1/35 M114A1 155mm Howitzer in Viet Nam, 9-15-13, Details

[wing_nut]

Pictures don't do it justice. Impressive when looking at the real deal.

[wbill76]

Beautiful work all around Mike! No surprise to hear it won Gold, congrats!

[Deleted]

Mike a great finish,and a well deserved Gold mate.This whole Blog has been an education,and a joy to watch.I for one would like to thank you and Gary for such an informative thread.

[Tobi]

Gooooood morning, Viet Nam!

I can hear choppers flying by in the distance just from watching...

Well deserved Gold and a very informative thread. Glad I found this!
As with everything Mike, figure painting is also to good degree only a question of practice!

Cheers,
Tobi

[redleg12]

Dogfish - Thanks for the comment, and that was the idea, I dedicate this to Gary

Tony - Thanks, no golden boy, just an old cannon cocker that like gluing little bits of styrene together!!

Marc - Thanks... PS, congrats on your shiny hardware too

Bill - Thanks, it is always fun to show my work, getting a medal is just a plus

Chris - Thanks and I am glad you enjoyed the build. As I have said many times, these sites are for learning, teaching and fun. As for Gary, this build is for my Redleg brother and I thank him for all this post, memories and comments.

Tobi - Thanks, I need to figure out how to make a build have scale smell that would be cool. As for figures, I agree, I get soooo wrapped up in the tiny details, which consume sooo much time, by time I get to this point quite frankly, it is time to move to the next build. That leaves no time for figures!

Rounds Complete!!

[Leon]

Fantastic finish on a fine piece of Artillery Mike .Congrats on a well deserved gold.

[fightnjoe]

my hat is off to you sir. absolutely stunning finish. absolutely stunning.




joe

[redleg12]

Leon - Thanks for stopping by and for the comments

Joe - As always, thanks

Rounds Complete!!

[sturmbird]

for a guy that never spent ten seconds in a parapet, you did well pilgrim. I'm somewhat taken back that somebody like Bravo 6 hasn't done a few sets of cannon cockers, and they are long time overdue. You got the crud build up on the tube just about perfect, and 98% wouldn't have. I was taken back by the "acorn" on the end of the lanyard. Yet no one asked why the acorn. Would be nice if some after market person would make a firing lock! Guns rarely sat with the firing lock in place, but was nicely hid away from sight. Gun won't fire with out one! I found an upfront and up close pic of the front of the pig, and noticed that we simply stuck the steel rods used on the jack in the brakes behind the wheels. I knew we just didn't toss them on the ground but could not remember for sure what we did with them. There were two of them, but it was not often that two guys were on the jack at the sametime. Man power was the issue here. Often the guns were down to five men, and have been on a couple four man crews (plain stupid).

Now of interest to folks researching a build, let me recommend a book titled "Rip Cord." This was an epic battle over Fire Base Rip Cord and a 155 battery out of the 101st. There is actually a movie in the works as I write this. Sappers In The Wire is a book about LZ Mary Anne, and is a good read but not completely factual. That base was almost over ran. The three gun battery was my sister unit known as Charlie Battery. Mary Anne was two ridge lines south and in a valley. The location was untenable, and if they'd asked us in January 1969, we'd have told the powers to be that they were nuts!

Pawl Vodnik wanted to do the Alamo out at A 102, but it was simply a huge under taking. He settled on a concrete bunker complex that had a quad fifty on top of it. I sent him simplified drawings of the camp complete with gun layouts in the lazy W. If anybody could do that one, he'd be my pick. But it's also going to be a huge diorama. I recommend that everybody here investigate his builds as they are top notch, and often give me bad juju. I suspect that it'd take a year to just get the Alamo done right. I may do the multi gun mortar pit someday if I can find all the pieces.

All of you guys following this build gave me a warm heart felt feeling with your observations and questions. Never forget to ask me a question about doing a 155 battery, or even a 105 battery. If I can't answer your question right away, I'll find somebody that will.

so in closing allow me to simply say "Rounds Out!"
gary

[redleg12]

Gary - Thanks, thanks for your service....

Rounds Complete!!

End of Mission

[bbd468]

Outstanding works Mike! This is as good as it gets fella....well done bro.

[redleg12]

BBD - Thanks, appreciate the comment

Rounds Complete!!