Introduction

Not long after AFV Club introduced its excellent M109A6 Paladin Howitzer kit, Legend Productions provides a very complete stowage set to cover it with gear. This set is very complete and gives all you need, and then some, to make your Paladin look very lived-in by its crew.

Review

The first thing that caught my eye on this set is just how complete it is. There are a no less than 72 individual pieces in this set. They include the following:

• 1 – Large bundle (tanker’s roll) wrapped in a tarp for on top of the rear of the turret with a piece of camouflage net, a Pelican case, and a duffle bag sticking out
• 1 – smaller bundle w/ a tool box and soft stowage items for one of the side stowage baskets
• 2 – rolled sleeping mats
• 2 – folded cots
• 4 – 40mm ammo cans, one w/a cloth cover
• 3 – spare road wheels, 1 with a shirt hanging off of it
• 1 – large storage box
• 1 – 5 gallon Igloo-style water cooler
• 3 – duffle bags of different levels of fullness
• 2 – smaller gym-style bags
• 2 – MOLLE assault packs
• 2 – MOLLE rucksacks
• 2 – MOLLE rucksacks with camouflage covers
• 2 – MOLLE canteen covers, 1 w/a canteen in it
• 2 – MICH helmets with inner pad and webbing details
• 2 – assorted bedrolls w/spare track pads molded into them for the front glacis plate
• 1 - bedroll
• 1 - CIP
• 1 - open MRE box w/MRE bags inside
• 2 - loose MRE bags
• 1 – Camel pack
• 1 - toolbox
• 1 - pair of binoculars
• 1 - small storage box
• 15 - clear resin water bottles
• 10 – printed MRE boxes
• 4 – printed Safa water boxes
• 5 – printed Emirates water boxes
• 4 – printed Nada water boxes

The myriad of gear is all crisply molded without any bubbles or air holes evident. The casting is top-notch, which is standard with Legend Productions sets. This set gives you all the typical gear that would be carried on a Paladin in Iraq or any other contemporary setting. The large “tankers roll” of gear for the top of the turret fits it perfectly and has all the bumps and fittings on the turret roof accounted for to allow it to sit correctly on top.

Likewise, the other soft items are all cast with them lying naturally on the portions of the vehicle they are designed to fit. The molded on track pads for the front glacis are very nice and allow the bags they are molded with to sit naturally. The variety of bags and extra accessories gives a well lived-in look by the crew.

The printed water and MRE boxes look very good and the addition of the loose MRE bags is very welcomed. They allow you to show the boxes opened, with the inner, individual meal boxes showing, likewise on the clear water bottles. They are great ideas. I only wish they had provided decals for the individual MRE bags and the water bottle labels.

The only other issue I have with the set is the lack of any instructions at all. The box top only has 1 picture showing the right front quarter of the howitzer with all the gear on it. Some of the various tarps and soft gear, such as the bedrolls, are form-molded to fit certain parts by conforming to bumps, lumps and other protrusions on the hull. The issue is that there are no instructions showing which pieces go where. You can see most of the pieces in the picture, but not all. You are left to figure it out yourself by test-fitting them all over the hull until they fall into place like a puzzle piece.

Conclusion

This is a great set that will fill your Paladin with gear and give it that lived-in look. It has everything you need to add to the vehicle. The large tanker’s roll for the turret rear is really nice. It is typical of stowage you would see on a Paladin. Legend Productions has another winner in this set. It is perfect for any Paladin that you want covered in gear.