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Armor/AFV: Modern - USA
Modern Armor, AFVs, and Support vehicles.
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M43 8" Howitzer WIP
HeavyArty
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Florida, United States
Joined: May 16, 2002
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Posted: Monday, March 26, 2012 - 12:58 PM UTC
I haven't posted any of my work in a while. Life has been taking over and I haven't had a lot of time at the bench. I will be moving to VA in about two months, so this will probably be my last build for a while.

I am currently working on converting the AFV Club M40 155mm howitzer into an M43 8" howitzer. It will eventually be a Korean War vehicle with Dragon DS styrene T80 tracks and placed in a small diorama to display it.

This is what it will look like when done.


AFV Club's M40 is really nice and well detailed. To convert it into an M43, you have to change out the barrel and rework the ammo and powder storage areas. I swapped the barrel out for an 8" barrel from an Italeri M110 kit, which will eventually become an M578 VTR, so it doesn't need the barrel. It is a direct fit onto the business end of the cradle.




I also reworked the ammo storage by making a new base plate out of the AFV Club ammo set wooden pallet for the 8" by combining one and a half together to make a rack for 8 rounds. I also made the upper retainer for the rounds out of sheet styrene with 8 corresponding holes for the rounds.




I also prepared a bunch of 8" rounds and powder canisters from the AFV Club ammo set for it. One is fused and the rest still have their shipping plugs in place. The decals are also from the AFV Club ammo set. They are very nice.



The basic M43 is ready for paint, so I will have an update in a few days.

More here.

Thanks for looking.
redleg12
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Posted: Monday, March 26, 2012 - 02:16 PM UTC
Gino - The M43 is looking real good. Love the scratch work.

The ammunition markings though I think are the wrong era. They have the modern makings while the M43 is from the Korean war. I am pretty sure it would not have had the DODAC numbers.

OK.....beat me with a ramming staff....it takes a Redleg to look close at the ammo

Your brother

Rounds Complete!!
HeavyArty
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Posted: Monday, March 26, 2012 - 03:15 PM UTC
Hi Mike, I was thinking the round markings might be off. Is it just the DODAC number that needs to be removed? I think the rest of the data is close enough.
KurtLaughlin
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Posted: Tuesday, March 27, 2012 - 01:19 AM UTC
Yes, DODAC did not come along until 1955+/- a year (I forget exactly) so a Korean War scene would still have AICs. The actual nomenclature changed about the same time but probably not enough to matter. M106 rounds (DODAC D680) would be P1OAA, M106 deep cavity w/suppl charge would be P1ODA. As I recall, the charge can markings are correct, P2OAB for green bag and P2OBB (M19 container) or P2OBF (M10A2 container) for white bag.

KL
HeavyArty
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Posted: Tuesday, March 27, 2012 - 01:33 AM UTC
Thanks for the confirmation Kurt. I couldn't remember what year they changed. I'll take off the DODAC numbers.
trickymissfit
Joined: October 03, 2007
KitMaker: 1,388 posts
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Posted: Tuesday, March 27, 2012 - 04:33 AM UTC

Quoted Text

I haven't posted any of my work in a while. Life has been taking over and I haven't had a lot of time at the bench. I will be moving to VA in about two months, so this will probably be my last build for a while.

I am currently working on converting the AFV Club M40 155mm howitzer into an M43 8" howitzer. It will eventually be a Korean War vehicle with Dragon DS styrene T80 tracks and placed in a small diorama to display it.

This is what it will look like when done.


AFV Club's M40 is really nice and well detailed. To convert it into an M43, you have to change out the barrel and rework the ammo and powder storage areas. I swapped the barrel out for an 8" barrel from an Italeri M110 kit, which will eventually become an M578 VTR, so it doesn't need the barrel. It is a direct fit onto the business end of the cradle.




I also reworked the ammo storage by making a new base plate out of the AFV Club ammo set wooden pallet for the 8" by combining one and a half together to make a rack for 8 rounds. I also made the upper retainer for the rounds out of sheet styrene with 8 corresponding holes for the rounds.




I also prepared a bunch of 8" rounds and powder canisters from the AFV Club ammo set for it. One is fused and the rest still have their shipping plugs in place. The decals are also from the AFV Club ammo set. They are very nice.



The basic M43 is ready for paint, so I will have an update in a few days.

More here.

Thanks for looking.


I really like your work on this one. Was going thru my stash a few days ago (inventory time), and found two of the M40 kits in there.
gary
trickymissfit
Joined: October 03, 2007
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Posted: Tuesday, March 27, 2012 - 04:41 AM UTC

Quoted Text

Gino - The M43 is looking real good. Love the scratch work.

The ammunition markings though I think are the wrong era. They have the modern makings while the M43 is from the Korean war. I am pretty sure it would not have had the DODAC numbers.

OK.....beat me with a ramming staff....it takes a Redleg to look close at the ammo

Your brother

Rounds Complete!!


I gotta assume that they are similar in markings, so here's what I remember.

*I shot a lot of very old 155mm ammo made in late WWII and all the way thru the Korean War era in 1968. It was marked very similar to what Gino has on his 8" rounds. All the powder we used was mid 1960's stuff and later, so cannot comment on that stuff. The 8" stuff I shot at Sill was mid to late 1950's stuff, and was similar marked. The only real differences I can remember might have been that the yellow was a much lighter color (maybe faded?). I well remember reading the dates on the projos, and being taught what the squares and stuff were for at Sill.
gary
trickymissfit
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Posted: Tuesday, March 27, 2012 - 04:44 AM UTC

Quoted Text

Gino - The M43 is looking real good. Love the scratch work.

The ammunition markings though I think are the wrong era. They have the modern makings while the M43 is from the Korean war. I am pretty sure it would not have had the DODAC numbers.

OK.....beat me with a ramming staff....it takes a Redleg to look close at the ammo

Your brother

Rounds Complete!!


by the way did you see that ramming staff they were using on the 155 on the Vietnam board? Must have been 12 feet long!!
gary
trickymissfit
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Posted: Tuesday, March 27, 2012 - 04:52 AM UTC
just a further note on old ammo markings as it just came into my head. The vast majority of that old 155mm ammo came out of stocks located in San Francisco. It all had the date of manufacture boldly painted on it, and the earliest was 1944. By the end of TET in 68 we were using fairly reciently manufactured stuff. Also remember the Colonel telling us that we had shot the ammo dump out in Frisco and one other depot.
gary
HeavyArty
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Posted: Tuesday, March 27, 2012 - 06:09 AM UTC
Thanks Gary, glad you like it. I will be removing the DODAC #s and the ammo should be good to go.
HeavyArty
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Posted: Tuesday, March 27, 2012 - 01:50 PM UTC
I corrected the rounds and canisters by removing the DODAC #s. They look just as good now and are correct for a Korean War howitzer.



More to follow in a few days. I sprayed a coat of OD paint on it tonight.
HeavyArty
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Posted: Wednesday, March 28, 2012 - 12:22 PM UTC
I just finished building the DS T80 tracks. All those center guides took a while, but they look great. Very nice. Way better than the AFV Club indi-link (4-pieces per link ) T80 tracks. They suck and blow.

redleg12
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Posted: Wednesday, March 28, 2012 - 02:00 PM UTC
There is no gravity....the entire earth sucks when it comes to AFV T-80 tracks

I rather scratch my hemorrhoids with broken glass then play with them again!!

Rounds Complete!!
HeavyArty
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Posted: Wednesday, March 28, 2012 - 11:02 PM UTC
OUCH!! That just sounds really painful.
bill_c
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MODEL SHIPWRIGHTS
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Posted: Thursday, March 29, 2012 - 04:30 AM UTC
I don't know **** about this number controversy, but that's mighty fine modeling IMO.
HeavyArty
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Posted: Thursday, March 29, 2012 - 05:25 AM UTC
Thanks Bill. I should have some more pics of the painted model up this weekend.
KurtLaughlin
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Posted: Thursday, March 29, 2012 - 01:21 PM UTC
FYI, I just found my notes . . . The AIC was changed to the DODAC in 1955.

KL
HeavyArty
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Posted: Thursday, March 29, 2012 - 03:01 PM UTC

Quoted Text

FYI, I just found my notes . . . The AIC was changed to the DODAC in 1955.

KL


Good deal. As you can see above, I removed the DODAC #s, so it is correct now.
sdk10159
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Posted: Thursday, March 29, 2012 - 05:10 PM UTC
Nice work, Gino. Can't wait to see it finished. maybe I'll dust off that unfinished M40.....

Steve
KurtLaughlin
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Posted: Friday, March 30, 2012 - 01:02 PM UTC

Quoted Text


Quoted Text

FYI, I just found my notes . . . The AIC was changed to the DODAC in 1955.

KL


Good deal. As you can see above, I removed the DODAC #s, so it is correct now.


Well . . . it should have an AIC instead of the DODAC, which was about the same size and in the same place. I won't say anything if you won't.

KL
HeavyArty
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Posted: Friday, March 30, 2012 - 02:52 PM UTC
Oh well, close enough for government work. They are already mounted so they are what they are.
HeavyArty
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Posted: Wednesday, April 11, 2012 - 12:16 PM UTC
It has been a couple weeks since I last posted. I hate it when real life gets in the way of modeling.

Here is the latest update.

I have put down the paint and decals, added smaller details, and done the detail painting. Up next is weathering.

The DS T80 tracks went on great. I had to add 7 links from an extra set of DS tracks to make them fit since the M40 is on a lengthened M4 Sherman hull.

The markings were pieced together from the M40 decal sheet and a Bison Korean War US Tanks sheet. It is representative of a Korean War M43, but not real markings that I know of.

Here it is so far.







More here.

Thanks for looking and as always, all comments are welcomed.
redleg12
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Posted: Wednesday, April 11, 2012 - 12:31 PM UTC
Very nice work. The cable for the rear is a PITA but look great on yours. The DS tracks are the way to go....that is what I did after the AFV nightmare. The fighting compartment looks great....you have captured the conversion very well.

Now you know what this means....AFV will have a conversion set out shortly.

Can't wait to see the dirt...keep it coming.

Rounds Complete!!
HeavyArty
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Posted: Wednesday, April 11, 2012 - 10:58 PM UTC
Thanks Mike. I hope to get some weathering on it soon. Yup, glad I could spur along the soon to be on the market AFV Club M43 kit.
markchis
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Posted: Thursday, April 12, 2012 - 01:00 AM UTC
awesome build Gino ! it really is nice to see this level of detailing on a conversion. Did you use any aftermarket parts or was everything scratch. really like the work on this one !

cheers
Mark
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