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M4 High Speed Tractor and 155mm Long Tom

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Triet Do writes: "Why I made this combination? If you search on Amorama Features you will find a similar idea of Dung Lam Quoc, he made a combination of HB M4 HST and AFV Club M115 203 mm towed howitzer. When I saw them in real life, I was impressed very much about the idea and how beautiful these two kits get together.

So I decided to make something like that, and searched for these kits. I could not find the M115, but instead I found the M59 Long Tom with a very high price at that time, and then I found and bought M4 HST, but could not complete them at that time due to heavy workload, life events...

There are two Hobby Boss M4 HST kits, one with 155mm/8-inc./240mm will give you a crane at the back of shell box, you have option to built two shell rack and two 155mm shell (but it's very ugly), and the one with 3in/90mm will give you a tarp to cover the shell box, and you can't pose it with the crane.

One plus of M4 HST kit is the Waukesha 145GZ OHV I6 gasoline engine 210 hp, it very easy to assemble and will be a good looking engine but will not be seen after built, unless you leave out the shell box.

One of the cons is you have to grind down the horizontal bar (I don't know what it is named) before the cabin to make the cabin sit properly on the chassis, if not, there will be a 1mm gap between them.

You have to grind the front seat for the gear box to fit, but it is an easy task to complete. The engine cover screen was made by PE, hard to align as there's no obvious supports for them and easy to break down. There're many pin mark you have to fill, especially in the crane.

For the AFV Club's Long tom, it went together easily but there're many pin mark, large pin marks are at a very hard position to properly fill.

The model was initial paint with Tamiya Olive Drab but it had very dark tone so I had to spray Mr. Color C38 Olive Drab over it. Light tone was a mix of C38 and Yellow Green, White... and then weathered by my homemade pigment."
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About the Author

About Triết Đỗ (navadasara)
FROM: HO CHI MINH CITY, VIETNAM


Comments

Hi guys, Thanks for your kind words and I happy to provide any question about these duo kits. Frank Winkler: Thanks for your correction, I've just realized that longtom was towed backward with high speed, so the splash will facing opposite direction, I will find some reference pics and fix that ASAP, thank again. Russ Bucy: Thank you! There're not much informations about Longtom and its ages so I have a little knowlegde about it, the good side is AFV Longtom's wheel can be easily be taken out and replace with the correct one.
SEP 25, 2020 - 09:31 PM
Triet, I don’t know the current availability of the Panzer Shop conversion, last I heard it was OOP. However, AFV club has released the 8” Howitzer now with the correct wheels and limber for a WWII version, which you might be able to use either as a full replacement, or for just the parts in the new kit. Either way, they were both pulled by the same HST. One other note, albeit a minor one, David Doyle’s history of the HST has the interior of the ammo box as white, although there may have been OD overpainting done. In any event your work is very nice. VR, Russ
SEP 26, 2020 - 04:15 AM
There IS one other option for pulling the 155mm and 8in guns = Mack NO6! (Sorry but just could not resist.)
SEP 26, 2020 - 04:33 AM
I'm working however, on another option use for the HST - towing the M23 8ton ammo trailer: LIFE Magazine photo
SEP 26, 2020 - 05:55 AM
Yes, alas, I too bemoan the fact there’s no NO to pull the 155mm M1. The Mack NO was the primary designated towing vehicle for the 155mm and 8” guns, until the M4 HST came along. When the M4 came along, the gun and howitzer required the limber. Before that, the trails were attached directly to the Mack’s towing pintle with an adapter. Sadly, I don’t know of any aftermarket manufacturer that makes the adapter either, so even if AFV club re-issued the guns, we’d still need an adapter. Unless of course you’re like Michael above and want to scratch build one. Seems like most manufacturers have said “no to the NO”. This is a shame since you can get just about every other truck, GMC, White, Diamond T, but not a Mack. Do you suppose there’s a copyright issue? VR, Russ
SEP 26, 2020 - 09:49 AM
Actually most of what you need for the adaptor comes with the AFV guns - In the TM it is sometimes called a bustle, griddle or clamp. The MACK hinge or custom pintle is basically a big universal joint. I mounted a piece of Evergreen tubing in the Mack to act as a receiver and now both the special hinge and the standard towing pintle have a piece of tight fitting hexagonal rod to act as a shank for inserting into the receiver tube. The towing tongue on the M23 ammo trailer is formatted similarly to resemble the attachment fitting on the bustle. M23 - 8 ton ammo trailer sometimes used in conjunction with the same M5 Limber used to tow the big guns.
SEP 26, 2020 - 11:50 AM
As to a hobby manufacture willing to take on the Mack NO - I have seen a few things over the past year or so that I thought would have indicated a new model product introduction by now but so far nada! To be repeated in a whispered tone: -- (I have seen proposed box art!) Unfortunately still nada!
SEP 26, 2020 - 02:02 PM
One more shot regarding the special MACK hitch device - and the towing clamp that is included with the AFV Club 155mm and 8in guns: (This part is also required for use with the M5 towing limber so AFV had to include it.) For doing lessor towing jobs the Mack also carried a standard military towing pintle in a false receiver placed under the loadbox right behind the cab that could be exchanged for the massive towing fixture.
SEP 27, 2020 - 03:46 AM
The never produced 8x8 successor to the Dragon Wagon the T26 Sterling was also slated to use the massive Mack hinge/hitch:
SEP 27, 2020 - 08:03 AM
Sorry Collin - I didn't mean to hijack your thread - I apologize! Mike K.
SEP 27, 2020 - 10:09 AM