1:72 M109 A21:7

The self-propelled howitzer M109 in 1:72 scale

A plastic kit of the tracked artillery vehicle M109 in the small 1:72 scale. It suits a collection of ground machines, where a whole battery will fit side by side, and also a diorama, because in this scale a finished model takes up little room and yet keeps a distinct outline with the long barrel over the rear.

The real subject

The M109 is an American self-propelled howitzer of 155 mm caliber. It joins a tracked chassis with a rotating turret, so the crew can fire over a wide sector without turning the whole vehicle, and the vehicle moves quickly elsewhere after firing. It entered service in the 1960s and became one of the most widespread weapons of its kind in the West: it served in the American army and in a number of other states, and over decades in service it went through several stages of modernization, which differ from one another mainly in the turret, the barrel and the equipment.

Building and painting tips

• Cut the parts from the runner with nippers and sand the mark of the gate down; do not break them off by hand.
• Fit the parts together dry before gluing; with tracked machines this keeps the alignment of the running gear in check.
• Use thin cement for polystyrene and apply it sparingly; a thick drop will eat into the surface.
• Paint the vehicle before you fit the tracks; otherwise neither brush nor nozzle will reach the space between the wheels.
• In a small scale choose a lighter shade of the base color; a small model looks darker in shadow than it is.
• Fill and sand the seams on the turret and the hull; on angular shapes they are clearly visible.

Terms of supply

The kit is supplied unassembled and unpainted. Paints, glue, filler and tools are not part of the package, unless stated otherwise. The particular contents of the box and the procedure for building are given in the manufacturer's instructions.