Vision Models 1/35th Scale 75mm M1A1 Pack Howitzer

[mpguy80/08]

It's been a long time coming but Vision Models of Taiwan has finally done it... They've released a model of the 75mm Pack howitzer M1A1 in 1/35th scale Plastic. Before now, we've had to suffice with the old Replicast resin one or the Tamiya one in white metal, neither of which were very well detailed. That has changed drastically in this kit.

 

The Vision Models kit, #35001 U.S. M1A1 75mm Pack Howitzer, comes in a box about the size of Dragon or Tamiya's figure kit boxes and that's okay because the Pack Howitzer in 1/35th scale is a tiny affair. Don't let it's size fool you though. The kits is broken down into 55 parts molded in Olive Green Styrene Plastic, a single short brass tube for the exposed barrel muzzle, an instruction sheet and a walk around page with photos of an actual M1A1. Many of the parts, such as the lifting eyes are tiny... and perfectly in scale. The gun may be built as a WWII or Post WWII version and has two different optional sights. Options also include a choice of road or tactical tread tires and five 75mm howitzer rounds.

 

If enough care is taken, the gun may be built so it may be disassembled as in the original. The top cover is removable, as is the axle, which slides into place and rotates to lock it in, though it is not mentioned in the instructions. The tube may be positioned in travelling or firing positions and again, with care the elevating mechanism can be assembled so that the gun may be elevated to any angle. The forward frame is in four parts and the lets and right elevating plates are trapped between the two parts for each side and are coupled by a short rod. Follow the instructions, and do your best not to get glue in the movement arc of parts B7 and B8 and you should be fine. The rear trail frame is movable as well with the ability to fold up over the forward frame.

 

Parts 41 and 42 are meant to be the cradle for the full metal barrel, available separately and are not listed in the instructions. Going back to the top cover for a moment... The hooks on the bottom are molded with flash deliberately that must be cut away as is called for in the instructions. It appears this was done to protect the fragile hooks from damage.

 

Overall, I'd give this kit a 10 out of ten for it's engineering and for the sheer idea that its a Pack howitzer in plastic and would look good in a Marine beach landing or a Battle of the bulge diorama.

 

Wayne

[mpguy80/08]

The open box showing the contents.

[mpguy80/08]

The parts.

[mpguy80/08]

The Walk Around photo sheet

[mpguy80/08]

The instruction sheet

[mpguy80/08]

Instructions

[mpguy80/08]

Instructions

[mpguy80/08]

Instructions

[Joe55]

Looks to be an awesome kit, and what a great help to have walk around pictures included.

 

Joe

[Ches-Gen-4]

Thanks for the look see Wayne. That looks like a cool little Howitzer with great instructions. Bob

[mpguy80/08]

The Pack Howie has always been one of my wants in plastic... Resin is okay but so hard to work with... Vision did well with this kit... they made sure that with care, you can pretty much disassemble it much as the real thing would. Vision out of Taiwan and Bronco out of mainland china are really topping the list in the model accuracy and detail department these days. Tamiya used to be tops... not any more.

[patches]

So many companies, so many great and interesting and far ranging items, from the kits themselves to assessories, and has been for at least 15 years or so. Makes one think how my over 50 crowd ever managed back in the 70s, even going back earlier in the 60s, with such limited makes out they had then, gee what were they only, Tamiya of course, then Monogram, Revel, Italierie, that's about it right? figures from Airfix, and Esci, oh yeah for the more ecletic you had Heller, anymore? if there were, and there probably would be a couple more I forgot, would be dwarfed by the amount of fabulous stuff out today from dozens and dozens of companies.

[Sabrejet]

Back in the 80s early 90s I used to be into 1:35 armor modeling...big time! Mostly Tamiya, as they were the market leaders, and Italeri with their smaller but quality output. I recall buying the Tamiya white metal pack howitzer when it was first released...quite innovative back then. Then, collecting militaria took over and I drifted away from the modeling completely. Fast-forward to last week. I was at "Tankfest" at The Tank Museum. They have a very well-stocked armor models section in the museum shop so I drifted over to check it out. Apart from some ol' favourites which are still apparently in production some 25 years on, I was amazed to see the range of "new" kits, some of which I could only have dreamt about back then! But....(there's always a "but"!) I was absolutely horrified to see the current prices on some of the larger 1:35 armor kits! I kept thinking to myself that I could buy a decent piece of militaria for that kind of money!

[Jeeper704]

Back in the days when I was a military modelmaker, the most expensive was Verlinden.

He started with the superdetail kits and photo-edged parts which was close to non-existent till then.

 

I agree with Ian though .... those prices sometimes are insane!

But the details are really super compared to the kits we had back then.

 

The level of skills is mostly amazing when I look at some of the models and dioramas.

I always look forward to seeing the progress on these models.

So keep posting.

 

Erwin

[Sabrejet]

I agree with Erwin. Verlinden came onto the scene just as I was getting into the hobby. We all tried to emulate his style and, when he began producing his resin after-market products, we gobbled those up too! However,back then, we used to have to use our personal ingenuity to convert kits into other variants, or to scratch-build parts from a variety of materials. These days, it's so much easier as many kits come supplied with etched brass parts and separately molded track blocks etc. In many ways it's removed some of the fun/ creativity from the hobby.

[mpguy80/08]

My first two armor models back in the early 70s were the Tamiya M41 Walker Bulldog and the Tamiya M42 Duster. I paid a grand total of $3.33 apiece for them at K Mart, and they were the motorized versions!!! I remember finding some telephone wire and stripping out the cores and running two wires through the backs of the tanks and running them around the back yard with a 6 volt lantern battery. The M41 can still be had for about 15 bucks. Same kit, but not motorized. The M42 has actually been upgraded so goes for a bit more. The old Monogram TBD Devastator went for $1.67 about the same time frame. Monogram came out with their Shermans, Lee and Grant, halftracks and M8/20 armored cars, Jeep and 37mm gun, Patton tank and an M35 2-1/2 ton truck (and other german tanks) for around $3-$4. Now days, those same kits go for upwards of $25 to $30 bucks. I recently saw the old Monogram Patton tank at Michaels for $27 and change. Same kit, no upgrades. Look up the old Monogram Jeep and 37mm Gun on ebay... make sure you have your nitro or someone who knows CPR when you do though.

 

That being said, I don't mind paying a little more for more detail in a kit. When Resin detail kits are about as expensive as the kits themselves, I'd rather pay a little more for more plastic detail. Back in 2002 I did a Sherman with a Complete Interior... Fighting compartment, Turret and engine compartment with aftermarket tracks. The base kit, Tamiya's M4 Sherman (Early) was only $28. The total cost of the model was in excess of $120 due to the resin interior detailing I'd added. I did take a silver at an AMPS regional with it though so it was worth it at the time. Bronco is really setting the bar high... you might pay a little more for the kit, but the detail and optional parts you get in the box make a fairly complete model that you don't need excess resin to complete. As time goes on, prices come down and even more detail is added. When the M1114 from Bronco came out, it was $73 and made a fairly decent M1114 out of the box, sans all the add on stuff that was showing up in Iraq and A-Stan at the time. That was quickly rectified and shortly after the M1151 came out with all kinds of add on detail and for less than the initial cost of the M1114 that didn't have all that detail.

 

I guess in the end, we'll keep modeling, keep paying for the levels of detail we want... but still, there's nothing like finding an old classic kit and just building it straight from the box.

[Normandy1944]

I agree with Erwin. Verlinden came onto the scene just as I was getting into the hobby. We all tried to emulate his style and, when he began producing his resin after-market products, we gobbled those up too! However,back then, we used to have to use our personal ingenuity to convert kits into other variants, or to scratch-build parts from a variety of materials. These days, it's so much easier as many kits come supplied with etched brass parts and separately molded track blocks etc. In many ways it's removed some of the fun/ creativity from the hobby.

 

I started this week with scratch building and converting for the first time. I use 1/72 scale due to its quantity. The most figures in this scale don't fit with the poses that I need for my dioramas. My experience with scratch building and converting is that it's very difficult, but it's the best part of modelling beacuse it gives your diorama an unique touch.

[Sabrejet]

My first two armor models back in the early 70s were the Tamiya M41 Walker Bulldog and the Tamiya M42 Duster. I paid a grand total of $3.33 apiece for them at K Mart, and they were the motorized versions!!! I remember finding some telephone wire and stripping out the cores and running two wires through the backs of the tanks and running them around the back yard with a 6 volt lantern battery. The M41 can still be had for about 15 bucks. Same kit, but not motorized. The M42 has actually been upgraded so goes for a bit more. The old Monogram TBD Devastator went for $1.67 about the same time frame. Monogram came out with their Shermans, Lee and Grant, halftracks and M8/20 armored cars, Jeep and 37mm gun, Patton tank and an M35 2-1/2 ton truck (and other german tanks) for around $3-$4. Now days, those same kits go for upwards of $25 to $30 bucks. I recently saw the old Monogram Patton tank at Michaels for $27 and change. Same kit, no upgrades. Look up the old Monogram Jeep and 37mm Gun on ebay... make sure you have your nitro or someone who knows CPR when you do though.

 

That being said, I don't mind paying a little more for more detail in a kit. When Resin detail kits are about as expensive as the kits themselves, I'd rather pay a little more for more plastic detail. Back in 2002 I did a Sherman with a Complete Interior... Fighting compartment, Turret and engine compartment with aftermarket tracks. The base kit, Tamiya's M4 Sherman (Early) was only $28. The total cost of the model was in excess of $120 due to the resin interior detailing I'd added. I did take a silver at an AMPS regional with it though so it was worth it at the time. Bronco is really setting the bar high... you might pay a little more for the kit, but the detail and optional parts you get in the box make a fairly complete model that you don't need excess resin to complete. As time goes on, prices come down and even more detail is added. When the M1114 from Bronco came out, it was $73 and made a fairly decent M1114 out of the box, sans all the add on stuff that was showing up in Iraq and A-Stan at the time. That was quickly rectified and shortly after the M1151 came out with all kinds of add on detail and for less than the initial cost of the M1114 that didn't have all that detail.

 

I guess in the end, we'll keep modeling, keep paying for the levels of detail we want... but still, there's nothing like finding an old classic kit and just building it straight from the box.

 

 

I can relate to that! Back in the 80s I recall building an Israeli M-51 "Super-Sherman"....there was no kit of it then as there is now! To do it I needed two basic kits...the Italeri M4A1/76mm and the old Tamiya M4A3 HVSS for its suspension parts. I also bought an after-market aluminum gun-tube, plastic-molded T-8 tracks, some etched brass super-detailing parts and a Verlinden 1:35 IDF tank crew....plus styrene sheets and various other materials. It was challenging but fun to do and came out OK. However, when I sat down and calculated the overall cost of the project it was horrendous...in relative terms probably rather more than the cost of buying the complete kit today!

[patches]

For me it was Xmas 1973, I got my very first real military stuff, to include models

 

Tamiya Jeep

 

The M36 Jackson Tank Destroyer

 

U.S. Army Infantry

 

Plus a bunch of Paint and brushes, PLUS the Evans E Kerrigan Book on U.S. Military Badges and Insignia, and a cigar box full of patches and pins, ribbons

[Linedoggie]

Visions kit is a pain in the Tuchus to put it mildly. The gun carriage is not very well fitting and the seams left over should be covered in some Archer fine transfer resin weldbeads. Add to that the breechblock is molded closed. But still light years ahead of Tamiyas old white metal kit.

[mpguy80/08]

For me it was Xmas 1973, I got my very first real military stuff, to include models

 

Tamiya Jeep phpJuYeRrPM.jpg

 

The M36 Jackson Tank Destroyer phpYPxet5PM.jpg

 

U.S. Army Infantry phpHXz6D7PM.jpg

 

Plus a bunch of Paint and brushes, PLUS the Evans E Kerrigan Book on U.S. Military Badges and Insignia, and a cigar box full of patches and pins, ribbons

Ahhhh some oldies but goodies... I can't understand why Tamiya didn't add the trailer in with their upgraded molding for the jeep. That was the best part of the kit in my opinion.

[mpguy80/08]

Visions kit is a pain in the Tuchus to put it mildly. The gun carriage is not very well fitting and the seams left over should be covered in some Archer fine transfer resin weldbeads. Add to that the breechblock is molded closed. But still light years ahead of Tamiyas old white metal kit.

Yeah... I wasn't too happy about the breech being cast closed.. I saw an article about building this kit and it recommended using the archer weld beads too... I always go by kit building rule number one... DRYFIT DRYFIT DRYFIT!!!! There really isn't a reason for badly fitting parts if you take your time and plan for things. Sometimes it just takes sanding the mating surfaces a tad, others you might have to shim and putty but I'll play this one by ear and work it to make it fit.

[elvis3006]

Thanks for sharing the view of the M1A1 Pack Howitzer.

[mpguy80/08]

Well, I began the construction of the Pack Howie last night and let me tell you... you really have to plan ahead on this one guys. I began with separating the parts from the sprues that I would need in step one. I took my time, trimmed the flash from the cover lugs and fitted it over and over until I was satisfied it would friction fit. I then test fitted the lifting eye to the brass tube for the barrel and found the hole a tad too small. I gave the mounting hold for the barrel lifting eye a quick swipe with a number 11 x-acto blade to widen it just a hair and dry-fitted the lifting eye again until I was sure it would fit, then secured the brass part of the barrel in place with a drop of superglue, ensuring the lifting eye mounting hole was canted to the left side of the gun, as you face forward. Once the barrel was in place, I mounted the lifting eye to the brass tube with a drop of super glue and the breech lifting eye and cover handles with normal glue. I left the cover part loose so I could disassemble it from the gun for now, but will probably fasten it place.

[mpguy80/08]

This is what the tube, recoil tray and cover look like.