Hi All!

I need a little bit of help with my planned diorama for my M109A6 Paladin. Diorama is probably a strong word since I am really not planning on having any figures. But I was thinking of having the Paladin parked in a revetment of sorts, like this photo. This isn’t mine I found it on the Internet and unfortunately can’t remember where.



Here is a mock up of my layout.





I am using the Legand stowage set, because I have it and want to use it. The border of the dio is depicted by the black line. I did run out of the bastion cages and need to get some more, but they will run basically to the edge. I really have a hard time with the layout of these things and appreciate any and all advice I can get. Here are my questions:

1. Is this or was this even a typical set up for M109s in Iraq? I’ve found a lot of photos of them sitting basically on open ground firing. Would that be better?
2. Am I covering up too much of the tank?
3. Should I square the revetment to the base? I know when everything is not lined up its more visually interesting, but in this case is aligned better? (There are always exceptions to the rule!)
4. Any thoughts on filling in the empty space? Its going to really end up looking like a tan blob. Need to introduce some intrest…

I’m sure there are plenty of other things I didn’t even think of that some one will bring up.

So there you go, I am open to all suggestions!

Thanks for the help
Mike

HESCO bastions are OK. Maybe you could scratchbuild some ammo racks like those you can notice below ?



or you can add a sunshield tarp on the turret top, for a green color touch :



H.P.

You are on the right track with your layout. Keep the Hesco Bastions at an angle as well as the Paladin. Turing the turret even a smidge more to give an angle to the base edge will portray movement and the dynamics of indirect firing.

Your friend with this will be to add small and applicable accessories on the ground inside and outside the Hesco sections in order to fill dead space and bring the attention back to the Paladin as the focal piece. Use real world items....discarded water bottles, cardboard boxes, plywood sections, upright and knocked over pylons, small tufts of grass growing in the Hesco, tactfully placed graffiti on a Hesco section, and small piles of dirt and concrete/rebar debris up against the outside of the Hesco that trails off will provide you with gap filling.

If you aren't including figures and have concerns with the Paladin being swallowed up or blending in you should really consider the improvised sun shade as seen in the image Frenchy posted. It adds both height and colour to your Paladin as the centre piece.

A strategically placed Verlinden Porta Potty would be great in your Vignette.

And for pete's sake, don't forget to put out the collimator. Can't have indirect fire without one! Or the red and white aiming stakes.

Actually you can. The M109A6 Paladin uses GPS for location and direction. The collimater or aiming stakes are only used as backup if the GPS goes down and the gun is fired in a degraded mode.

I would not add much gear to the howitzer. By the time Hesco Bastions were used, we were in fixed positions such as FOBs (Forward Operating Bases) and most gear was stored in tents and other buildings, not on the vehicles. Vehicles you see covered in gear were usually during the initial invasion in March of '03..

Crap, my artillery training is completely obsolete.

You can also pile up some 155mm rounds around :



H.P.

Those are just powder cannisters and the pallets they came on. The shells would be stored vertically.

OOOPS ! Thanks for the correction Gary.

H.P.

Plenty of real life experience on this site for sure!
J