I have a question for the US artillery guys out there (hi Gino, LOL): I have both the Testors/Italeri M109 and M109A2 kits in my stash, and I would like to model a '109 as a Georgia National Guard piece like the ones that I saw at our local armory as a small child during the 1968-1974 time period. I do not have any pictures, but memories of seeing them at the armory down the street, as well as in parades and on static display I do know they were 109s and not 108s, and I'm presuming that during this time period and the fact that they were assigned to a Guard unit they were most likely the plain M109 and not the A2, correct?

The A2 did not enter service until 79 or so. I know this because the ones in Berlin were brand new and they were among the first to receive them a few years prior to my arrival there.

Thanks, Robert; my memories are from the 4 to 6 year old age range, but I do distinctly remember the large muzzle brake on the end, so I know it was a 109; just couldn't recall how long the tube was to pin down the particular model. Pretty sure they were straight OD green too...gonna have to do some research to see what Battery was assigned to my hometown at that time to cobble together the bumper numbers...

Your local library may have old newspapers on microfiche. If so, look for the most likely dates (4 July, 11 November) for possible parade photos.

That's a great idea, thanks! My son's NG recruiter is based out of the Armory too; gonna check there and see if they have any old pictures there as well. These days they are a Service Battery, so they don't actually keep howitzers there any more, only support vehicles

Yup, agree with Rob. The timeframe would make them straight M109s. Sounds like a great project. Post some pics once you get started.

I have to agree, semi gloss OD with white stars, the M109 is the way to go. By looking up some old pics, you can find some markings and serial numbering!!

Rounds Complete!!

Thanks, guys. I started assembly of the hull last night; had some major warpage of the top deck, but managed to get it down without too much trouble. I will try to get some build pictures up if I can wrestle the digital camera away from the wife when I go home on leave this weekend, LOL.

I tell you what, just dryfitting the hull a turret and seeing that familar shape brings a smile to my face; the 109's sure were impressive to a 5 year-old me as I watched them rumbling down our little town's main drag in the St Paddy's Day parade so many years ago....

Can't wait to see some photos. There are some great build logs on here, but I'm not sure how much you want to get into the weeds on this. Sometimes it's nice to just get something done, that looks reasonably accurate. Even so, there are some simple tricks that will really enhance the kit.

[quote]Can't wait to see some photos. There are some great build logs on here, but I'm not sure how much you want to get into the weeds on this. Sometimes it's nice to just get something done, that looks reasonably accurate. Even so, there are some simple tricks that will really enhance the kit.[/quote

Robert: Yeah, pretty much thinking of doing this as a "slammer", as I have a mult-month labor of love going on right now in the form of a Dragon M1A2 TUSK II...I have, however, ordered a Barrel Depot replacement barrel, and would like to possibly do something to improve the roadwheels, as they are pretty darn basic. Also mulling over a simple diorama base with it sitting on grass, with a chain link fence bordering one side of the base, to suggest the beast sitting in the motor pool compund behind the armory , like I recall seeing when I was a kid living a block over from said armory.

Just for grins I Googled images for "georgia national guard m109." For some reason there were a lot of bike pics (maybe Metzeler does an M109 tire?) but on page 8, an image of one of my old builds popped up. Here's the thread that went with it:

https://armorama.kitmaker.net/forums/73182

Cool, thanks for the link. I too did the Google search, and while I turned up no specific photos per say, it did provide a link to the Georgia Guard's Historian's office, and I sent them a request for any images they might have.

Robert, per something I think I remember seeing in someone else's build log that if an M109 is not deployed in the field that the two long, rectangular shapes on top of the turret roof (the ones with the strap and buckle detail) should be removed? How about the aiming stakes (is that what they are?) in front of the TC's hatch?

Got the Barrel Depot replacement barrel in the mail, along with Squadron's M108/109 Walkaround book. As far as actual construction, have gotten the back wall of the turret glued on and gaps filled, as well as the gun assembly parts.

The two with the straps could be removed. The are poor representations of kit bags - one is the spare barrel bag for the .50. And yes, if you're portraying one in the motor pool, remove them. In real life anything not permanently attached to the vehicle will disappear. There are series of tie downs and aluminum divider plates you'll have to add. I won't be able so send photos of mine for quite some time, but I think you'll probably find good top views in your Squadron reference - if not try PrimePortal. And yes, you can remove the aiming stakes as well.
Leave the "L" shaped box on top though. That only gets removed for the M108 variant.