I finally dug out my Italeri M109A6 Paladin, and thought I'd share some progress. The kit included Skybow tracks, Eduard PE , and an unknown turned barrel.

First thing reasearch here mentioned the removal of the large "bow" shaped object in front of turret..



I filled the underside w/ epoxy and plastic card scraps..



suitable time passed before I broke out the trusty dremel, and started grinding plastic!! The dremel made a proper mess, so after filling and sanding, I have a good starting point.



more to follow!

I wanted to try a technique for creating working suspension..
another member used this on their Abrams, but unable to recall their name.

Removing a small bit of plastic, I was able to get the needed travel from the skid frame. This caused a problem..the torsion arms kept falling out! I drilled the arms, and inserted bits of wire from straight pins. After a few test runs, a suitable bend was found, and allowed the travle I was hoping for





After I had finished the middle roadwheels..I hit a snag. The front and rear arms were attached w/ a shock, and decided to fix them in place. I guess now I should have scratched the shocks..but moved on.

I have a question . Theres mention of a bilge drain needed on the hull top, but pics are lacking? Are there any more required additions I should be aware of before moving on?
Thanks for any help on the build!

Jeff

Hi Jeff,you are of to a good start,i have never built this kit
myself,but im sure someone will happy to help i will follow
your buildwith inerst have fun and thanks for shareing.

Thanks bat-213, I hope to achieve a suitable build..several changes were made to these . I found the bilge drain pipe..much further forward than I was looking..ooops!

Guys..I found a few pics of the Paladin's wearing the CIP panel on the rear box..was this common practice during OIF? They seemed to also have the frontal armor plate like the Abrams behind the left side crew door..

Thanks for any help..on w/ the build!

Looks like you are off to a good start. Good job removing the flotation boomerang.

The CIPs were common during the initial invasion of Iraq. They were usually on each side of the turret and one on the rear.

Off to a good start cleaning up the old Italeri molding. I will mark you as a target to watch!!

Rounds Complete!!

With the flotation gear removed don't forget the grill behind the driver's hatch will need to be completed on the corner.

Were the M109A6s produced on old hulls or new hulls? If the floation gear was simply removed the bolts will still be visible and can be added to the hull top following the pattern of the removed gear. I noticed the bolt detail on the upgraded Canadian M109A4+.

Thanks for the heads up on the grill, the pe one has the corner chopped off.

I hope to mark it from the 1 ST CAV out of Ft.Hood, they're firing used to keep us up @ night!

thanks for the clarification on the CIP..they seem to have tons of stowage on the roof!

I'll check on the floation gear bolts..easy to miss that detail!

I'm looking forward to seeing your progress. As it happens, I based on of my builds on an eample at Ft. Hood. I modelled it in pristine condition as that's how they were at the time - they had just arrived. If you go to the album I think you can see the other photos, which may include bumper nuimbers.
I also did a build log on here which outlines all of the kit's deficiencies.
Here's a link to the Photobucket album:
http://i118.photobucket.com/albums/o110/18bravo_photos/Paladin015.jpg

Edit:
Well damn., It only goes to the one photo. You can't scroll back and forth to the others.
The account name is 18Bravo underscore (no spaces)photos.
It's around page 20 or 21 I think. Several photos of it and another build based on a Ft. Sill exaample, which do have subtle detail differences.

This thread has good photos:
https://armorama.kitmaker.net/forums/129179&page=1&ord=1

Thanks Robert! Theres numerous details I have to correct..the boxes on the rear door, and fume extractor.

Great bike too!

I'll upload progress pics tomarow..

OK..after all the great assistance I've been shown, a few major areas were reworked. Here's a few pics

First up, the additional armor plate on drivers hatch..





Also the barrel was very lacking..a noticable mistake was the missing collar just in front of the mantlet...030" disk was added



I also felt gung ho now..figure I should try adding the missing weld beads on the bore evacuator..still need to texture them. The " welds " are stretched sprue



any feedback welcome!!

Jeff

Nice work....especially on the barrel.

Rounds Complete!!

You're certainly making good progress. A few pointers before yu get to far:
In one of the threads I linked you to, another poster claims there are six bolts around that barrel ring. There are in fact eight. And they are on both sides.
Also, your welds look good but that whole bore evacuator needs to be reshaped. Mine is close but not 100%. There's a separate collar of slightly less diameter and about six inches long behind the bore evacuator. Also the front needs reshaping. You'll probably see the difference if you study photos on Prime Portal. If not, let me know. My wife might be able to pull some images from my external hard drive at home.

Thanks Robert! I'll review pics of the barrel, just realized I was missing the housing! I measured from the round drum..oops

I wondered about the collar..my pics showed more bolts! I have the correct amount, just did one side.

One thing bugging me though..many pics show one handle on drivers hatch, but a few have two? Guess it comes down to picking one vehicle, building that !

Has anyone seen pictures of the PIM Paladin? It shows a GPK armored turret shield around commander..that looks interesting!!!

I just took this image less than an hour ago. If you need more they are on my Photobucket page in the Misc. Photo album.

Thanks!!! I looked thru numerous pics and none showed that back section clearly.

I used a portion of the kit chamber to build the rear portion, working out the seam line now! I haven't used my Dremel this much in years!

The rear box arrangement is driving me nuts...I had already attached one, good lesson learned, study reference pictures BEFORE building!!

I just looked at twelve Paladins. Al have the bolts whee the collar used to be. Not to say some don't, but it's very prevalent . Something I forgot to mention, and that no one else has ever mentioned-there is a welded plate, behind the heater vent opening, underneath where the collar was. It's hard to see, but it's there. It stands about 1/4 proud of the hull. If you want photos let me know.

I have made a bit of progress, but feels like a very small amount! I had a few nights of head scratching, but heres where I am today!

The barrel has been an issue ..the rear portion of the fume extractor has given me tons of trouble. I used a section from the kit part for the missing detail, but looking @ 18Bravo's pictures...I not sure its the right " look"



Ok..am I heading in the right direction w/ the barrel details, or any suggestions to improve it? It's such a important part to get right..

Thanks for looking!

Your getting closer. There's yet another even smaller collar behind that plastic one.
As for your boxes-entirely adequate. They're hidden behind the spades for the most part. Don't forget the door lock.

Here's the plate I mentioned. You can see the bolts as well.

18 Bravo- Thanks for the updated pics! I nearly missed that tiny collar ...more to add. time to work out the door lock!

seems to be a maze of loops around the turret..my carpet monster is eating good this wknd!

Jeff

Yeah!! I made progress over the rainy weekend...the rear door lock was fashioned from solder, also the TINY tie-down loops that encompass the turret!!!

Here's the rear door lock:


The left side turret is starting to look busy...


Also the right side is finally taking shape, I replaced the range poles w/ plastic rod..much better ! Also of note are all the loops on the turret




Any comments welcome!

Jeff

Hi Jeff !

No comments. It looks almost perfect to me.

Great work.

Cheers !

Marco

Moving along very smartly. Good job.

LOOOOOKING Good

Rounds Complete!!