Manufacturer: Italeri, available from Testor, 620 Buckbee St., Rockford, IL 61104-4891, 815-962-6654.
Kit: No. 372
Scale: 1/35
Price: $27
Comments: Injection molded, 242 parts (2 vinyl), decals.
Pros: New turret and travel lock provide most of the features of the Paladin, overall ease of assembly.
Cons: Some features of previous variants not eliminated from hull moldings, old-style track, no interior.
The M109A6, more commonly referred to as the "Paladin," is the latest development of the long-standing M109 series of self-propelled howitzers. Constantly up-gunned and improved over its long career, the M109 series has proven to be the most successful SPH design to date. The 'A6 Paladin mounts an M284 155mm howitzer. At first glance, the most noticeable features of the Paladin are the new turret and power travel lock. The new bustle is steel armored and counterbalances (finally!) the main weapon. Employing the Paladin's computer systems, a crew is expected to send rounds to the target within 60 seconds of receiving a mission.
Italeri's Paladin is basically its old M109 kit hull with the new turret and travel lock added. As such, it represents an earlier production vehicle before the suspension was beefed up and the tracks widened by a couple of inches. However, the old, narrow track is virtually identical to the new T152 type.
The olive drab plastic parts are supplemented by vinyl mesh for the bustle bins, and vinyl track. No clear parts or figures are included, and in spite of the Paladin's large hatches, no interior parts are provided.
The moldings for the new turret are nicely done. However, the latches for the battery box covers, transmission covers, and engine compartment covers are molded on and don't have much detail. The duct work in front of the turret ring for the four air lines used with the earlier floatation device is still there, but is not on the real Paladin. I didn't try to remove the ducts.
Italeri's instructions are straightforward, and assembly of the kit is easy. I suggest, however, that you leave off the travel lock until final assembly. If not glued perfectly, it will keep the turret from lining up properly with the hull when the howitzer is in the travel position.
In step one, it's easiest to assemble the lower hull from the rear plate forward. This allows the sides to go on next, and finally the front. I had to fill around the front of mine in spite of careful assembly. Also, the instructions indicate (correctly) that you should remove the six lugs on the lower front plate (used with the early floatation kit), but doesn't show which bolts to remove from the sides, leaving you with a late-hull bow and early-hull sides. Hmm.
I added a second baffle to the muzzle brake because it looks empty without it. The pseudo-breech provided is inaccurate, so I left off the gun guard (part No. 75C). There is no indication of the sleeve that fits over the tube forward of the mount (to protect the recoil face), so I indicated mine with a different color of paint.
The placement of the lifting eye by the gun mount (146C) is unclear. It should be near the top corner and vertical. I had to apply filler on the panoramic telescope window hood to get the window to sit right. The screening for the bustle boxes is a nice touch, but be careful cutting it as there is little to spare. I drilled out the end of the exhaust pipe (55A) and left off the air receptacles (53A) since they're not on the Paladin.
I painted my Paladin with Model Master enamels and weathered it lightly with Liquitex artist's acrylics. Markings are provided for one vehicle of Alpha Battery, 37th Field Artillery. The background for the unit markings are white instead of the usual sand, and the antenna flags were off-register. I did not apply the rear unit markings on the back of the turret as suggested, as most Paladins have these on the rear fenders or on the little-used trail spades. The decals went on easily with a little setting solution.
The tracks tend to float over the road wheels, so I "sagged" them by tying fine wire to the tracks and suspension. The dimensions appear right on target with my prime scale reference - a real Paladin of the Wisconsin National Guard.
Any modeler can handle this kit, as there are few small parts and no tricky assemblies. I spent 12 hours on mine, five of that on painting. Italeri's Paladin is an acceptable model of the real thing.
Ron Poniatowski