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These arrived today. The Howitzers are stunning as is the Abrams.  The packaging was impressive. I wish I would have thought to take pics before I removed them from the box. The howitzers actually fire included artillery rounds.  105mm Howitzer side view

"Go ahead, make my day!"

!05mm Howitzer[1)M1A Abrams overheadM1A Abrams

These will be added to my Veterans' Day military consist!

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Images (4)
  • 105mm Howitzer side view
  • !05mm Howitzer(1)
  • M1A Abrams overhead
  • M1A Abrams
Original Post

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ToledoEd posted:
Fredstrains posted:

The “Howitzers” look out of Scale!

 

Here's another pic with 2 O scale soldiers next to the Howitzers. 105mm howitzer_ 2 soldiers

Image result for 105mm howitzer in action

Korean War 105.

 

The upper photo of the model looks too big, in my opinion, for the small, towed 105 (note how much smaller/lower to the ground the real one is in the lower photo). The nice small, towed 105s we had in the 2nd Armored Division (1965 & 1966), looked like the photo of the Korean War 105. I'm wondering if the MTH model might be a towed 155?

Ed Boyle posted:

The M1 Abrams seems to be scale proportioned.  Remember, the real one weighs 60 tons plus when loaded and is considerably larger than the World War 2 vintage M4 Sherman tank.

Ed Boyle

Seems to me, the Abrams is pretty well scaled, although the comment about the track overhang is right. I looked at a number of photos of these beasts on flatcars and the tread does overhang a bit.

ToledoEd posted:

I was considering building a 155mm Long Tom (Built one of those when I was kid)  and put it on a flat car...then i saw these MTH Howitzers and decided to buy them.  I agree, the barrel for sure looks too long.

Well, the "Long Tom" Howitzers we had (one battery of them) were 175mm. They were eventually taken away from us in late 1966, and sent to Viet Nam. Thus, all we had remaining were some towed 105mm, a bunch of self-propelled 155mm, quite a few 8" self-propelled, and two Honest John rockets. By far the absolute best, and most accurate, Howitzer was the 8" self-propelled; 220 pound projectile and with white bag propellent, was good for 20 miles.

Are we sure this is not a 105 "Recoilless rifle ' ?  The mth Howetizers resemble 155s and not the 105'.. that would justify the longer barrel... remember rarely are these accessories actually perfect 1:48 scale. Probably  closer to 1:43, 1:45...

When I was in the first Armored Infantry Div.  our M60A1, 120 ton tanks, tracks, hung way over the rail cars.  Especially when on exercises in Germany, when we moved equipment by rail from Graphinvere to KT  on Reforger war games... So Ed, your tanks tracks hanging over are prototypical...

Image result for 105mm howitzer in action

It's been a long time since I was in tube artillery, but I do not recognize this model. The carriage sort of looks like a hybrid 155 M1 (Long Tom) carriage, but it's missing the second set of wheels. The howitzer mount, elevating mechanism, equilibrator, recuperator, recoil cylinders, and muzzle brake are of unknown design. But, having said that, I'll be the first to admit that it's not fair to compare this to a scale model. It's an approximation and it makes a great flat car load.

Which reminds me … didn't Life Like produce M1A1 105mm howitzers in 1:40 or 1:44 scale back in the day?

Ed Boyle posted:

The M1 Abrams seems to be scale proportioned.  Remember, the real one weighs 60 tons plus when loaded and is considerably larger than the World War 2 vintage M4 Sherman tank.

Ed Boyle

The key words being "scale proportioned"! It may very well be scale proportioned, but, to what? Not 1:48. 

I have been looking for a 1:48 Long Tom for my military consist.  Remember having one with my 1960's Lionel that I built from plastic kit .  May have been a Revel kit, came with a half track to tow.  Had no luck surfing the web, does anyone know of a source for this?  The piece with the MTH flat is identical to one put out by Solido back in the '70s.   Ft. Sill, down by Lawton, Oklahoma, has a nice artillery museum, including a set of the Atomic Cannon as pictured above.

Jesse   TCA  12-68275

texastrain posted:

I have been looking for a 1:48 Long Tom for my military consist.  Remember having one with my 1960's Lionel that I built from plastic kit .  May have been a Revel kit, came with a half track to tow.  Had no luck surfing the web, does anyone know of a source for this?  The piece with the MTH flat is identical to one put out by Solido back in the '70s.   Ft. Sill, down by Lawton, Oklahoma, has a nice artillery museum, including a set of the Atomic Cannon as pictured above.

Jesse   TCA  12-68275

Good eye!  They are Solido models according to the package containing a little wrench that came in the box.

texastrain posted:

I have been looking for a 1:48 Long Tom for my military consist.  Remember having one with my 1960's Lionel that I built from plastic kit .  May have been a Revel kit, came with a half track to tow.  Had no luck surfing the web, does anyone know of a source for this?  The piece with the MTH flat is identical to one put out by Solido back in the '70s.   Ft. Sill, down by Lawton, Oklahoma, has a nice artillery museum, including a set of the Atomic Cannon as pictured above.

Jesse   TCA  12-68275

Bandai, made a 1/48 WWII Long Tom kit as well as many other US and German armor, artillery, and accessory kits, including halftracks.  They are getting kinda rare and pricey, alas!

texastrain posted:

I have been looking for a 1:48 Long Tom for my military consist.  Remember having one with my 1960's Lionel that I built from plastic kit .  May have been a Revel kit, came with a half track to tow.  Had no luck surfing the web, does anyone know of a source for this?  

Jesse   TCA  12-68275

It was a Revell kit. From 1956-57. 1/40th scale. I had one, too. It was a neat model. They did a lot of reisses of classic Revell kits, a number of years ago, anyway - not sure if this one was done or not. The ad is from a 1957 issue of Popular Science magazine. My favorite armor kits way back in the day were the ones done by Renwal - Blueprint Models. Too large for O Gauge, though.

Revell H523-198 LongToma.JPG

DSCN2842 [3).JPG

DSCN2844 [2).JPG

Magazine Ad for Revell Model Kit, Long Tom Gun With Tractor, 1957

Image result for renwal models

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Last edited by breezinup

Kusan Army cannon flat car No.42010id_m2_155mm_hrpe_700Palallin,  Yes, have seen the kits, and prices, of the Bandai models!   Too much for my blood.... just wish to have a couple for loads on military flats.  But, not at the cost of an entire rail line!!

Breezinup,    Yes, have also seen the kit shown with the tractor included to tow the Long Tom.  However, I distinctly recall, with certainty,  the model I had made use of a half-track.  No doubt about it, it was a half-track.  I placed them on my flats too many times to not remember, and the half-track was a little wider than the dual tired axle of the Long Tom.  As noted above, have seen the Bandai model kits.. way too expensive.  Also, have located a source for the Solido artillery pieces.  But, the ones I located, by Solido in the 1970s, are priced around $100... each!  Must have grown some diamond crystals on them while in storage...….

So... still seeking some reasonable priced Long Toms in approx. 1:48 scale for military loads.  If successful, will pass on the information.   Hmmmmm…..    Looking at the artillery piece situated on the KMT US Army flat #42010...…..   Take it off the flat, place a carriage with dual axle underneath, some detail work added...….   Hmmmmmmmm……….

Jesse   TCA

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Images (2)
  • Kusan Army cannon flat car No.42010
  • id_m2_155mm_hrpe_700
Last edited by texastrain
texastrain posted:

Breezinup,    Yes, have also seen the kit shown with the tractor included to tow the Long Tom.  However, I distinctly recall, with certainty,  the model I had made use of a half-track.  No doubt about it, it was a half-track.  I placed them on my flats too many times to not remember, and the half-track was a little wider than the dual tired axle of the Long Tom. 

Jesse   TCA

I'm quite sure Revell never made a half-track to go with the Long Tom. Actually, I don't recall that Revell ever made a half-track at all. Monogram made one, though, although it was 1/35, a somewhat larger scale than the Revell Long Tom. 

You may be remembering the Monogram model. And if your half-track was wider than the Long Tom, as you say, that's probably because the half-track was 1/35 scale whereas the Long Tom was 1/40.

Revell 85-0034 1:35 Armored Half Track

Last edited by breezinup

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