Post by mshackleton on Sept 19, 2013 12:17:25 GMT -5
AFV Club AF35248
1.35 scale
Reviewed by Mike Shackleton
Thanks go to AFV Club for supplying the review sample.
Background
The M109A6 Paladin is the latest advancement in 155mm self-propelled artillery. The system enhances previous versions of the M109 by implementing onboard navigational and automatic fire control systems. Paladin has both a Kevlar-lined chassis and a pressurised crew compartment to guard against ballistic, nuclear, biological, and chemical threats.
The Paladin M109A6 howitzer is the fourth product improvement to the original M109 self-propelled (SP) howitzer. It features improvements in the areas of survivability; reliability, availability, and maintainability and responsiveness. The M109A6 is an armoured, full-tracked howitzer carrying 37 complete conventional rounds and two Copperhead projectiles. It is operated by a crew of four. It has a new angular turret that facilitates integration of the various turret improvements and vulnerability reduction measures and improves overall crew compartment layout and space. Paladin can travel at a maximum speed of 38 mph and has a maximum cruising range of 186 miles.
The weapon has a 4-man crew and weights approximately 62,000 lbs/32 tons, and has a cruising range of 186 miles. Whilst on the move it can receive a fire mission, compute firing data, select and take up its firing position, automatically unlock and point its cannon, fire and move out – all with no external technical assistance. Firing the first round from the move takes under 60 seconds. This 'shoot and scoot' capability protects the crew from counter-battery fire. Paladin is capable of firing up to four rounds per minute to ranges of 30 kilometres. It features increased survivability characteristics such as day/night operability, NBC protection with climate control and secure voice and digital communications. The crew remains in the vehicle throughout the mission.
Adding advanced technology to a 1960s chassis, Paladin can determine its own position on the ground and compute its own firing data. Single-channel ground-air radios permit voice and digital communication with the platoon's operation centre and with other howitzers in the platoon. The Paladin is designed to accept new technologies increasing firing range, rate of fire, and accuracy. In order to maintain the state-of-the-art in artillery technologies, continuing developments enhance the capabilities of Paladin, such as a 52-calibre gun, Modular Artillery Charge System and a laser ignition system.
Production of 950 Paladin vehicles and 927 of it's partner-in-crime, the M992 FAASV (Field Artillery Ammunition Supply Vehicle), was completed in 1999. The Paladin was delivered to the US Army and National Guard Field Artillery units and export operators are Israel and Taiwan.
The Kit
Upon opening the box you are presented with fifteen sprues (including one clear) containing the majority of the parts. Also included are two vinyl tracks, polycaps, a small vinyl sprue, one very small brass fret, a decal sheet, thread for the tow cable and a turned aluminium barrel with spring and a brass sleeve. Non-slip panels for the hull top are supplied as self-adhesive patches. As with other recent AFV Club kits, also included is a print of the box-top art. All of the sprues have identification letters and part numbers.
Compared to the previous M109A2, this kit has a completely revised turret, some clever self-adhesive non-slip panels for the hull top, a much bigger gun travel lock, a new fume extractor and different T154 one-pice vinyl tracks. The new stowage baskets on the back of the turret are works of art. Not immediately obvious is that the roadwheels and idlers have been retooled with more conical hubs. If this hadn't been stated on the box top, I would never have noticed!! This is also true of the revised brrel which has two grooves in the top compared to the single groove of the M109A2 barrel. AFV Club know there stuff!!
Please refer to the previous M109A2 review if you would like to see the original sprues which I will not repeat here. modelerssocialclub.proboards.com/thread/3939/afv-club-m109a2-howitzer
The contents are, as you would expect, are very similar to the previous M109A2 from the same company. Revised parts are in bold.
1. Revised sprue "A", 2 supplied. Road wheels, sprockets, idlers, torsion bars, idler mounts.
2. Sprue "B", 2 supplied. Small details including headlight mounts, hooks, tow clevises, small engine hatch.
3. Sprue "C". Commander's hatch, roof sight, recoil spades, headlight shrouds, front engine hatches, cable reel.
4. Sprue "D". Gun mantlet parts, muzzle brake, breech parts.
5. Sprue "E". Upper hull sides, rear plate, front plate, part of top deck.
6. Sprue "F". Lower hull sides, hull floor, main hull top, two engine deck grilles.
7. Sprue "G". Clear sprue with driver's periscopes, main sight window, roof periscope, light lenses.
8. Sprue "H". Vinyl front mud flaps and mantlet cover.
9. Revised sprue "O". Turret shell and base.
10. Revised sprue "P", 2 supplied. Parts for stowage basket frames, jerrycans, assorted boxes.
11. Revised sprue "Q". Rear door, assorted hatches, gun travel lock, fume extractor, sighting poles, tools.
12. Revised sprue "R". Stowage basket frames, turret ammunition box, , cupola rings, GPS aerial, turret hatches, new fume extractor.
13. Sprue "X",0.50 calibre parts.
14. Revised turned aluminium gun barrel with two grooves, collar, spring
15. Revised vinyl tracks.
16. Polycaps.
17. Revised brass frets – gun sight and exhaust net, stow basket nets and straps.
18. Thread for tow cable.
19. Decals.
20. Non-slip panels – self-adhesive.
First Impressions
The overall quality of the parts is very, very good with excellent moulding and superb moulded-on detail throughout. There is some minor flash on some parts and minor sink marks, but nothing to worry about. As is normal with AFV Club kits, there are many small parts attached to the sprues that will need careful removal and clean up. Ejector pin marks are blissfully free and when they do occur (and show) they will be easy to clean up.
The hull panels are all separate flat parts so it will pay to be careful when building the basic hull to get the angles correct. Most of the panels are at right angles so it shouldn't cause many problems. All of the engine hatches, driver's hatch, the rear door, turret doors and hatches are separate parts. However, there is no interior whatsoever apart from a very detailed gun breech and whatever handles or boxes happen to be on the insides of doors and hatches so they can be posed open. The hinged main engine deck grille has detail on both sides. Of course, this all cries out for the after-market guys to come up with some nice engine and interior sets for this kit.
The suspension is equipped with torsion bars so it can be made operable, or easily posed on a groundwork base. All wheels rotate thanks to polycaps which will also make painting tyres and the hull sides that much easier.
The gun barrel is a work of art in turned aluminium, brass, spring and plastic (muzzle brake and a revised fume extractor) and is probably worth the price of the kit alone. It would be if it came from an after-market company!
The instructions are quite dense in places and some careful study beforehand might be wise. There are no building options apart from open or closed doors, recoil spades up or down and four alternative colour schemes/decals.
No crew figures or stowage accessories are included.
Instructions
The instructions are presented as a 20-page, A4, stapled, black and white booklet. On page 3 we have a potted and illustrated history of the M109 in it's different versions which is a nice touch.
Each construction step is illustrated in a logical order with beautifully clear and large line drawings. There are 34 steps in the construction process and I can't imagine many problems being encountered although some of the steps are quite dense - as mentioned above - with many small parts to be added.
I have already posted the instructions here if you want to refer to them:
modelerssocialclub.proboards.com/thread/5844/afv-club-m109a6-paladin
Small Problems
Over on Armorama, Vodnik (Pawel Krupowicz) has noticed four VERY minor inaccuracies:
the muzzle brake parts from M109A2 kit are used, while real M109A5 and M109A6 have slightly different muzzle brakes with a reinforced rear baffle. Note that the difference in muzzle brake shape is subtle and hardly noticeable unless you know what to look for. The difference is in the shape of rear baffle edges.
small electrical connectors on the right side of the rear hull represent old phone cable sockets (from M109A2), instead of slave electrical socket of M109A5 and M109A6.
small grille behind the driver's hatch is partially covered with flat metal plate in Paladin.
A support block for the travel lock (on upper front hull plate) on Paladin has the rubber centre part removed from most - if not all vehicles - as it is not used in Paladin. The kit part is from M109A2.
These are very minor and easily correctable issues. Only correcting the muzzle brake shape is more tricky, but doable (I already did it). Of course all these issues can easily be ignored as only such freaks as myself are ever going to notice them.
Thanks go to Robert Skipper for allowing us to use his photos from his M109A6 reference photos - see link at the end.
The build
The build of the hull is very similar to the M109A2 kit which I reviewed (link above), so please refer to this.
The only differences are:
Step 3 The roadwheels and idlers have been re-engineered with new conical hubcaps.
Step 7 (new): The addition of non-slip panels to the hull top engine hatches. The non-slip film is pre-cut to the shapes needed and self-adhesive. It is basically a thin transparent film and the surface has a barely discernable texture. You can see it under a magnifying glass but only just feel it with your finger tips. The film itself is a tiny bit thicker than an etched sheet of brass detail. A neat idea.
Steps 10 and 11 (renumbered): Construction of a completely new and much more substantial gun travel lock.
Steps 12 and 13 (renumbered): A revised rear hull door with different fittings and slight changes to the hull rear panel.
During step 17 the new T154 vinyl track is fitted. This track is a little disappointing which is unusual for AFV Club who usually do a good job with one-piece vinyl tracks. They have used a softer material compared to the M109A2 tracks which means that there is a certain amount of distortion. This mainly concerns the end connectors some of which are, shall we say, at jaunty angles!
This adds two extra stages to the hull build compared to the M109A2. The turret build then carries on with steps 18 through 34. The building of the gun is very similar to before with only minor differences, but the turret is completely new. To start with, the gun is assembled pretty much the same as the previous M109A2. Paladin differences are in bold.
We start with the gun mount in step 18 and add three recuperator and recoil cylinders to the curved rotor shield. Step 19 details this magnificent gun. A brass sleeve with a plastic ring attached is fixed into the recuperator assembly. New armoured shielding now surrounds the recuperator and recoil system and a small box thingey (presumably to do with the fire control system) are added.
Step 20 – The turned barrel has a fine groove machined along the top edge. The instructions advice masking off a 6 mm band around the the barrel at the end of this groove which you do not paint! If fact, this band is also very finely machined in!! The gun is now slid into the brass tube and it is retained in place by two collars D18 and D19. The fume extractor has been replaced which is in two halves and the absolutely humungous muzzle brake comes in three parts all snuggled around the aluminium barrel. Magnificent. Please note the small problem with the muzzle brake – if you want to change it!
The circular rotor shield is completed in step 21 with the inside of the recuperator cylinders mount and the breech block which is also incredibly detailed. The locking teeth on the inside of the breech ring and on the breech lock are each made from four separate plates with the ‘teeth' moulded in. The breech lock is hinged so this detail doesn't remain hidden away. Although the gun can be made to recoil thanks to the spring, please note that the breech does not recoil with it. However, if part D3 is not glued to D22, I see no reason why it can't be made to work. The rotor shield has more details added in step 19 before the trunnion mounts are added either side in step 22. The completed gun can then be mounted onto the turret base before the turret top and rear walls are added.
From here on, most parts are completely new to build the remainder of the redesigned Paladin turret.
Step 23 builds the basic turret shell including mounting the gun onto the turret base plate. The most noticeable difference here is the huge ammunition box on the turret rear.
Steps 23 and 24 add various panels and doors to complete the basic turret build.
Steps 26 and 27 take us through the build of the .50 cal machine gun mounted to the commander's hatch ring and assembly of the commander's cupola.
Detail can now be added to the outside of the turret in step 28. This starts with the panoramic telescope in its armoured housing on the roof. Paint instructions are given for the interior of this device because this has to carried out before the body halves are glued together and the window added which has to be tinted green (with a suitable clear colour). The complete telescope is rotatable when in position.
Step 29 deals with the equipment fitted to the turret which includes various boxes, a lot of jerrycans, a GPS aerial, two normal aerial mounts, track tension tool, numerous tie down hooks on top the ammo box, amongst other ‘stuff'.
Two huge stow baskets have to built next (steps 30 and 31) and each is dealt with in great detail including a strange corrugated base and etch netting which goes on the inside faces of the frames. The baskets are then clipped onto the turret rear ammo box in step 32 so that they can be hinged forward to sit along the outside faces of the box. Tools and ranging poles are added to the right turret side.
More jerrycans are added in step 33 plus some final tools. In the last step the turret is added to the hull, tow cable added and a single aerial. A canvas cover over the mantlet is done in vinyl, like the mud flaps in step 8.
Markings
These cover five options but none of them give any timescale, units or whereabouts. All are US Army. Three are in three-tone nato camo and the other two in desert sand. I am sure the experts amongst you can work out the units from the decal sheet.
The Competition
In 1.35 sale, M109 in general has been tackled many times. Indeed, I remember building a Nichimo one about 40 years ago. Enough said about that.
In recent years, the one to have has been the Italeri M109A2 (kit no. 246) which dates back to 1983. This has been updated several times over the years into more modern versions up to and including M109A6 Paladin. AFV Club only have Italeri to compete with and from the views of M109 fans that I've read recently on the internet, AFV Club has the better product and it is far better than the old re-versioned Italeri kit, good though the original was for its time. Revell also market the exact same kit (with different colour schemes). Indeed, Tamiya's Paladin is also a rebox of Italeri's kit.
Riich have also announced an M109A6, but it is currently unreleased
Accessories
Riich Models 30001 – T154 workable track www.riichmodel.com/showpro.asp?ArticleID=829
The Riich tracks were designed for the Riich Paladin is not available yet.
Skunk Models Workshop 35002 – T154 Individual Track Link Set for M109A6 armorama.kitmaker.net/modules.php?op=modload&name=Reviews&file=index&req=showcontent&id=8241
The Skunk Works tracks were designed for the Kinetic Paladin which they don't do yet. According to Vodnik: My personal piece of advice: avoid Skunk tracks at all cost! They look good, but are awfully hard to assemble with loosely fitting end connectors... My T154 set from Skunk landed in a trash can after I had tried to assemble a few links. I got the Riich tracks instead.
Fruilmodel ATL-140 – T154 (late) individual workable track.
www.friulmodel.hu/en/atl-140-m108-m109-paladin-t-154-type-track-i237/
Voyager PE35541 – etch brass detail set designed for Tamiya/Italeri Paladin www.voyagermodel.com/productdetails.asp?itemid=PE35541
AFV Club AG35039 – 155 mm Howitzer Ammo set. Turned brass shells and decals.
www.panzer-modell.de/ausgepackt/archiv/afv-club/ag35039.htm
www.anc-creation.com/en/content.php?id=403&brand=c4ca4238a0b923820dcc509a6f75849b
Conclusions
Just like AFV Club's previously-reviewed M109A2, I love this kit of the Paladin and the same kind of comments apply. Compared to some other AFV Club kits, although most of the detail is there, the parts count isn't too high, so it is not too daunting. Production values are high. Detail is high. The tracks are a little disappointing, but once in place, painted and weathered, they may not look so bad. Apart from lacking an interior (other than a very nice gun breech) which would have sent the price sky-high, I have nearly no complaints. A very fine kit indeed.
The model for this review was kindly donated by AFV Club.
References:
Books
Sheridan: A History of the American Light Tank Volume 2, RP Hunnicutt, Presidio, ISBN 0-89141-570-X
Websites
A general Google search for images brings up hundreds of pics.
www.army-guide.com/eng/product1275.html
www.fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/land/m109a6.htm
Walkaround
www.primeportal.net/artillery/cam_alldredge/m109a6_paladin/
Paladin reference photos
Supplied by Rob Skipper who can be contacted at the address below. The files for the Paladin (which comes with FAASV) are $14.99. Files are sent online via WeTransfer as the CD is no longer available. PayPal is eighteenbravo2003@yahoo.com
1.35 scale
Reviewed by Mike Shackleton
Thanks go to AFV Club for supplying the review sample.
Background
The M109A6 Paladin is the latest advancement in 155mm self-propelled artillery. The system enhances previous versions of the M109 by implementing onboard navigational and automatic fire control systems. Paladin has both a Kevlar-lined chassis and a pressurised crew compartment to guard against ballistic, nuclear, biological, and chemical threats.
The Paladin M109A6 howitzer is the fourth product improvement to the original M109 self-propelled (SP) howitzer. It features improvements in the areas of survivability; reliability, availability, and maintainability and responsiveness. The M109A6 is an armoured, full-tracked howitzer carrying 37 complete conventional rounds and two Copperhead projectiles. It is operated by a crew of four. It has a new angular turret that facilitates integration of the various turret improvements and vulnerability reduction measures and improves overall crew compartment layout and space. Paladin can travel at a maximum speed of 38 mph and has a maximum cruising range of 186 miles.
The weapon has a 4-man crew and weights approximately 62,000 lbs/32 tons, and has a cruising range of 186 miles. Whilst on the move it can receive a fire mission, compute firing data, select and take up its firing position, automatically unlock and point its cannon, fire and move out – all with no external technical assistance. Firing the first round from the move takes under 60 seconds. This 'shoot and scoot' capability protects the crew from counter-battery fire. Paladin is capable of firing up to four rounds per minute to ranges of 30 kilometres. It features increased survivability characteristics such as day/night operability, NBC protection with climate control and secure voice and digital communications. The crew remains in the vehicle throughout the mission.
Adding advanced technology to a 1960s chassis, Paladin can determine its own position on the ground and compute its own firing data. Single-channel ground-air radios permit voice and digital communication with the platoon's operation centre and with other howitzers in the platoon. The Paladin is designed to accept new technologies increasing firing range, rate of fire, and accuracy. In order to maintain the state-of-the-art in artillery technologies, continuing developments enhance the capabilities of Paladin, such as a 52-calibre gun, Modular Artillery Charge System and a laser ignition system.
Production of 950 Paladin vehicles and 927 of it's partner-in-crime, the M992 FAASV (Field Artillery Ammunition Supply Vehicle), was completed in 1999. The Paladin was delivered to the US Army and National Guard Field Artillery units and export operators are Israel and Taiwan.
The Kit
Upon opening the box you are presented with fifteen sprues (including one clear) containing the majority of the parts. Also included are two vinyl tracks, polycaps, a small vinyl sprue, one very small brass fret, a decal sheet, thread for the tow cable and a turned aluminium barrel with spring and a brass sleeve. Non-slip panels for the hull top are supplied as self-adhesive patches. As with other recent AFV Club kits, also included is a print of the box-top art. All of the sprues have identification letters and part numbers.
Compared to the previous M109A2, this kit has a completely revised turret, some clever self-adhesive non-slip panels for the hull top, a much bigger gun travel lock, a new fume extractor and different T154 one-pice vinyl tracks. The new stowage baskets on the back of the turret are works of art. Not immediately obvious is that the roadwheels and idlers have been retooled with more conical hubs. If this hadn't been stated on the box top, I would never have noticed!! This is also true of the revised brrel which has two grooves in the top compared to the single groove of the M109A2 barrel. AFV Club know there stuff!!
Please refer to the previous M109A2 review if you would like to see the original sprues which I will not repeat here. modelerssocialclub.proboards.com/thread/3939/afv-club-m109a2-howitzer
The contents are, as you would expect, are very similar to the previous M109A2 from the same company. Revised parts are in bold.
1. Revised sprue "A", 2 supplied. Road wheels, sprockets, idlers, torsion bars, idler mounts.
2. Sprue "B", 2 supplied. Small details including headlight mounts, hooks, tow clevises, small engine hatch.
3. Sprue "C". Commander's hatch, roof sight, recoil spades, headlight shrouds, front engine hatches, cable reel.
4. Sprue "D". Gun mantlet parts, muzzle brake, breech parts.
5. Sprue "E". Upper hull sides, rear plate, front plate, part of top deck.
6. Sprue "F". Lower hull sides, hull floor, main hull top, two engine deck grilles.
7. Sprue "G". Clear sprue with driver's periscopes, main sight window, roof periscope, light lenses.
8. Sprue "H". Vinyl front mud flaps and mantlet cover.
9. Revised sprue "O". Turret shell and base.
10. Revised sprue "P", 2 supplied. Parts for stowage basket frames, jerrycans, assorted boxes.
11. Revised sprue "Q". Rear door, assorted hatches, gun travel lock, fume extractor, sighting poles, tools.
12. Revised sprue "R". Stowage basket frames, turret ammunition box, , cupola rings, GPS aerial, turret hatches, new fume extractor.
13. Sprue "X",0.50 calibre parts.
14. Revised turned aluminium gun barrel with two grooves, collar, spring
15. Revised vinyl tracks.
16. Polycaps.
17. Revised brass frets – gun sight and exhaust net, stow basket nets and straps.
18. Thread for tow cable.
19. Decals.
20. Non-slip panels – self-adhesive.
First Impressions
The overall quality of the parts is very, very good with excellent moulding and superb moulded-on detail throughout. There is some minor flash on some parts and minor sink marks, but nothing to worry about. As is normal with AFV Club kits, there are many small parts attached to the sprues that will need careful removal and clean up. Ejector pin marks are blissfully free and when they do occur (and show) they will be easy to clean up.
The hull panels are all separate flat parts so it will pay to be careful when building the basic hull to get the angles correct. Most of the panels are at right angles so it shouldn't cause many problems. All of the engine hatches, driver's hatch, the rear door, turret doors and hatches are separate parts. However, there is no interior whatsoever apart from a very detailed gun breech and whatever handles or boxes happen to be on the insides of doors and hatches so they can be posed open. The hinged main engine deck grille has detail on both sides. Of course, this all cries out for the after-market guys to come up with some nice engine and interior sets for this kit.
The suspension is equipped with torsion bars so it can be made operable, or easily posed on a groundwork base. All wheels rotate thanks to polycaps which will also make painting tyres and the hull sides that much easier.
The gun barrel is a work of art in turned aluminium, brass, spring and plastic (muzzle brake and a revised fume extractor) and is probably worth the price of the kit alone. It would be if it came from an after-market company!
The instructions are quite dense in places and some careful study beforehand might be wise. There are no building options apart from open or closed doors, recoil spades up or down and four alternative colour schemes/decals.
No crew figures or stowage accessories are included.
Instructions
The instructions are presented as a 20-page, A4, stapled, black and white booklet. On page 3 we have a potted and illustrated history of the M109 in it's different versions which is a nice touch.
Each construction step is illustrated in a logical order with beautifully clear and large line drawings. There are 34 steps in the construction process and I can't imagine many problems being encountered although some of the steps are quite dense - as mentioned above - with many small parts to be added.
I have already posted the instructions here if you want to refer to them:
modelerssocialclub.proboards.com/thread/5844/afv-club-m109a6-paladin
Small Problems
Over on Armorama, Vodnik (Pawel Krupowicz) has noticed four VERY minor inaccuracies:
the muzzle brake parts from M109A2 kit are used, while real M109A5 and M109A6 have slightly different muzzle brakes with a reinforced rear baffle. Note that the difference in muzzle brake shape is subtle and hardly noticeable unless you know what to look for. The difference is in the shape of rear baffle edges.
small electrical connectors on the right side of the rear hull represent old phone cable sockets (from M109A2), instead of slave electrical socket of M109A5 and M109A6.
small grille behind the driver's hatch is partially covered with flat metal plate in Paladin.
A support block for the travel lock (on upper front hull plate) on Paladin has the rubber centre part removed from most - if not all vehicles - as it is not used in Paladin. The kit part is from M109A2.
These are very minor and easily correctable issues. Only correcting the muzzle brake shape is more tricky, but doable (I already did it). Of course all these issues can easily be ignored as only such freaks as myself are ever going to notice them.
Thanks go to Robert Skipper for allowing us to use his photos from his M109A6 reference photos - see link at the end.
The build
The build of the hull is very similar to the M109A2 kit which I reviewed (link above), so please refer to this.
The only differences are:
Step 3 The roadwheels and idlers have been re-engineered with new conical hubcaps.
Step 7 (new): The addition of non-slip panels to the hull top engine hatches. The non-slip film is pre-cut to the shapes needed and self-adhesive. It is basically a thin transparent film and the surface has a barely discernable texture. You can see it under a magnifying glass but only just feel it with your finger tips. The film itself is a tiny bit thicker than an etched sheet of brass detail. A neat idea.
Steps 10 and 11 (renumbered): Construction of a completely new and much more substantial gun travel lock.
Steps 12 and 13 (renumbered): A revised rear hull door with different fittings and slight changes to the hull rear panel.
During step 17 the new T154 vinyl track is fitted. This track is a little disappointing which is unusual for AFV Club who usually do a good job with one-piece vinyl tracks. They have used a softer material compared to the M109A2 tracks which means that there is a certain amount of distortion. This mainly concerns the end connectors some of which are, shall we say, at jaunty angles!
This adds two extra stages to the hull build compared to the M109A2. The turret build then carries on with steps 18 through 34. The building of the gun is very similar to before with only minor differences, but the turret is completely new. To start with, the gun is assembled pretty much the same as the previous M109A2. Paladin differences are in bold.
We start with the gun mount in step 18 and add three recuperator and recoil cylinders to the curved rotor shield. Step 19 details this magnificent gun. A brass sleeve with a plastic ring attached is fixed into the recuperator assembly. New armoured shielding now surrounds the recuperator and recoil system and a small box thingey (presumably to do with the fire control system) are added.
Step 20 – The turned barrel has a fine groove machined along the top edge. The instructions advice masking off a 6 mm band around the the barrel at the end of this groove which you do not paint! If fact, this band is also very finely machined in!! The gun is now slid into the brass tube and it is retained in place by two collars D18 and D19. The fume extractor has been replaced which is in two halves and the absolutely humungous muzzle brake comes in three parts all snuggled around the aluminium barrel. Magnificent. Please note the small problem with the muzzle brake – if you want to change it!
The circular rotor shield is completed in step 21 with the inside of the recuperator cylinders mount and the breech block which is also incredibly detailed. The locking teeth on the inside of the breech ring and on the breech lock are each made from four separate plates with the ‘teeth' moulded in. The breech lock is hinged so this detail doesn't remain hidden away. Although the gun can be made to recoil thanks to the spring, please note that the breech does not recoil with it. However, if part D3 is not glued to D22, I see no reason why it can't be made to work. The rotor shield has more details added in step 19 before the trunnion mounts are added either side in step 22. The completed gun can then be mounted onto the turret base before the turret top and rear walls are added.
From here on, most parts are completely new to build the remainder of the redesigned Paladin turret.
Step 23 builds the basic turret shell including mounting the gun onto the turret base plate. The most noticeable difference here is the huge ammunition box on the turret rear.
Steps 23 and 24 add various panels and doors to complete the basic turret build.
Steps 26 and 27 take us through the build of the .50 cal machine gun mounted to the commander's hatch ring and assembly of the commander's cupola.
Detail can now be added to the outside of the turret in step 28. This starts with the panoramic telescope in its armoured housing on the roof. Paint instructions are given for the interior of this device because this has to carried out before the body halves are glued together and the window added which has to be tinted green (with a suitable clear colour). The complete telescope is rotatable when in position.
Step 29 deals with the equipment fitted to the turret which includes various boxes, a lot of jerrycans, a GPS aerial, two normal aerial mounts, track tension tool, numerous tie down hooks on top the ammo box, amongst other ‘stuff'.
Two huge stow baskets have to built next (steps 30 and 31) and each is dealt with in great detail including a strange corrugated base and etch netting which goes on the inside faces of the frames. The baskets are then clipped onto the turret rear ammo box in step 32 so that they can be hinged forward to sit along the outside faces of the box. Tools and ranging poles are added to the right turret side.
More jerrycans are added in step 33 plus some final tools. In the last step the turret is added to the hull, tow cable added and a single aerial. A canvas cover over the mantlet is done in vinyl, like the mud flaps in step 8.
Markings
These cover five options but none of them give any timescale, units or whereabouts. All are US Army. Three are in three-tone nato camo and the other two in desert sand. I am sure the experts amongst you can work out the units from the decal sheet.
The Competition
In 1.35 sale, M109 in general has been tackled many times. Indeed, I remember building a Nichimo one about 40 years ago. Enough said about that.
In recent years, the one to have has been the Italeri M109A2 (kit no. 246) which dates back to 1983. This has been updated several times over the years into more modern versions up to and including M109A6 Paladin. AFV Club only have Italeri to compete with and from the views of M109 fans that I've read recently on the internet, AFV Club has the better product and it is far better than the old re-versioned Italeri kit, good though the original was for its time. Revell also market the exact same kit (with different colour schemes). Indeed, Tamiya's Paladin is also a rebox of Italeri's kit.
Riich have also announced an M109A6, but it is currently unreleased
Accessories
Riich Models 30001 – T154 workable track www.riichmodel.com/showpro.asp?ArticleID=829
The Riich tracks were designed for the Riich Paladin is not available yet.
Skunk Models Workshop 35002 – T154 Individual Track Link Set for M109A6 armorama.kitmaker.net/modules.php?op=modload&name=Reviews&file=index&req=showcontent&id=8241
The Skunk Works tracks were designed for the Kinetic Paladin which they don't do yet. According to Vodnik: My personal piece of advice: avoid Skunk tracks at all cost! They look good, but are awfully hard to assemble with loosely fitting end connectors... My T154 set from Skunk landed in a trash can after I had tried to assemble a few links. I got the Riich tracks instead.
Fruilmodel ATL-140 – T154 (late) individual workable track.
www.friulmodel.hu/en/atl-140-m108-m109-paladin-t-154-type-track-i237/
Voyager PE35541 – etch brass detail set designed for Tamiya/Italeri Paladin www.voyagermodel.com/productdetails.asp?itemid=PE35541
AFV Club AG35039 – 155 mm Howitzer Ammo set. Turned brass shells and decals.
www.panzer-modell.de/ausgepackt/archiv/afv-club/ag35039.htm
www.anc-creation.com/en/content.php?id=403&brand=c4ca4238a0b923820dcc509a6f75849b
Conclusions
Just like AFV Club's previously-reviewed M109A2, I love this kit of the Paladin and the same kind of comments apply. Compared to some other AFV Club kits, although most of the detail is there, the parts count isn't too high, so it is not too daunting. Production values are high. Detail is high. The tracks are a little disappointing, but once in place, painted and weathered, they may not look so bad. Apart from lacking an interior (other than a very nice gun breech) which would have sent the price sky-high, I have nearly no complaints. A very fine kit indeed.
The model for this review was kindly donated by AFV Club.
References:
Books
Sheridan: A History of the American Light Tank Volume 2, RP Hunnicutt, Presidio, ISBN 0-89141-570-X
Websites
A general Google search for images brings up hundreds of pics.
www.army-guide.com/eng/product1275.html
www.fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/land/m109a6.htm
Walkaround
www.primeportal.net/artillery/cam_alldredge/m109a6_paladin/
Paladin reference photos
Supplied by Rob Skipper who can be contacted at the address below. The files for the Paladin (which comes with FAASV) are $14.99. Files are sent online via WeTransfer as the CD is no longer available. PayPal is eighteenbravo2003@yahoo.com