Hi there,
I am building the Trumpeter early Cougar. When part E-16 is glued to E19 (the gunner's sight housing?), there is a very visible seam. Is there a seam on the real thing? I have searched on Google, but the only pictures that I have found that show the part are of kits.
Thanks

No, not where they have it. Not at all.

On a similar note, I'm building another M109A7 Paladin, and it suffers from similar "engineering." The Driver's enhanced vision unit is made thre same way, with a seam cutting through the middle right across the top. You have to file the hell out of it to get rid if it. I recommend using CA glue on the Cougar sight, and sand down smooth so you don't remove too much plastic trying to get rid of it.

If you're talking about the sight on the left, no seam. I have some better photos somewhere, just need to track them down.



Jim

That is a great shot. Thanks a bunch to both of you.
Judging by the stowage basket, that is the later turret, correct? Is the housing the same as the early turret.

Here's the early ones, appear to be the same on each side.





Jim

Thanks again. Those are really useful pics. The kit part clearly reproduces the later housing, even though it is supposed to be an early one.

Hey Gents,

Those are not early sights. They are SS125 (gunner) and SS126 (Commander) Radnis sights. The Cougar had either the standard sights #54 (gunner) and #71 (Commander) as included in the Trumpeter kits or the Radnis sight. The Radnis sights were a day/night image intensification sight. They took up more room inside the turret and were denoted externally by the motor and cables at the rear of the sight housing.

The Radnis sights were usually issued to one or two Cougars in a Troop of four. In Bosnia with UNPROFOR nearly all the Cougars had Radnis sights installed. They were taken from nearly all the Radnis equipped Cougars in Canada to support the addition night vision capability.

Thanks. I have never seen a Radnis sight up close. Not that it makes any difference to how I finish the build, but is a Radnis sight appropriate to this version of the kit?

Yes, the Radnis sights were used on all versions of the Cougar AVGP.

Thanks. I appreciate it.

Jason - so they are an upgrade to an earlier sight? I figured that was one of the oldest pictures of a Cougar I have, and would be original sights. Is the monument one actually the earlier sight then?

Jim

Yes, the sights on the pic of the monument Cougar you posted are the original 54 and 71 sights.

The Radnis sights had both day and night capability while the 54 and 71 sights were only day sights so technically they were an upgrade but not intended as a wholesale replacement. The Commander’s Radnis could also be unlocked so it could rotate to allow the Commander to scan.