Trumpeter 1/35 M198 155mm Howitzer, Finished, 8/09/09

Manny - Thanks for stopping in and for the comments. Always a pleasure to have you by!

Rounds Complete!!

Rob - Thanks for stopping in and for the comments.

I picked up a new AB at AMPS International and it is great. Keeps the old hand steady and makes freehand camo much simpler for these old shaky hands.

Glad you like it.

Rounds Complete!!

I really like the looks of that gun, especially the camo, awesome job so far.

I hear ya on the yard work part, it's never ending.

Rob

J - Adjust fire out!!

Yep, CARC brings back the memories!! Sligload artillery.....A34 bags.....fun, fun, fun.

If you ever drove a Panzer.....your a lot older than you look

Thanks for stopping by.

Rounds Complete!! 

you this is me, adjust fire, over

The camo on those trailarms brings me back to slingload school. That old 3-color Reforger look. Ahhh...it's like Old Home Week. If something happened you could touch it up with a rattlecan, then stencil CARC on it...

Ya know, maybe I should start building subjects I've actually worked with in real life. LOL - never drove a Panzer IV...

Aaron - Not to fear, there won't be a misfire causing the tube to be punched here!!

Thanks for stopping by.

Rounds Complete!!

Bill - Thanks....I'm hopefully out of the woods with the "outdoor opening" projects....whew! Just have to keep up with the grass . That "should" leave me more bench time. Hope to keep up and get back to my weekly reports!

Bill 87 - Thanks for stopping in and your comments

Rounds Complete!!

Camo - Thanks for stopping by and the comments

Steve - Yep, looking forward to the working end myself. Thanks for stopping in.

Rounds Complete!!

RedLeg, great job so far. Can't wait to see the business end of this one.

-Stephen

I apologize for not posting sooner but between work and the "beginning of summer" chores, it was all I could just to find bench time. Hopefully, that has "passed" and I can keep up with the updates.

After priming with some flat black and some seam cleanup, I noticed 3 parts which are not mentioned on the directions. I also was looking for the brake system gauges and low and behold there they are.  The parts need to have their locating pins trimmed as the trail section does not have the holes to accept them. The two lines from the gauges to the air system are molded into the trail and the cutout on the back of the gauges sits perfectly on them. The protective plate is then just centered over the gauges (currently in the micro clip.

The upper assembly requires painting before the bottom plate is assembled in step 9 as it will be very difficult to paint inside the sled once it is in place. Trumpeter did a poor job of attachment points for the plate as they have 6 holes in the plate and six pins on the supports for the sled. It should have been reversed. The kit's current setup for the plate leaves six "holes" to be filled on what should be a solid plate.

The seam at the rear of the trail where the spade block attaches to the box channel trail is a welded seam. Arched weld bead does the trick

The brake air pressure gauges and guard attached to the trail

The lower carriage is assembled minus the sight box and holder and the ramming staff holders on either side. These will be added after the camo painting.

Back to the upper carriage, the M90 chronograph bracket was added earlier. Now, I also added the bolts with Archer bolt detail. The side seam on the front assembly (ahead of the bracket) is showing a flat weld done with liquid putty

The front side of the front assembly has a heavy weld bead, which again is Archer weld bead.

After spending some time in the spray booth, here is the base NATO camo pattern with NATO Black, Brown and Green on the lower carriage.

Finishing up the parts on the lower carriage, the sight box, ramming staff holders, spade and spade locking pins, axel and brakes and tires (just fitted).

• The sight chest is painted US Dark Green with OD straps, Black handle and strap clips and Steel on the handle fitting.
• The ramming staffs were painted US Dark Green with the holder assemblies painted to match the camo pattern.
• The brake assembly is flat black and the brake drum is Steel.
• Tires were worked with a scrub sponge to give edge wear and scuff up the surface
• The spades were assembled as per the instructions. If the spades are going to be attached, the instructions are poor. You should use a slow setting glue and attach both pins first. Then attach the spade and position the pins in the proper position before the glue on the pins dry. That was fun
• Trail locking pins were painted Steel and .005 SS wire used to simulate the retaining wire.

That's it for now. Next, get the upper carriage caught up with the lower carriage.

Total hours this update - 14.0 hours

Total hours this overall build - 20.0

Thanks for looking and as always, all comments are welcome.

Rounds Complete!!

redleg12 wrote:

Camo - 82C.....a "bro" . As for the confusion, Heavy (Gino) in my younger "brother" Rounds Complete!!

yes sir 82c. thanks 4 the thumbs up. good 2 know heavy is your younger bro....then maybe no one gets mad.

Stick - At the bench now....will post some hopefully this weekend

Gary - To explain Mr Surfacer, http://www.swannysmodels.com/Surfacer.html 

Hope that helps. They also have a liquid putty. I like the putty and the 500 grades for filling seams. Thanks for looking....don't spend too much time in the fart sack

Rounds Complete!!

Redleg,

Last night I bivouacked, the coast was clear, then when I woke up, that gun was in place.  Should have put out pickets.

Man, this one is really coming along.

Pardon the hijack, but what exactly is Mr Surfacer, is it a thin putty, or a thick paint, or what?  I see reference to it as a seam hider/gap filler, just wondering.

Looking good, sir.

Bill     

Looks good Redleg12 hope to see more soon!

Gary - The smoke could also be after swabbing and some cook off of RBC, but the RAP could also contribute.

Camo - 82C.....a "bro" . As for the confusion, Heavy (Gino) in my younger "brother"

Bill - Yep, Trumpeter and seams....thank god for Mr Surfacer.

Gino - Well....my generation was more into "rock and roll"......with plain old HE Thanks for getting to the question .

Rounds Complete!! 

squeakie wrote:

Red Leg, Gino, or whoever knows, was looking at the photo you posted of the howitzer send a piece of iron down range. First thing that I noticed was the AG was on the left side of the breech (I've never really paid any attention to this before). But what caught my eye was the round laying in the cradle. I've never seen a 155 round made like that, plus it looks much longer and in a similar shaped ogive to a 175mm round. Also the base (heel of the boattail) has a small round part on the base I've never seen before. Would this be a RAP round or a Copper head? As many thousand 155 rounds we shot in my day I never saw anything that looked like that, let alone one that put out thatkind of thick black smoke. Ours had a like grey smoke, and then not much of it. gary

It is an HE RAP round.  Other than that it is a standard 155 projo.  4 Square wieght and all.

Lots of progress in the one post Mike and looks like you've conquered the normal Trumpeter tendency for seams and such very nicely.

I can't claim any credit for the use of the small stand in some of the WIP photos...it was a trick I learned when doing close-ups with the macro lense from a photography site when I was trying to figure out how to get my DSLR to behave properly. It gives the camera something else to "look at" in terms of focusing and that's the only reason I use it, to get better depth of field in the shots (and also because it's pretty handy for well, setting stuff on!).

redleg12 wrote:

Camo - Well....going with the NATO 3 color camo. Thanks for you comments and stopping by. Rounds Complete!!

anytime. as an arty man myself (only survey...years ago) i can appreciate a good cannon!! btw, guess i got u and heavy mixed up there...sorry...sometimes helps to pay attention! lol

redleg12 wrote:

Gino - LOL......the Funny Duck Club has nothing to do with it......it's the gun chief using "the force" . On this one, I'm checking the powder temp every time I sit down at the bench! Glad to see you stopping by......from home . The kit has it's drawbacks but is much nicer than the resin versions (we have both been hit with the build it and then they make it in styrene curse). Thanks again. Camo - Well....going with the NATO 3 color camo. Thanks for you comments and stopping by. Rounds Complete!!

Red Leg, Gino, or whoever knows,

was looking at the photo you posted of the howitzer send a piece of iron down range. First thing that I noticed was the AG was on the left side of the breech (I've never really paid any attention to this before). But what caught my eye was the round laying in the cradle. I've never seen a 155 round made like that, plus it looks much longer and in a similar shaped ogive to a 175mm round. Also the base (heel of the boattail) has a small round part on the base I've never seen before. Would this be a RAP round or a Copper head? As many thousand 155 rounds we shot in my day I never saw anything that looked like that, let alone one that put out thatkind of thick black smoke. Ours had a like grey smoke, and then not much of it.

gary

Gino - LOL......the Funny Duck Club has nothing to do with it......it's the gun chief using "the force" . On this one, I'm checking the powder temp every time I sit down at the bench!

Glad to see you stopping by......from home .

The kit has it's drawbacks but is much nicer than the resin versions (we have both been hit with the build it and then they make it in styrene curse). Thanks again.

Camo - Well....going with the NATO 3 color camo. Thanks for you comments and stopping by.

Rounds Complete!! 

Looking great Mike.  Good job so far.  Make sure you level all your bubbles before firing it though. 

Be honest, you just made up all that firing pin stuff.  You know its really voodoo magic that we use to fire artillery.  Oh wait, thats the Fire Direction side of the business.