You are kit shaming me into doing something. I’ve been meaning to do a couple of M110A2’s in NATO 3-Color to represent my time as Battalion XO of 4/20 FA which was a part of the USAR’s 428th FA Brigade until 1993 when all Combat Arms units in the USAR were allocated to the ARNG.
I’ve been meaning to do these so long that the KITS I have are the old Italeri kits, but I think I’d be better off just getting two new AFV kits.
Thoughts?
Hi Tom,
Would love to see even more of your stuff, even if this time around it’s not in MASSTER.
I too have a selection of Italeri kits (M110 and M107) and am facing the same quandary - not that I ever served on them (or even anywhere near them come to that!).
I think received wisdom is “Get the AFV versions”, yet in a perverse way, I’m loath to ditch the Italeri ones. I know they take a lot of work to bring up to spec - all that piping - but I might soldier on with them and try and get something from them.
I have a vision of say, an M107 (Royal Artillery BAOR) trundling down a forest track bearing yet again, my old obscuration friend: camouflage nets.
Not that my thought processes will help in any way with yours I’m sure!
Tom, Brian,
I don’t like to say, “do this”, so I’ll instead run you through my decision regarding the Italeri vs. AFV Club kit. I was actively working on the Tamiya reboxing of the Italeri M107 when AFV Club released the M110.
I had this invested in the Italeri M107 project:
| Manufacturer | Part Number | Kit Name | Cost | Acquired From |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tamiya | 37021 | M107 Self-Propelled Gun | 40 | Squadron |
| 3D in Scale | 3Dis-01 | M110 drivers compartment | 30 | Shapeways |
| Eduard | 35233 | M110 photoetch | 20 | eBay |
| Spade-Ace | SAT-35134 | T130 Metal Track | 32 | Spade Ace |
| Barrel Depot | BDT35046 | M107 Metal Barrel | 20 | eBay |
| Star | 35-C1285 | Big Guns in Vietnam #2 Decals | 10 | Sprue Brothers |
| Mike’s MS Productions | MSP35-004 | VIC1 comm system | 15 | Shapeways |
| Verlinden | 414 | 175mm Gun ammo | 23 | Skyway |
| Total | $200 |
In addition, I had purchased some additional 175mm projectiles on Shapeways, and had commissioned custom decals for all of the stencils, placards, etc.
The hull, indy link tracks, spade, interior, recoil system, and tube/breech were complete. In total I had 113 hours invested into it in addition to the $200.
Being a detail oriented old cannon cocker, I keep a journal in MS OneNote on each of my builds. These are my final two entries for the M107:
“Started looking at the amount of work required to replace the hydraulic lines on the cradle and loader/rammer. The loader/rammer is undersized. This is just a ton of work. With the new tool AFV Club M110 due out in a couple of months, I’m going to place this on hold and re-evaluate when I have the AFV Club M110 in hand.”
“Well this has been on the shelf of doom for a long time. AFV Club released and I built the excellent M110, and I now have their very nice M107. Building the AFV Club M107 will be quicker, easier, and yield better results than finishing the Italeri. So this build will be abandoned. I’ll pry off the PE parts that I need for the AFV Club M107 and use the completed hull with a HobbyLink 3D printed M578 conversion kit.”
I donated the unstarted Italeri M110A2 and M110 to the IPMS Seattle Spring Show raffle, and picked up the AFV Club kits at Skyway Model Shop.
An M578 was not on my build list, but, this preserves much of my effort and expense on the abandoned M107. I picked up the 3D printed HobbyLink M578 conversion kit from Wanamaker at the AMPS convention. It looks really nice - detailed, complete and well printed. I plan to do the M578 in MAASTER after I knock out more artillery pieces.
Thanks Rick; it’s as I suspect - a no brainer. Sad though; in a way I enjoy a challenge but any Italeri M110/M107 project might be a project too far given the excellence of the AFV kits. And all that work! These days I must admit an easier option is, well, just that.
Thanks for your very helpful and detailed response.
Rick, I’ve got to say that’s pretty compelling information to inform the decision. I too have acquired quite a number of after market items for my build of two M110A2’s from the Italeri kit, but have invested basically zero time.
With all that information, the answer is pretty obvious: Guess I’m buying a couple of AFV kits!
Since I’m planning to do a US version (USAR around 1992 or so), is it OK to buy the ROC A2 version or would I be better off with afv35110 kit which is the US M110 and convert that?
In addition to the Italeri kits, I already have the Verlinden A2 conversion kits, the Eduard PE set and Spade Ace metal tracks.
What’s the best bet to do the A2?
Tom,
The only difference between the AFV Club ROC M110A2 kit, pn AF35337, and the AFV Club M110 kit AF35110 are the two sprues for the barrel/muzzle brake, two sprues of ROC water cans / small arms, and decals. The kit only includes decals for the ROC Army.
The barrel and muzzle brake are styrene. I found a hidden present on the barrel spue - the muzzle for an M110A1! I hadn’t planned on building an A1; but…
So, if you start with the AFV Club M110A2 kit you only have to source decals. If you start with the AFV Club M110 kit, you have to source an old Barrel Depot barrel and the decals. I was never able to find the Barrel Depot M110A2 metal barrel.
Rumor has it that AFV Club are working on an M110A2 with the winterization kit. I assume that kit will include US decals.
Good luck!
Rick
Awesome build. Decals with white lettering over a darker background seem to kick some people’s butts, but the decals as well as the overall build are very well done.
Sounds like I’ve got some shopping to do!
You and me both Tom! I’m at the stage that as the attic is groaning, I’ll sort of have to shed kits down my trouser legs akin to The Great Escape crew.
Yeah, I know what you mean. I have a stash of kits, that while not anywhere nearly as large as many of us, is of a size that when I realistically review it, I know that despite WANTING to build all of them, I know that I won’t.
And as hard as it will be to shed some of these kits, many of them which have been in my stash for over 50 YEARS, I’m going to have to start doing so.
Sadly I’ve gotten to the point where I know longer believe that I am going to live for the NEXT 50 years because THAT’S how long it would take to complete all the kits in the stash!!!
A couple of model shows ago - here in the UK - I learned a new acronym:
STABLE
STash
Acquired
Beyond
Life
Expectancy
and that is clearly what I have!
It’s the path to immortality. You cannot die until everything in your stash is finished!
Damon.
I love it. We are all optimists when it comes to our stashes. As my interests are pretty narrow, US artillery (field, coast, and air/missile defense) and early US armor, it keeps my stash under control. I have 140 kits in the stash with lots of aftermarket. As I complete about one model a month, that equates to 12 years to build it down. At 70, I have a fighting chance to build it all, if I they would just stop releasing interesting new kits…
