Gentleman - Welcome to the WIP of the Trumpeter 1/35 M198 "Early Version"
Background & Kit in-box review - Here was my kit in box review
http://www.armorama.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=Reviews&file=index&req=showcontent&id=3874
Reference
Hummmm.....where have I seen this picture before!!
Here is a little video to get the juices flowing (watch the door on the left side!!)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v94qdpJqK9w
Also it is handy to have TM 9-1025-211-10
Kit Construction
The first step is to assemble the barrel and recoil system. As noted in my review, the barrel is a two piece styrene barrel. Though the fit was quite good there was still the time and care to sand and in some places fill the seam without making the barrel into a football. Once completed, the recuperating cylinders and mounting brackets are assembled. The breech and breech block are assembled to the rear of the tube and the entire assemble is glued together.
(PS....Please excuse the color of these pictures. My camera setting were screwed up and did not catch up with it until I downloaded!)
The next four steps are for the assembly of the equilibrators and the upper frames which hold the equilibrators. Step two of directions is poor as the give you a choice of two different length covers for the upper equilibrators. They do not give any explanation as to which one to use, depending on the finished model.
If you are going to build the model in the emplaced, or as the instructions call it "combat" mode and intend to show the tube elevated, then use the shorter of the two choices (C5). If it will be depicted attached to a prime mover, then use the longer (C9).
In step 4 & 5 the recoil sled and frames are assembled with the equilibrators. Though the molding of the parts were clean they appear to have a very slight warp and require clamps or rubber bands to get a tight fit on the seams of the frame halves. The seams were then filled with Mr Surfacer 500 and sanded.
Step six is the assembly of the frames to the barrel assembly and the attachment of the muzzle brake. The muzzle brake has a flash line around the inside where the mold halves meet which needs removal. Also the flat sections were a bit depressed and required some minor filling with built up Mr Surfacer 500 to get flat and smooth.
The next two steps finish the upper assembly but areas of the underside would become extremely difficult to paint. I will stop here to prime and base coat the upper assembly and remaining major parts. With that I will skip to the lower carriage/trails
Steps 9 thru 11 are the assembly of the two trails. This entails the attachment of numerous details, grab handles, etc. On both trails there are molded racks for the ramming staffs and aiming posts. I left these off for further detailing along with the sight case and case frame. In general the fit of the parts are good except where the grab handles fit to the rear as the molded holes are bigger than the handles and require some minor filling.
Also, I left off the wire reel for the right trail as this may have been on the original plans and some "very" early units but nothing I have, even in the early days shows the reel assembly attached.
Step 12 has the two trails joined to the lower carriage section. Again, the larger pieces when joined require clamping, then filling and sanding. The directions in this step will be confusing (for a non artilleryman) as they show the trail guides (part C35) in the travel position. If the model is in the emplaced mode these guides need to be glued in place to match the trails when open. Also this step shows the application of a decal and then some handles which fit through the decal. Obviously these were left to be applied later after painting.
That's it for now. Off to the paint booth for some priming and base coat of NATO Green. (PS..Yes, I went for the "Bill" look with the base in the pics. For size reference, the base is 3 ½ inches square.)
Total hours this update - 6.0 hours
Total hours this overall build - 6.0
Thanks for looking and as always, all comments are welcome.
Rounds Complete!!