M-108G 105-mm Self-propelled Howitzer - 1:35 Italeri

[Julien]

M-108G
1:35 Italeri

The M108 is an American self-propelled 105mm howitzer developed in the 1950's and first fielded on 1962. It uses the same hull and turret of the M109 howitzer along with some components from the M113 armoured personnel carrier. The M108 mounted a fully rifled m103 gun which was 30 calibres long. 87 rounds of 105mm ammunition were carried. The Aluminium armour offered protection from shell splinters and direct fire up to 0.50 calibre heavy machine gun rounds. No spall liners were fitted inside, and the gun was not fitted with an NBC system. In fact no heating/ventilation system was fitted at all. Motive power was provided by a Detroit Diesel V8 generating 425hp. The M108 was intended to be the short range component of the US Army's self-propelled artillery. The M108 was to fill the gap between heavy mortars and the 155mm M109. The M108 proved to be effective in combat in Vietnam, however they Army considered it to be lacking when compared to the 155mm platform. As such it was phased out in the 1970's to be replaced by the M109.

The M108 was used by a few US allies; Belgium, Brazil, Spain, Taiwan, Turkey, and Tunisia. Although not listed as an "official" user of the M108 the Australian Army were loaned at no cost some from the US Army for use in Vietnam. These were used by 6 Troop, 3rd Cavalry Regiment to defend the 1st Australian Task Force Base at Nui Dat before the arrival of Centurion tanks.

The Kit
The Italeri kit of the M108 was first produced in 1983, and to our knowledge has not been re-released since. The kit arrives as three main sprues of grey plastic. The main improvement with this re-release is the inclusion of a new set of tracks. These are now single link tracks which Italeri also produce as a separate set. These replace the original vinyl tracks. There is no interior at all for the kit. A further four sprues contain all the parts for the tracks and the guides to construct them.

Construction starts with fitting the front and rear bulkheads to the lower hull. All the suspension arms are then fitted, along with the drive wheels, idler wheels and road wheels. Once these are on the upper decking is fitted. Following this all of the fittings are attached to the front (headlights, and towing fixtures); and the rear (storage boxes, spare track links, rear door, and lights). The drivers hatch and gun travelling mount can then be attached to the front decking.

The next stage is that the tracks are made up. As mentioned there are four sprues of track parts and four jigs to make then up. There are four runs of straight track for each side with the end being made of individual links. The jigs are designed to fit together to proved essentially one long jig for construction. The tack pads are placed in the jigs and then joined with link part. The guide horn part then goes on top. The modeller will have to be careful with the glue at this stage to ensure correct movement of the links. While rather fiddly the tracks will look so much better than those band ones.These tracks are also available from Italeri as a separate item (T-136).

(Four Of these sprues are provided - the four guides are show linked together)

Final assembly then is down to the turret. The gun and mantle are first constructed. Next its the turret; this is made from the top, lower turret ring and the back (with separate doors). The mantle is then slid through. The turret is completed by the addition of tools, racks, a tow cable and pintle mounted .50 cal machine gun on the op hatch. Fuel cans are also provided for attachment to the turret.

While there is no interior for the kit there are aftermarket sets available, these are mainly under the M109 name as the M109 and M108 are basically the same vehicle with different guns.

Decals
Decals are provided for 3 different guns on a rather small decal sheet. They are printed by a company called Zanchetti in Italy, a company I am not familiar with. The decals look good, however the ones in the review kit seem to have been run over! hopefully most are not like this.

• Brazilian Army 1970
• US Army 1st Field Force Vietnam 1968
• Australian Army, Vietnam 1971

Conclusion
A nice re-issue from Italeri, this kit had been getting hard to find. The inclusion of new tracks is most welcome. Recommended if you like Self-propelled guns, or something a little different.

Review sample courtesy of