 40 mm Storage.

That should get you enough ammo for the dio

Rounds Complete!!

Great looking hawgleg!

For slightly softer RB tracks, I have had pretty good luck with Tamiya or even AFV Club tracks.  They tend to be a little tighter (but not too tight) than Academy or Italeri.

I am still waiting to see one modelled in a direct fire mode, as described during the battle for Cologne (knocking on the command bunker).  I look forward to seeing your diorama of this piece! 

As far as the powder cans...AFV Kit 35017 - 155 mm and 8 inch howitzer rounds. Has palletized loads loose rounds and powder cans.

I got those out of the AFV M548, and .50cal cans I got tons of...  I just don't know if the powder cans used in WW2 were the same type we used in my day or if they had a different design. The 8-inch powder cans should be usable  as 155 WB charges as well, correct?

For slightly softer RB tracks, I have had pretty good luck with Tamiya or even AFV Club tracks.  They tend to be a little tighter (but not too tight) than Academy or Italeri.

The tracks are pretty good in this one, although they do pull a little tight at the rear set of roadwheels, lifting them into the air, but it won't be in issue when I attach it to the dio.  I bolt tanks and tracks down with a machine screw coming up through the bottom of the base to a nut & washer inside the hull to "pull" it down onto the base and "spring" the the suspension...

I am still waiting to see one modelled in a direct fire mode, as described during the battle for Cologne (knocking on the command bunker).  I look forward to seeing your diorama of this piece!

LOL.. If a gun in a GS Battery is doing Direct Fire anywhere but Ft Sill or the like, something has gone horribly wrong for that unit...   (Like when the OPFOR rolled right over, into, and through my battery at NTC one stormy day in the California Desert... I was throwin' rocks at a TC in a Sheridan, err... T-72 that day..)

I'm still kickin' around a couple dio ideas, so nothin' is carved in stone yet... There's a couple features on this piece that would make interesting focal points...

Hans - As far as I know they were the same. I have old 8 mm movies (converted to DVD) of my father in law, in the 50s on an 8 inch (M115) and you see the powder cans.

The old M4 HST was build with a rack to hold the cans.

Now the markings were different but the can, I assume, was the same.

Rounds Complete!!

Almost missed this one.  been doing that a lot lately.  Gettin old

Looks good HVH.

Thanks, and thanks for the info, Redleg... I was hopin' that was the case... I plan on casting a couple dozen cans for dunnage... Hate to use new ones for that...

"Fire two more fer effect, Joe! I'm makin' a stove-pipe!"

Ok... Assembly is done, decals on, I fixed the gunsheild problem, and except for a few more bits & pieces of extra gear and equipment, we're on the way to the SP. Mud's been added to the hull, and all that remains is tying some gear down, some highlighting and drybrushing, and the tracks, which I don't do until the diorama base is ready for it.  I hold off on the final details and weathering until then in order to carry the ground colors and such up onto the vehicle to tie it in to the terrain. So for all prctical purposes, this build is done for this forum and all future construction details will be in the Diorama Forum...

Thanks fer lookin' and the help, and see ya in the dio forum... 

MARCH ORDER!