Thanks Mark, glad you like it. No, there are no AM parts in this one. Everything is scratch. Unfortunately, I don't think there are any AM conversion parts for an M43.

Ok Gino, I will bite. In real life, how the hell did the gun bunnies get ammo out of the rack? Was it dropped and rolled/slid out, or did they somehow lift it out and back to be fused? Those 8 inch rounds are not light, part of why I was happy to be a 13F and not a 13B.

Jacques - truthfully, I don't know. It looks like it would be a real b!tch though. My guess is that they fired off the ground most of the time.

Gino, I would agree, the ammo vehicle would bring the main ammo load and the would work from the rear.

As for using the rounds on the M43. At about 200 lbs, physics is important. You would have to roll the round over to the open area of the fighting compartment. It is usually why most 13B on an 8 inch are not small guys!!

Rounds Complete!!

The M43 is done. I weathered it over the last few days. I used a couple different acrylic colors for the pin wash and an overall dusty dirt wash. I then dry-brushed with a bit of a sandy, mud color and a darker brown mud on the floors in the fighting compartment and the hull exterior. I hit it with some steel on the heavy wear areas and some OD Green to blend the hull. The tracks were treated the same way with acrylic washes in sandy mud colors and then heavily dry-brushed with steel.

Here she is.








More pics here.

Thanks for looking and as always, all comments welcomed.

Ohhhh....very nice....another great battery addition A nice looking heavy for Heavy.

Almost H hour for march order....time to head to the northern bunker!!

Rounds Complete!!

Thanks Mike. It was a really fun conversion. Yup, it's gettng closer to March Order. I'm starting to pull up stakes on the unnecessary tentage now.

Hey Gino- thats a nicely finished piece you've got there. There's plenty of nicely rendered detail, especially in the rear bed- for some reason I am drawn to the rounds with their ace stencilling. Is this for a buyer Gino or a personal build?

Thanks Karl. This one is all mine. I enjoyed doing all the little details on it. I have wanted to build an M43 for some time and finally got around to it.

Great work there! Always loved the mean look of the stubby 8".
Simple and yet effective to add the powder canister and round to the rear deck (BTW: what do one call the round carrying thing?). That area had probably felt a bit empty without them.

Did you solve the crew question so that we can look forward to a base as well?

Cheers,
/E

Thanks Erik, it was a fun build.

I think the round carry thing is called a ... round carry thing?? I don't know either, hmmm...

I haven't decided on a crew, we'll see what I come up with.

Looks awesome as usual! Always have loved the look of the HVSS.

Which route are you planning on with the M-578 conversion? I did the Verlinden quite some time ago, but I'm now replacing the cab and blade with the PSM kit. While I hate to tear up a completed build, in this case it's WELL worth it. I should finish up on the blade in the next week or so.

Have fun in DC

Tom

Thanks Tom. It was a fun build.

For the VTR, I currently have the Verlinden conversion. I may be changing my mind and getting an M110A2 metal barrel and use the M110 for that and off-load the VTR conversion. The PSM one looks awesome and I may have to get it eventually. We'll see.

just looks good! Now I know why they put the crane on the M110's!
gary

Hi Gino, An excellant build and the paint work is first class!!

Randy

Thanks Gary and Randy. It was an enjoyable build.

If I were starting from scratch, rather than from an already completed vehicle, and I had the Verlinden on hand, I think what I'd do is go ahead and purchase the PSM cab kit and combine them. While the PSM blade and open cab are much better than what you get in the Verlinden kit, the crane on that one is metal and there's a lot of other PE which the PSM doesn't have. Right now I'm not planning on tearing up the already completed Verlinden cab for the crane, but we'll see once I move to that part of the project.

It's just like a lot of other builds: Basic kit + a couple of AM sets + some scratch building = The right vehicle.

I've also got a pair of unbuilt kits that I'm planning to make M-110A2's as well. (Sure wish someone built a power pack for those, 'cause I just don't feel like scratch building one!)


Tom

Thanks Tom, I may just do what you say. It sounds like a good plan.




Someone does, sort of. CKM makes the M109 engine. The M110 used the same engine, so you can use it.

The M108 thru M110 series used the same exact powerpack. Plus there were someother support stuff that also used similar powerpacks. And there were some T-55 tanks modified to use the XT411G series powerpack (engine might be different). All went to Isreal.
gary

The problem with that particular kit, is that it is designed to fit into the engine compartment of the M109 Italeri kit, and parts of the Pac are cut off so it fits. (I retrofitted an M109A1 with one).

I seem to remember that if you were to try to open up the M110 engine compartment, there would be a lot open space and missing items that would have to be scratched up.

Has anybody actually used this kit in an M110 before?

Tom

I have to agree with Tom. If you open the "hood" on an M110 you will expose a lot more area and need to scratch a bunch of items. Now....depending what time frame you want to build the M578...you can add what it was designed for...tube change outs. I have an M107 tube and may date mine to the VN/early 70s era, holding a tube from the boom.

Rounds Complete!!

True, the engine isn't a drop-in piece, but it is a good start. A little scratch-building is always fun.